And the bidding is only at $18,000!
There are a handful of Holy Grail collectibles when it comes to horror. To own them, you either need to sell your house or be rich as fuck.
Up for auction is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – to own the actual painting used for John Carpenter’s 1978 Halloween.
As of this writing, Robert Gleason’s original acrylic painting is up for auction over at Heritage.
Here’s the hype attached to the auction:
Heritage is proud to offer what can only be classified as a truly unique, important, and historically significant piece of movie artwork, Robert Gleason’s original movie poster painting for the film, Halloween. In 1978, the horror landscape forever changed with the release of the film, which is not only recognized universally as one of the most frightening slasher features of all time, but also an undeniable masterpiece of the genre. Equally as chilling (if not more so) is the instantly recognizable work of art gracing the original one sheet, brought to haunting life by artist/illustrator Robert Gleason. Prior to his work on Halloween, Gleason utilized his artistic talents for the creation of album covers for the likes of Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight and the Pips, as well as the poster artwork for the Bruce Lee film, Game of Death. When approached by his agent regarding the creation of a poster for Halloween, Gleason took a stab at a concept, utilizing a hand, knife, and pumpkin. Surprisingly, Gleason’s idea was not to the liking of the design firm, as they felt the mask of villain Michael Myers should be the primary image. A few days later, however, the firm would come to their senses and ask Gleason to return with his concept. The result of which is nothing less than one of the most iconic images in horror history. While the shocking nature of a knife-wielding pumpkin on a black background is not lost on viewers, what is often missed is the ominous wailing face with worms hidden within the knuckles and veins of the hand. Somewhere during the 37 year period between the creation of the artwork and its arrival at Heritage, the back of the hand was painted over. Upon verifying the piece was indeed his, Gleason utilized an acrylic solvent to remove the overpainting, restoring his work to its eerie original glory. Included is a letter by Gleason, detailing the history of the painting creation, as well as his process for restoration. Not to be missed by collectors of horror and/or fine art, this framed original painting shows only minor lifts and glue residue at the edges of the illustration board from when it was previously framed, none of which interferes with Gleason’s stunning work. Very Fine.
There’s four days left. If a Bloody Disgusting reader ends up winning this masterpiece, please contact me so we can do a story on it!
