Ghoulish Mortals Monster and Horror Store Review and Discussion
A few years ago, 2022 to be exact, I was craving the Spirit Halloween store experience however it was springtime so no locations were available to visit. Out of hope that such a store could exist, I used the internet to see if there was any horror or slasher related stores to visit in the Chicagoland area. To my surprise I located a store called Ghoulish Mortals which is located in Downtown St. Charles, Illinois. The store is not specific to slashers and slasher films but I found it to be worthy of mention and discussion here considering they do have a variety of slasher related merchandise along with independent artwork and even pinball machines that people exploring the store can play and interact with. My personal favorite pinball machine that they have that I play each time is the Halloween (1978) one which should come as no surprise to those who know me or have read this blog.
What makes Ghoulish Mortals special is that they are not a franchise or owned by a corporation such as how Spencer’s owns Spirit Halloween. They are a single location that are independantly owned and operated by very friendly and genuine people. Ghoulish Mortals not only features licensed merchandise but also custom made merchandise from independent artists along with paintings and other kinds of artwork. Some of the most unique custom made merchandise at the store are light up vhs tapes for various different horror and slasher films, lego minifigures, magnets, soap bars, figure busts, detailed and macabre displays, and more! There are also some items in the store that are just for display such as life sized dummies and busts of slasher villans such as Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger. Fun Fact: Near the Freddy Krueger life sized dummy in the store, if you look on the wall beside it you will see Robert Englund’s autograph on the backdrop on the wall. The backdrop on the wall which was autographed by Robert England was apparently from a horror convention.
The day I found Ghoulish Mortals I went in craving Spirit Halloween and came out absolutely amazed and blown away by an entirely new horror retail experience! Ghoulish Mortals stands out because it provides a space and atmosphere that is frighteningly fun along with a sense of community. They feature events from game nights to movie nights which are entirely free and open to the public depending on the space available and how many people attend. I attended a showing of American Psycho (2000) in their screening room upstairs above the store and really enjoyed the space. In 2022 they had an event in that screening room where they gave away tickets and merchandise for Scream (2022). Whether you are looking to shop, play games, explore, make friends, watch films, or find cool artwork Ghoulish Mortals has the Chicagoland area covered for all of their horror needs. I like to think of Ghoulish Mortals as a year long horror movie convention with a sense of community. There is always something fun going on in this store and I hope this blog post convinces more people to check it out!