It’s time for Halloween. Time for mischief, sweet treats, costumed antics, and spooky movies. For horror fans, Halloween isn’t the only time they enjoy scary movies, comics, games, and toys. Which makes now the perfect time to announce The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Horror, the next in Gemstone’s “how to” collecting line of reference books. Due out in September 2017, work on the book is now in progress. To give us a taste of what’s to come Scoop talked to Gemstone Associate Editor Amanda Sheriff, the author of the project.

Scoop: What made you want to write a book on horror collectibles?
Amanda Sheriff (AS): I love horror movies, novels, TV shows, and comics. People can have very polarizing opinions on horror. There are fans and collectors who are passionate about the genre. Then there are people who are either mystified that we find it enjoyable or assume we are odd, strange, or worse. I love the genre because I’ve read and seen so many books, movies, and TV shows that I see troupes, twists, and endings coming a mile away, and can get a bit bored with standard fare. With horror, it stimulates fear and adrenaline, and I can’t help but pay attention. Hopefully this book will share that love with fellow horror collectors while also enticing new fans.

The idea for this book came to me from two different directions. First, I had just gone to Monster-Mania, my favorite horror con. Second, I’m wrapping up The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Concert Posters and started thinking about what I could work on next. I have an extensive knowledge of the genre and realized that it could be both similar and different than other books in our “how to” line.

Scoop: How’s that?
AS: The other books we’ve done are focused on a collecting category – comics, art, movie posters, video games, concert posters. With this book focused on a genre I can explore a variety of collecting categories.

Scoop: So you do plan on covering horror-related things outside of just movies?
AS: Absolutely. Film is the backbone of modern horror, but there are tons of great comic books, novels, TV shows, and video games to discuss, plus all the toys and collectibles. I’ll research and share the collectability in these categories. In this book you’ll find Freddy Krueger masks, Dracula busts, cereal boxes, B-movie VHS tapes, Silent Hill video games, and Godzilla figures.

Scoop: What are the most popular kinds of horror collectibles available?
AS: Movie posters – which can go for $10 up to $300,000, anything from Universal horror, licensed masks and props, EC comics, classic horror magazines, video games, figures, and toys. Out of print VHS tapes fetch some impressive prices, with some going for upwards of $500.

Right now Funko Pops and minis and anything from The Walking Dead are very popular. These are things released in the last few years that sell for as little as $6 up to over $100 for a glow in the dark mini Pennywise or $200 for a series 1 McFarlane Daryl Dixon figure.

Scoop: How has horror collecting changed over the years?
AS: That’s something I’ll write about in the book. While things like Funko are big now, a few decades back it was Freddy, Michael, and Jason, before that it was Addams Family, Alfred Hitchcock, and sci-fi, before that Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster. While those older collectibles aren’t seen as much at conventions, they fetch noteworthy prices in auctions.

Scoop: Horror as a genre has evolved significantly and now has a number of subgenres. How do you plan on distinguishing and covering these?
AS: I won’t be separating the subgenres, per se. The book will have features on facets of collecting, for instance collecting EC comics, and profiles on horror icons and series. They encompass different subgenres but have running thematic similarities.

Scoop: As a horror collector yourself, how has your experience been with collecting?
AS: My collection began with Goosebumps and Fear Street books by R.L. Stine. From there it grew into Stephen King books and horror movies. In recent years I’ve been getting lots of movie posters, I’m playing catchup on Buffy the Vampire Slayer figures, I have a bunch of Walking Dead figures, I’ve been tracking down some out of print DVDs.

I also get autographs at conventions. I have a Scream poster that Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, and Roger Jackson signed, including writing a quote from the movie. My husband and I have a Halloween poster that’s been signed by nine Michael Myers actors, John Carpenter, and Charles Cyphers who played Sheriff Brackett. I have a collection of autographs from Buffy and a small collection of autographs by people who play sheriffs in horror movies, because, of course.

I’ve also been facing my own fears, including getting a T-800 mask from Terminator and meeting Miko Hughes, who played Gage in Pet Sematary. Both scared the bejesus out of me when I was a kid.

Of course, there’s lots of stuff out of my price range that I’d love to get, including movie props, first edition books, 1930s movie posters, comics, and other memorabilia. I’d love to meet and get a signature from Jamie Lee Curtis. Oh, and a wine bottle from the Scream wrap party.

Scoop: You mentioned conventions, are you going to touch on that?
AS: Yes, I’m hoping to include highlights of a few cons, particularly how horror cons are different from other types. I’m also planning to include some interviews with horror con staples – both guests and attendees-collectors.

Scoop: Which of the major horror series do you plan to focus on?
AS: As many as possible. Whether featured on their own or as part of a collecting facet, I’ll include Universal, Hammer, EC, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Alfred Hitchcock, George Romero, TV shows like The Munsters and Addams Family, sci-fi horror from the ’50s and ’60s. There’s tons of stuff to cover and I can’t wait to dive in.

I’ll probably go a little mad, see Candyman, drink…wine, have nightmares about Freddy, get creepy and kooky, ask “What’s your favorite scary movie” too many times, talk to the Vault-Keeper, and write “All work and no play makes Amanda a dull girl,” but it’s okay.

Everyone’s entitled to one good scare.