Weird Wednesday: The Strangest Horror Movie Merchandise!
Over the years, horror films have had their fair share of strange, oddball, and downright weird merchandise. From cancelled children’s toys to bizarre novelty products, here’s a list of some of the strangest items based on your favorite horror films.
ITEM 1 – ALIEN (1979)’S CANCELLED TOY LINE
After the smashing success of Kenner’s Star Wars toy line, the company was eager to license a new IP. So (possibly because they both involved settings in outer space), Kenner, a toy company primarily geared towards children, struck a deal to produce merchandise of the original Alien movie. This decision was frankly baffling, as the movie was very clearly not intended for young audiences. Because of poor sales and children’s unfamiliarity with the film, Kenner would (unsurprisingly) pull the plug on the toy line.
Admittedly, Kenner’s adaptation of the Xenomorph is quite faithful to the film, with some excellent detailing. This (combined with the aforementioned poor sales) has led to it becoming somewhat of a collector’s item, with prices normally being in the hundreds.
ITEM 2 – THE EXORCIST OUIJA BOARD
For those not familiar with the original Exorcist movie, the film consistently portrays the use of Ouija boards as a gateway to demonic possession. Clearly Hasbro missed that memo, as Ouija boards (specifically inspired by the movie) are still being sold today! One would think any fan of the movie would try their best to avoid “inviting the unknown into your home”, as the movie and the product description seem extremely contradictory.
ITEM 3 – TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE TEETH PROSTHETICS
For some reason, you can purchase a usable prosthetic replica of Leatherface’s top teeth. The teeth will set you back $20, presumably because they were “designed by a Hollywood FX teeth specialist”. Although I’m unsure who the target market is for this product, it proves to be a perfect example of weird merchandise.
ITEM 4 – JAWS: THE BOARD GAME
Sometimes, it is impossible to expect the unexpected. This is certainly the case for Jaws: The Board Game, which is currently ranked the 1,116th best board game of all time by fans. It is quite impressive that a movie centering around a shark eating people was translated into a board game for the whole family to enjoy.
The game apparently has one player take the role of the shark, while the others play as characters from the film. The survivors must attempt to pinpoint the shark’s location while gathering weapons (à la Battleship), while the shark collects “shark ability” cards to take out the survivors. The premise of this board game sounds like it would make for a great White Elephant gift.
ITEM 5 – FREDDY KREUGER BUBBLE GUM
The last item on our list is the epitome of the ’90s. In an attempt to make a truly “radical” novelty item, Topps produced a series of Freddy Krueger bubble gum dispensers. The product’s box reminds you to “collect them all”, as each dispenser had a different saying on the front. My personal favorite has to be “Quiet – I’m killing someone!” I don’t really understand the connection between Freddy Krueger and bubblegum, but it makes for a fascinating and weird end to this list.
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