Terrifying Threads - 5 Brands Making Fright Fashionable
I’m old enough to remember when the only place a horror fan could maybe get some merch was at the local Hot Topic. Unless you lived in some sort of cultural beacon in the US like LA or NYC, there is a very good chance you didn’t have much of a choice when it came to curating a horror wardrobe. As someone who spent a lot of time at local punk and metal shows as a young rapscallion, it wasn’t hard to find some cool and often witty shirts at shows. Sure, you couldn’t afford everything you wanted, but maybe you could get a shirt or in rare cases a hoodie that had something horror adjacent to it. But that was then. And since then, we have seen the democratization of ecommerce and a rise in fashion for any and all tastes. What makes this all even better, is that all those people who shared similar proclivities towards horror are now all grown up and turning their passion for the genre into bonafide wearable art.
So this article is to highlight just some of the amazing brands that are out there today, and share some of the amazing work they are putting out. Whether you know the brand or not, I will highlight my personal favorite designs from each and provide some information about the brand and where you can find them.
Like many of the brands highlighted, RUCKING FOTTEN is both mysterious and exclusive. The website is often not accessible unless there is a drop, and when there are drops they are only a couple of properties with various variants. Some of which are limited in quantity, others timed releases that are up until the sale ends. While not exclusively horror, it very much caters to genre film fans with hyper-stylized designs that look more like Japanese movie posters than they do anything you’re likely to see here in the US.
The good/bad is that most of the time the designs are limited, or the color variant of shirts are, so the only way to get some of the older releases is on the aftermarket or wait for an archive sale. That shouldn’t discourage you though, as RUCKING FOTTEN does a fantastic job of making plenty of releases timed and running through some amazing properties that even if you miss out on one run, there will surely be another in short order that will beckon for your bills.
Trademark Style: The Japanese poster format really is the cornerstone of the RUCKING FOTTEN aesthetic.
Choice Designs
GRAVEYARD GOODS has some of the wildest colorways you will see on this list, but don’t short-change them on their designs. Many of the designs that GRAVEYARD GOODS put out hone in on either iconic one-sheet art as a source of inspiration, or taking a core concept in a film and making that the centerpiece of the entire design. The great thing is, you can’t go wrong with either aesthetic because they both fucking rock.
Similar to others on this list, while most of the shirts are horror/cult they occasionally will do some other properties outside of that realm. Also, like other brands on this list, most of the designs are limited. GRAVEYARD GOODS does have timed-editions that you can grab alongside some very limited variants though, so as long as you get in before the window closes you shouldn’t have to leave empty handed.
Trademark Style: GRAVEYARD GOODS really nails the elevated one-sheet look really well. All of the shirts could easily be posters for the property, just with some absolutely gnarly color combinations.
Choice Designs
PENTAGRAM PETER PAN is probably the one brand on this list that strays away from horror the most, but they make up for it in spades with their selection of cult items and of course, the great horror stuff they put out. This brand also has a serious sense of humor that should resonate with every age from the ironic gen Z to the neo-millennial (whatever that is, I made it up). This couple puts out some serious nostalgia releases, and even branches out beyond clothing on occasion with items like mugs to remind everyone how awesome you are while you’re just having your morning coffee.
Again, these releases are usually limited so your chances of getting what you want rely entirely on if you can make the availability window. They usually go 24-72 hours, and they don’t tend to do as many variants as they do just regular timed releases. PENTAGRAM PETER PAN also broadcasts what their release schedule will be in advance, with previews of the threads going up sometime before the sale. So you know what’s coming, and can start saving (yeah right) in advance.
Trademark Style: PENTAGRAM PETER PAN definitely fits more into the ironic nostalgia category. From the random selection of the properties they cover, to the catchy one-liner shirts that will make anyone in on the joke around you at least offer you a chuckle-nod.
Choice Designs
CREEP-O-RAMA stands out among this group as one of the brands since they offer both original art takes on properties along with the reworked photoshop wizardry we see from others on this list. This makes a nice change-up in the kinds of styles you can get from them, which are predominantly horror and cult with very little wiggle room on that. Alongside shirts, they also offer other materials like flag prints so you can decorate your room and your body with horror art.
One thing fright fans can take some comfort in is that these releases are somewhat easier to get since they don’t tend to be as limited. That is to say, they last until they don’t, with some being limited and others not as much. You can always check their site and see some of the recent releases, so you won’t be waiting for text alerts at midnight and doing your best Nancy Thompson impression to stay awake.
Trademark Style: Really has to be the variance in art-styles for CREEP-O-RAMA that stands out. The switch-up is a nice way to cover some great properties without making them too similar to others.
Choice Designs
BLOODY ALTAR is 100% the most metal brand on this list. I mean this both figuratively and literally, as they offer a wide-array of alternative rock/metal shirt designs along with their horror selection. Even the horror stuff is metal af, and the designs will play an absolute assault on the brains of those fortunate enough to witness you wearing them.
Again, some designs are limited here, but you can usually get some of the more recent designs for a bit longer than some others on this list. They are limited in the sense that when they’re gone they’re gone, but since BLOODY ALTAR doesn’t promote as many color variants as some other brands do it makes them easier to snag without feeling rushed to do so.
Trademark Style: It’s the metal, alllllll the glorious metal influence in the BLOODY ALTAR design-scape.
Choice Designs
