Someone has stolen Professor Weirdo’s hearse and the evidence points to Milton the Monster. But is he ghoulty, or not ghoulty? You’ve got to love the monster justice system as Professor Weirdo and Count Kook play judge, jury and … ehm … monsters!

Where is Atom Ant when you need him? Perhaps we should have thought about calling him in a year ago! This cartoon is a classic spoof on some of the old monster movies. I especially love the narrator’s dramatic 1950′s advertisement style storytelling. Enjoy.

Here are a few quick links to some stunning animation I’ve been enjoying lately.

First up – and thanks to Andy for spotting this one and mentioning it on his Twitter – here’s a wonderfully macabre short film called Alma, directed by Rodrigo Blaas. Creeped out by dolls? I know I am – and after watching this, I’m twice as creeped out now!

If you’re in a musical mood, take a look at rising animation star Henry Lambourne’s beautiful video for Space Girl by The Imagined Village. I particularly like the louche, smiley, one-eyed, blue geezer who makes an appearance around 1:43.

To round this post off, here’s a blast from the past:

Not “only” does The Trap Door arguably contain some of the greatest and most gleefully disgusting claymation ever, but the series is also like a primer on how to keep your cool when, y’know, monsters imprison you in a cave for a year.

Check out Berk’s poise and equanimity in Episode 4: Lurkings when confronted by an unspeakable green thing. When I’ve faced similar situations – as has happened more times than I can count these past twelve months – my reactions tend to run to the usual unstylish replies like ‘Help!’ or ‘Argh!’ I’ve never said anything as downright suave as ‘I think I might have considerable trouble stuffing that in a sandwich.’

Here’s another highlight of the series: Episode 5. ‘Gourmet’s Delight’, indeed.

Bon appetit.

Sam

Forget Pokething and Didgiwostit – the only cards worth collecting in 2010 are the TRAPPED BY MONSTERS BATTLECARDS!

YES! TBM battle cards are exciting, full colour, handy-sized paper nuggets of edge-of-the-seat fun. THRILL when you learn of Mark Robson’s exact HEIGHT! Andy Brigg’s embarrassing 70s-themed WEAKNESS! Ali Sparkes’ STUPID POEM ATTACK and Joe Craig’s alarmingly healthy SNACK. To say nothing of Tommy Donbavand’s sinister BALLOON THING, Sam Enthoven’s GUITAR ATTACK, Barry Hutchison’s ELVIS SUPERPOWER and David Melling’s INTENSE EXPRESSION.

HOW DO I GET THESE AMAZING CARDS?!!! you ask. (No, you do. Go on.)

These cards cannot be bought in any shop. You can ONLY get them directly from a TBM author while we are out on cave parole at events in schools, libraries and bookshops. Get the cards signed if you can – but even if you can’t, get the full set and win a FABULOUS PRIZE OF INDETERMINATE SIZE OR VALUE!!!*

Let any one of us know that you have achieved the improbable feat of getting all eight cards and we will challenge you for the code that you will learn only when you truly have the collection.

And then we will send your FABULOUS PRIZE OF INDETERMINATE SIZE OR VALUE!!!*

* We’ve no idea exactly what but the monsters tell us it will be good!

Merry Christmas everyone. Just had to share this:

You know, in some ways being kidnapped by monsters and held prisoner in a cave for nearly a year isn’t quite as bad as it might be.

For one thing (and maybe I’m reaching here, but…) thanks to the monsters’ internet connection, I haven’t been deprived of music.

Not at all long ago, a music collection was something that had to be confined to a physical location: a stack of cd’s, say (don’t get me started on records and tapes). Now, of course, that’s no longer the case. And I can’t tell you how grateful I am.

Music is an essential part of my daily life. It’s also an essential part of my writing process. I don’t listen to music while I’m actually writing (or not usually – for me it’s too distracting) but I use music all the time in other ways: when I’m getting myself ready to write, when I’m thinking myself into a different frame of mind for a particular scene, and when I’m trying to come up with ideas.

I’ve found that all sorts of music can help with this stuff. But I thought I might share with you a few specific things that have been making my story-brain twitch and bubble over the last month or two…

Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age sounds like it was recorded forty years ago, but it wasn’t: it’s only been out since October. A series of short experimental pieces (none longer than a few minutes), this mini-album plunges you straight into the woozily sinister atmosphere of a 1970s horror film.

I liked where that took me so decided I’d stay, with the newly-reissued soundtrack to a genuine horror classic from the era, Blood on Satan’s Claw, composed by Mark Wilkinson. Disarmingly cute and massively ominous both at the same time, you can hear some samples of it here.

On the same label (Trunk Records) I found this incredible story about the rescue of another soundtrack from the era, in this case that of a nature documentary: Life on Earth, composed by Edward Williams. Imagine a whole album about living creatures and their biological processes. The Sex Life of the Fern, I can tell you, is a particular highlight. Comb Jellies is dead good, too.

Finally, here’s something really odd: twenty-two pieces of experimental techno created by various artists Twitter style – allowing themselves a maximum of 140 characters of code. Click here to hear sc140, and even download it free for you to own if you like.

Febrile psychedelia, rustic English horror, music for jellyfish and what sounds like the stomach rumbles of computers. There are all sorts of weird noises to be heard in these caves. But it’s great to be able to choose them for yourself.

If you’re interested in what else I’ve been listening to, you’re welcome to take a look at my LastFM profile.

-Sam

PS: The first illustration in this post is by Henry Holiday, from Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark.

OK, so no one really got going with my last effort for a caption competition, so I’ll scrap it and give you a couple of different options to work with. Here’s a bunch of authors and librarians at Pizza Express after the Oxon & Berks Regional Final of the Kid’s Lit Quiz. Can anyone think of a caption for this one? My offer of a hardback copy of ‘Gone’ by Michael Grant stands. I shall give you until 1st December to come up with a funny caption.

If you can’t think of a caption for that one, how about this one? We had two author teams taking part at Oxford. M.G. Harris, Elizabeth Kay (who made such a gallant rescue attempt earlier in the year) and I took on the knowledge of Lucy Coats Owen, Dennis Hamley, Susie Day and Julia Golding … and thirty one teams of bright young people. Four brains against three, proved just a little too much for us and Lucy’s team pipped us by a couple of points. It seems the normally mild-mannered M.G. Harris doesn’t take kindly to being beaten as the following photo will attest …

Post a caption for either photo (clean language only, please!) for a chance to win.

My love of the muppets is well documented.  (Even though some of them are monsters!)  One of my favourite characters is Beaker, the hapless, disaster-prone subject of so many muppet experiments.  Just had to share this clip of Beaker expressing his musical side with a special rendition of ‘Ode to Joy’.

Gotta love the muppets!

To be filed firmly in the ‘so utterly, horribly wrong it’s right’ category, allow me to introduce you (via Boing Boing) to The Adventures of Lil’ Cthulhu — a bloodcurdlingly chirpy animated short film that narrates H P Lovecraft‘s classic and terrifying Cthulhu Mythos in a way that now – at last! – the whole family can enjoy.

I particularly like the bit where Lil’ Cthulhu gets hungry. -Aw! [shudders]