Sunday, April 29, 2012

HEY, EVERYBODY! I'M IN FANGO!



The newest issue of FANGORIA (#313) has hit the stands. As usual, it's packed with loads of chewy monster goodness, including their views on the upcoming DARK SHADOWS flick (I'm still bummed about Joanathan Frid's passing, aren't you?). There's also tons of new movie reviews, interviews, as well as regular columns by the most fetching Debbie Rochon and the most fearsome Bert I. Gordon.


But, easily the coolest thing of all in FANGO #313 is a letter by a certain monster magazine blogger. And if that's not enough to get you to the nearest brick and mortar comic shop or book establishment to pick up a copy, then your zombie shamble is listing a little too far to the left, pal!

Here's the lineup of contents:

GUTS
FEATURE: “THE THEATRE BIZARRE” The shock omnibus has literally knocked out international audiences.
INTERVIEW: JENNY AGUTTER Love meant never having to say you’re furry for the “American Werewolf in London” actress.
ON SET: “MOTHER’S DAY” The setting is more civilized in this remake, but what goes on inside it sure isn’t.
PREVIEW: “THE RAVEN” Everyone loves digging into Edgar Allan Poe, especially John Cusack, playing the author as detective.
RETROSPECTIVE: “GOTHIC,” PART TWO Actor Julian Sands was willingly swept away into Ken Russell’s cinematic dementia.
INTERVIEW: MARIE WALLACE She wore many faces—most of them crazed—as she took multiple roles in TV’s “Dark Shadows.”
PREVIEW: “DARK SHADOWS”: HELENA BONHAM CARTER Her on- and offscreen partnership with Tim Burton now leads her to Collinwood.
PREVIEW: “SOUTH TEXAS BLUES,” PART FOUR More of our advance peek at Christopher P. Garetano’s “Chainsaw” comic.
PREVIEW: “DARK SHADOWS”: TIM BURTON He’s done ghosts, apes and a headless horseman, so it’s about time he tackled vampires.
PREVIEW: “DARK SHADOWS”: RICHARD D. ZANUCK A producing career highlighted by “Jaws” now sees him entering the world of fangs.
PREVIEW: “TERROR OF DRACULA” As the title suggests, this grassroots feature wants to put the fear back into bloodsucking.
INTERVIEW: RONNIE SCRIBNER As a junior “ ’Salem’s Lot” ghoul, he elicited TV terror before his teens.
PREVIEW: “TALES OF POE” Indie filmmakers Bart Mastronardi and Alan Rowe Kelly wring new twists on 19th-century stories.
DIARY OF THE DEB: “WON TON BABY!” In a Chinese restaurant, Debbie discovers some serious bad taste.
PREVIEW: “THE WICKER TREE” Robin Hardy returns to pagan territory, but this is no mere rehash of “The Wicker Man.”
INTERVIEW: PATTY McCORMACK Her perfectly evil child in “The Bad Seed” was a model for decades of bad kids to follow.
LIFE IN THE BOX: “HELLRAISER” The first installment of a multipart chat with Doug Bradley recalls his first Cenobite of Clive Barker’s mythology.
NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND: PATRICK REA Pulling together a feature involving a hungry monster and a raging storm was quite a “Nailbiter.”

GRAVY
FIRST RITES Learning to love the “Shadows”
POSTAL ZONE They moon over monochrome
MONSTER INVASION Previews of “The Devil’s Carnival,” “Lovely Molly” and “The Fields”
THE TRASH COMPACTOR Before Freddy invaded dreams, there was “The Slayer”
CRYPT LIT Our new column devoted to vintage written horror debuts with “The Room in the Tower”
THE VIDEO EYE OF DR. CYCLOPS Reviews of “The Innkeepers,” “The Divide,” “Deadheads,” “The Girl in Room 2A” and others
THE PIT AND THE PEN OF BERT I. GORDON All’s Welles that ends Welles
NIGHTMARE LIBRARY Reviews of Robert Jackson Bennett’s “The Troupe,” Howard J. Ford’s “Surviving ‘The Dead,’ ” etc.
CLASSIFIED AD VAULT
DEAD FORMAT Are you up to snuff?

Saturday, April 28, 2012

THE WORST VAMPIRE FILMS EVER MADE

In the early 1970's, the Marvel Comics Group jumped headlong into the monster movie mag business by publishing a series of 'zines devoted to vampires, zombies, apes, and other bump-in-the-night types.

Distributed by Curtis Publishing, these titles made a fair run at the market using a combination of comic art stories in the fashion of Warren's CREEPY and EERIE and features covering both classic monster movies and current horror films. The fact that Marvel had a fantastic staff of artists to use for their comic stories and incidental art didn't hurt them a bit.

Below is an example of the photo features that were a part of each issue. Written by Jack Kirby biographer Mark Evanier, the article appeared in VAMPIRE TALES #1 from 1973. The cover art is by Esteban Maroto.






Friday, April 27, 2012

GOGOS, VAMPI STAR IN HERITAGE AUCTION


Heritage Auctions has released the catalog for its next Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction, to be held May 10-11 in Dallas and online. While there are no monster movie magazines included this time, I'd say there are several items that will be of interest to MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD readers.

Basil Gogos is renowned and beloved for his FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND cover art. The original cover painting for FM #14 of Vincent Price in THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM is up for sale. It measures 8” x 11.5” and is done in acrylics on illustration board. Based on the catalog photo, the painting still looks beautiful after fifty years!

Serious VAMPIRELLA collectors as well as the more casual Vampi fans may want to check out the paintings of Drakulon’s favorite daughter by Enrique Torres (Enric). One is an oil on canvas recreation of Jose Gonzalez’s famous life-sized poster. There is also a slightly smaller pencil illustration of the same picture. The original cover art for VAMPIRELLA #110 is offered, featuring Vampi with Balazaar. In two other gorgeous works of art, Enric paints Vampi from behind, looking over her shoulder at the viewer, as she confronts a panther and a giant, furry monster. Enric painted covers for other Warren magazines, as well. His artwork for CREEPY #115 of an alien carrying a nearly-nude human woman is a striking example.


There are also a couple of copies of VAMPIRELLA #1 in very nice condition up for bid, also. They are CGC-graded and sealed, which is a great selling point, I suppose. I prefer to read my Warren mags instead of sealing them up.


When Orsatti Productions was planning a full-length animated feature of DRACULA in 1975, they commissioned character designs from the great Frank Frazetta. His Dracula and Van Helsing studies are offered in this auction. They are head shots done in watercolor and pencil and the Dracula picture is particularly creepy. If you have Frazetta’s LEGACY book, check out page 112 to see a copy.


Three more of the R. Crumb Monster Card messages from the 1965 Topps series are in this auction. Unlike previous catalogs, this time the catalog writer includes some decent descriptive information about the artwork. The pieces, all 3.5” x 4.75”, lack the photos with the punch line which made these cards funny. Apparently the drawings were placed in an album with black paper pages and have some black residue with small glue stains. Bummer! There is a huge selection of Crumb artwork in this auction and I am wondering if a good portion of it is from his personal collection.

There are at least 29 lots of pulp magazines, including several issues of the classic WEIRD TALES. A number of STRANGE TALES copies from the early 1930s contain stories by fantastic authors Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleth, and Hugh B. Cave. HORROR STORIES, EERIE, and SPICY ADVENTURE are also represented.

Check out Heritage Auctions’ web site, HA.com, for more information and images. Just to be clear, I am not an employee of the auction house and none of the items mentioned are mine. I enjoy looking at this stuff and making plans for when I hit the Lotto! And I think it is of interest to other readers of MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

NO MANGE ON THIS (VIDEO) WATCHDOG


I'm convinced. The folks at VIDEO WATCHDOG are hopelessly possessed. Possessed, that is, of the most talented stable -- or should I say "kennel" -- of reviewers in any horror film magazine currently going. Regular readers will know that VW is famous for its attention to video/DVD/Blu-ray minutiae and for picking the fly poop out of the pepper on such essential topics as frame rates and color stock. Trust me, if there's a wobble somewhere in that tape to DVD re-issue, the Dawgs will find it -- and let you know all about it in exhaustive, but very readable detail.

And, get this, they can even take one of the most controversial sicko flicks of all time, A SERBIAN FILM, and write about it as if it were an artistic achievement. Even low-brow films are transformed by the pens dipped in their wizard's ink and turned into high-art. Don't let the style fool you, though. Every reveiwer is perfectly honest in their evaluation and they will call any film doo doo if it is at all deserving of the label.

As usual, Issue #167 is packed to the margins with material by folks with a fetish for film. Some of the top names in the biz are represented here: Douglas E. Winter, Ramsay Campbell, Kim Newman, and editor Tim Lucas, who just picked up another Rondo Award for "Best Writer".

It is Lucas who opens the issue with a respectful obit to the late siren of many a Jess Franco film, Lina Romay. The meat of the issue is taken up with long articles on Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND and the Joseph Middleton-directed adults only sex-fantasy, THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS. There's also coverage on many, many more DVD releases such as COBRA WOMAN, FRANKENHOOKER, VAMPIRE CIRCUS, and DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. The issue is filled out with regular departments like Douglas E. Winter's soundtracks and audio column, Ramsay Campbell's latest odd and obscure movie review, and book reports by an able lot of reviewers, including editor Lucas.

VW is a digest-sized magazine, so I would shave off a few miniscule points for a lot of pics I'd like to see larger. Otherwise, all the photos, whether in color or black and white are very professionally reproduced with the kind of detail that the writers give whole-heartedly with their craft. And that's what gives VW its howl -- the expert writing and journalism. It's alway erudite without being arrogant, and when they wax academic to the reader it is rarely down their nose.

If you are looking for a genre film review magazine that is stimulating to read with lots and lots of videophile detail right down to the sprocket hole, I enthusiastically give all four paws up in the endorsement of  VIDEO WATCHDOG.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

FAMOUS MONSTERS ANNIVERSARY STINKER


Even the most die-hard fans of the legendary FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND  would agree that the magazine wasn't perfect by a long shot, and once in a while (some of us say more often than that) there was even a downright gawd-awful issue. For instance, some were nothing more than what amounted to a giant reprint, cobbled together from previous issues with the exception of a new cover and maybe a "Things to Come" film news feature and a department or two.

Flash forward about 30 years and, despite the claim of being a "retro" issue, I'm getting this negative deja vu all over again. I'm talking of course about the latest attempt at publisher Phil "Kim Kong" to entice a few extra bucks out of us baby-boomers with another "special issue", this time a "25th Anniversary Collector's Edition".

Now, regular readers of MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD know that my reviews of monster mags -- both old and new -- are generally even-tempered. That is to say that I give credit where credit is due and even effuse a bit to the extreme when I get particularly excited about a certain title. I will, however, go so far as to say it when something is so wince-inducing that it would defy any journalistic integrity left in me if I neglected to pronounce fair warning. I'm sorry to say, but this "special collector's edition" is one of 'em.

The issue is numbered as FAMOUS MONSTERS (the "of FILMLAND" part of the logo is mysteriously absent) #192 and the premise is as if Forrest J Ackerman had edited the magazine back in 1983.

The "Speaking of Monsters" intro, intended to read like it was written by FJA himself goes on and on into alliterative oblivion. By the time Dr. Ackula has signed off with "Beast Wishes", I was tearing my fur out. Next comes a "Fang Mail" section that has just enough content to pass for a letters section.

And, I guess that's the overall impression I got when reading this magazine -- there's just enough to allow it to pass for a retro issue. Despite my misgivings, there is a little to give the faded gem a little lustre. For instance, I enjoyed Joe Moe's coverage of Larry Cohen's Q THE WINGED SERPENT, and Max Cheney's overview of Sci-Fi monster movies was nicely done.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the issue with the not-so-retro price of $8.99 was the horrible printing. Whether by design or not, the levels and contrast of most of the photos was so dark that a lot of them were just too murky to see properly. Heck, I know I've got original issues of FM with better repro quality than that.

I do need to say that the cover image, a painting of the intergalactic cantina scene from STAR WARS by the talented Bill Selby, was superbly repro'd on nice, glossy stock.

That's about all the time I want to devote to -- what I am calling for now -- an anomaly from the folks at FM. I won't go so far as to say I was ripped off, but I do have to conclude that I was severly disappointed at this, by and large, lame effort. If there had been some spunk to the layouts even, I could have maybe mustered up an "okay". Ultimately, the magazine just doesn't seem to have any . . . enthusiasm to it. I look at the masthead and I see a litany of great talent. I think they should stick to producing the current incarnation of FAMOUS MONSTERS. Now, that's a a magazine that I give a howl about and believe, by the way, has fast-improved into one of the premiere monster 'zines on the rack.

Better luck next time, guys. There is better fare out there. Tomorrow, I'll share one with you.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

PLEASE STAND BY . . .

It seems like there are a number of other bloggers out there with the same issues, but the MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD BlogSpot has been experiencing some technical difficulties in the last few days.

The worst of it is the Google Blogger scheduling function. When a blog is completed and scheduled for posting later, it does not do what it is supposed to, which is post the blog at the specified date and time.

Other, no less vexing issues have cropped up of late, I suspect due to another tiresome "upgrade" of the Blogger interface. A look at some trouble report forums for Word Press yielded similar angst from loyal users who just want to follow the old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" maxim.

Fortunately, the posting editor has not been freezing up while writing this, because earlier this evening, it was.

All this has forced me to rethink the stability of this giant electronic Frankenstein monster that we have, for the most part, unknowingly created. I'm wondering if delivering a regular HTML-formatted electronic newsletter mailed to a subscriber audience may not be a viable alternative?

In any event, if you see some weird things here (besides the usual that you have come to expect, that is), and the postings seem a bit off, etc., then don't blame me. Google is off busily trying to make the biggest online file folder in the universe, so it probably wouldn't pay to nudge the bear, either. Guess I'll wait it out . . .

HORROR HOSTS NO. 2 OFF THE AIR?

I must admit I was behind the curve and just got around to ordering a copy of HORROR HOSTS AND CREATURE FEATURES #1. What I wasn't expecting was the hunt to try and find one for sale. It had mysteriously disappeared from the publishers home site, but I finally tracked one down from Dennis Druktenis Mail Order -- you know, the guy who publishes that great monster fan 'zine, SCARY MONSTERS.

After taking a look at the HORROR HOSTS AND CREATURE FEATURES blog, I found a post that explained a little as to what exactly is going on.

So, co-creators Dixie Dellamorto and Mr. Lobo are living the "Horror Geek Lifestyle". The creative team came up with a great and eclectic tribute to our favorite hosts of the horror kind in the form of a print magazine. The first issue was released some months ago. Issue #2 was in development when a few things happened that has derailed its production.

According to the post, the reason for the delay (and the eerie disappearance of Issue #1) is explained in an abbreviated version here:

First, editor Dellamorto and publisher Lobo "knew from the beginning that there may be some difficulties, which is why [they] decided not to take subscriptions."

In addition, Mr. Lobo is busy with filming 26 episodes of his syndicated TV show, CINEMA INSOMNIA.

Proposed cover of HORROR HOSTS AND CREATURE
FEATURES #2.
Also, "the magazine is a zero budget project. As you know, print is an expensive and difficult medium in these times. Horror Hosts are hit harder than most by the recession and ad sales for issue #2 are less than a third of what we were able to get for the first issue."

Perhaps most perplexing is this statement: "We had a run in with NBC/Universal who currently is fierce in their protection of THE MUNSTERS … even when it makes no sense. We were within our rights and obtained permission for all of the materials in the magazine, however we were asked to stop selling the magazine in some venues – which gives us concern for future issues." Does that make my copy a renegade?

Next comes something that never ceases to amaze me in this day of unstable computers and software: "Computer viruses in Dixie’s email left her without many of her contacts. A virus on her computer destroyed a good portion of our files for the second issue, meaning that we had to start over. With limited time and resources, this was devastating."

Full art for the cover of Issue #2 designed by
Dixie Dellamorto and Mr. Lobo
[SOURCE: TERRORDAVES.COM]
And finally, by the time they were done with the Elvira material, a lot happened with her, so they want fresh and current info.

They conclude with a ray of hope for us monster 'zine lovers: "All of these setbacks make this a heartbreaking affair which has made it difficult to continue working on but we are determined to put another issue out as soon as possible without compromising the quality. Horror Hosts and Creature Features may be more of a special annual or semi-annual collectors item, rather than a true monthly magazine, which we originally intended it to be. We are working on an online version of Horror Hosts and Creature Features so that we can report regularly and share with you all of the great content and original artwork that made us so proud of the first issue. We do not take you for granted and we thank all of the fans, supporters, contributors and advertisers deeply from the bottom of our blood belching hearts!

I don't want to fail to mention here one more thing -- Dennis Druktenis' Mail Order is the Epitome of Evil (hey, waitaminnit, that was Seymour's shtick!) -- er, the epitome of mail order customer service. The guy ships super fast and the package arrived in packaging so stiff I don't think our Neanderthal of a postman could have bent it to get it in our mail box if he tried. It even came with a couple of scary goodies. Mr. D is a true monster fan.

So, everyone let out your collective breath and let's hope that Issue #2 of HORROR HOSTS AND CREATURE FEATURES comes our way soon!

The terrifying "Bat Girl" from the HORROR HOSTS AND
CREATURES FEATURES blog.


Saturday, April 21, 2012

LARA PARKER, TOOL TIME GAL

Those of you of the more red-blooded type may remember that it was not too long ago when so-called "shop" calendars featured more subjects of the scantily-clad, feminine type than today's surrogate sex symbols represented by images of Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar. Vendors from outfits like "Rigid" and "Snap-on" -- masculine brand names if there ever were any -- were only too happy to pass out their company's yearly calendar with all sorts of sexy woman splashed on a glossy, comb-bound page emblazened with the supplier's tradename.

Considered rare is the image above of a certain young actress (and photographer's model, obviously) who goes by the name of Lara Parker, shown on one of these aforementioned shop tool calendars. No date is given, but it is presumed to be around the time that she was about to be made much more famous as an actress on television playing Angelique in the daytime drama, DARK SHADOWS.

[SOURCE: BILL'S MAGAZINES]

Friday, April 20, 2012

R.I.P. JONATHAN FRID

In what couldn't be worse news for fans of DARK SHADOWS, Jonathan Frid, the man who wooed millions with his vampire character, Barnabas Collins, has passed away.

"(TORONTO) — Jonathan Frid, a Canadian actor best known for playing Barnabas Collins in the 1960s original vampire soap opera "Dark Shadows", has died. He was 87.

Frid died Friday of natural causes in a hospital in his home town of Hamilton, Ontario, said Jim Pierson, a friend and spokesman for Dan Curtis Productions, the creator of "Dark Shadows."

Frid starred in the 1960s gothic-flavored soap opera about odd, supernatural goings-on at a family estate in Maine.

His death comes just weeks before a Tim Burton-directed version of Dark Shadows is due out next month starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins. Frid has a cameo role in the new movie in which he meets Depp's character in a party scene with two other original actors from the show.

Pierson said Burton and Depp were fans of Frid, who played a vulnerable vampire in one of the first sympathetic portrayal of the immortal creatures.

"Twenty million people saw the show at its peak in 1969. Kids ran home from school and housewives watched it. It had a huge pop culture impact," Pierson said.

Pierson said Frid, whose character was added in 1967, saved the show and stayed on until the end of its run in 1971. He said Frid was never into the fame and fortune and just wanted to be a working actor. He said he loved the drama and finding the flaws and the humanity in his characters.

"That's why he had this vampire that was very multidimensional. It really set the trend for all these other things that have been done with vampires over the last 40, 50 years," Pierson said. "Vampires were not in the vernacular. In 1967, there wasn't a pop culture of vampire stuff, so here he was in this mainstream network show that aired at 4 P.M. that really took off. And then he did the movie which was also a big hit."

Frid had been an accomplished stage actor before "Dark Shadows" made him famous. The show has lived on in reruns.

Stuart Manning, editor of the online "Dark Shadows News Page", said Frid brought a new dimension to the role of the vampire by injecting the role with depth and a sense of regret for his immortal existence.

"Now that idea has been taken many times since — 'Twilight' uses it, shows like 'True Blood,' 'Buffy' — which again I think shows the influence 'Dark Shadows' has had," said Manning, who worked with Frid as a writer on the 2010 "Dark Shadows" audio drama spinoff, "The Night Whispers."

The youngest of three sons, Frid served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. After graduating from Hamilton's McMaster University, he got a degree in directing at the Yale School of Drama and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.

Frid starred in various theater productions with illustrious actors including Katharine Hepburn. But it was his turn in "Dark Shadows" and its first feature film adaptation, "House of Dark Shadows," that made him a commercial success and kept him busy throughout his career with reunions, fan events and dramatic readings.

He lived in New York for several decades before moving back to Canada in the '90s. His other credits include the 1973 TV movie "The Devil's Daughter," co-starring Shelley Winters, and Oliver Stone's directorial debut, "Seizure." He also starred in the Broadway revival and national tour of "Arsenic and Old Lace" in the '80s.

Pierson said Frid been in declining health in recent months. At Frid's request, there was no funeral and there will be no memorial.

"He really was kind of a no-fuss guy," Pierson said.

Frid never married. He is survived by a nephew, Donald Frid. "

[SOURCE: http://www.time.com/]





Thursday, April 19, 2012

QUASI SAYS "I'M YOUR PUPPET"


Illustrator Bill Nelson has become something of a fine artist, and rightly so. He has a magnificent feel for portraiture. Even in his early days this talent was evident by his great work with the legendary fan magazine, PHOTON, and the fun-filled MONSTER TIMES.

Here is an example of his work in the MONSTER TIMES. It's not clear whether the puppet was his idea or the editor's. Clearly, though, Mr. Nelson put as much detail into parodying his beloved monsters as he did his more serious work. The scan is big enough to print out and use.


[SOURCE: THE MONSTER TIMES, #28 NOV. 1973]

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

EYE ON EBAY: BARNABAS MAGIC SLATE


Color me insensitive, but even in the middle of the latest DARK SHADOWS craze, I can't see a thousand bucks for a Barnabas Collins Magic Slate (Whitman, 1969), can you? Granted there may only be a handful left in existence, but even the most hardcore fans I'm sure wouldn't miss these if they disappeared off the face of the earth . . . would they?



Tuesday, April 17, 2012

MONSTERS UNLEASHED! RUE MORGUE NO. 121



The latest issue of RUE MORGUE is hot off the press and available at a bookstore or comics shop near you. This issue features a retrospective of the 30-year-old (!) Spielberg/Hooper film, POLTERGEIST.

FEATURES: THE SPIRITS OF '82
Thirty years ago, Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper crafted a suburban spookshow that became legendary for both its onscreen effects and off-screen drama. We gather the cast and crew to relive Poltergeist. PLUS: Oscar-winning sound designers Alan Howarth and Mark Mangini reveal the bizarre bag of tricks they used to create the film's ear-tingling effects.
By Michael Doyle

THRILLS, CHILLS AND DOUBLE BILLS
Rue Morgue explores the history of Crown International Pictures, a pioneering company in the world of American exploitation cinema. PLUS: Legendary producer David Friedman recalls the unforgettable night Blood Feast premiered at the drive-in, and the "King of the Bs" receives the royal treatment in Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel.
By David Konow, Chris Poggiali, Eric S. Eichelberger and Stuart F. Andrews

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
Industrial metal messiah Al Jourgensen discusses cheating death, bleeding out and rarin' for a Relapse.
By Trevor Tuminski

VIVA LA ROTTEN REVOLUCIÓN
Juan of the Dead director Alejandro Brugués explains how art imitates life in Cuba's first zombie movie.
By Sean Plummer


NOTE FROM UNDERGROUND
Dear Drive-in.

DREADLINES
Bousman launches The Devil's Carnival film tour; Dark Horse revives Eerie for summer launch; Hemlock Grove to be adapted as Netflix exclusive.

THE CORONER'S REPORT
Weird stats and morbid facts. Sick Top Six: Cabin Catastrophes.

NEEDFUL THINGS
Anatomical Heart Pencil Holder; Skeleton Couple Figurine; RIP Rider Skateboard; Putrescence Multi-Purpose Pomade; and Cryptic Collectibles features 1965's Monsters: Three Famous Spine-Tingling Tales.

CINEMACABRE
CineMacabre features reviews of The Cabin in the Woods, The Raven, Underworld: Awakening, Cold Sweat, Yakuza Weapon, Silent House, Dream House, Corporate Cutthroat Massacre, The Puppet Monster Massacre, and The Summer of Massacre. Reissues reviews Battle Royale: The Complete Collection (2000), Full Moon's Grindhouse Collection: The Compilations (1978-1987), Satan's Blood (1978), The Magnetic Monster (1953), and Gurozuka (2005).

THE LATE-NITE ARCHIVE
Driving back to Dragstrip Hollow.

BOWEN'S BASEMENT
The Boogens (1982).

BLOOD IN FOUR COLOURS
Features Jonathan Case's Dear Creature, plus reviews of Inner Sanctum, Xombi, Showcase Presents: Ghosts Volume 1, Road Rage #1 of 4, and Army of Darkness #1.

THE NINTH CIRCLE
Spotlight: Sarah Pinborough. Library of the Damned gives the lowdown on where to read free horror online. Plus, reviews of Roger Corman: Interviews, Fright Night on Channel 9, Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden's Joe Golem and The Drowning City, David Wellington's 32 Fangs, Ben Marcus' The Flame Alphabet, David Searls' Bloodthirst in Babylon, Monstermatt's Bad Monster Jokes Volume 1, and Gabrielle Faust and Solomon Schneider's Revenge.

THE FRIGHT GALLERY
The Re-Imagined Monsters of Chris Roberts.

THE GORE-MET
Menu: Three courses of Chemical Burn.

AUDIO DROME
Featuring Dexter/Silent Hill: Downpour composer Daniel Licht. The Devil's Playlist turns the spotlight on Dreamend. Plus, reviews of The Woman in Black OST, The Lost Skeleton Returns Again OST, Underworld: Awakening OST, She's Still Dead, Killing Joke, Lvcifire, Venom, The Rotted, and Crypticus/Scaremaker split CD.

PLAY DEAD
Featuring Zombies!!! Mobile Edition, plus reviews of Resident Evil: Revelations and The Darkness II.

CLASSIC CUT
Beowulf (circa 1000 AD).

GIVEAWAYS THIS ISSUE
15 new subscribers will win a Blu-ray copy of Battle Royale, courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment.

[SOURCE: RUE-MORGUE.COM]

Sunday, April 15, 2012

GO MOBILE WITH MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD!


Scan the code to use the MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD blog on your iPHONE, ANDROID, or other mobile device.

COMING SOON: MY MOBILE MONSTER!

SCREEM MAGAZINE NO. 24 SNEAK PEEK



The upcoming issue of SCREEM is (not surprisingly) following in the footsteps of most other monster mags by giving DARK SHADOWS not only the cover treatment, but a good bite of the inside as well. NOTE: These are not the final cover art.

[SOURCE: DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS]

FAMOUS MONSTERS NO. 262 SNEAK PEEK


NEWS FLASH from the FAMOUS MONSTERS eNewsletter:

"They're back, bigger and badder than ever! After last year's monstrous success of the Kaiju Cagematch, August Ragone and his all-star Ota-Krew are back to bring you the best in Japanese giant monsters, robots, and more. From GAMERA and GODZILLA to VARAN and the newest from the SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO/STARBLAZERS series, FM is doing all it can to contain these beasts into our pages. With only one cover for this issue by mighty monster maestro Bob Eggleton, this issue is going to be one issue you just can't run from!"

[SOURCE: FAMOUS MONSTERS NEWSLETTER]




MONSTERPALOOZA NO. 2 SNEAK PEEK




Unveiled at the MONSTERPALOOZA 2012 convention in Burbank, CA this weekend is the cover of MONSTERPALOOZA magazine #2. The artist is Jeff Preston and it depicts a wild monster party of scene with Jack Pierce touching up some of his most famous creations. The issue will feature the famed monster make-up legend who brought us the classic images of Frankenstein's monster, The Mummy and The Wolf Man that remain easily recognized today.