It's Bela Lugosi's Birthday!

The Halloween Countdown, Day 20

Hey! Today is Bela "Karloff did not deserve to smell my shit!"* Lugosi's birthday, but I'm not about to attempt a tribute; I ain't that good a writer. Instead, let's honor him by talking coffins.

Semi-obligatory "Bela in a coffin" pic (from The Corpse Vanishes, 1942)

Real coffins, aka "toe-pinchers," mind you; none of these overpriced, tarted-up, glorified pieces of furniture. This is what I think of when I think "coffin":

The British do it right!

And that's what a true horror/Halloween fan wants to be buried in; in fact, a true horror fan wants one right damn now while he/she can enjoy it!** Unfortunately, you'll have a helluva hard time finding one for purchase in the US. The ABC (A Better Casket) Casket Factory in LA used to sell a lovely one called the "Count Dracula"...


...but recently turned it into this:


Bleah.

If you've got the money, Bert & Bud's Vintage Coffins will be more than happy to custom-make one for you, but who's got that kind of disposable income, especially if all you're looking for is a nice-but-durable Halloween prop?

Solution? Make it yourself. There are plans and tutorials all over the 'Net and here are three of the better ones:

It Came From the Garage of Evil!! Toe-Pincher Coffin
ScareFX: $25 Full-Size Toe-Pincher Coffin
Devious Concoctions: Full-Size Toe Pincher Coffin



Have at it!


* Bela probably never spoke such a line--then again, he might have--but Martin Landau certainly did when he portrayed him in Ed Wood. Classic monster movie fans the world over nearly lost bladder control at that bit of dialogue.



** No, seriously! Check out CasketFurniture.com. Other links here.