THE MONSTER-MAKER aka THE SURGEON’S EXPERIMENT (1897) – As Halloween Month hurtles toward its conclusion, Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at one of the overlooked horror tales of one of America’s most overlooked writers – W.C. Morrow. This story depicts a mad doctor dabbling in unspeakable experiments.
NOTE: The movies titled The Monster Maker (1944) and The Surgeon’s Experiment (1914) were not based on this short story.
The Monster-Maker is not the most original horror/ sci fi story in the world, but it has that certain appeal common to all such neglected items. Morrow was a writer living in – and largely published in – California, and his early work was praised by the one and only Ambrose Bierce.
This tale’s setting in 1800s San Francisco gives a nice American touch to what would otherwise have been yet another story set in a creepy castle somewhere in Europe. An annoying factor is that, like some of Jack London’s early short stories like A Thousand Deaths, The Monster-Maker does not provide names for any of its characters.
The horror begins as a perfectly healthy yet pathologically melancholy young man from a wealthy family seeks a meeting with a VERY reclusive surgeon. The physician is considered brilliant and emerges periodically to perform skilled surgery for such high fees that he can devote the rest of his time to his bizarre experiments. Continue reading
THE DEVIL OF THE MARSH (1893) – Written by H.B. Marriott Watson. Halloween Month continues with this review of a short horror piece about a unique female monster who inhabits the marsh. The story was first published in the 1893 collection Damnable Tales.
EERIE #57 (June 1974) 
NOTE: Warren Publications are fondly remembered for their horror and sci-fi magazines like Creepy, Eerie, 1984 and Vampirella (at right). As magazines and not comic books, Warren’s output was not limited by the comics code and could therefore delve into adult themes and intense violence. 
THE LIVING MUMMY (1910) – Written by Australian author Ambrose Pratt. Dr. Pinsent, a two-fisted young archeologist, is running an expedition in the sands of Egypt. The beautiful May Ottley and her father, an accomplished archeologist himself, ask Pinsent to lend them some of his workmen for a few days. 
ADVENTURE COMICS Vol 1 #431 (February 1974) 
When situations demanding greater than human intervention arose, Jim could become the Spectre, his ghostly form in which he wielded vast powers that he used against earthly villains as well as supernatural menaces. 
Balladeer’s Blog’s month-long look at Halloween continues! In the past, I examined the most Halloweenish covers for Marvel horror figures like 
VAMPIRE TALES Vol 1 #1 (June 1973) 
Synopsis: One night in Los Angeles, Morbius tries to find his lady love Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona in the movie), whom he was separated from shortly after his transformation into vampire form. He encounters Carolyn, a female member of the Children of Satan cult. 
FROM OUT OF THE SILENCE: SEVEN STRANGE STORIES (full title) (1920) – Written by Lady Bessie Kyffin-Taylor. The stories are: 
Halloween Season is underway here at Balladeer’s Blog! This time around I have so many new readers that I’ll start out with this look at some VERY old horror stories that are basically Halloween versions of the Ancient Science Fiction reviews I write. 
ALL STAR COMICS Vol 1 #58 (February 1976)
Synopsis: Dr. Fate, Flash, Hawkman, Robin, Wildcat, Green Lantern and Dr. Mid-Nite are joined by the Justice Society’s newest members – Power Girl, Earth-Two’s equivalent of Supergirl, and 
GIANT-SIZE SUPERVILLAIN TEAM-UP Vol 1 #1 (March 1975) 
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