Horror Block Unboxing and Review for October 2015

So, as I mentioned in my Nerd Block unboxing, in addition to my resubscribing to Nerd Block for a month for the vinyl figures, my husband thought it would be a good idea to resubscribe to Horror Block for a month because they were advertising a “Friday the 13th” item. My husband is an enormous horror nerd and “Friday the 13th” is one of his absolute favorite franchises, so I thought, “Why not?” and we gave it a try.

Check out the (not-so-)spooky unboxing video:

So was he happy with the “Friday the 13th” item, and was the rest of the box worth getting? Let’s go to the breakdown:

“Jason Voorhees/Camp Crystal Lake” t-shirt:
Unsurprisingly (call me jaded) the item that my husband was looking for turned out to be the t-shirt. I don’t think he was necessarily disappointed because it does happen to be a half-decent shirt, but I’m pretty sure he was hoping it would be a collectible of some kind. Still, the design is pretty cool, so it’s not like it’s a loss, and I’m pretty certain that he’ll wear it. Approximate value: $15

“Chucky” plush doll:
Though they’re not as cool as vinyls (call me biased), but plush character collectibles are pretty cool too. This “Chucky” one kinda freaks me out a little, but I guess that’s actually the point, right? I’m sure that my husband, being the horror nerd, won’t mind having this little guy sitting up on the shelves with his other horror figures. Or maybe I’ll steal him and sit him next to my Chucky Funko Pop. Bwa ha ha. Approximate value: $20

Argento’s “Dracula” on DVD:
As I mentioned in the video, I’m not against putting movies in these boxes, but I’m just a bit against DVDs. I’m sure lots of people who got this in their Horror Block will probably be quite happy with it, but I would have been much happy with a Blu-ray, simply because that’s what we watch, when we watch physical media at all. I suppose it can go on the shelf with all the other horror movies (we do have a rather large collection of both crap and not crap), but I just wasn’t particularly impressed with this item, sorry! Approximate value: it depends on where you look, but I found it as low as $10

“Ouija Board” mouse pad:
My feelings are mixed on this because on the one hand it’s a pretty cute idea, but on the other hand it’s a mouse pad. As I mentioned in the video my husband and I both have laptops and neither of us use anything other than the pad right on those laptops, so we have absolutely no use for a mouse pad, and this is not the first one we’ve gotten in a subscription box. Meh, maybe I’ll stick it to the wall above my horror Pops or something. Approximate value: the prices I’ve seen vary wildly, so I’m averaging it out at about $5.

“Zombies” mini-poster:
First, I’ll say that I appreciate that this is a poster-board poster rather than a loose paper one. Just throwing that out there; I prefer the board posters. Secondly, this is a fairly neat one, full of all kinds of pop-culture zombie figures from many different walks of…after-life. Was that too silly? Anyway, moving on. This isn’t a bad little poster. It doesn’t add much to the value of the box, of course, but it’s definitely an interesting idea. Approximate value: it’s hard to put a value on these prints, and I’ve seen people value them much higher, but I feel like the absolute best I can do is $5 since it’s just a printed sheet of 8×10 poster board.

Rue Morgue’s “Cryptic Collectibles” book:
Even though I’m not into the magazines, I actually rather enjoy these Rue Morgue books that we’ve gotten in a number of Horror Blocks. They’re always full of interesting facts, stories, and so on, and this one is really quite amusing because it’s full of horror collectibles. I’m sure my husband will probably take a good look through it and come up with a list of things he wants, although I don’t know if the collectibles in this book are really attainable. Either way, it should be an interesting read! Approximate value: $15

Approximate value of box: $70
Approximate cost to me: $40

So what’s interesting right off the bat is that even with me low-balling the mouse pad, taking the lowest value I saw for the DVD, and valuing the mini-poster much lower than most people I’ve seen, this box still had the highest overall value of any other Horror Block I’ve gotten. I’m not 100% positive, but I think it may have been the highest value for any Nerd Block family box I’ve ever gotten. That’s pretty interesting. Mind you, I do feel like some of the items aren’t worth what their market value is…the Chucky doll, for instance, is cool, but given the size of it I don’t feel that it’s worth $20. That said, it’s definitely nice to see that number be so high, because it makes me feel a heck of a lot better about what I’m spending on the box.

All in all, it’s a pretty decent box, and I’m not upset that my husband decided to get it. Between the shirt, the Chucky doll, and the Rue Morgue book I definitely think the box was worth the price, with the other items just being interesting little add-ins. I’ve no major complaints, although I do still wish the DVD had been a Blu-ray, but that’s a picky thing I think. I guess I have to admit that Horror Block did a good job on the October box. If I sound hesitant to say that, it’s because I am…because when they actually do a good job it makes me sad that I’ve decided not to subscribe full-time anymore. 😛

And that’s that. What did you guys think? Did you pick up a Horror Block for October? What did you think of the Chucky doll…pretty creepy, right? Is there anything in the book that you’d love to have? Where are you going to hang your zombie poster? Please share!

Horror Block Unboxing and Review for June 2015

What’s this? A super-late Horror Block unboxing? Don’t mind if I do!

So June’s Horror Block wasn’t the best, but I definitely liked it better than my husband, who pretty much thought it was complete junk. Let’s take a look at the breakdown for more info.

The Purge “Survive the Night” t-shirt: Okay, one thing I will definitely say right off the bat is that almost all of the t-shirts included in Horror Block have been horrible, and this one is no different. My husband and I both love horror stuff, but we’re not into wearing shirts with big, creepy, ugly faces on them, which is what about 90% of the Horror Block t-shirts are like. A silhouette of Freddy Krueger? Cool. Jason Voorhees peeking out from behind a tree? Cool. Ugly-ass face with black circles around his eyes and an upside-down cross on his forehead? Gross and not wearable, at least not in this house. Sorry, Horror Block, this shirt is another miss. I’ll still give it my usual value of $15, but I’m not happy about it.

Alien Egg silicone ice cube mold: I’m really winding up with a collection of these ice makers, though I’m not really complaining because they can be pretty funny during a night of drinks with friends. This newest one makes alien eggs, which is definitely amusing to me, at least, and would probably be cool for a drink with a nice green tinge to it. I was able to find this particular mold for as low as $12, so that’s what I’m going with today.

Stuffed Chtulhu toy: Okay, I’m going to admit that I don’t know a whole hell of a lot about Chtulhu, aside from the fact that he’s some big, powerful, creepy god, and that there has been an ass load of merchandise made of him, of which this item is one. It’s the only item of its kind that I own, and that’s definitely not a complaint because he’s adorable as sin. I couldn’t find this particular stuffy anywhere online, but based on the plethora of other stuffed Chtulhus and what things like this usually go for in the local comic shops, I’m estimating it at about $10.

Scream “Ghostface” Re-Action figure: As I mentioned in the video, I am not for these particular figures. I understand why they came up with them – for the nostalgic retro factor – but I think they’re cheap and chintzy, and as my husband said, you have to keep them in the packaging or they look like the junkiest thing ever. This particular one is Ghostface from the Scream franchise, and that’s pretty much all I have to say about that. The Re-Action figures go for about $10

Rue Morgue magazine: And, as always, there is a magazine that I have no intention to read. I can’t really complain about these items since they do add a decent value to the box and lots of people probably enjoy getting them, but they just aren’t for me. Regardless, this one values at the same as they usually do: approximately $10.

Total approximate value of box: $57
Total cost to me: $36

So the value isn’t too bad, that’s for sure, but you can see from the breakdown that the ratio of items I like to items I don’t is pretty off. The ice maker and the little stuffed Chtulhu are pretty cool, but the shirt is ugly, the Re-Action figure is extremely “meh”, and the magazine is the same as it always is: something I just won’t read. That means that there’s only about a $22 value to the stuff I like, which you’ll notice is a lot less than what I paid.

And with that note, I have in fact cancelled my Horror Block subscription. I’ll be getting one more, so look forward to that, but it will be the last  one because I just haven’t been enjoying Horror Block for ages now. I’ve gotten an item here, an item there, but overall the boxes have been pretty disappointing and it’s time to stop wasting my money on them.

What do you think? Did you receive a Horror Block for June? What was your favorite item? Least favorite? Do you think Horror Block is worth the cost? Please share!

Horror Block Unboxing and Review for May 2015

It’s that time of the month again, my friends; time for a SUPER late Horror Block unboxing. You know the deal, so let’s get right down to it with the unboxing video:

That wasn’t so bad of a box was it? But is the value there? Let’s check out the breakdown:

“Will Graham” Funko Pop figure: I always love a Funko Pop, that’s no secret at all. It’s just unfortunate that I have no interest in this particular one since I’ve never watched the show. Perhaps in the future I’ll get around to it and then this Funko will be a welcome addition to the collection, but for now it’s just kinda gonna be there. Still, it’s a Funko, and it’s worth approximately $13.

“Silent Hill” t-shirt: Just so you know, when I was first looking at this shirt I totally didn’t notice that there’s a bloody silhouette of Pyramid Head behind the words. Blame it on the glare coming in from the window. Anyway, I’m actually pretty impressed with this shirt. I’m not always keen on shirts that have the main point (SILENT HILL!) emblazoned across the front, but the phrase and background image are pretty cool, and it’s something different! A video game reference (even though they’re probably thinking of the movie, themselves)! I can get behind that, for sure. As usual, I give this shirt a standard shirt price of about $15.

“Creature from the Black Lagoon” collectible print: I’m not the biggest fan of these mini-posters and the like, but at least it’s something a little different. You don’t usually see a whole lot of “The Creature” stuff around, and it should go nicely with my husband’s horror movie display. Even though they call it an “exclusive” collectible print, however, it’s just a piece of poster board with a picture on it, so I can’t really assign it a value of more than, say, $2.

Horror Block Short Film Festival DVD: This one is really hard to put a value on because it’s something that was made by Horror Block themselves, and as near as I can tell (correct me if I’m wrong), you can’t actually purchase this DVD anywhere. It’s a neat little addition and I’m interested to see what the winning short films are like, but since it’s a DVD rather than a Bluray I’m going to be what I feel is generous and give it a value of $10.

“Weird Stats and Morbid Facts” book: This is the second “Rue Morgue Library” book I’ve gotten in Horror Block, and it’s pretty neat. I already took a browse through it and some of the facts are pretty interesting. It’s definitely a step up from the supernatural romance that came a couple of months ago, and it adds a good value to the box with its retail price of $15.

Rue Morgue magazine: And, as always, the magazine. Honestly, I’m getting rather sick of getting these magazines. I know that they’re part of the box, and that’s something you have to consider when deciding to subscribe, but I personally don’t read them so it would be nice, in my opinion, if they were changed up for a different item every now and then. Regardless of my feelings, these magazines retail at about $10.

Total approximate value of box: $65
Total cost to me: $37

So right off the bat you can see that this was a high-value box – one of the highest-value Horror Blocks I’ve received, so that definitely makes person feel good. It’s very unfortunate that I can’t really enjoy the Funko because I’ve never seen the show, but it is still a Funko. The shirt was a pleasant surprise because it’s nice to see something a little different for a change. I reserve an opinion on the DVD until I get a chance to watch it, but it is definitely a neat idea. The book is probably my favorite item because I like books like this, and now I’ve got a little collection of them going.

All in all, I’m decently happy with this box, although I can’t say that there was any one item in it that really WOWed me. Again, I can’t help but mention that Funko…boxes with a Funko have huge potential for me, but they just chose the wrong line, in my opinion.

What do you think of the Horror Block for May? Do you subscribe to Horror Block? What was your favorite item in the box? Least favorite? Please share!

Horror Block Unboxing and Review for April 2015

I do so love doing these super-late unboxing-and-review posts, but until I can convince all of the subscription box companies to ship around my work schedule, this is what we’ve got to deal with.

Today it’s the Horror Block for April 2015, and it wasn’t half bad if I do say so myself. Why not check out the unboxing video?

Not too shabby, right? Let’s go to the breakdown:

I <<Whatever>> Evil shirt: As I’ve mentioned, the hubby and I haven’t been terribly impressed with lots of the Horror Block t-shirts, but this one isn’t too bad. Evil Dead is one of my hubby’s favorite horror movie series, so you can’t really go wrong. Assigning this shirt my standard value of $15.

“Dr Peter Venkman” Funko Pop: Ya’ll know I loves me my Funko Pops, and though I do already have a Venkman Pop, I will happily accept this one as part of my Horror Block since it’s technically different from the one I have. The price of Funkos can be pretty random depending on where you’re getting them and how rare they are, but as this is a common Pops I’m going to assign it the value that it usually costs me to buy Pops when they show up at the local shops: approximately $13

“Killer Shots” Skeleton shot glasses: These are actually super-cute, and it’s always nice to get something in these boxes that is useful. That’s not to say that I use shot glasses on a day-to-day basis, but it’ll be fun to make some bright white shots in these glasses when we have friends around. Two thumbs up, Horror Block. You can get a four-pack of these little guys for about $14, so I’m calling to the 2-pack worth $7.

“Bates Motel” mug: Sometimes getting mugs in these boxes is cool, but I’m not terribly impressed with this one. It’s pretty plain, and actually kinda looks like something someone would make on CafePress using a stock image. Couple that with the fact that we just have so many mugs already, and I’m not horribly happy with this item. I half-heartedly allow it a standard mug value of about $10.

“Overlook Motel” coasters: I’ll admit it…these are kinda funny. It would be interesting to just throw them down during a party and see if anyone realizes what the pattern is that’s holding their beer. But they’re not exactly a game-changing addition to the box. Just a junky little thing that’s kind of amusing. I can’t find these online, so I’m estimating based on the fact that they’re paper coasters, and come in cheap plastic packaging. Let’s say…$3.

Rue Morgue magazine: Finally, as always, the magazine that I never read. Maybe someday when I’m bored I’ll actually take a look through some of these magazines, but for now I personally see them as an item that could be something a lot cooler for the same value. These go for $10 a piece.

Total approximate value of box: $58
Total cost to me: $38

So a couple of things… One, the value wasn’t too shabby. There have been a couple on the low end the past few months, so it’s nice to see that number work its way back up a bit. Second, though I technically don’t much care for the last three items in the box, the first three make up for it. Every box with a Funko is an almost instant win for me, and the shot glasses might not be a high value but they’re still pretty awesome. Couple that with a t-shirt that might actually get worn around here, and I’m happy.

Unfortunately, when you take those three items that I like and combine their values, you’re hardly getting what I paid for the box, which is a big downer and the main reason that I’m going to be cancelling Horror Block. I’ll be getting the box for May (probably sometime after I’ve gone out West), but that will be the last one because I just can’t justify the amount of money I’m spending for the number of cool items I actually end up getting.

Impress me in May, Horror Block. It’s your last shot.

What did you think? Did you receive a Horror Block for April 2015? What was your favorite item? Least favorite? Do you feel the cost is worth it? Please share!

Horror Block Unboxing and Review for March 2015

In the realm of ridiculously-late unboxing videos, I have for you today the Horror Block for March. As with February’s Block, this one came while I was out West, so I didn’t even get to open it until mid-April, and as mentioned in yesterday’s post I didn’t want to do any of these unboxing posts until the A to Z Challenge was over. Thus we have a two-month-late unboxing. But I’m going to share it with you today anyway, because why the hell not?

As always, first check out the unboxing video:

Breakdown time!

“Dixon Motorcycle Repair” t-shirt: Okay, right off the bat I have to say that I had a mental sigh of relief when I saw this t-shirt, because the past several Horror Block t-shirts have not been good ones, in my opinion. This is actually a pretty decent shirt. It’s a clever design, not too busy, and doesn’t have any enormous, creepy-ass faces plasted all over it. Unfortunately I still haven’t actually watched ‘The Walking Dead’ (I know, I know!) so that appeal isn’t there, but it’s still a nice shirt and will likely get worn. As usual, I’m giving this item my default shirt value of $15.

Walking Mummy Puzzle toy: I haven’t actually put this together yet, so I can’t really comment too much, but it’s kinda cute. I’ll probably make it a mini-project to do with my daughter some day; I imagine she’ll get a kick out of winding him up and watching him walk. This little “puzzle” toy can be found online for about $5.

Creepy Face key cover: I don’t know what else to call this thing other than “creepy face”. I saw some other unboxings and saw that there were a couple of other faces you could get, none of them any less creepy. I definitely wouldn’t mind some nice key covers, but I can honestly say I won’t be using this one because it’s kinda ugly. This is a Horror Block exclusive, but similar things go for about $5.

Walking Dead drawstring bag: Since it has two strings for your arms I guess this is technically a backpack, but it’s kinda flimsy so I don’t really think I would definite it that way. This is basically one of those vinyl bags with a drawstring close, with Daryl Dixon printed on the front. It’s interesting, that’s for sure, but I probably wont’ use it for too much because I just don’t use these kinds of bags. Surprisingly (considering that it looks super-cheap) similar bags with licensed characters on them go for about $10.

Pinhead canvas print: This one really surprised me, I have to admit. I’m used to getting mini-posters in some of these subscription boxes, but to get a canvas print? I’m sure it must be made of some material that’s cheaper than canvas, because that stuff is not cheap. To get a real canvas print this size you’re looking at a good $30. Since I refuse to believe that this particular print is actually worth that much I’m going to split it and graciously assign this item a value of $15.

Rue Morgue magazine: And as always, a magazine, this month Rue Morgue. I can’t say a whole lot about this item since I never really read the magazines, but as usual I’ll let you know that if you enjoy these magazines they really help make the box worth the cost, since they retail for about $10 a pop.

Total approximate value of box: $60
Total cost to me: $37

So, this is actually one of the highest value Horror Blocks I’ve gotten yet, but I do have mixed feelings about it. The t-shirt is nice, there’s no denying that. The bag is kinda neat too, but it really does feel quite cheap, and I don’t think it’s worth what it costs. The key cover might be neat if it was a character I know, but this weird ugly face just doesn’t do it for me. The mummy ‘puzzle’ is kind of cute, but it’s not exactly a show-stopper. I can honestly say that I’m amused by the Pinhead print; it will probably go in our “horror room” with all our movies and figures, so that’s cool. And of course, the magazine is exactly what it ever is, which is basically a reminder that I really should get around to reading some of these magazines.

All in all I guess I think it was actually not that bad of a box, but not super exciting either.

What do you think? Do you subscribe to Horror Block? What was your favorite item in the March 2015 box? Your least favorite? Did you hang that Pinhead print anywhere? Please share!

Horror Block Unboxing and Review for February 2015

In February I was horribly behind on everything and you guys didn’t see any of my unboxing videos until the first week of March, so this month I tried really hard to get everything out before the end of the month. Unfortunately, Horror Block is stymieing that effort because it is shipped at a different time from everything else I receive. Since I started on a slightly different schedule than my last job, I am now out West for only a day or two when Horror Block arrives, meaning I don’t get to even look at it until it’s been sitting around the house for over two weeks. That said, I would rather the one block be super-late than if everything I get showed up while I’m out West, which happened a couple of times last year.

And now that I’ve gotten that little babble out of the way, why not check out the unboxing video for February’s Horror Block:

It might come as no surprise to you guys that I was disappointed in this block, because it seems like I’ve been disappointed in everything lately. It’s just been a bad couple of months for subscription boxes, let me tell you. But let’s go ahead and look at the breakdown anyway.

Giant Microbe “Zombie Virus”: Though not exactly something I want a bunch of, I do have to admit that these giant microbes are kinda funny, and it’s somehow suitable that we got a “zombie virus” in our Horror Block. This is the only one of these little guys that I’ve seen that is actually a fictional virus, and I’m curious as to whether they entirely made him up, or if he’s based on something else. Either way, plushy, red-eyed zombie virus retails at $10.
Bride of Frankenstein t-shirt: A lot of the Horror Block t-shirts have been bordering on horrible, in my opinion. This one isn’t terrible, but it’s also nothing my husband or I would really wear. I believe this was a Shirt Punch shirt, so we’re going to go with $10 for the value.
Zombie Containment Unit: So, I couldn’t actually see anything inside when I was examining it during the video, but apparently this is one of those toys that has a little figure inside all the goop, and said figure is a glow-in-the-dark shambler. You can collect ’em all for $3 per containment unit.
Vampire Teeth slap watch: I get the feeling my daughter is going to wind up with a collection of watches, since my husband and I don’t really wear them. Not too much to say about this item; it’s a slap-bracelet watch with vampire teeth on the watch face. Kinda cute, and worth about $8.
Bitten novel by Kelley Armstrong: Now, the thing is, I’ll probably like this book well enough, because while I prefer the kinds of monsters that rip your guts out, I can also appreciate the “sexy supernatural” versions, so this is an okay item for me. But I hold to what I said in the video, which is that a lot of Horror Block subscribers were probably not impressed in the slightest by this item. My husband, for example, would probably have thrown it in the trash if it was his subscription box alone. Poor form, Horror Block. The book retails at about $10.
Rue Morgue magazine: And as always, we have the magazine, which I don’t usually read, therefore making it a bit of a wash item. It’s a good item for someone who likes reading these types of magazines; it’s just not an item for me. About $10 is what these magazines go for.

Total approximate value of box: $51
Total cost to me: $38

It’s getting difficult to keep track of the costs of these boxes since they keep changing lately, but I went back in my credit card charges to find that last month’s Horror Block cost me just shy of $38, and that alone frustrates me to no end, because I’ve been finding what’s been in the boxes has not been worth that. Yes, technically, the value is there, but most of the items we’ve been getting are things we don’t want. The zombie virus is probably the only item that will actually end up amongst our collectibles, and though I will read the book it feels more like a bonus item because I wouldn’t have ever purchased it myself.

All in all, I was pretty disappointed with this box, and I’m definitely thinking about cancelling it since my husband hasn’t been particularly impressed either.

Did you receive Horror Block for the month of February? What did you think? What was your favorite item? Least favorite? Please share!

Also, a reminder that I am running a contest throughout the month of March. For each comment you post on my blog throughout the month, you will receive one entry toward a draw for a hard-copy of my zombie apocalypse novel, “Nowhere to Hide”! Please note that in order to accept the prize, I will need you to give me a mailing address where I can have the book sent. If the winner drawn did not intend to enter the contest and/or does not want the book, I will draw another name. Please also note that obvious spam/duplicate comments/etc. will not be counted toward an entry…play fair! And good luck! ❤

Horror Block Unboxing and Review for January 2015

It’s time to round out all the first unboxings of 2015 with this month’s Horror Block, but don’t look to this post for a good review. My face during the video probably says it all, so give it a look:

So as you can see, I was not really the least bit impressed with the first Horror Block of the year. Shall we take a look at the breakdown?

“Normal People Scare Me” t-shirt: The first item in the box made me cringe a little because of all the subscription boxes I’ve been getting this may be the worst shirt yet. It is absolutely hideous, in my opinion, and neither my husband or I will likely ever wear it, so I’m assigning it a reduced t-shirt value of $10.
“Good Guys” Chucky t-shirt: It was a double-shirt month, but I am not a fan of this shirt either. While Chucky is a little more relevant to this household, it’s still not what I’d call a nice shirt, and it also will probably never be worn. $10 goes to this item as well.
“Living Dead Dolls” Pink Posey figure: This little figure is kinda cute, for sure, but it is also miniscule. I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would pay $15 for one of these, but that is apparently what they go for.
“Mad Balls”: Okay, first, I just have to ask what genius created the plastic balls that these things are encapsulated in? I’m not joking when I say that I tried for almost five full minutes to get just one of them open before eventually grabbing a knife and almost stabbing myself to snap the two lids apart. You’d swear someone had hidden the meaning of life in these things, based on how difficult it is to open them. But instead, what you get inside are super-ugly balls that look like creepy heads. They’re not even well made; they’re just super-cheap plastic junk. I couldn’t find these exact items online, but I’m not inclined to assign them a value of any more than $1 each because they’re seriously that junky.
“The Twilight Zone” 1st issue comic: This is honestly probably the only item in the box that I like at all, and mostly just because I’m amused by comics. The value for a Twilight Zone comic from Dynamite? About $4.
“Rue Morgue” magazine: And, as always, the magazines, which are a great value for anyone who enjoys them, but aren’t really my bag. Either way, the value of an issue of one of these magazines is about $11.

Total approximate value of box: $52
Total cost to me: $33

So, as usual, the value is technically there. The double shirts and magazine will always bump of the value of a box, but considering that both shirts are awful (at least to me), that doesn’t really work for me this month. When you add in the junky Mad Balls and the hideously over-priced Living Dead Doll, things just don’t add up at all in my eyes. Personally, and this is just my opinion, but I think this month’s Horror Block is absolutely awful, and as I mentioned in my video I’m considering cancelling this particular subscription. There have been good items in it, for sure, but I’ve personally felt that the overall boxes have been tapering off a bit for me, and I don’t feel like I’m getting as much out of them anymore.

But I guess we’ll figure that out next month, since it’s too late to cancel for February. 😛

Do you subscribe to Horror Block? What did you think about January’s box? Please share!

Horror Block Unboxing and Review for November and December

I’ve had a busy month, but the business actually started all the way back in November, and that’s why I didn’t so much as glance at November’s Horror Block until I got home for Christmas break in December. But we can’t just skip one – that would be insanity! So today I’m going to do a double review of the Horror Blocks from November and December. First let’s check out the unboxing video for November:

And now let’s take a look at the breakdown:

“Hannibal” t-shirt: If I’m being completely honest, this may be the worst shirt I’ve gotten in a subscription box yet, not because it’s necessarily a bad shirt, but because it doesn’t appeal to either my husband or I at all. We haven’t watched Hannibal, so this one is a definite miss. That said, it’s still a shirt, so it gets the default value of $15.
“Godzilla” Scaler: These little Scaler dudes are actually adorable (we’ve got three now, since the hubby and I both bought each other one for Christmas) and it’s awesome that it’s Godzilla. These little dudes usually go for approximately $8, but this one is actually pretty hard to find and is therefore closer to $15.
Heart-shaped stress-ball: Dollar-Store fare right here. Kinda cute, but worth $1 at most.
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” movie cell: This is pretty neat right here, and an interesting collectible to have. I’m assuming that it’s a Loot Crate exclusive because I can’t find anything like it online, but I did find a movie cell sheet with multiple cells and framed and everything, so based on that I’m assigning this a value of about $15.
“Tales from the Cryptkeeper” dvd: This is cute and nostalgic, but is also a dvd in a bluray world, and it’s worth approximately $10.
“Cthulhu on Board” sign: Funny, for sure, but certainly not something that I would personally use. Also, I can’t for the life of me find it online, so someone let me know if you know what the value is of it. Since I have to give it something for this post, we’ll say $5.
“Fangoria” magazine: As always, I’m not actually a huge fan of these magazines, but they make a bit jump in the value of the box, since they’re worth approximately $11.

Total approximate value of box: $72
Total cost to me: $33

Strangely enough, this box has a higher overall value than any of the Horror Blocks I’ve opened so far, and yet it wasn’t a huge hit with me. Mostly I just like the Godzilla Scaler and the Nightmare on Elm Street film cell. Everything else definitely bumped up the value, but it’s all stuff that is more or less useless to me.

So what about December’s box? Well check out that unboxing video:

Awesome, right? Let’s look at the breakdown:

“Dracula” Funko Pop figure: I love this little dude, I really do, and amazingly he’s a Funko that I don’t have (just wait…there’s another video coming on that topic). Funko Pop figs are a huge deal to get in a box for me, and this little guy is worth approximately $13.
“Overlook Hotel” t-shirt: Definitely a better t-shirt than November; at least it’s of something that is relevant to my husband and I. As usual, a value of about $15 goes to this item.
“Zomb-Ease” Antiseptic Hand Cleanser: This was a cute idea, and useful, technically, but this stuff also goes for about $2 at any Dollar Store or Walmart.
“Maggot-Eye Skeleton”: The grossest stress-ball I’ve ever seen right here. It’s kind of amusing and definitely different, but not a big hit with me. I can’t find it for sale online anyway, so I’m assuming that it’s worth about $5 max.
“Poltergeist” mousepad: Okay, first, I’ve gotta say…a mousepad? Seriously? Does anyone really use mousepads anymore? The fact that it has a Poltergeist picture on it doesn’t really save the fact that it’s an item that probably very few people would get any use out of these days. I’m not even going to look it up. I’m going to assign it a value of $2.
“Rue Morgue” magazine: And, as with the Fangoria mag above, this goes for about $11.

Total approximate value of box: $48
Total cost to me: $33

So as you can see, December’s box was actually way down on the value, but strangely I was happier with it. I guess that’s the power of a Funko Pop. But to be honest, now that I’m looking at them, neither of them was really that great. I think that if you combine the two, they’re pretty awesome, but all in all the big items were the Funko and the Scaler.

Do me better next month, Horror Block!

Horror Block Unboxing and Review for September 2014

September’s Horror Block was designed with Halloween in mind, since October’s block isn’t likely to be at our doors until a day or two before Halloween. Check out what we got:

Not a bad box, really, but a little disappointing to me personally. Let’s check out the breakdown:

Creepy Gorey Zombie T-shirt: Unfortunately this shirt is not my style, but it’s probably worth about $15
Pennywise (“It”) T-shirt: Again, not really my style, but worth approximately $15
Iron Maiden Rubber Mask: Surprisingly, this mask goes for about $20. I wouldn’t pay that, to be honest, but there you have it.
“Savvi” Costume Temporary Tattoos: This pack of gory temporary tattoos goes for about $5
“Rue Morgue” Horror Movie Heroes book: The best item in the box, in my opinion, costs $15

Total approximate value of box: $70
Total cost to me: $33

So as you can see, the value is there. Having two t-shirts in one box really ups the value, as does the mask (which, I’ll admit, is a good quality mask, but I shudder to think of people spending that kind of money on part of a costume). Personally, though, the only item in the box that I truly like is the book. Neither of the t-shirts are something that either my husband and I will wear, so that’s like taking $30 off the value of the box right there, and the mask is something that will only be used once a year (if at all), so there goes another big chunk.

Long story short, this was probably an awesome box for some people, but for myself, it was actually a little disappointing. Here’s hoping for a better one next month!

Horror Block Unboxing and Review for August 2014

By far the best member of the Nerd Block family, in my opinion, is the very young Horror Block. There have only been two shipments of this block so far, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them both. First, check out the unboxing video:

And now a breakdown of the items:

Cult Classics Jigsaw Killer figure: Figures like these tend to vary in price depending on where you’re buying them, but the average cost seems to be about $20
Bone Pen: This cute little novelty can be yours for about $2
Alien t-shirt: As usual, I’m assigning the shirt a value of about $15
“Vintage” Tales from the Crypt comic: I’m going to be honest, I really have no idea how to price this one because I can’t find it anywhere online and I’m not willing to spend any more time searching, so I’m going to assign it the value of an average comic today, $5
Zombie wall decal: I couldn’t find the exact decal (the one I keep finding online is the same head but also includes a hand), so I’m going to assign this approximately half the cost of what I’m finding, which is approximately $10
Rue Morgue Magazine: And, as always, if you enjoy Rue Morgue this item is valued at about $10

Total approximate value of box: $62
Total cost to me: $33

So the value for this box was definitely there, mainly because of the Cult Classics figure. There are a lot of characters that I or my husband would have preferred over the Saw killer, but it’s still a great addition to the box. One thing that I will say (that my husband pointed out) is that if we were “serious” collectors we would probably be very annoyed with this Horror Block because the packaging for the Saw killer figure was totally crushed in order to get it in the box. As it stands, we’re the kind of (apparently not “serious”) collectors who rip everything out of the packaging so that we can enjoy it in all it’s glory, but I just thought I’d point that out.

The shirt is also a plus, in my opinion, and the wall decal will make a cute Halloween decoration. All in all, it was a pretty good box. Not as good as last month, but as I mentioned in the video it’s really hard to beat a Sharknado Funko. 😀