Let's keep the Halloween celebration going by taking a look at a Retro Scan of the 1988 Topps trading card series "Fright Flicks." These things are pretty bountiful on eBay, making this series probably one of the most overlooked yet fondly remembered wax packs of the 1980s.
Fright Flicks mixes gore and comedy in a way that can entertain you but still make you cringe. The set doesn't hold back the blood and guts but balances it all with campy groan-worthy one-liners and stories. One of the reasons this set was so popular was that kids could get their hands (and eyes) on some scenes from popular R-rated movies that they would otherwise be too young to see.
The other interesting thing about this series is that it draws images from 15 different major horror franchises. Licensing so many major film series into one spot will likely never be replicated again, especially in today's world where content ownership is king.
The 90-card series has cards from film classics such as Ghostbusters, Poltergeist, Predator, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and even The Fly! Admittedly, due to its immense popularity in the late 80s, the set is heavy on Freddy Krueger and Nightmare on Elm Street.
On the reverse side of the card is the film's title that the image was taken from (if you couldn't tell) and a hauntingly weird little urban legend under the "Did It Ever Happen?" tagline.
Of course, there is a 33-year-old piece of bubblegum still intact that, as is tradition here at YesterYear, I've included in the scan for your viewing pleasure.
Fair warning for the squeamish: Some of the photos below are pretty graphic and heavy on the gore compared to the stuff I normally post here at YesterYear.
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