MoviePosters

Don't let anyone ever tell you that collecting movie memorabilia is a waste of time. Hold onto that action figure, lobby card, or poster long enough and it some day may be worth more than the house you grew up in. Case in point a poster for the The Black Cat, that 1934 film adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's classic story starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, which was recently opened for bidding by the Heritage Auction Galleries before closing on a final price of $334,600.

Yes, that comma is in the right place. Why'd it sell for such a high price? Because it is the only known Style B, one-sheet poster for The Black Cat known in existence. Auction Central News explains:

"The graphically spectacular red, black and white stone lithograph Black Cat movie poster is that rare collectible that transcends its genre," said Grey Smith, director of Vintage Movie Posters at Heritage. "Yes, it's a gorgeous movie poster, but it also carries great appeal as a piece of art, as a piece of pop culture and as an important piece of cinematic history. There's no other movie poster like it in the world, as far as we know, and it's worth every cent paid for it."

Designers for films like The Mist, Grindhouse, and The House of the Devil all understood the return to retro appeal when creating their posters. There's something extremely satisfying about them that harkens back to a day when your first peek at a film was often outside the movie theater--that larger than life poster staring back at you. The ominous (and sometimes amusing) taglines, the creepy typography and high contrast illustrations embroiled in battle are all reminiscent of a time when horror film posters were a lot more fun. Films that use this style are more tangible than their high gloss, airbrushed counterparts. In a world where everything is mass produced and executive directed, any evidence of an artist's hand is quite welcome. Artists who designed the posters for Ti West's The House of the Devil even went so far as to add creases to one of them, to make it appear as though it had been folded--the way a grizzled theater employee might do to stash it somewhere.

In honor of older sometimes being better, one designer has compiled a list of '50 Terrifying Retro Horror Movie Posters' for your viewing pleasure. Check out a few of my favorites after the jump. What are some of yours?