Is Horror Block still available?

No. Horror Block has since stopped running and can no longer be ordered. This review of the December 2016 box is kept as an archive of what the subscription was like at the time.

What was inside the December 2016 Horror Block?

The December 2016 Horror Block held an Ouija T-shirt, a Nightmare on Elm Street hip flask, an American Horror Story pencil holder, an Army of Darkness mouse mat, a Baphomet LED candle and issue 174 of Rue Morgue magazine.

How much did Horror Block cost in December 2016?

The standard Horror Block price, including shipping to the UK, was $32.49 USD (£27 GBP). The reviewer bought this box with a slight discount and noted the UK exchange rate had pushed the cost up compared with a few months earlier.

What was the best item in the December 2016 Horror Block?

The reviewer's winner was the exclusive Nightmare on Elm Street hip flask, valued at $15 USD and described as both stylish and functional, with no comparable Freddy Krueger flasks found for sale online.

Was the December 2016 Horror Block worth it?

The reviewer valued the December 2016 Horror Block at $62 USD, close to double the cost price, and praised the variety, while admitting some items were the sort only ever received in a box rather than bought directly.

Horror Block Geek Box Review – December 2016

Horror Block has since stopped running. This review is kept as a record of what the box was like; every edition we opened is on the Horror Block page.

I’ve always liked Horror Block so it came as something of a surprise to me that I hadn’t purchased one for a few months. I was lured back with a special offer, so that seemed as good a time as any to see what this horror box would be like.

As you’d no doubt expect from the name, this box contains horror related items, usually related to popular horror franchises, although I have had a box before which just had weird unlicensed products. From what I can see, the problem days are well in the past and Horror Block is back in line with the rest of the Nerd Block family. There’s no theme other than horror, although some of the franchises included tend to be advertised in advance.

The box also always contains a Rue Morgue magazine, whether this is their latest issue or a special release.

Horror Block Pricing And Delivery

The standard price for this box, including shipping to the UK is $32.49 USD (£27 GBP). As I said, I did get a slight discount, although much of the pricing for UK residents is eaten up with the postage anyway.

This box also costs a lot more than it did a few months ago due to the hit that the UK exchange rate has taken.

The box arrived safely through Royal Mail and benefited from being shrink wrapped all the way around. That’s something that all the main monthly Nerd Block boxes seem to be doing now and is definitely a good idea. This box also had a fair amount of weight to it, which is always something that feels good when you’re preparing to look inside for the first time.

As well as the information card, the box contained a (now customary) $10 discount voucher for the Nerd Block shop. I’m unlikely to use this discount and so am excluding it from the box valuation.

Box Contents

Ouija T-Shirt (Exclusive)

Really unusually, this isn’t a Shirt Punch design but is actually produced by Ouija, which I was surprised to learn is a trademark owned by Hasbro.

The simple black design with white print works well here and captures the style of a Ouija board.

I value this at the T-Shirt standard of $10 USD.

A Nightmare On Elm Street Flask (Exclusive)

This is a really cool hip flash. I’ve been hoping to get a flask in a geek box for a while and this design delivers.

Stylish – and functional!

This is a rarity. I can find plenty of hip flasks on Amazon.com, but none related to Freddy Krueger.

Looking at similar items, I’ll value this at $15 USD.

American Horror Story Pencil Holder

This one isn’t billed as an exclusive, but it is a design from a popular horror franchise.

Before this month, I’d never had a pencil holder in a geek box before. After the December 2016 Sci-Fi Block, I’ve now had two.

It might be of interest that the label on the bottom of the box for this calls it a “ceramic mug”. It would be rather difficult to drink out of, but I wonder if the original plan was for this to be a mug?

Despite this not being an exclusive, I can’t find anything all that similar online. I’ll stick with a value the same as the pencil holder in Sci-Fi Block, which is $10 USD.

Army Of Darkness Mouse Mat (Exclusive)

I haven’t come across Army Of Darkness before, but it’s a comedy horror film from 1992.

I think mouse mats have largely had their day, but this is a good enough design.

I don’t see a great worth here so I’ll value this at $2 USD.

Baphomet LED Candle (Exclusive)

This is an other first for me as I’ve never owned an LED candle before (or received one in a box).

I’m sure this will come in handy sometime. No free battery unfortunately.

There are other LED candles available on Amazon.com. Looking at the pricing of those, I’ll value this at $15 USD.

Rue Morgue Magazine #174

I’ve always enjoyed reading these magazines and it’s good to have them included in the box.

These sell at the news stand for $9.95 USD.

More from this box: all our Horror Block reviews.

Box Review

A Horror Block packed full of unique items.

The total value here is $62 USD, which is close to double the cost price.

Now, to be fair, there are items here of the type that I wouldn’t ever consider buying if they weren’t in a box (how useful are all these pencil holders really?), but there’s little that looks really cheap either.

The exclusive hip flask is a real winner for me, the other items are all fun and the magazine is worth a read.

Horror Block always tends to contain a good variety of items. I appreciate the effort that goes in to this series of geek boxes.

Box update

Horror Block has since stopped running, so the subscription link that originally sat here has been retired. You can still browse every Horror Block review on this site.