FINALLY! THE FINAL ISSUE(S) OF MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT

Sanjulian cover for MFTV #34

The long wait is nearing its end, fellow monster mag lovers; Jim Clatterbaugh has announced that the final two issues of his award-winning MONSTERS OF THE VAULT will be published this summer and fall. He has gathered so much material that he'll need two issues to say goodbye. And that's okay, my friends -- anything from the VAULT is welcomed.

It's hard to believe, but its been over 5 years since Mr. Clatterbaugh announced the end of the run for his much-admired publication. Health issues have kept him from his goal (and, man, don't I know that from my own stalled projects), but he's weathered it all. Click HERE for the full story.

In the meantime, roll your cortex over the Kong-tents of issues #34 and #35.

Thanks, Jim, for a wonderful magazine and your support during the early days of MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD!

SUMMER 2019
The Contents (Subject to Transformation):
VIEW FROM THE VAULT
MEMORIES FROM THE VAULT: OUR CONTRIBUTORS: Recollections and Remembrances of Monsters from the Vault
THE MAGAZINE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING by David Colton
MONSTER FIGHTERS' OFFSPRING: Her Father Fought the Creature and Her Mom Met the Wolf Man, The Daughter of Richard Denning and Evelyn Ankers Tells All! Interview by Tom Weaver
ONE HELL OF A RIDE!: The Monsters from the Vault Story, Part One by Jim & Marian Clatterbaugh 
THE HUMAN MONSTERS OF PARAMOUNT by Steven Thornton
THE LITTLE FELLOW WHO CRIED WOLFMAN…AND DRACULA…AND THE MONSTER by John Stell
A TALE OF THREE YGORS by Frank J. Dello Stritto
FILMS FROM THE VAULT
BOOKS FROM THE VAULT

FALL 2019
The Contents (Subject to Transformation)
VIEW FROM THE VAULT
MEMORIES FROM THE VAULT: OUR READERS: Recollections and Remembrances of Monsters from the Vault
THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I LEARNED FROM CLASSIC HORROR FILMS by Steve Kronenberg
THE CENSORSHIP SAGA AND STUDIO POLITICS OF BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN by Greg Mank
ONE HELL OF A RIDE!: The Monsters from the Vault Story, Part Two by Jim & Marian Clatterbaugh
THE CAT CREEPS (1930) WHILE THE CANARY SLEEPS by Gary Rhodes
OF LOBOS AND HOMBRES: Mexican Werewolf Cinema, 1958-1976 by Bryan Senn
ATOMIC GOTHIC: Horror Movies Didn't Die in the 1950s, They Went Into Disguise by Mark Clark
FILMS FROM THE VAULT
BOOKS FROM THE VAULT

COVERS FROM THE VAULT (ISSUE #34)

George Chastain/Kerry Gammill Variant.

Kerry Gammill Variant.

Mark Maddox Variant.

COVERS FROM THE VAULT (ISSUE #35)

Jason Edmiston Variant.

Daniel R. Horne Variant.

Michael Kronenberg Variant.

Joe "Sorko" Schovitz Variant.

MFTV NO. 34: VARIANT COVER BY DANIEL HORNE

MFTV NO. 34: VARIANT COVER BY JOE SORKO

MFTV NO. 34: VARIANT COVER BY SANJULIAN

MFTV NO. 34: VARIANT COVER BY KERRY GAMMILL

MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT'S LAST HURRAH

Well, it finally happened. Editor and Publisher Jim Clatterbaugh has announced the upcoming last issue of his award-winning magazine, MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT. For two decades, Clatterbaugh has brought to his admiring audience some of, if not the best, words and pictures from the era of classic monsters. Jim explains:

"While it's much later than planned, the time has finally come to reveal the contents and covers for the final issue of Monsters from the Vault. The issue was initially set to premiere at Monster Bash in June 2015, but due to a couple of medical setbacks that required both me and my wife to have surgery (she already had hers, and mine will be on May 6th), the issue will now premiere at Monster Bash on the weekend of October 16-18, 2015. First, the issue is going to be huge (over 200-plus pages). Second, the issue will have 5 cover variants (a possible 6th will be revealed at a later date). Because of the size and cover variants, plus my desire to not rack up a HUGE printing bill for my final issue, I've decided to go the print-on-demand route through Amazon's CreateSpace."

The Contents

(Subject to Transformation)

• ONE HELL OF A RIDE!: The Monsters from the Vault Story by Jim Clatterbaugh & Marian Owens
• THE MAGAZINE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING by David Colton
• THE CENSORSHIP SAGA AND STUDIO POLITICS OF BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN by Greg Mank
• THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I LEARNED FROM CLASSIC HORROR FILMS by Steve Kronenberg
• THE LITTLE FELLOW WHO CRIED WOLFMAN…AND DRACULA…AND THE MONSTER by John Stell
• MONSTER FIGHTERS' OFFSPRING: Her Father Fought the Creature and Her Mom Met the Wolf Man, The Daughter of Richard Denning and Evelyn Ankers Tells All! Interview by Tom Weaver
• OF LOBOS AND HOMBRES: Mexican Werewolf Cinema, 1958-1976 by Bryan Senn
• ATOMIC GOTHIC: Horror Movies Didn't Die in the 1950s, They Went Into Disguise by Mark Clark
• THE CAT CREEPS (1930) WHILE THE CANARY SLEEPS by Gary Rhodes
• THE HUMAN MONSTERS OF PARAMOUNT by Steven Thornton
• OUR READERS SPEAK!: Recollections and Remembrances of Monsters from the Vault
• FILMS FROM THE VAULT
• BOOKS FROM THE VAULT

As usual, the covers are all superb and you'll be seeing them here in future posts. Pictured today is the cover by Michael Kronenberg.

In the meantime, visit MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT blogspot for the rest of the 4-1-1.

 

MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT NO. 33 NOW SHIPPING

Now ready for ordering is the latest issue of the must-have publication from Jim Clatterbaugh, Monsters From the Vault. MFTV has been a long-esteemed independent monster 'zine that has consistently been held to the highest standard by its creator.

Every issue is teeming with in-depth articles by today's top horror writers and the layouts and photo reproductions are unparalleled in the indie monster 'zine business ... or most anywhere else for that matter.

I'm not kidding -- if you haven't yet tried an issue of MFTV, you owe it to yourself to catch up. Jim even offers the first ten issues in a digital archive format. Go to his website right now and treat yourself to something special.

MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT NO. 33 DUE SOON

Jim Clatterbaugh's top-notch classic horror film 'zine, Monsters From the Vault has a "due in May" notice on his website, but it looks like it might be delayed once again since its original February release notice.

Hey, you can't rush perfection, I say. Any issue is well worth the wait.

In the meantime, you can check HERE for updates.

MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT NO. 33 COVER SNEAK PEEK

Arriving in the MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD mailbox from Jim Clatterbaugh is the final cover version for issue #33 of MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT. The rendering by Kerry (BELA LUGOSI'S TALES FROM THE GRAVE) Gammill, depicts Boris Karloff and Glenn Strange in Universal's HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #33 is due in February 2014. As always, MMW will keep you posted.

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.

MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT ARCHIVES VOL. 1 ON DVD

Readers of Jim Clatterbaugh's award-winning magazine, MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT already know that this is one classic monster resource that we would have a hard time living without. Those that have missed some or all of the early issues (including me) need not fret, as Jim has come up with the great idea of releasing the first 10 issues as PDF files on one DVD.

Most of these issues are long out of print and usually demand high collector's prices. At a mere $25.00 (postage included) that makes each issue in this collection only $2.50 apiece! What makes it even easier is you can purchase with a credit card or PayPal.

MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT is an indispensable guide to the history of vintage monsters and it has always received MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD'S highest recommendation. Now, we can catch up on issues that we have missed. Jim has also announced that he will be issuing two more DVD's that will bring us to the present. What are you waiting for? Shamble on over to MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT and order your DVD now!

MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT NO. 32 COMING NEXT WEEK!

Releasing next week at Monster Bash, Jim Clatterbaugh has informed MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD that he will be selling the latest issue of his indispensable magazine, MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT (#32). Head on over to Jim's BLOG to get a couple of sneak peaks at the content.

Good luck at Monster Bash, Jim!

NEW YEAR, NEW FEAR

First off, I'd like to wish all you MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD readers a very Happy New Year (or, to use a Forry-ism, Harpy New Fear!). I really appreciate all your support and comments for the last 2 1/2 years that I've done this. It is quite rewarding to know how many of you are out there that have a common interest in this subject. Rest assured, I will be sharing more of the same with you this year -- so  stay tuned and visit often!

Now, what would a blog about monster magazines be without monster magazines? Not much, I can assure you. The last reader poll I ran with the question, "Is the print monster magazine dying out?" The answers were encouraging -- 17% said they'd be gone in only 3 years, 7% said they'd be gone in 5 years, 10% said they'd be gone in 10 years, but a whopping 66% are confident that monster mags will be around so long as there are print 'zines. I happen to agree with this. There seems to be no letting up with the production and making of monster movies and all the related marketing. In some ways, it's hard to keep up with all of it!

So, what better way to kick off the New Year than to report on a few, brand new monster 'zines that are about to be unleashed?

Jim Clatterbaugh's MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #31 (cover image at the top of this blog) has been a long time coming, but he has just recently announced that it is headed for the presses . . . tomorrow! Jim also shared with MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD the cover image for MFTV #32, due to be released at the Monster Bash in June 2013. With a cover story about my most favorite Universal Monster Rally film, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN (okay, it's a pretty close tie with ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN),  and coverage of the evolution of Jack Pierce's Wolf Man make-up, I don't know about you, but I will be in horror heaven!

Just announced is the 14th issue of DIABOLIQUE, one of the best-produced, interesting horror film mags that has been introduced in recent years. D takes its horror seriously, and the content reflects it without being overly-academic or self-indulgent. A top "Best of" contender, in my opinion.

Dennis Druktenis' SCARY MONSTERS has reached its 85th issue! I have enjoyed the wraparound cover images that he has been featuring lately and you can be sure that each issue is absolutely packed with monster goodness. Dennis is a true Monster Kid and the enthusiasm he shares through his fun magazine shows no sign of letting up.

Okay, so now it's time to lend your support to these excellent magazines. For the price of a Starbucks grande skinny mocha you can purchase something that lasts a lot longer -- and without the fat and the sugar high! Links to the respective websites (including a new SCARY MONSTERS site) are found on the sidebar to the right of this blog post.

Well, that's about it for now. Once again, I'd like to thank all you readers for visting MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD. I promise there's some really cool stuff in the works.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MONSTER 'ZINES: SNEAK PEEKS AND UPDATES

FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND recently revealed their cover for issue #266 -- a stunning rendition of The Creature From the Black Lagoon by none other than one of the more notable artists from the days when Jim Warren published the magazine . . . Sanjulian!

The issue is being offered as a bundled deal with a poster and other goodies at the CAPTAIN COMPANY page.

Originally slated for a release this month, MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #31 has been delayed. Editor and Publisher Jim Clatterbaugh says he is still preparing it and hopes to have it to the printers by the 10th of December and released by Christmas.

MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT NO. 31 SNEAK PEEK!

Master monster magazine maker Jim Clatterbaugh has officially announced the Halloween 2012 release of MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #31. Get thee HENCE for more information!

HEY, EVERYBODY! I'M IN MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT!

Pardon my fan-boy glee, but when I was invited by Jim Clatterbaugh, Editor and Publisher of MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT, to contribute to his Vincent Price memorial in MFTV #30, I was -- to put it mildly -- thrilled. Thrilled, hell. I was stoked!

To be alongside some of the great modern horror writers such as Tom Weaver and Greg Mank, as well as among some of the greatest living horror filmmakers such as Roger Corman and John Landis is -- well, somewhat indescribable.

Just a couple of years ago or so, I had the great fortune of having my comment published in the Remembering Forry tribute article in the latest re-launch of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND (#251) -- and now this.

I don't think I have to tell you to get out and purchase a copy of the latest MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT. Yes, I've got a tidbit in there, but the rest of the issue is about as good as a monster magazine can get, folks. This guy Clatterbaugh knows classic horror.

Thanks, Jim!

MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT NO. 31 SNEAK PEEK!

Coming in July is MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #31 sporting another beaut of a cover painting by Daniel Horne. There's an interesting story behind this image. To read about it, as well as the contents planned for the issue, click HERE.

MONSTERS UNLEASHED! NEW AND RECENTLY RELEASED

MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT BLOG BACK ONLINE

Hey, everybody -- last week I reported the strange occurrences happening over at Jim Clatterbaugh's MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT blog. Well, looks like things got straightened out 'cause it's been cleared for takeoff and back online as off today. That's good news for us who can't get enough info about their favorite monster 'zines!

On another note: the second and concluding installment of the Dell Movie Classics comics MAD MONSTER PARTY has been posted over at MONSTER COMICS WORLD.

It turned out to be a pretty good Monday!

A few days ago I mentioned that I was getting a little frustrated with Blogger's "noodling" around with so-called improvements to my "Blogging Experience". I know that it is the nature of this industry, as well as the digital industry as a whole, to constantly evolve, grow, and (hopefully) progress. My most recent experience with this not-always-welcome phenomenon was seeing the news about Nikon's next gen line of cameras about a month after I bought a D5100. While it probably won't put this model to shame anytime soon, it still illustrates the fact that electronics manufacturers seem to revel in constatntly dangling the digital carrot in front of consumers.

But, like everything else in life -- artificial or otherwise -- this all comes with a price. Hackers, spammers, and other unsavory characters are out, surfing the bandwith for cracks in any firewall that they can get their nefarious string of code through, all for a buck -- and a lot of times just to see if they can frack up someone's day.

Case in point: I have a link to Jim Clatterbaugh's MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT blog on the sidebar of MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD. I hadn't seen anything new on it for a while, so I decided to drop Jim a line to see what was up. He replied that his blog had been "temporarily" shut down by Blogger because their security software had detected that his site was being used as a host for a spammer. I don't have any other details except that he has to go through some sort of "authentication" process before he can resume. There was even a cryptic implication that he might have to even vacate his space because of all this. As of a few minutes ago (Monday, September 28, 5:00 PM PST), his blog remains shut down.

So, in my mild rant of a few days ago I mentioned that Blogger had suddenly started using an image interface pop-up that was similar to Facebook. My beef was that you couldn't resize the image easily to read smaller scanned images that had text in them. Well, this condition seems to have returned to the original setup where, after you click on an image it will open in another window where you can click again on it to enlarge the picture. Yay!

Seems like my worries are slight compared to my friend, Jim Clatterbaugh's, though. What does raise a larger question with me however, is that this huge, seemingly chaotic miasma of online madness -- despite the prevalence of "social networks" such as Facebook -- is creating an ever-widening gap between the individual and more meaningful human interaction. And, as with everything else, there are outlaws, predators and flim-flam artists to watch for, along with scams and schemes that serve no pupose other than to either cause someone misery or remove them from their money as quickly as possible.

Now, I don't mean to paint a dim picture here. This all has its bright spot, and it is mostly bright, I might add. While I am a veteran computer user and fairly adept at the use of the Internet, I was once extremely averse to jumping into the world of blogging -- not because I was a Cyberphobe, but because I thought the idea of "journaling" about my life and my interests to anyone who cared to read about it was, well, kinda dumb.

Boy, was I wrong.