Gift giving is difficult at any time of year, and if there is a horror movie fan in your life, that process can be a little more daunting. Thankfully, there is a company that can make a frustrated shopper a hero and surprise that special horror fan in his or her life by giving them an authentic and affordable horror movie prop.

The average horror fan would rather have an actual egg used in the movie Alien, than another wristwatch or Kindle, and movie props aren’t as expensive as you might think. If you’re worried about authenticity and whether your spending money on a prop that was seen on screen, iHorror has news for you; propstore.com can help.

Propstore.com is a website filled with authentic movie props that are both affordable and authentic. That means, unless otherwise stated, your purchased prop had some screen time.

Brandon Alinger, Prop Store’s Chief Operations Officer in Los Angeles, takes his collecting seriously and understands the desire for collectors to have a piece of Hollywood’s horror history. Alinger talks to IHorror about Prop Store and its interesting beginnings.

“Prop Store was founded in 1998 by UK native Stephen Lane. Stephen was a longtime collector of vintage toys, and at the time was operating a sign company. Because of their proximity to the major London film studios, Stephen wound up doing some graphics work on Eyes Wide Shut. Through that he made some contacts who had worked on classic films (like Star Wars) and had bits and pieces they had kept as mementos. Stephen quickly began collecting and then trading in this material and Prop Store was born soon after. Stephen brought me on board to open a facility in Los Angeles in 2007.”

Alinger understands the passion of the movie prop collector, his first experience with props began with a movie classic.

“I am a lifelong movie fan,” he says, “and a collector of toys and film prop replicas. I grew up devouring “Making Of” books and documentaries, and later I began visiting locations where major movies had been filmed. I was able to visit Tunisia and see many locations used to shoot Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, and found some bits of the set still there on location. I was hooked…”

Although the Prop Store handles many movie props, iHorror wanted to know about horror movie memorabilia, and whether his company can accommodate such eclectic appetites.

“Absolutely! Horror collectors are some of the most avid collectors I encounter. We handle a great deal of horror pieces–both hand props (think bloodletting knives) and creature/make-up effects pieces (think severed heads!)”

Yet, a buyer must beware; there are fakes and unauthentic pieces that exist all over the internet. When asked what an iHorror reader is going to get once the box arrives, Alinger is very adamant about the quality and the authenticity of propstore.com merchandise.

“That is our specialty – the real deal, used in the making of your favorite film or show. We do not trade in replicas or manufacture props ourselves, we deal with production companies, studios, and industry sources to obtain pieces used in production and make them available to collectors around the globe. All of our material is accompanied by the Prop Store certificate of authenticity and its accompanying lifetime guarantee of authenticity.”

Alinger also says that the influx of merchandise can vary from day-to-day. Some weeks there are multiple acquisitions, while others very few pieces come in.

As for pricing, the Prop Store can accommodate any budget. For instance a District One phone list from the film “28 weeks Later” is only $33, a pair of Margaret Whites scissors from the 2013 movie “Carrie” can be had for the price of $119, and a copy of Gale Weather’s novel “College Terror”, used in the movie Scream 4 is only $395.

Alinger wants fans to know that you don’t have to be a millionaire to enjoy a true piece of horror movie history.

“We sell pieces at all price ranges. If you log onto propstore.com today you’ll see items starting at $10 and going up to tens of thousands. We have sold pieces at the six-figure level in the past.”

There are many reasons why a horror fan would want to collect a piece of their favorite movie. Not only is it an investment, but it also means that a fan can “touch” the film they love. Memorabilia, and prop collecting is a way to “enter” the movie and for a second become a part of it, making it “real”.

“The one common trait that I find amongst all movie prop collectors is their passion. Every collector I meet is incredibly passionate about his or her own collecting focus–I see very few people who collect casually. People love it (myself included.)”

IHorror asked Alinger which horror movie prop is most requested. He says there is a distinctive one that comes up frequently.

“Great question – we certainly get asked about Freddy’s gloves a lot. For me, I think it [would] be something like Mrs. Bates from Psycho…if we can consider that a prop.”

With a wide variety of authentic horror props, costumes and memorabilia, propstore.com can give you some affordable ideas for that discerning horror movie fan in your life.