DIABOLIQUE NO. 27 PREVIEW

Coming a little late to the Monster Magazine Ball is the "Summer/Fall" issue of DIABOLIQUE. I don't mind, though, as this excellent 'zine is always worth the wait. The cover promises an issue brimming with the brimstone aroma of Giallo, the Gothic and the Occult. And, unless another one comes along this year that blows my electrodes, the Suspiria cover will be getting my vote for a Rondo.

There is also good news -- Tim Lucas will begin writing a new column in this issue. Pre-order your copy HERE.

From the DIABOLIQUE website:

There is nothing perhaps more enchanting than a good old folk, or fairy tale. Add in a little witchcraft and you have the recipe for something truly magickal. Join us as we dedicate the entirety of issue 27 of Diabolique Magazine to these three subjects. Helping us to celebrate Suspiria in its 40th year is author Alexandra Heller-Nichols, who unlocks some of the secrets behind the scenes and delves into the history and influence surrounding Dario Argento’s cult classic.

Meanwhile, the theme of witchcraft continues, as Britsploitation master Norman J Warren talks to us about his own occult inspired works, and we examine his films as contributions to the British Folk Horror cannon. Not content with leaving it there we also take a long look at the “occult giallo” in a feature focusing on witchcraft-infused cult horror films from Italy. We tackle the connection of witchcraft and feminism from the seventies to the nineties, looking at George A Romero’s Season of the Witch, The Witches of Eastwick and The Craft. And…still not content to leave it there… we also unravel the history of the witch trials seen in Ken Russell’s The Devils.

And there’s more…we have not one, but two articles dedicated to Eastern European folk and fairy tales and their cinematic counterparts; Czechoslovakia is represented by Little Otik, Russia by Viy. We also re-examine The Company of Wolves, in the context of folk horror, before continuing on the theme of mixing Gothic with folk horror in an interview with the partnership behind Hex Media (Lord of Tears, The Unkindness of Ravens) Sarah Daly (writer) and Lawrie Brewster (director). We also manage to pack in a deep look at Candyman, and examine the themes of race and urban legend within.

The icing on the cake however is the news that writer, editor, film historian and Video Watchdog legend, Tim Lucas, joins us in this issue for the very first installment of his new regular column.

CONTENTS
The Secret of the Irises: Suspiria’s Hidden Magic
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas reveals everything you think you know about Dario Argento’s masterpiece is just the beginning.

The Evil Heritage of Norman J Warren
Kat Ellinger talks to Britsploitation legend Norman J Warren about his witchcraft infused Satan’s Slave (1976) and Terror (1978) and looks at how these two films fit into the British Folk Horror cannon.

Russian Folk Tales as Subversive Cinema: Viy-ing against Communist Censorship
Viy (1967) is the first Soviet Russian horror film, based on the Russian/Ukrainian folk tale of the same name by Nikolai Gogol (1835). Rebecca Booth examines the way in which the film, via its folklore roots, functions to subvert cultural, social and political ideology within Soviet Russia.

The Burning Court: 17th Century Heresy and Hysteria in Ken Russell’s The Devils
Samm Deighan digs into the historical occult themes behind Ken Russell’s transgressive masterpiece, The Devils (1971), and discusses satanic conspiracies, sexualized exorcisms, religious hysteria, and more.

These Are No Ordinary Birds: An Interview With Lawrie Brewster & Sarah Daly
Kieran Fisher chats with the founders of rising genre company, Hex Media, and unravels the myriad of mythological, cosmic and psychological horrors dwelling within their universe.

Racial Dynamics in Candyman
Jason Barr looks at how the subtle analogies of race, gender, and suffering come together to form an unexpected urban legend for the white middle class.

Whatever You Want, Baby: Otesánek (Little Otik) and the Horror of Infertility
Erin Miskell takes an in-depth look at the relationship between Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood and the Czech folktale Otesanek in both its original text and cinematic adaptation, and how the tales combine to address the infertility taboo.

Shot in the Dark
In the first installment of his brand new column, film historian Tim Lucas gives a detailed analysis of the fascinating opening shot of Terence Fisher’s The Curse of the Werewolf (1961).

Drink This and You Will be Free
In a look at the world through giallo-colored glasses, Joseph Dwyer sees evidence of witchcraft and the supernatural. The notorious genre synonymous with 1970’s Italy crosses over into fantastic territory with the high priests in All the Colors of the Dark (1972)  and Short Night of Glass Dolls (1971), topped perhaps only by the beautiful hags in Baba Yaga (1973) and Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972).

‘Wolves May Lurk In Every Guise’: Folk Horror In The Company Of Wolves
James Gracey investigates the folkloric elements of Neil Jordan’s dark Gothic fantasy, and looks at its tacit place within the haunting glades of Folk Horror.

We Are the Weirdos: The Transformative Power of the Cinematic Witch
Chris Hallock traces the generational development of feminism through cinematic witches depicted in the films Season of the Witch (1972), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), and The Craft (1996).

Pigeons from Hell—Three Ways
Sheila M. Merritt shows how serving up a horror delicacy in different media formats makes for a sumptuous banquet. Indulge and enjoy.