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The name Sam Raimi has become synonymous with the horror genre over the years thanks to the Evil Dead trilogy, but following the release of Army of Darkness in 1992, he took a lengthy break from blood and guts to try his hand at other projects. The results were spectacular, to say the least, with the director bringing us such favorites as A Simple Plan, and – of course – Sony’s first Spider-Man trilogy. After more than 15 years away, though, Raimi returned to the genre that made him famous with the release of Drag Me to Hell in 2009, a movie in his filmography that’s not talked about nearly enough.

Now, Scream Factory hopes to change all that, as they’ve recently released some gorgeous 4K versions of Drag Me to Hell that are perfect to stuff in the stockings of horror lovers everywhere this holiday season. First up is the Collector's...

The original 1931 Universal Monsters movie Dracula opens with an introduction to Renfield (Dwight Frye) as he travels to Transylvania to solidify business plans with Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi), only to wind up his raving mad servant instead. Director Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War) and writer Ryan Ridley (“Rick and Morty”) seamlessly tie their modern reimagining of the characters to the original Universal classic before skipping ahead to the present day in horror-comedy Renfield. The leap simultaneously establishes the reverence for the horror classics as well as an anemic shorthand in the storytelling.

After the impressive introductory sequence that sees Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage composited into the 1931 film to explain their history together, we meet Renfield (Hoult) in the present as a long-suffering henchman to his narcissistic boss, Dracula (Cage). Despite an early attempt by vampire hunters to free Renfield from Dracula’s grip, Renfield remains a miserable yet loyal...

The Universal horror-comedy Renfield reimagines classic horror characters in modern-day New Orleans, with Dracula’s beleaguered henchman realizing he’s been trapped in a toxic relationship for roughly a century.

Bloody Disgusting spent a day on set, getting acquainted with Nicholas Hoult’s new take on Renfield, the bug-eating righthand to Dracula, and learning more about the expansive supernatural world within director Chris McKay’s horror-comedy.

In part one of our set visit, we observed an early scene where Nicholas Hoult’s Renfield arrived late to a battle between Dracula (Nicolas Cage) and a group of vampire hunters. Later in the day, the lucky handful of journalists invited to set witnessed Cage in feral Dracula mode, ruthlessly dispatching his enemies with sharp teeth and claws.

The scene, which involved numerous shredded and maimed bodies, highlighted McKay’s affinity for horror and practical effects. When asked about his approach to reinterpreting classic characters like Dracula,...

Featuring a truly distinct artistic style that has been over ten years in the making, Sal Abbinanti’s new graphic novel The Hostage has launched on Kickstarter, and we've been provided with a list of Abbinanti’s artistic influences for his ambitious new project that follows a group of resilient kids growing up on the streets of the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.

You can check out Abbinanti's list of artistic influences below, and to learn more about The Hostage, visit the graphic novel's official Kickstarter page.

The Hostage

Listicle of Influences by Sal Abbinanti

Artist Basil Gogos — This might be obvious, but the legendary monster artist, best known for his numerous Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine covers, has had an enormous influence on my work. Just look at his use of radical colors. And the monsters!

Artist Bill Sienkiewicz — Bill is an artist whose work pushes boundaries. His abstract...

In today's Horror Highlights: Archie Comics heads to ComiXology Unlimited, a look at the art of Becky Doyon, details on the Nightmares Film Festival, and info on the audio drama At Your Peril:

Archie Comics to Release Day-and-Date on ComiXology Unlimited: "Archie Comics, home to some of pop culture's most beloved characters, is expanding its availability on comiXology, the leading digital comics service. Starting September 23, with the publication of Sabrina: Something Wicked #3, comiXology will release new titles on comiXology Unlimited the same day they are available in print. The new initiative marks the first time a major U.S. publisher has made content available day-and-date with the subscription-based streaming service. ComiXology Unlimited users can now read the full Archie library including the critically acclaimed Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Afterlife With Archie, Jughead’s Time Police, and tie-ins to the smash hit CW series, Riverdale.

Members of comiXology Unlimited can access over 25,000 comics,...

“Americans live on ketchup and milk. I’m a whiz at geography.”

Cinema St. Louis’ 12th Annual Robert Classic French Film Festivalruns July 17-23, 2020. Individual tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for Cinema St. Louis members and students with valid and current photo IDs. All-access passes are available for $25, $20 for Csl members. Ticket and Pass Purchaseinformation can be found Here. Regrettably, streaming rights to most of the films Cinema St. Louis planned to feature at the 2020 Robert Classic French Film Festival were not available to them. But they are pleased that they’re able to offer a trio of works from the original lineup: Marguerite Duras’ rarely seen “India Song”; a new restoration of Jacqueline Audry’s “Olivia”; and René Clément’s “Rider on the Rain,” which is part of their year-long Golden Anniversaries programming that features films from 1970. All films are in French with English subtitles.

Tom Stockman, editor of...

Not satisfied with the pace of natural selection in driving evolution, a deranged biologist decides to create his own genetically engineered mutations. With the promise of using his experiments to “cure” them, Dr. Nolter (Pleasence) enlists members of the local Freakshow to help him kidnap students from a nearby college to use as human guinea pigs.

Using the same techniques that he developed mixing the DNA of plants and animals, he begins crossbreeding plants and humans with unpredictable results. One by one his failed experiments are cast off to the circus until the freaks have had enough and seek their bloody revenge.

Starring Donald Pleasence, Tom Baker (Golden Voyage Of Sinbad and Dr Who’s popular 4th doctor), exploitation great Brad Harris (Kommissar X) and Michael Dunn (Best Supporting Actor nominee for Ship Of Fools).

For this release, writer / producer Robert D Weinbach restored his archival 35mm print for a vivid new master!

Rider On The Rain will be available on Blu-ray April 9th From Kino Lorber.

In the 1970 French noir Rider On The Rain from director René Clément, Charles Bronson played Harry Dobbs, an undercover Us Army Colonel in France trying to track down an escaped sex maniac. Marlene Jobert played a rape victim who manages to kill her attacker and, in a panic, disposes of the corpse. What follows is a tense cat-and-mouse scenario between these two full of humor and style. Wearing a mischievous smile throughout Rider On The Rain, Bronson manages an odd suggestion of sadism and romance, a mysterious figure that enhances the mystery. A suspenser in the Hitchcock mold, Rider On The Rain won the Golden Globe award in 1970 as Best Foreign Film and was an breakthrough film in Charles Bronson’s career – it was a enormous success all over the world (except the U.S.) and...

What’s it going to take for “The Lego Batman Movie” to redeem the franchise with an Oscar nomination after “The Lego Movie” was snubbed in 2015? The movie will need to get more respect for its brick animation style, inside-out take on the Caped Crusader, and self-reflexive wit.

Of course, it didn’t help that the Annie voters left “The Lego Batman Movie” off its list of best animated feature nominations on Monday, but there’s still time to coax the Academy into an Oscar nomination. IndieWire critic David Ehrlich passionately argued his case, but nobody gets more animated about “Lego Batman” than director Chris McKay.

What Lego Does Best

“We look for things that other movies can’t do,” McKay said. “That’s our job in making a Lego movie. What story can you only tell with this medium? And I wanted to do an emotional story about Batman...

There are images that stick with you for a lifetime, that remind you of moments that you will treasure till the end of your days. For many horror fans, those images were created by artist Basil Gogos, who recently passed away at the age of 78. While Gogos is gone, there is no doubt that for countless fans, his work and his influence will live on forever.

Perhaps no other artist in modern history has captured the monsters of the horror genre as iconically as Gogos did. His illustrations were simultaneously vibrant and gothic, displaying classic Universal Monsters against splashes of eye-catching colors, making the old new again in a daring, ambitious approach to art.

Many of Gogos' illustrations of Universal Monsters, along with characters from Hammer horror films played by the likes of Christopher Lee and Vincent Price, found a home on the magazine covers of Famous Monsters of Filmland,...

People throw around the word “legend” willy-nilly nowadays. There are only a few people that term is applicable to. Artist Basil Gogos is without question one of them. His artwork… it just speaks for itself, and with it he helped… Continue Reading →

The post Rest in Peace: Basil Gogos appeared first on Dread Central.

To celebrate the success of a variety of Game of Thrones merchandise, HBO is hosting a scavenger hunt for fans at Comic-Con starting on Wednesday, July 20th at 6:00pm! Also: Famous Monsters at Sdcc 2016, Tales of Poe DVD and Digital HD release details, and info on Spell on Wheels‘ first issue debut.

Game of Thrones Sdcc 2016 Scavenger Hunt Details: Press Release: “Wednesday, July 13, 2016 — HBO Global Licensing is excited to debut a wide array of new Game of Thrones products and convention exclusives at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, and to highlight some of its bestselling products released throughout the series’ run. To help celebrate, HBO is inviting fans to participate in a Comic-Con Scavenger Hunt, sending them on a quest to find some of the coolest Game of Thrones products available on the Comic-Con floor.

Starting Wednesday, July 20th, at 6 p.m. Pt when the convention floor opens for Preview Night,...

Lrm will be covering this weekend’s HeroesCon in Charlotte, North Carolina. One of the oldest conventions to still keeps its roots dedicated to comic books. HeroesCon has hosted some of the great comic book artist in the past including Stan Lee. This year’s headline of artist and array of comic book merchants won’t disappoint. Make sure to look out for our reporters who will be doing interviews with some of the guest as well as taking photos of some of the best cosplayers.

Heroes Convention was founded in 1982 by Shelton Drum, owner of Charlotte's Heroes Aren't Hard To Find comics shop. Since then the convention has become famous for its comics-first and family-friendly atmosphere, where fans can mingle directly with professionals and exhibitors. Boasting an incredible guest list built mainly on reputation and goodwill, HeroesCon is known nationwide as a "must" on the summer schedule, drawing fans,...

This past weekend, genre entertainment fans gathered by the thousands in Pasadena, CA for one of the most anticipated horror events of the year, Monsterpalooza! Makeup artists, painters, sculptors, and general purveyors of the weird took up space in the Pasadena Convention hall to show off their creations and peddle nostalgic collectibles. Guests at the event included Linda Blair (The Exorcist, Hell Night), Haruo Nakajima (original Godzilla suit actor), Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow), Dina Meyer (Dragonheart, Starship Troopers), Jake Busey (The Frighteners, Starship Troopers), Doug Bradley (Hellraiser franchise), Famous Monsters cover artist Basil Gogos, and representatives from the classic horror families including Bela Lugosi Jr., Victoria Price, Sara Karloff, and The Chaney Family. Jj Abrams was spotted perusing the dealers hall among other faces ranging from Lost star Jorge Garcia to Dick Van Dyke! Highlights of the weekend included a tribute to Famous Monsters founder Forrest J...

My alter identity is MaxBlackHeart on social media, but my real name is Gar VanStone. I’m an artist from Detroit, Michigan, currently living in Washington state. You could say my art is pop culture / horror mostly in a portrait style with lots of rich color and detail. I showcase my art and connect with my fans on Instagram and FaceBook. All my originals and prints are available on MaxBlackHeart.etsy. com.

Pencils are my tool of choice. I work mostly with Prismacolor pencils, ink, and markers to achieve a life-like representation of my subjects. Sometimes I use

preprinted paper for a nice background. I’ve recently been working with charcoal black drawing paper instead of white. I’m especially happy with my latest pieces, Pennywise from It and Pazuzu from The Exorcist using the charcoal black paper with Prismacolor pencils and ink.

My monster fascination starts very early in...

Hello! I’m Jack Chattox and I paint monsters.

My favorite medium that I work with the most is a combination of watercolor paints and India inks, which I apply with brushes and pens. I also use acrylic paints if I am painting on metal or wood which I apply with traditional brushes or an airbrush.

My dad shared his love of horror and Sci-Fi with me at an early age. We watched all the classic Universal Monsters films and the Twilight Zone episodes, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Halloween, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, etc. We also went to local comic conventions and hunted down back issues of Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine to add to our collection. I spent hours admiring the fantastic cover art by guys like Basil Gogos and Bill Selby, which sparked my interest in drawing and painting. Thanks Dad!

I am inspired most by all...

Lionsgate has revealed two new clips from The Last Witch Hunter ahead of its release on October 23rd. Also in this morning's round-up: details on the New York City Horror Film Festival and the Colorado Horror Convention, as well as information on how to watch The Walking Dead online and release details for Eli Morgan Gesner's Condemned.

The Last Witch Hunter: "The modern world holds many secrets, but the most astounding secret of all is that witches still live amongst us; vicious supernatural creatures intent on unleashing the Black Death upon the world. Armies of witch hunters battled the unnatural enemy across the globe for centuries, including Kaulder, a valiant warrior who managed to slay the all-powerful Queen Witch, decimating her followers in the process. In the moments right before her death, the Queen curses Kaulder with her own immortality, forever separating him from his beloved wife and daughter in the afterlife.

A press release went out this week announcing the new comic book publishing division of Famous Monsters! We are incredibly excited about this development and hope our readers will follow us to the paneled page.

March 3, 2015. Los Angeles, CA: Famous Monsters, the world’s longest-running entertainment fan magazine (est. 1958), announces that in 2015 it will expand its publishing division into original comic books.

Far from being a departure, comics have long been a part of FM’s history. In the 60s and 70s, the magazine shared the Warren imprint alongisde several monumentally influential black and white imprints: Creepy, Eerie, and founding FM Editor Forrest J Ackerman’s very own Vampirella. In recent years, FM has dedicated multiple pages of every issue to articles about current comic book creators and their projects. The comic medium is naturally conducive to Sci-Fi, fantasy, horror, and all the themes that Famous Monsters prides itself in covering.

Welcome to another horror round-up! Hannibal fans have a big guest star to look forward to seeing in season three, the legendary Famous Monsters magazine is expanding with a comic book division, American Gothic Press, and Cinedigm and Wizard World have cult shows, beloved classics, and plenty of new content for viewers to enjoy with their just-launched CONtv digital network.

Hannibal Season 3: Entertainment Weekly reports that Zachary Quinto will star in a minimum of one episode in the upcoming third season of NBC's Hannibal. Quinto (NBC's The Slap, Spock in Star Trek: Into Darkness, American Horror Story: Asylum, Heroes) will play a "patient of Bedelia’s (Gillian Anderson)."

In other, previously announced Hannibal Season 3 casting news, it was revealed in late January that Glenn Fleshler (True Detective) will play Cordell Doemling, a familiar name to fans of Thomas Harris' books and the Hannibal Lecter movies. For those unfamiliar,...

Holy Cats my fiends, the gruesome goodie bag is overflowin’ this week! In fact, I’m just gonna stop jawin’… hey, stop clappin you little… anyway, let’s get crackin’ with an interview with my good pals and card-carryin’ Daniel Xiii Coffin Club members Michale Graves and Mark Allen Stuart! These lads have got a veritable ton of cool horror punk goodness for ya, not to mention a lil’ exclusive contest for readers of this here creepy column!

Famous Monsters. We-hell, let’s just dive right in! Why not gives us all of the diabolical details about the upcoming release Zombies Unite?

Mark Allen Stuart. Well, the Zombies Unite project with Night of Samhain is a very special project indeed. We were originally contacted by the band—who resides in Russia—and they asked if we would release their new album on our Vile of Venom label. We requested a...

A zombified Jughead, Hellboy, Frankenstein and his bride: these are just a few of the characters depicted by this year’s inaugural MondoCon guests. Taking place on the same weekend as Fantastic Fest in Austin, MondoCon will give attendees the chance to get some amazing prints and meet the great artists who made them. To celebrate the announcement, Mondo has revealed a poster for The Bride of Frankenstein by Hellboy’s Mike Mignola that will soon be available.

You can buy tickets for MondoCon starting this Wednesday, June 4th at Mondo-Con.com. Mondo will open the purchasing window for The Bride of Frankenstein poster by Mike Mignola at a random time via their twitter account (@MondoNews) this Thursday, June 5th. Those lucky enough to get one of the 325 in stock will have to pay $50. We have The Bride of Frankenstein poster for you to check out thanks to EW!

Austin,...

Over the past couple of years, the Austin, Texas-based Mondo has gained a reputation for making some of the coolest movie-related posters around. Now the boutique merchandise arm of the Alamo Drafthouse cinema chain has announced the initial lineup of guests for its first ever MondoCon, which takes place September 20 and 21 at Austin’s Marchesa Hall & Theater.

Among the artists slated to appear are Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Bernie Wrightson (Swamp Thing), Basil Gogos (Famous Monsters of Filmland), Geof Darow (Hard Boiled), Francesco Francavilla (Afterlife with Archie), and the Phantom City Creative. According to the release announcing the list of guests,...

I think everyone remembers where they were August 31st, 2003 when they heard that Charles Bronson had died. I was visiting my brother in Atlanta when my nephew knocked on my door and informed me that CNN had announced his death. I collapsed into a sobbing heap. Bronson was my hero, my muse, my role model. Hollywood’s brightest star would shine no more. It’s hard to believe he’s been gone ten years.

Charles Bronson was the unlikeliest of movie stars. Of all the leading men in the history of Hollywood, Charles Bronson had the least range as an actor. He rarely emoted or even changed his expression, and when he did speak, his voice was a reedy whisper. But Charles Bronson could coast on presence, charisma, and silent brooding menace like no one’s business and he wound up the world’s most bankable movie star throughout most of the 1970’s.

Submit your vote for Reviewer of the Year!

Every year, the Classic Horror Film Board recognizes the best in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy realm with the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. Fans of the genre can vote for their favorites in over thirty categories, and this year, Cinelinx would like to ask you to vote for one of our own, staff writer Victor Medina, as Reviewer of the Year (Category 29)! We've even included the ballot below so you can vote!

Votes must be submitted by copying and pasting the ballot into your personal email, making your choices, including your name, and sending it in. Votes for Reviewer of the Year are write-in only, so you must be sure to include Vic's name yourself under Category 29 when you vote. Pre-filled ballots are not allowed, so we can't do it for you! Remember, you must write in "Victor Medina, Cinelinx.com" yourself.

I sat down with Raw Studios creators Thomas Jane (The Punisher, The Mist) and Tim Bradstreet (Hellblazer) on Thursday to talk about their visions for film, comic books, and stories that become both, such as the Twilight Zone-esque Dark Country. These two are intensely involved in their creative work and very dedicated to dark storytelling. They’re also Monster Kids, through and through. Huzzah!

Famous Monsters. You hear so much about Comic-Con having becoming this gigantic, mainstream, corporate thing with toy companies and whatnot… I have comic creator friends who complain that it’s not the way it used to be. How does Raw Studios still fit into Comic-Con for you?

Tim Bradstreet. We fit in against the wall, don’t we, Tom?

Thomas Jane. That’s right. We’re up against the wall. Literally. Creators have been getting pushed out of Comic-Con, and that’s why Trickster was...

7:35 Pm: Editor in Chief Ed Blair is introducing the Famous Monsters panel, starring the 2012 Comic Con All-Star Team!

7:45 Pm: What is Famous Monsters doing at Comic Con? We’ve just introduced issue #263, featuring 2 stunning and collectible covers: 100 Years of Universal Pictures (complete with out favorite Golden Age monsters), as well as 30 years of John Carpentar’s The Thing! 30 copies of the special Comic Con edition of The Thing cover are running out fast!

7:46 Pm: We are giving out a custom gaming computer commemorating the life and works of Ray Bradbury. See the Famous Monsters Facebook page for information on how to enter and win the limited and very special edition!

7:48 Pm: Dan Herman of Hermes Press describes the plan to go back and digital reconstruct each and every issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland. They will reproduce the magazines in hardback, archival editions that generation after generation can enjoy.

The following is a list of all comic books, graphic novels and special items that will be available this week and shipped to comic book stores who have placed orders for them.

Action Lab Entertainment

Princeless #4 (not verified by Diamond), $3.99

Amryl Entertainment

Cavewoman Feeding Grounds #1, $3.75

Cavewoman Feeding Grounds #1 (Budd Root Special Edition), Ar

Ape Entertainment

Richie Rich Valentines Special 2012 (One Shot), $3.99

Archie Comic Publications

Archie Double Digest #226, $3.99

Betty And Veronica Double Digest #198, $3.99

Kevin Keller #1 (Dan Parent Regular Cover), $2.99

Kevin Keller #1 (Dan Parent Variant Cover), $2.99

Kevin Keller Volume 1 Hc, $19.99

Mega Man #10, $2.99

Ardden Entertainment

Knightingail #3 (not verified by Diamond), $3.99

Asylum Press

Fearless Dawn Secret Of The Swamp (One Shot), $2.95

Attaboy’S Yumfactory

Hi Fructose Magazine Quarterly #22, $6.95

Audiogo Ltd

Sarah Jane Adventures Judgement Day Audio CD, $16.95

Avatar Press

Dicks #1 (John McCrea Regular Cover), $4.99

Dicks #1 (John McCrea Classic Black & White Variant Cover), $3.60

Dicks #1 (John McCrea Offensive Cover), $4.99

Ferals #2 (Gabriel Andrade Regular Cover), $3.99

Ferals #2 (Gabriel...

New York Comic Con may have taken place a couple months ago, but good stuff keeps appearing on our radar.

Case in point: this picture that brings together three incredible human beings, including one of the most influential fantasy publishers of our time. On the left you’ve got Bill Frazetta, son of prolific artist Frank Frazetta, who was responsible for some of the most epic fantasy art in memory, including incredible depictions of Conan The Barbarian. Next to him is none other than Basil Gogos, who holds the record for having painted more Famous Monsters of Filmland covers than any other artist out there. And on the right is famed publisher J. David Spurlock, who’s responsible for bringing many of Frazetta’s great works to the masses through his publishing outfit.

Enjoy the photo!

Misery Obscura: The Art and Photography of Eerie Von. That’s the name of the tour of paintings and photographs by former Samhain/Danzig musician Eerie Von that stopped in Pittsburgh last month. I was there and came away very impressed!

Eerie Von and creepy me.

The setting was a smaller club and gallery, the Rex Theater. The event had a very informal, relaxed feeling, and ended with an acoustic set by Eerie and musician . . Eerie was surprisingly friendly, and mingling and chatting with everyone who came to the roughly-four hour event, and talked and joked with members of the audience between numbers of his set.

He talked with me for a while. He remarked that I was older than many of the twenty-somethings in attendance, and that lead to chatting things we grew up with. We reminisced a little about reading Famous Monsters of Filmland; he mentioned loving the...

Back in the days when I was a young, fledgling horror fan, magazines and comics about my beloved genre were not nearly as readily available as they are today. At a time when Forry Ackerman’s Famous Monsters of Filmland ruled the roost and Fangoria was just a glimmer in the eye of some ad executive, we “Monster Kids” got our genre updates the old fashioned (and highly unreliable) way - via word of mouth.

As the years have clicked by and with the introduction of the Internet, being a fan has gotten a whole lot easier, still many of us look back on those early days of horror fandom with more than a little bit of nostalgia.

Luckily, those who have been missing the days of their youth, can rejoice with the introduction of Monsterverse, an imprint of genre-related titles such as Bela Lugosi’s Tales From The Grave...

This year's e-mail vote for the 9th annual Rondo Hatton Awards, conducted by the Classic Horror Film Board, drew more than 2,900 votes as fans chose among 30 categories; and we here at Dread Central are both honored and humbled to have once again been awarded a Rondo for Best Website! Read on to find out who our 2011 co-winners are.

The Rondo awards, named after Rondo Hatton, an obscure B-movie villain of the 1940s, celebrate the best in classic horror research, creativity, and film preservation as voted on by genre fans.

From the Press Release:

The restored version of the 1925 silent film Metropolis and the popular zombie franchise "The Walking Dead" each were double winners Wednesday, March 30th, 2011, in the 9th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. Voters also decided that The Black Swan, the dark and stylish thriller that earned star Natalie Portman an Oscar, would add a Rondo as Best...

We are happy to announce that Famous Monsters of Filmland has been nominated in various categories in the Ninth Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards.

The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards were created by David Colton and Kerry Gammill at the Classic Horror Film Boards in 2002. The awards are fan-based, and have no connection to any commercial sponsor. Anyone in fandom can vote or propose nominees.

The ‘Rondo’ award itself features a bust sculpted by illustrator Kerry Gammill, and cast by modeler Tim Lindsey.

The statuette is a miniature version of the bust of Hatton seen in the Universal film, House of Horrors (1946). The Rondos have been praised by recipients for their quiet beauty and evocation of classic horror.

Nominees for the Rondo are selected from suggestions by horror fans, pros and enthusiasts offered all year at the Chfb. Each year’s nominees are finalized by classic horror fan David Colton (taraco@aol.

The new era of Famous Monsters of Filmland officially launched July, 2010 with a gathering of fans at Indianapolis’ Wyndham Indianapolis West hotel and the debut of the all-new FM #251. FM spoke to fans, celebs and volunteers to help write this (Cyclopean) eye-witness report.

Friday July 9

Publisher Phil Kim, FM magazine editor Jessie Lilley, editor-in-chief Michael Heisler, and a host of staff members begin their day before 7:00 a.m. to make the final preparations for the first time convention of the new FM. They are all aware that they have high expectations to meet. A large and successful horror convention had been held in Indianapolis in March, and they will be compared to a wide variety of horror-related conventions held around the country, as well as being judged against memories of previous Famous Monsters conventions in past decades by earlier owners of the famous name. At the same time as the FM con,...

Hello, monster mavens. Let me introduce myself to all you cognescenti of the creepy.

I’m Max Cheney, better known by my onscreen moniker of “The Drunken Severed Head.” I’ve been given some space here to write about many things: the intersection of the screen and the scream, the mad monsters of movies and magazines, the art of alternate worlds and the dark denizens of the diabolic. In short, if it’s something that belongs in the dark, I’ll talk about it here. I’ve been taking a cockeyed look at such stuff for over three years at my blog (the winner of a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award, he said modestly), and now I’m happy to have more corners to explore at Famous Monsters.

If you want to know more about me (and perhaps you’re just strange enough to), I was interviewed for Famous Monsters,...

I finally got to attend a Famous Monsters Convention! I.ve been a huge fan of the magazine since I bought my first issue when I was 8 years old in 1969 at Wood Drug Store at the corner of Taylor and Manchester in Kirkwood. It was issue #64 with Basil Gogo.s painting of Vincent Price from House Of Wax on the cover and from then on, I lived for the magazine, buying all subsequent issues and eventually tracking the earlier ones until I acquired a complete run. In 1973 the first Famous Monsters Convention was held but I was too young to attend. The magazine, run by legendary editor Forry Ackerman, ended its original run in 1983 after 191 issues. Famous Monsters returned to newsstands (sans Forry) in a couple of brief incarnations (including an on-line form) over the next couple of decades and another Famous Monsters Convention was held in 1993 (I wish I...

Monsterverse Entertainment reveals the John Cassaday variant cover for its upcoming Bela Lugosi'S Tales From The Grave horror anthology comic book series. One copy of the special Cassaday cover edition will be included with every five copies ordered by retailers. The standard cover features a striking portrait of Bela Lugosi by legendary monster painter Basil Gogos. John Cassaday is one of the most popular comic book artists in the world and was the illustrator of DC Comics' acclaimed Planetary series and Marvel Comics' hugely successful Astonishing X-men for which he received the Eisner Award for best penciler. He has recently brought his story-telling talents to the film medium, having directed an episode of the noted science fiction/action series, Dollhouse. Joss Whedon...

Famous Monsters Panel, Celebrity Guest Signings, And Grab All Four Collectible Covers Only At Comic-con!

In just seven days… It’S Alive! Famous Monsters of Filmland #251 marks the triumphant return of fandom’s #1 monster magazine! Exclusive to Comic-Con International San Diego, visit Famous Monsters of Filmland Booth at #1509 for a one-time opportunity to purchase FM #251 in all four variant covers by artists Richard Corben (Creepy, Eerie, Heavy Metal), William Stout (Return of the Living Dead, The Mist), Basil Gogos (Famous Monsters, Creepy, Eerie), and Vince Evans (Black Panther, Nick Fury). William Stout will also be at the booth to autograph his new cover.

On Friday, July 23rd from 5:30-6:30Pm in Room 3, join us for the Famous Monsters of Filmland: From the Pages and Beyond Panel hosted by Publisher Philip Kim and Editor in Chief Michael Heisler, with guest panelists Bela Lugosi, Jr. (son of legendary Dracula actor...

In 11 Days: Monsters To Roam Indianapolis

More Guests Announced! Special Un-aired Irwin Allen Films To Be Screened! And A New Pilot Being Filmed Right At The FM Con!

Get your tickets online to Avoid The Lines! Visit www.CaptainCo.com

The Famous Monsters Convention arrives in Indianapolis, In July 9-11, 2010. With only 11 days to go, more guests have been added to the monstrous weekend, and several very special presentations.

But first, we are sad to announce that Lori Cardille (Day of the Dead) will be unable to attend our 2010 show. All of us at FM wish her the best and a very speedy recovery. And now for a barrage of good news, Bela Lugosi, Jr. (Son of Dracula), Kevin Burns (Girls Next Door; The Telling; Biography), Bridget Marquardt (Girls Next Door; The Telling), Nick Carpenter (The Telling), Billy Gram (One for the Fire) and Sal Lizard (I Am Legend; The Box...

Stop the presses! The World’S Most Famous Monster Artist Basil Gogos will be gracing the Famous Monsters Convention July 9-10 at Indianapolis, Indiana with his inimitable presence. Gogos, as you almost certainly know, is best known for his classic portraits of horror monsters (like the Creature of the Black Lagoon, Dracula and Dr. Frankenstein’s monster) and actors (Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and Bela Lugosi, to name a few). His hyper-realistic, detailed, and wildly colorful style and morbid flair has led to him being called “a Bizarro world Norman Rockwell.”

Before achieving fame as a gifted painter, Gogos was born in Egypt to a family of Greek heritage. Gogos immigrated to the U.S. with his family at the age of 16, where he pursued an education in art. Over the years, Gogos painted literally dozens of covers for Famous Monsters of Filmland, his first being a portrait of actor...

In anticipation of the home video release of The Wolfman, Dread Central, in association with Universal, has put together a contest to keep you howling! Get ready for the Grand Finale of our Three Weeks of the Wolfman Contest!

Each week until the film's release we will be giving away an exclusive prize package for The Wolfman!

There will be more and sometimes new prizes each week, and to win, all you have to do is send us an E-mail Here that includes your Full Name And Mailing Address. We'll handle the heavy lifting!

This week's prize package includes:

The Wolfman on Blu-ray / DVD

An exclusive Wolfman glow-in-the-dark cup

Wolfman dog tag keychain Signed Basil Gogos poster

Check out some imagery of the prizes below, and good luck!

- Uncle Creepy

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Got news? Click here to submit it!

Bark at the moon in the Dread Central forums!

Are you ready fur some fabulous prizes?

The good folks at Universal Home Entertainment have given us some really cool Wolfman stuff, celebrating today's release of Wolfman on DVD & Blu-ray.

Quit your howling and check out what we've got for you.

A limited edition Basil Gogos lithograph signed by the artist and by Benicio Del Toro. The Wolfman Blu-ray 2-Disc edition featuring an unrated director's cut, digital copy and the old black & white version for good measure. A fang key chain. A glow in the dark cup.

We've got five of these prize packs and we're giving 'em away all day. (Scroll down to see images.)

Here's how it works.

We'll post a secret message in the kicker of our Top Story on our hompage. The kicker is the punchy text below the headline. Here's a pic:

To win, copy the kicker and Tweet it to @ugodotcom.

 The first to tweet wins a prize pack.

Charles Bronson was the unlikeliest of movie stars. Of all the leading men in the history of Hollywood, Charles Bronson had the least range as an actor. He rarely emoted or even changed his expression, and when he did speak, his voice was a reedy whisper. But Charles Bronson could coast on presence, charisma, and silent brooding menace like no one.s business and he wound up the world’s most bankable movie star throughout most of the 1970’s. Bronson did not rise quickly in the Hollywood ranks. His film debut was in 1951 and he spent the next two decades as a solid character actor with a rugged face, muscular physique and everyman ethnicity that kept him busy in supporting roles as indians, convicts, cowboys, boxers, and gangsters. It wasn’t until he was in his late 40’s, after the international success of Once Upon A Time In The West...

This week, Universal unleashes The Wolfman on DVD and Blu-Ray, and to commemorate the occasion, we've got a sweet lil' giveaway for you, dear reader. We have... 4 Sets of: DVD copy Wolfman Cup Wolfman Dog Tags Keychain 1 Grand Prize Set of: DVD copy Wolfman Cup Wolfman Dog Tags Keychain Signed poster - signed by artist Basil Gogos and Benicio Del Toro That Gogos poster you can find in hi-res here . Send your Full Name and Mailing Address to: ryanrot@gmail.com . We'll select five winners at random next Monday and alert you if you've won. Good luck!

Horror fans, this is going to make you drool. We are giving away illustrator Basil Gogos’ lithograph for Universal’s The Wolfman, and it is signed by Gogos and star Benico Del Toro! This lithograph previously premiered on Chud, and the winner of the poster will also win a copy of the Unrated Director’s Cut of the Wolfman on DVD.

Read more on Giveaway: Enter to win Basil Gogos’ The Wolfman lithograph also signed by Benicio del Toro…...

The Wolfman is set to howl on Blu-ray with an unrated edition from Universal Home Entertainment on June 1st and M&C.s giving away prize packs from the film . including a copy of the Blu-ray, Wolfman glow-in-the-dark cups, Wolfman key chains and a limited edition The Wolfman lithograph autographed by legendary artist Basil Gogos and Benicio Del Toro! Gogos (whose art has included classic horror characters Phantom of the Opera, Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, The Mummy, King Kong, Godzilla and The Creature from the Black Lagoon) created a dazzling painting for the 2010 retelling of the classic Wolfman film. Gogos' art often captured his subjects in an array of vivid colors using a technique in which the artist...

The day is finally here! Famous Monsters of Filmland #251 is now on the FM Store for pre-sale. There you’ll have the option of buying individual issues or an annual subscription. Now, I know the question that is on many of your minds (partially because many of you have already asked): How do I get all four of the variant covers?

I am more than happy to oblige with an answer:

1. Primary Cover: Richard Corben – This will be available in all outlets that place orders through Diamond Comic Distributors — comics shops, book stores, etc. This is not currently available through our Online Store.

2. Incentive Cover: William Stout (pictured above) – This will be available at comics shops serviced by Diamond as an incentive cover, in a ratio of one copy to every 10 Primary Covers ordered. This is not currently available through our Online Store.

3. FM Online Exclusive Cover: Basil Gogos...

Monsterverse is publishing a horror anthology comic book series this year featuring the most sinister of horror icons, Bela Lugosi. Called "Tales from the Grave" (apropos) this one comes to us from editor-creator Kerry Gammill ("Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos") who aims to have the first issue on shelf this September. Basil Gogos provided the art for issue number one. You can check that out below along with a promo poster that made its debut at Monsterpalooza in Burbank, California over the weekend. The Gogos art was commissioned by Rob Zombie and published only in the Gogos art book by Gammill and was never used before as a cover. "Tales from the Grave" features contributors John Cassaday, Steve Niles, Bruce Timm, John Landis, Rick Baker,...

Let’s pretend for a moment that you, an FM reader, are a fan of classic movie monsters. You know, stuff like Dracula, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Wolfman, Frankenstein’s Monster, etc.

Got it? Ok, good. Just stay with me here.

Now let’s also pretend that you’re a fan of horror films like those that featured, I don’t know, the monsters I mentioned above.

Wow, you’re really good at this game!

Now that you’re all good and hyped up, prepare yourself for an additional dose of excitement if you also happen to be a fan of comic books. Sometime in September, Monsterverse will be releasing a comic anthology entitled Tales from the Grave. Bela Lugosi (do I really need to tell you who he is? I mean, seriously) will be taking on hosting duties for the horror romp.

Kerry Gammill (Superman, Power...

There are only two things I love in this great life of ours: everything, and monsters. Unfortunately for me , the modern world though has been experiencing a monster drought as of late. Well, I should say…we’ve had a good horror movie drought as of late (but I’m digressing into a giant sized rant right now). The only decent movie monsters we’ve seen in the last few years have been: The Wolfman…oh my God, that’s it, isn’t it? Just the Wolfman. I like to think back to an era I didn’t live in where monsters were the only think on kids’ minds and they just couldn’t get enough of them. From t-shirts, to model kids, and rubber Don Post masks; those freaky creatures were everywhere. And the Mecca for all of these great monstrosities was Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine.

Famous Monsters...

Legendary fantasy artist Frank Frazetta and acclaimed publisher Vanguard Productions have announced a new publishing relationship.

Frazetta said, “We’ve known Vanguard publisher J. David Spurlock for many years. Vanguard publishes the very best! I’ve enjoyed their books on Hal Foster, Al Williamson, Jeffrey Jones, Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Basil Gogos, Carmine Infantino and more. David helped on our Painting with Fire documentary and we helped him on Vanguard’s Roy G. Krenkel, Wally Wood, and J. Allen St.John books. It’s natural that we should work together. I’m looking forward to seeing the quality job they do on the new Frazetta books.”

Frank Frazetta is considered by many to be the greatest heroic-fantasy artist of all time. His work has influenced generations of artists, fans, designers, and movie directors. From his 1950s comics; to his breathtaking book covers featuring Tarzan, King Kong, and John Carter of...