Welcome to our first annual Grave Decay horror awards! We’ve covered a lot of toys & collectibles over the past year, and all of the brand-new toys we reported on throughout the year were in our pool of consideration (no re-stocks or re-paints of older toys). We then narrowed the field down to ten nominees which we ranked. So without further ado, here are the nine nominees & one winner of our first ever Best Horror Collectible Toy award.
Stranger Things
Back in May, we reported on our tenth favorite toy of 2018, McFarlane Toys’ Stranger Things line of action figures. The line, which debuted this year in two distinct series of releases, included the characters Barb, Dustin, [Punk] Eleven, Lucas, Mike, Will, [Upside Down] Will, an oversized Demogorgon, and Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Will dressed as the Ghostbusters.
The Real Ghostbusters
Speaking of Ghostbusters, back in June, we reported on our ninth favorite toy of 2018, Diamond Select Toys’ The Real Ghostbusters series 9 action figures. The toys wrack up a lot of nostalgia points by being heavily reminiscent of the original Kenner line, but with much detail and more points of articulation.
Talking Pizzaface Chucky
We reported on our eighth favorite toy of the year in July, Mezco Toyz’ gruesome Talking Pizzaface Chucky from Child’s Play 3. The half-melted doll is so grotesque that the article we wrote about it continually gets [mistakenly] flagged by Google’s ad policy for “shocking content”.
Herbert West
Way back in February, we reported on our seventh favorite toy of 2018, NECA’s Herbert West from Re-Animator. The clothed eight-inch action figure also won points for shock value by including the severed head of fellow doctor Carl Hill and the disemboweled body of Megan Halsey’s cat Rufus.
Savage World
In August, we reported on our 6 favorite toy of the year, Funko’s new line of Savage World action figures. The toys are horror versions of the classic Mattel Masters of the Universe action figures from the 1980’s. The initial offering included “Freddy Krueger” from A Nightmare on Elm Street, “Jason Voorhees” from Friday the 13th, “Leatherface” from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, “Michael Myers” from Halloween: Resurrection and “Pinhead” from Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth.
Living Dead Dolls Michael Myers
Back in May, we reported on our fifth favorite toy back in May, Mezco Toyz’ Living Dead Dolls presents Michael Myers. The company released a number of cool Living Dead Dolls this year, including a number “Resurrection” models based on previously released dolls as well as a “Baghead Jason” from Friday the 13th Part 2, but ultimately we liked the strange adorable look of the Michael Myers doll.
Ultimate Part V Dream Sequence Jason
In June, we reported on our fourth favorite toy, NECA Toys’ Ultimate Part V Dream Sequence Jason. Rather than create an action figure of Roy (AKA Blue Mask, AKA Fake Jason) from Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning, NECA found a clever way to produce an actual brand-new Jason Voorhees toy from Tommy Jarvis’ dream sequence at the beginning of the film. Extra points for including the iconic red-eyed goalie mask that graced the original movie poster, though never appeared on film.
Full Scale Good Guys Doll
Back in April, we reported on our third favorite toy of the year, Trick or Treat Studios’ Full Scale Good Guys Doll. It is exactly what it says, a full-scale replica of the Good Guys doll, complete with screen-accurate box, from the Child’s Play movies.
Buy from Trick or Treat Studios
Ultimate Edition Bride of Chucky 2-Pack
We reported on our second favorite toy of 2018 back in July, NECA’s Ultimate Edition Bride of Chucky 2-Pack. This phenomenal set includes Chucky & his bride Tiffany from the 1998 smash hit Bride of Chucky, along with more interchangeable heads and accessories than we’ve probably ever seen.
The Nightmare Before Christmas 25th Anniversary
We reported on our favorite toy of 2018 in August, Funko’s The Nightmare Before Christmas 25th Anniversary line of Funko Pop! While this one certainly didn’t garner any shock value points, as a set, Funko’s 25th anniversary The Nightmare Before Christmas Pop! is possibly the most diverse and intricate collections of vinyl figurines that the company has ever produced at one time, containing a whopping eleven unique molds with four variants. Needless to say, fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas were not disappointed with this release.
Well that wraps up the 2018 Best Horror Collectible Toy category. Congratulations to Funko for the win despite the best efforts of Chucky, and thanks to all the nominees for creating such amazing collectibles!