Along Came the Goblin, originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker.

Normally I don't care to add colorful borders to my shots. A lot of times I feel doing this takes away from the quality of the shot and makes it look less professional. However, sometimes when I take a cartooney or comic book shots, I feel it adds to the photo.

I wanted this shot to be colorful and slightly look like it could have been used as a promotional shot in the 1970's. Without the border, it would have just been another white background "catalog" shot, which is fine in some cases, but I wanted this to pop with retro fun.

This Green Goblin figure was made by Mego in the 70's and is one of my favorite toys. On the subject of Mego's World Famous Super Heroes figures, I have a series of square portrait shots planned of various figures from the line and will be making limited edition prints available. Look for these early in 2010, starting with the Batman characters.

~ Jason

KIAI!!!, originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker.

I have just added a slew of prints to my Etsy store! Finally some nice larger sizes, from 5X7 up. I am very happy with them, they look beautiful!

Now the nice part for you! From now until Dec. 16 I am having a Christmas sale! ALL prints are 25% off!!! I only have one of each print currently in stock, so don't hesitate!

Inanimate Life Photography store

~ Jason

Cinema of Fear - Stylized Freddy - Mezco, originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker.

From a recent shoot for Mezco Toyz.

The furnace was crafted by me.

You can see the rest, and find out more about this figure over at Toy News International.

All this week I am having a Grand Opening sale at my new Etsy store. 15% off all 4X5 and 4X6 prints. The sale ends on 11/30.

Also, I should have larger prints available in time for Christmas, so if you are looking for larger prints of some of the small ones, be sure to keep an eye on my store, or here for updates.

~ Jason

PRINTS, originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker.

I have added some 9X12 prints of The Monster, The Count and The Phantom to my Etsy store!

PRINTS, originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker.

Happy to announce that I have opened shop over at Etsy. Selling prints is something I should have started doing ages ago.

I only have a few prints up for sale right now. A couple large prints, a couple 5X5 prints, and a few 4X6 prints. Some of the 5X5 and 4X6 prints I have up will also be available in larger sizes, as well as smaller prints of the 9X12 and 8X12 shots in the not too distant future.

Many more prints are coming soon! If there is a particular photo in my Flickr photostream you are interested, let me know the title and desired size (please just state large, medium or small) either here, at Flickr or at Etsy, and if it can be done, I will work on getting it in stock.

In the meantime, check out the shop here.

~ Jason

Warrior Goddess, originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker.

The latest in my ongoing portrait series of Masters of the Universe Classics. See them all here.

Mechanical Kaiju, originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker.

Old photo revisited. This shot was originally taken in 2005.

Portrait of Barnabas Collins, originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker.

This is my first (maybe only) attempt at re-creating the portrait of Barnabas Collins that hangs in the Collinwood foyer in the 60's show Dark Shadows. This was originally intended to be used in my Victim of Collinwood shot I took during my Monster Month 2009 project. It was to to hang in the background, however I wasn't able to score an in scale "dollhouse" ornate picture frame in time. This may still happen, as I am sure more Dark Shadows shoots will rise in the future.

The background used is an actual canvas that I painted, to help give it the feel of an actual painting. I am a better photographer, than painter....

~ Jason

I am currently in the process of making prints available. I have some samples on the way for the first batch I will offer. I will be making them available on a limited basis for now. I want to make sure they are as nice as possible. After all, if you are going to hang a piece of art on your wall, you want it to look nice. As of right now, the plan is to sell them through my Etsy store (coming soon). Expect an update within the next couple weeks.

In the meantime, if there are particular shots you are interested in, let me know and I will see if I can fit them into the next batch.

~ Jason

Killer Klown from Outer Space, originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker.

"It was a space ship. And there was these things, these killer clowns, and they shot popcorn at us! We barely got away!"

Funstuf Frankenstein, originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker.

Frankenstein, Ani-Forms toy by Funstuf, 1978

Features: Frankenstein is loaded with features. He has a small slit in his mouth which opens when you squeeze his cheeks. You then push his arms down which releases the air in his body. Let go of his cheeks, the slit closes, and he stays compressed. You then fasten him to the lab table with the Velcro straps. He comes with a pump that is attached to a hose, which attaches to his back. Squeeze the pump, it fills him with air, and he bursts out of his straps.

His laboratory table has it's own awesome feature. When you turn the crank, it spins wheels on each side of the table, which hold lighter flints. These rub against sandpaper discs, causing massive sparks. The table also moves up and down.

Add to all that, Frank also glows-in-the-dark!

This is easily one of the greatest Frankenstein toys ever made. They sure don't make toys like the used to!

~ Jason

Funstuf Dracula, originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker.

Dracula, Ani-Forms toy by Funstuf, 1978

Features: Dracula has a small slit in his mouth which opens when you squeeze his cheeks. You then squeeze the air out of his body. Let go of his cheeks and the slit closes, keeping him compressed. put him in his coffin and attach the coffin lid. He comes with a pump that is attached to a hose, which attaches to his back. Squeeze the pump, it fills him with air, and he bursts out of the coffin.

Dracula also glows-in-the-dark.

Evil Comes in All Sizes, originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker.

The Night He Came Home, originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker.

This doll is haunted!

When you squeeze his chest, the Halloween theme plays. I bought this for my brother years ago, and a couple years ago or so he gave it back when he was moving. He told me that it would just go off at times for no reason and freak him out. It is true, he has done it a few times since I have had him. It IS pretty creepy, but that's just the way I like it.

Originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker

If you have never seen the film Dog Soldiers, I can't recommend it enough. One hell of a werewolf film.

My Name is Murder
Originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker

Mother Made Me Do It
Originally uploaded by TCM Hitchhiker

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Can't have monster month without a creepy doll.

~ Jason

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Subject: Cinema of Fear, 3.75, Freddy Krueger by Mezco Toyz.
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The Son of Svengoolie show was big influence on my love of monsters and horror films. The show was a local Chicagoland comedic TV horror host program that ran from '79 through '86. As a kid I never missed an episode and was introduced to some true classic (and not so classic) monster flicks. Sven came back on the air in the 90's, dropping the "Son of" and simply going by his namesake, Svengoolie. The show is still going strong today and I try to catch it every Saturday night.

The action figure used in this shot was custom made by me about 10 years ago. It was one of the first custom figures I ever made. A photo of the figure was shown on an episode of Svengoolie's show back in 2000.

~ Jason

Huge thanks to kingdufus who allowed me to use his great shot of the Svengoolie set, seen here, as my background in this shot.

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Monster Month 2009 continues!

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What good would Monster Month be without an appearance from Jack Torrance?

I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to this shoot. The door was completely made from scratch. It isn't an exact replica, but I think close enough for an effective illusion.

More creeps to come all month!

~ Jason

*click on photo for better view