FANGORIA'S LATEST SERVING OF "GUTS 'N GRAVY"

 Here's the 4-1-1 on FANGORIA #327, on sale NOW! Get thee hence, foul creature, and purchase a copy or be thrice-damned!

"Two fright favorites return this fall, so we decided to split the cover between them (hope they’re not mad about sharing…). On one side is everyone’s favorite deadly doll from CURSE OF CHUCKY; we’ve got chats with Don Mancini, series creator and writer/director of the new sequel, and Fiona Dourif, CURSE star and daughter of Chucky voicer Brad. On the other is the new screen take on Stephen King’s CARRIE, for which we spoke to stars Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore. We’ve also got words with original CHILD’S PLAY and CARRIE actresses Catherine Hicks and Piper Laurie; director Jim (STAKE LAND) Mickle on his terrific cannibalism chiller WE ARE WHAT WE ARE; a visit to the set of Vincenzo (SPLICE) Natali’s ghost story HAUNTER; part two of our look back at John Landis’ THRILLER; FALLING ANGEL author William Hjortsberg on his book’s translation to the cult classic ANGEL HEART; a 20th-anniversary retrospective on RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD III; and much more. Head down past the cover for the full details!

GUTS

MINIFEATURE: FANGORIA’S “HATCHET III” SCREENING Danielle Harris joined the fun in Toronto.

INTERVIEW: WILLIAM HJORTSBERG The novelist’s “Falling Angel” found screen infamy as “Angel Heart.” Plus: an appreciation of the film.

PREVIEW: “WE ARE WHAT WE ARE” Cannibalism hits the Catskills as Jim (“Stake Land”) Mickle crafts one of the best recent remakes.

RETROSPECTIVE: “RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD III” Love led to the ultimate sacrifice in Brian Yuzna’s zombie sequel.

RETROSPECTIVE: “THRILLER,” PART TWO As decomposing bodies danced, famous faces turned up on the set.

INTERVIEW: TONY TODD The man who was Candyman now ventures into “Dead of the Nite.”

INTERVIEW: HERMAN YAU The Hong Kong director’s “Untold Story” and “Ebola Syndrome” were in a Category all their own.

PREVIEW: “CURSE OF CHUCKY” Creator Don Mancini brings the deadly doll back to his scary roots. Plus: star Fiona Dourif on continuing the “Chucky” family tradition, and original “Child’s Play” heroine Catherine Hicks speaks.

PREVIEW: “CARRIE” Chloë Grace Moretz ensures that no one’s gonna laugh at her. Plus: Julianne Moore on her mean mother, and the remake scripter’s “Afterlife With Archie” comic.

INTERVIEW: PIPER LAURIE Brian De Palma’s “Carrie” lured the Oscar-nominated actress out of self-imposed retirement.

FEATURE: THE “MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE” GOBLIN HEAD The showstopper from Stephen King’s flick keeps on truckin’.

MINIFEATURE: “XEROX FEROX” A celebration of the days when love—and criticism—of horror had to be shared by snail mail.

ON SET: “HAUNTER” Ghosts both good and bad inhabit the home where Vincenzo Natali’s latest chiller is set.

MINIFEATURE: IAIN BANKS  The genre scene has suffered a tragic loss of an author who defied categorization.

PREVIEW: “MARS ATTACKS: INVASION” A fresh take on the classic extraterrestrial-assault saga is in the cards.

PREVIEW: “BIG ASS SPIDER!” Director Mike Mendez believes it’s time for a giant-monster saga that’s intentionally funny.

INTERVIEW: KIRK HAMMETT On stage he’s part of Metallica; off, he’s a major collector of horror esoterica.

MINIFEATURE: JENNY HVAL “Innocence is Kinky” to the avant-garde Norwegian musician.

INTERVIEW: WALTER HILL In 1981, the action veteran gave audiences a grisly, harrowing shot of “Southern Comfort.”

GRAVY

FIRST RITES Learning to love the monstrous

POSTAL ZONE Tragic cinema and sad losses

MONSTER INVASION Previews of “+1,” “Muirhouse,” the “Fear Clinic” movie and “Antisocial”

CRYPT LIT Looking back at Stephen King’s original “Carrie” novel

MONSTER OF THE MONTH Chris Hargensen from “Carrie”

THE VIDEO EYE OF DR. CYCLOPS Reviews of Criterion’s “The Devil’s Backbone,” “The Incredible Melting Man,” “The Feed,” “Inbred” and others

NIGHTMARE LIBRARY Reviews of Gunnar Hansen’s “Chain Saw Confidential” and Jovanka Vuckovic’s “Vuckovic’s Horror Miscellany”

TRASH COMPACTOR Rick Baker’s early critter: “Octaman”!

DUMP BIN DIARIES Echo Bridge’s “Midnight Horror Collection Vol. 11”"

MONSTER CARD MONDAY

MOVIE NOOSE REEL: HORROR, SILENTS, NUDIE CUTIES - LATEST DVD RELEASES

ONE OF THE GREATEST FRIGHT FILMS EVER UNLEASHED…
"Great, creepy stuff, full of menacing atmosphere, grisly FX and fun story turns!”- Fangoria

The ‘70s horror classic returns like you’ve never seen it before! Screen legends Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing star as rival turn-of-the-century anthropologists transporting a frozen ‘missing link’ aboard the Trans-Siberian Express. But when the prehistoric creature thaws and escapes, it unleashes a brain-scarfing spree that turns its victims into the eye-bleeding undead. Can the crafty colleagues stop this two million year old monster, hordes of zombie passengers and a psychotic Cossack officer (Telly Savalas) before terror goes off the rails? Silvia Tortosa (When The Screaming Stops) co-stars in this all-time fright favorite from director Eugenio Martín and the blacklisted Hollywood screenwriters of Psychomania, now featuring explosive new Extras and a stunning HD transfer from vault elements recently unearthed in a Mongolian film depot!

EXTRAS:
• Murder On The Trans-Siberian Express: New Interview With Director Eugenio Martin
• Notes From The Blacklist: Producer Bernard Gordon Discusses The McCarthy Era
• The Guardian Interview With Peter Cushing 1973 (Audio only)
• Telly And Me: New Interview With Composer John Cacavas
• Introduction by Fangoria Editor Chris Alexander
• Theatrical Trailer
Available from retailers now, including CULT MOVIE MANIA. 

DVD-R Details

• ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO - 1.85:1
• Run Time: 1 hours, 17 minutes
• Video: Color
• Encoding: Region 0 (Worldwide)
• Released: September 24, 2013
• Originally Released: 1958
• Label: Warner Bros.

Performers, Cast and Crew:

Starring		Tom Tryon & Gloria Talbott
Performer:		Ken Lynch, Peter Baldwin, Alan Dexter, Chuck Wassil, Ty Hungerford, John Eldredge & Robert Ivers
Directed by		Gene Fowler, Jr.
Edited by		George Tomasini
Screenwriting by		Louis Vittes
Art Direction by		Henry Bumstead & Hal Pereira
Produced by		Gene Fowler, Jr.
Director of Photography:		Haskell Boggs

Description by OLDIES.com:

A distraught Marge Farrell (Gloria Talbott) is growing increasingly alarmed over the changes in her new husband Bill (Tom Tryon), who's been acting strangely ever since their wedding night. And for good reason: Bill -- and most of the other men in their small town -- have been taken over by sinister aliens who have arrived on planet Earth to marry human women with the hope of reviving their dying race. Marge has stumbled onto their terrifying plan, and must now convince someone -- anyone -- to believe her...before the aliens completely inhabit the bodies of the entire male population.

DVD-R Details

• Run Time: 1 hours, 10 minutes
• Video: Black & White
• Encoding: Region 0 (Worldwide)
• Released: September 24, 2013
• Originally Released: 1925
• Label: Alpha Video

Performers, Cast and Crew:

Starring		Bela Lugosi & Lila Lee
Performer:		Dolores Casanelli, Gareth Hughes, Ruby Blaine & John Walsh
Directed by		Wilfred Noy

Description:

Screen legend Bela Lugosi gives a sinister performance as Nicholas Harmon, an opera house Lothario who is obsessed with beautiful young girls. Disgusted with his stepfather's debauchery, Don Harmon renounces the family fortune and moves out. He takes a job conducting a nightclub orchestra, and falls in love with Anna, the beautiful singer who headlines the show. When Nicholas sees Anna, he is instantly smitten by her charms, and is determined to steal her away. The Midnight Girl is Bela Lugosi's third appearance in an American film, released six years before he achieved stardom in Universal's classic, Dracula. Lila Lee stars as Anna, the ingenue soprano. Groomed by Paramount to replace their recalcitrant star, Gloria Swanson, Lee rose to prominence in films such as Blood and Sand (1922), Love, Live And Laugh (1929) and The Unholy Three (1930). ON SALE AT Oldies.com FOR $3.99!

DVD-R Details

• Run Time: 1 hours, 4 minutes
• Video: Color
• Encoding: Region 0 (Worldwide)
• Released: August 27, 2013
• Originally Released: 1960
• Label: Alpha Video

Performers, Cast and Crew:

Starring		Hank Henry
Performer:		Betty Blue, Doreen Dare, Valkyra & Little Jack Little
Directed by		W. Merle Connell
Narrated by		Paul Frees

Description:

This titillating 1960 festival of flesh brings comedian Hank Henry and a host of gorgeous strippers, out of the burlesque hall and before the cameras. A "scientific" study of the average male follows frustrated husband Hank as he daydreams about - you guessed it - beautiful naked women. Cleopatra, Josephine, Delilah, Pocahontas, the most nubile seductresses' of history appear in sexually suggestive bits with Hank, almost always forgetting to wear their tops, as the color cameras roll. Clearly, producer W. Merle Connell (Tijuana After Midnite,1954) spent his budget on talent and not costumes, as the screen is filled with one voluptuous beauty after another. Drive-in owners loved this type of fare - hanging the "Adults Only" sign would guarantee a packed house! Contains nudity. Bonus content includes rare blue teasers "Fanny With The Cheeks of Tan" and "Sadie the Sunbather." ON SALE AT Oldies.com FOR $3.99!

MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT NO. 32

When I received my review copy of MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #32 in the mail, I was both happy and sad. Happy, because here was another issue of my favorite "indie" horror 'zine (non-professional is a very wrong term to use, "semi" almost as bad, and "non-commercial" is too far afield for a fair comparison), and sad because Editor/Publisher Jim Clatterbaugh again discusses his exit plan for the probable ending of the magazine in its current incarnation over the next few issues. He revealed his desire to cease publishing in issue #31, but in this issue it sounds like he means it.

Believe me, I get it. I published several low print run 'zines in the 1990's, and when I think of the work that went into each one of them, I can't imagine the hours that Jim puts in on a single issue. Designing the magazine was the easy part -- my biggest frustration was getting the type of manuscripts that I called for in the writer's guidelines. Sounds like an easy thing to ask for, but it was obvious that 90 percent of the paper that was sent to me that ended up directly in the recycle can was a result of the writer submitting it on the proverbial wing-and-a-prayer.

I don't see Jim with a similar problem. It is quite clear to me that, whether or not he receives material unsuitable to publish, he still receives enough of the highest quality historical journalism available in the genre today to fill an issue. And that's something you can count on in every issue of MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT.

MFTV focuses most of its attention on classic monster movies of the 30's through the 50's. And to the person whose letter was published in the Letters to the Vault department that asks the question, "Have we finally reached the point where there are no more interesting things to be written concerning the horror films of the 1930s?", I replay with a resounding "No!" What I can say is most of the surface material from this era has been thoroughly trolled; what is needed now is to plumb the depths of those "hidden horrors" that lie beneath. However, to reach those territories, one must be one part tireless researcher, one part detective and one part skilled in the art of lively writing.

A perfect example is Greg Mank's retrospective of FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN that opens the issue. Presented as a series of news and magazine clips, it's hard to imagine that there is this much information available on the production of a film that is regarded by many as one of the weakest in the Universal monster cycle. I am biased, however. As one of the first monster movies that I can remember watching on TV (Dracula was the first), it remains a Frankenstein-like galvanizing psychological imprint on this Monster Kid's mind. While it may be disappointing to film critics who are addicted to viewing movies as a Rorschach inkblot test by the lack of an overt director's biographical metaphor or political allegory, I believe that it is a film that nevertheless deserves higher marks. Wall-to-wall action, crisp direction, great character actors, and a mini-monster rally to boot makes this one of the best straight-for-the-throat horror thrillers of the cycle.

Mank's penchant for the controversial is amply represented here by numerous revelations about what went on behind-the-scenes during the production of FMTW. Lionel Atwill was in the middle of a court case that would, if not end his career at Universal, surely do damage to his cachet with the studio as well as the industry in general. Female lead, Hungarian-born Ilona Massey dragged along her scandalous reputation to the proceedings. And, if that was not enough, Maria (Maleva) Ouspenskya suffered an injury while filming that put her on the sidelines. Despite all the shadowy theatrics, director Roy William Neill put together a fine and entertaining film. Also mentioned here is that an entire book is currently being written about the film. I have no doubt that it will make very interesting reading.

As a lad, I spent numerous hours at Marineland of the Pacific, nestled on the water's edge just off the winding road of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California. It opened in 1954, one year ahead of a theme park gamble that would be called Disneyland. That same year a successful Universal monster movie would have its first of two sequels filmed partially in and around the Florida-based version of Marineland, which had opened almost 20 years earlier. REVENGE OF THE CREATURE was the second in the trilogy of the famed atom-age Creature From the Black Lagoon series. Tom Weaver's lengthy article, Monster from the Oceanarium Floor: The Shooting of Revenge of the Creature at Marineland, discusses in great detail the circumstances the film's production and location shooting. There is much discussion on the history of the so-called "oceanarium" and salient historical perspective is provided by Sally Baskin, who grew up as a young girl free to roam the park's grounds.Weaver proves again and again that he is one of the leading research journalists dedicated to the conservation of the history of the bygone age of monster movie making, and this time is no exception. No surprise, then, that the material in this article is also slated to be expanded into a book.

I have met the jovial Scott Essman and correspond with him on occasion, sometimes about our mutual interest regarding Jack P. Pierce, Universal's head of makeup during their glory years of the 1930s. I have no qualms in stating that Mr. Essman is a leading proponent in maintaining Pierce's legacy and rightful place in the canon of great movie makeup artists. Here, he shares his knowledge about Pierce's work on the various versions of the Wolf Man, from the eponymous-titled first film through HOUSE OF DRACULA. There is not a surplus of information regarding Pierce's life and career, but Essman does an admirable job of reconstructing the inspiration and work behind one of the most memorable monster makeups in Hollywood history.

Rounding out another premium-quality effort from Editor and Publisher Jim Clatterbaugh are regular review columns, Films From the Vault and Books from the Vault.

Like any other issue, MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #31, emblazoned with yet another of Daniel Horne's monster masterpieces, is again novel-length with text and richly populated with incredibly clear and reproduced images (many from the noted archive specialist, Photofest), a good share of them fresh and little-seen. The resulting reading experience makes it one of the best and satisfying of its kind. It's sad to hear that Mr. Clatterbaugh is eventually pulling the plug on such a fine publication. All I can say is, until the dirge is played, enjoy every page, every image and every word in MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT.

Order a copy of the quickly-selling MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #32 (and more back issues, including the brand new DVD archive that has the first 10 issues in PDF format) right HERE.

Q & A WITH THE EDITOR OF SPACE MONSTERS MAGAZINE

Richard Gladman has a blog. He is a film festival organizer. He is also the Editor and Publisher of the latest in monster magazines from the UK that are taking over the world -- and perhaps the universe -- by storm. Mr. Gladman took a few minutes of his very busy schedule to answer a few questions posed to him by MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD.

MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD: Why SPACE MONSTERS and why now? Is the world ready? 

SPACE MONSTERS MAGAZINE: The name SPACE MONSTERS is a deliberate homage to FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND and other monster magazines of the sixties and seventies like MONSTER TIMES, QUASIMODO’S MONSTER MAGAZINE and HORROR MONSTERS. I realised that although there are many excellent magazines being published that deal with classic horror films, there doesn’t seem to be an equivalent magazine that focuses exclusively on classic science-fiction in movies and television. Is the world ready? Yes, of course – science-fiction has never been so popular and it’s only right that the classics are highlighted for older fans and a new, younger audience. 

MMW: Do you have a publishing background or are you a fan who felt compelled to “share the love” with the rest of the world (and please don’t tell us you have come from Arcturus to blow up the earth!)? 

SM: I don’t have a publishing background but have been obsessed with reading and collecting sci-fi, horror and fantasy film magazines since I was a kid. I write for several magazines including SHOCK HORROR MAGAZINE and WE BELONG DEAD and am also a UK correspondent for RUE MORGUE. I write about and promote monster magazines on my own websites including www.cyberschizoid.com and www.classichorrorcampaign. I may have plans for world domination but don’t intend to blow it up! 

MMW: You offer both a print and digital issue. Are you in it to cover either reader preferences or looking to eventually go with the one that sells more? 

SM: It’s purely a way of reaching different audiences and increasing sales overall. My own personal preference will always be for print – I don’t buy or read digital magazines as a rule although I do read Haunted: After Dark digital mag – but that’s because I write a column for them, Cyberschizoid’s Classic Horror Chronicles. 

MMW: It’s tough for an indie magazine to publish with any regularity. What are your goals for a publishing schedule? 

SM: I originally intended to publish three times per year – October, February and June but demand from readers, stores and advertisers has meant that SPACE MONSTERS will probably be quarterly. 

MMW: Are you looking to secure a stateside distributor? 

SM: We already have Stateside distribution through the excellent Scary Monsters Scare Store and the Classic Horror Campaign delivers worldwide if ordered direct but it would be nice to get it out to all the awesome horror and monster movie festivals in the U.S. 

MMW: You cover the cosmos as well as terra firma with your selection of monsters listed on the cover of the first issue. Will the focus be on monsters in/from space or the entire monster universe? 

SM: Definitely the entire monster universe, as long as there is a sci-fi link somewhere, no matter how tenuous! I want the magazine to cover all classic science-fiction films and television shows; we have a big piece on Frankenstein movies coming up since Frankenstein is essentially a science-fiction story. 

MMW: The cover art has a retro vibe. Is that the tone of the editorial content? 

SM: Yes it is. Our remit is to cover science-fiction and fantasy in movies and television from the silent era through to the mid-eighties. There will also be some coverage of monster movie magazines and comics and other related subjects. 

MMW: Who is on your staff – regular artists and writers or freelancers? 

SM: Both. SPACE MONSTERS has a couple of regular artists, Woody Welch and Ash Loydon and a collection of freelance writers. We also now have two new regular columnists; UK horror star Emily Booth is writing Emily Booth’s "B-Movie Boutique" where she reviews a different classic sci-fi film each issue. Journalist, artist and actor Billy Chainsaw will be contributing an original piece of artwork in the style of a movie poster along with a short review in his "Movie Massacre" column. 

MMW: Based on your new ‘zine and blog, you are obviously a lover of monster mags. When did you first get lured into the shadowy monster magazine underworld and what drew you to them? 

SM: As far as I remember, the first monster magazines I owned were HOUSE OF HAMMER and MONSTER MAG two UK magazines that are still very fondly remembered by British fans. FAMOUS MONSTERS wasn’t so readily available but I was aware of its existence and ordered several back-issues via mail-order. I also had copies of QUASIMODO’S MONSTER MAGAZINE and then started collecting STARLOG, STARBURST and FANGORIA. I was always been fascinated by horror, sci-fi and monster movies, TV shows and comics so monster movie magazines were the next step. 

MMW: Favourite magazine titles (besides SPACE MONSTERS!)? 

SM: My favourite magazines at the moment are THE DARKSIDE, MONSTER BASH and BEDABBLED! I also love WE BELONG DEAD and am currently getting into WENG’S CHOP which deals with obscure cult movies from around the world. Oh, and I grab VIDEO WATCHDOG when I can – so many great mags to choose from these days! My favourite publications of the past are HOUSE OF HAMMER, WORLD OF HORROR, MONSTER MAG and CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN.

MMW: Any films or books that fueled your fire for the genre and publishing? 

SM: When I was growing up I used to go to the cinema and watch all the latest monster movies up on the big screen – THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD, GIANT SPIDER INVASION, KING KONG (1977), AT THE EARTH’S CORE…they were a huge influence on me. I was also heavily influenced by the Alan Frank books Horror Movies and Monsters & Vampires, which drew me into the classic horror films of Universal, Hammer and Amicus which I used to watch on Saturday night television from an early age. 

MMW: What kind of creatures should we expect to see in future issues of SPACE MONSTERS? 

SM: As I mentioned earlier we’re preparing a big feature on the history of Frankenstein in the movies as well as articles on Hammer sci-fi movies like QUATERMASS and X – THE UNKNOWN. From television we’ll include DOCTOR WHO monsters (from the classic era), THE OUTER LIMITS, LOST IN SPACE and V. There will also be lots more coverage of GODZILLA and other Japanese monsters and a look at some of the worst classic monster movies ever! 

MMW: How do you go about putting an issue together? Can you talk about some of the steps that you take up to the finished product (image scanning hardware, page layout software, paste ups the old fashioned way, etc.)? 

SM: I actually have a designer, Steve Kirkham, who sorts out the technical side so I act more as a project manager - commissioning pieces, deciding what to include each issue, writing some of the articles and reviews myself and liaising with the various artists and writers every step of the way. I have an overall vision but this vision wouldn’t be made reality without the hard work and talent of this exceptional team of people.   

MMW: Any last words for the readers of MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD? 

SM: Keep on supporting your favourite classic horror, sci-fi and monster movie magazines! Spread the word about them, buy them for friends or family and try and introduce a young audience to these excellent publications from around the world. Oh, and keep reading this brilliant blog – MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD is truly awesome! Finally, please grab yourself an issue of SPACE MONSTERS and let us know what you think and what you’d like to see in future issues. Remember folks, life is a creature feature

MMW: Thank you, Richard Gladman!

NOTE: If you want to buy a copy of SPACE MONSTERS magazine (you mean you haven't already?), just click the cover image on the sidebar to the right of this blogroll!

HAPPY 95th BIRTHDAY, ZACHERLEY!

ZACH, YOU ARE STILL ONE COOL GHOUL!!!

UK HORROR HOTTIE EMILY BOOTH JOINS THE STAFF OF SPACE MONSTERS

Here is a press release from the editor of the new UK monster mag, SPACE MONSTERS, announcing a new addition to their editorial team:
 
"Popular horror actress and presenter Emily Booth has joined new genre magazine ‘Space Monsters’ as a regular columnist and reviewer. As well as appearing in cult movie hits including Evil Aliens, Doghouse and Inbred, Booth is a regular guest at FILM4 Frightfest and a presenter on the Horror Channel.

‘Space Monsters’ magazine is aimed at fans of classic horror, sci-fi and fantasy movies and television with an emphasis on scary monsters, B-movies and sexy space babes.Issue one launched this summer and is already building a large and enthusiastic fan-base around the world.

Booth is joined by Brighton-based journalist, actor and artist Billy Chainsaw, another regular on the horror film scene who also writes for “Bizarre” and “Shock Horror Magazine”.

Editor Richard Gladman, founder of the Classic Horror Campaign and Frighten Brighton Film Festival says:“I’m delighted to welcome both Emily and Billy to our team of talented writers and artists.  Horror fans are really in for a treat this Hallowe’en with our special “space vampires” issue!”

‘Space Monsters’ can be ordered directly from the Classic Horror Campaign website (www.classichorrorcampaign.com/space-monsters-magazine/) and is also available from Hemlock Books, The Cinema Store, The Psychotronic Store, Scary Monsters Scare Store and other outlets."

Here is the lovely Miss Booth. Grrrrrrrr . . . 

And here she is, up to her elbows in blood after typing up her last op-ed for SPACE MONSTERS magazine.

MIDNIGHT MARQUEE'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Call Ripley! Call Guinness! Heck, drink some Guinness, too -- original Monster Kid Gary Svehla has been publishing his monster movie magazine, MIDNIGHT MARQUEE for a half a century! Plus, you can even save a few bucks by pre-ordering his monstrously monumental achievement on his MIDMAR website.

The special 50th anniversary issue is whole #79 and is advertised as being a whopping 250 pages! The cover is by longtime portrait and monster fan artist, Bill Nelson and depicts a tearful Boris Karloff as his "old friend". By a strange coincidence the pose is practically the same one that Daniel Horne did for Jim Clatterbaugh's 30th issue of MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT. And, I can't for the life of me figure out if he's weeping -- maybe because he's overwhelmed by the milestone or if this is the final issue? I guess we'll all find out soon. So get going and support one of the stalwarts in the monster magazine industry by buying a copy. I guarantee you'll be glad you did.

Here is the meat of the issue that is promoted on the MIDMAR website:
 

“Is Anybody There?”—An Iconic Doomsday Moment

By Arthur Joseph Lundquist

Science fiction’s end-of-the-world cinema generally features an iconic sequence with a lone survivor holding a microphone, looking out into the abyss and asking, “Is anybody there?”  This article explores those apocalyptic moments.

David Robinson:  An Artist’s Portfolio of Classic Screen Horror

One of the great artists of horror film fandom returns with an all-new portfolio, conceived in a technologically innovative fashion, documenting the growth of classic horror cinema over its history.

Déjà vu Boo! 

By Steven Thornton

Proving that “Everything old is new again,” Steven Thornton focuses on trends in modern horror cinema and traces such trends back to their earlier classic horror roots.

Diamond of Frankenstein:  Boris Karloff’s Field of Dark Dreams

By Don Mankowski

In 1940 a charity baseball game was played at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, featuring many of Hollywood’s greatest celebrities, including a surprise appearance by Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein Monster, once again donning Jack Pierce make-up.  Mankowski documents exactly what happened.

Forum/Against ’Em—The 13 Most Influential Horror Movies: Part Three

By Anthony Ambrogio, Gary J. Svehla, Mark Clark, Brian Smith, Jonathan Lampley, Steven Thornton, etc.

A bevy of MidMar writers attempt to forward the position that Gary Svehla’s list of the 13 most influential horror films is flawed and each author offers deletions and additions that make for the definitive list.  Now if only everyone could agree!!!  This Round Robin discussion gets out of hand rapidly.

Horror Fandom’s Outstanding Moments

By Gary J. Svehla

Gary Svehla remembers those pivotal moments from horror film fandom that helped shape him during 50 years of publishing Gore Creatures/Midnight Marquee 

Horror Fanzine Publishing:  The Evolution of Technology

By Gary J. Svehla

Gary Svehla recounts the different methods of designing, layout and publishing that occurred over five decades of publishing his magazine.  The technology of publishing has radically changed since 1963 and Gary Svehla shows us the evolution step-by-step.

Horror’s Top-50 Movies of the Sound Era [1931-1999]:  An Analytical List

By Gary J. Svehla

Every horror movie fan worth his or her salt has a personal list of all-time favorite films.  To honor 50 years of publication, Gary Svehla shares his top-50 favorites and in 50 succinct paragraphs explains why.

How the Cult Culture of Horror Fandom Changed

By Gary J. Svehla

Today’s classic horror movie fan that frequents The Classic Horror Film Board may not realize how horror film fandom evolved during the past 50 years.  This article attempts to get to the heart and soul of this cultural phenomenon.

It Came From Everywhere—Monster-Mania in the 1950s and 1960s

By Ed Bansak

Ed Bansak returns to our pages to document the birth of the Monster Kid Generation by focusing upon the evolution of the horror film magazine and how such publications created an everlasting sub-culture.

Lost Innocence—A Retrospective of Blood Demon and Christopher Lee

By Stephen Mosley

British author/actor Stephen Mosley fondly remembers one of the more neglected Euro-Horror chillers of the 1960s, Blood Demon, and explains why this generally forgotten chiller deserves rediscovery.

Seduced by Subversive Small-Town America, 1950s-Style

By Gary J. Svehla

The so-called Suburban Gothics, those movies produced during the 1950s occurring in small-town America, continue to terrify and thrill.  See why movies such as Return of Dracula, The Vampire, Invaders from Mars, Blood of Dracula, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and others are linked by a perversion of small-town values.

Subterranean Chills—The Cave’s History and Evolution

By Barry Atkinson

Whether we are diving into the inner recesses of our subconscious mind or exploring the inky black world populated with unspeakable horrors below, the cave has become a horror movie icon.  Barry Atkinson explains the cave’s history and evolution in the horror and fantasy film genre.

The Other Lionel Atwill:  Still Sinister, Vengeful and Perverse

By Neil Pettigrew

Considered to be a horror film icon by the time he starred in Doctor X and Mystery of the Wax Museum in the early 1930s, Lionel Atwill also had a distinguished career on the stage and played prestigious roles in non-horror movies.  Using original research and interviews with relatives, Pettigrew has composed the perfect companion piece to Gregory Mank’s chapter on Atwill in Hollywood’s Maddest Doctors.

Thriller’s Classic Chillers—Season One

By Gary J. Svehla

Although surviving only two seasons, NBC’s classic television series Thriller, along with intermittent dark crime episodes, managed to produce episodes of startling classic horror.  In this installment, we analyze the finest classic horror episodes to be found in the debuting season.

Tower of London—Pomp, Pageantry and the Macabre

By Gregory Mank

Though not technically a horror movie, this 1939 Universal historical drama, featuring a celebrity cast, contains grim aspects of Gothic horror. Historian Greg Mank explores the film’s horror aspects and details its troubled history from script and casting, to the actual filming, through the editing state, promotional tours and wide release. 

Plus MUCH More (including fandom reflections by Richard Klemensen of Little Shoppe of Horrors; contributions by renowned artist Allen Koszowski; genre reviews of books and DVDs)

CINEMA RETRO NO. 27 NOW SHIPPING!

Now available for ordering (and showing up soon in your local comic shop's box if you ordered from Diamond Previews oh-so-many months ago) is the latest issue of CINEMA RETRO. This issue promises to have much more monster goodness than the previous couple of issues -- perhaps because of the Halloween season?

Here is the lineup from the CINEMA RETRO website:

HIGHLIGHTS OF ISSUE #27 INCLUDE:

• Don L. Stradley examines the dramatic life and career of Lolita star Sue Lyon
• John Exshaw's unpublished interview with screen legend Peter Cushing
• Adrian Smith interviews Hugh Hudson, director of Revolution and Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
• Dean Brierly looks at classic Japanese crime movies
• Stephen C. Jilks celebrates the British werewolf films.
• David Savage examines Liz Taylor's little-seen, late career bizarro cult movie The Driver's Seat
• Howard Hughes continues his history of Oakmont Productions with Submarine X-1 starring James Caan and reviews the long-forgotten electric rock Western Zachariah
• Paul Thomson provides in-depth coverage of the Amicus Edgar Rice Burroughs film adaptations The Land That Time Forgot, At the Earth's Core and The People That Time Forgot 
• Remembering  Ray Harryhausen: a personal tribute by Mark Mawston
• Raymond Benson's top ten films of 1986
• Lee Pfeiffer's Take Two column looks back on The Valachi Papers starring Charles Bronson
• Burt Reynolds underrated dark comedy The End is re-evaluated by Tim Greaves
• Gareth Owen's Pinewood Past column features Reach for the Sky starring Kenneth More
• Plus the latest film book, soundtrack and DVD reviews

And here are a few page samples. To order or subscribe to CINEMA RETRO, just click on the cover image on the sidebar to the right of this blogroll.

FAMOUS MONSTERS NO. 270 NOW ON SALE

FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND #270 has been announced as released for sale by Captain Company. This issue's theme is the masked wrestler heroes from Mexico.

Here is the info offered on FM's website:

"Viva La Lucha! In the history of cinema, no man has battled more classic monsters than the masked luchador, El Santo. This Halloween, Famous Monsters travels to Mexico to unlock the myth and mysteries behind some of film's greatest monster hunters and their movies: El Santo, Mil Mascaras, Blue Demon, Tinieblas, and more. . . The Luchadors! Plus, an exclusive FM interview with WWE Superstar CM Punk! The origins of Freddy's infamous glove, 45 years of Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, and so much more! Featuring EL SANTO cover by Terry Wolfinger."

To order your copy of the newest FM, click on the cover image on the sidebar.

HITCH SPEAKS HIS MIND ABOUT TV

[Source: THE GLOBE TV STARS SECRETS & SCANDALS]