Night Tide

A Lovecraftian poster for an odd 1960s mermaid thriller starring Dennis Hopper with a freaky cameo appearance by Marjorie Cameron, the bohemian witch of Los Angeles.

This is a sampling from a private collection of rare, massive 40” x 60” posters that were printed on cardstock for drive-In movie theaters.  More posters and related merchandise are online at hautecampe.com (“Archeaologists of the Strange”).  All are for sale at auction until February 8, when the bidding closes.

Haute Campe offers a collection of original rare, vintage film posters from the 1940s-1970s originating mostly from drive-ins and grindhouse theaters. Most of the posters went through a single distributor called National Screen Service, hence the “property of N.S.S.” at the bottom of 99% of the movie posters printed in the 20th century!  While many posters were destroyed by the elements and others were pulled off the wall by collectors, a great many returned to the distributor’s archives and piled up for many many years. 

We were fortunate enough to be able to acquire a large part of the archives and the treasures were fantastic, including rarely-seen posters that were for small run promotions and exceedingly impossible to find sizes like the gorgeous and massive 40” x 60” silkscreens created for drive-in movie theaters.

This is a selection from the latter part of the alphabet. You can see A to N at an earlier post here.
 

Ordered to Love

An American distributor purchased a historical film and repackaged it as a Nazisploitation thrill; the fact that the movie was years old at this point was sold to the audience as the film having been “censored until now!”
 

Please, Not Now!

A towel-clad Brigitte Bardot stuns in this incredible 1961 Pop Art poster.
 

Rasputin the Mad Monk/The Reptile

A giant poster advertising a 1966 Hammer double-feature where theatergoers would get their own Rasputin beard!
 

Runaway Daughters

Shot in only nine days, this 1956 film tells the story of three misunderstood youth who escape their home crises and head to L.A.
 

Running Wild

Juvenile delinquents- including sexpot Mamie Van Doren- steal cars and cause sexy mayhem in this 1955 crime drama.
 

School for Unclaimed Girls

After stabbing her mother’s boyfriend, a teenager escapes from reform school amid a barrage of attempted rape and lesbianism.
 

She Devil

After a serum saves her life, a woman is turned into a sexy serial killer in this 1950s exploitation film.
 

Simon King of the Witches

A psychedelic graphic for a 1971 camp film marketed as druggy horror to capitalize on the Charles Manson trials.
 

The Slime People

This 1963 poster lured theater goers over to listen to the whispering of a rocky-skinned slime monster.
 

The Soul of a Monster

Fantastic 1944 poster with screaming tag lines of shock and thrill: “She touched his wrist… there was NO PULSE!”
 

Taboos of the World

Vincent Price narrates this “travel documentary” exploring bizarre cultural practices.
 

Tomb of Ligeia

Vincent Price stars in this film loosely based on a tale by Edgar Allan Poe.
 

The Vampire Lovers

Hammer horror classic with the busty Ingrid Pitt as Carmilla, the original prototype of the lesbian vampire.
 

The Weak and the Wicked

The life of female inmates, where innocence is lost in the world of vice behind the cold bars of prison.
 

White Slavers

Swiss softcore film that is all exploitation and no political commentary.
 

White Slave Ship

An Italian dramatic film released in the United States with a decidedly sexy marketing campaign.
 

Witchcraft/The Horror of It All

A double feature where you could get your own Witch Detector!
 

Witchcraft ‘70

Mondo-style “documentary” shows witchcraft around the world- and in our own neighborhoods!  Features a ritual by Anton LaVey.