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 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!

All work and no play…something something.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past few months, it’s that you have to be willing to put in hard work and dedication if you want to accomplish something. I’m not the most hard-working or dedicated person in the world (ha!), but a few months ago I made a promise to myself that I was going to finish that damn zombie story if it killed me, and low and behold, I did it! With that same level of hard work and dedication I hope to, soon enough, edit the hell out of that story and get it published. Diligence!

But there’s one other thing I know for sure, and it’s this: sometimes you have to goof off too. Remember that thing about all work and no play? We all know how that turned out in The Shining, don’t we?

We all have to let loose every now and then, whether it be partying with friends, taking a trip, splurging on a treat for yourself, or whatever strikes your fancy. For me, I want to continue working on my zombie novel, but I also feel that I need (and deserve) to goof off a bit. That’s why I’m taking a couple of weeks to play around with my Final Fantasy fanfic. If there’s one thing that feels like goofing around to a writer, it’s writing your own version of a world that already exists.

Once I catch up to the point I left it off at (there were a few editing issues in the first couple of chapters), I’ll start posting it to FanFiction.net again and link it here. But for now, a question: what do you do to ‘goof off’ when you need a break from ‘hard work and dedication’?