Creature Features

Strange Matter #15

by Marty M. Engle, Johnny Ray Barnes

On the outskirts of town, the Fairfield Starlight Drive-In waits silently in the dark. A long time ago the giant movie screen flickered with life, showing technicolor westerns, murky mobster flicks and monster movies, but not anymore. Now the giant screen is overgrown with vines while rows of rusted speakers line the barren field like grave markers.

Jonathan Drake often wonders what it would have been like to see his favorite old horror movies on the big screen. He and his friends visit the Starlight Drive-In often. They wander around the dark, overgrown field, remembering their favorite scenes from horror movies and reciting lines by heart.

Then Jon hears a strange noise, like the hiss and pop of an old movie. They watch in shock as the speakers begin to shake and a beam of light leaps from the projection booth on to the screen.

Jon and his friends are about to make their scream debut in a special feature . . . a real creature feature . . .

and their roles are to die for.

Genres: Middle Grade

Audio CD

First published July 1, 2007

Reviews

[Nader Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun, especially for old B grade movies horror fans.
A cool mix of retro horror sci adventure and light comedy, I enjoyed the average plot, despite its not With depth or dramatic development of the characters.
The book still entertaining for those who like spooky middle grade books.
********************************************************************
Verdict
(6.5/10)

[Evan Purcell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A trio of movie nerds is sucked into a series of ridiculous B-movies from the 50s and 60s. Creature Features might be the most FUN entry in the Strange Matter canon. It's definitely more episodic than most of these books, but that's not a complaint when each episode involves cheesy UFOs, Godzilla-spoofs, and mad scientists. Unlike the similar Tune in to Terror (which takes on survival video games but mostly makes its own rules), Creature Features truly embraces the cliches and tropes of the genre. This book is obviously written by people who love this fandom and all the ridiculousness it includes. The all-out monster brawl climax could've been bigger, but that's a small complaint when this whole story is just so goofy and fun.

(Check out the two-part "Creature Feature" episode of The Haunting Hour for a similar, slightly more emotional spin on the same story.)

[Alejandro Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Returning once more to my ol’ reliable Strange Matter (we’re happily married by this point), this entry has had my attention for a while. Apparently, an episode from the Haunting Hour—“Creature Feature”—is based on this book… loosely. It’s baffling that this was randomly adapted and rather unfaithfully (though I get why lol), but hey, more love for this series? Count me in. This has, also, one of my favorite cover arts. Quick fun fact: the skull you see on the projector? Yeah, it comes from the cover of a book called ‘The Movie Treasury: Horror Movies - Tales of Terror in the Cinema.’ Correct me if I’m wrong, please. Okay, so how is this volume? Um… actually, it’s probably my second least favorite from the series. That means jack shit, though, since my lowest score from SM is a seven lmao. This series rocks, even in its “lows.” Creature Features is a fun love-letter to B-Movies and old horror in general. It’s got plenty of tense monster sequences, a lot of intrigue within its concepts, and a set of four extremely likable movie geeks who have some great banter and chemistry. The climax is great as well, taking a massive turn that I adored. The ending is also great, albeit a bit cheap—but again, this is a love letter to you-know-what. This one is also more of a joy ride, which was a bit jarring for this series; it felt more natural in A Shocker on Shock Street—another “you want fun, we give you fun” for 120 or so pages type of book—but here it was a teeny bit odd, since Strange Matter is so plot hooked usually, with clear direction and great story. This one is just thrills for most of it. And that segways me into my negatives: this one lacked beats, story, and much aside from the rampant monster movie mayhem. It’s fun, but I yearned for something more. Thankfully, that climax helped there. And that’s really my gripe here—it needed more to keep it going, to keep it fresh and all. There’s also some mild disappointment from us (mild spoiler) not really getting any answers towards what happened in the book; we stop the madness, and the book closes without telling us the whys and all. Stories of this genre can work in their ambiguity, but this one didn’t for me. Overall, 8.5/10. Strange Matter doesn’t miss, even in their lows. Also, this was my 150th read this year. I need help—hey, honey, can we afford therapy? Thanks Strange (happily married, again).

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't have a quip, just see my review: https://spongey444.wordpress.com/2020...