News

Gary Kent, the actor, director and stunt performer who also served as one of the inspirations for Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth character in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” died on May 25 in Austin, Texas, The Austin Chronicle confirmed. He was 89.

Kent began his career as a seasoned stunt performer after to traveling to Los Angeles in 1958. Ahead of doubling for Jack Nicholson in Monte Hellman’s “Ride in the Whirlwind” and “The Shooting,” Kent worked in film production offices and acted on the side, appearing in “Legion of the Doomed,” “King of the Wild Stallions,” “Battle Flame,” “The Thrill Killers” and “The Black Klansman.”

Soon after his stuntman debut in 1965, Kent appeared as a gas tank worker in Peter Bogdanovich’s debut feature film “Targets,” then worked on “Hell’s Bloody Devils,” “The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant” “Angels’ Wild Women” and Richard Rush’s “Psych-Out,” racking up injuries along the way.

Gary Kent, the iconic B-movie stunt performer, actor and director who worked with Peter Bogdanovich, Richard Rush and Monte Hellman and served as an inspiration for Brad Pitt’s character in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, has died. He was 89.

Kent died Thursday evening at an assisted care facility in Austin, his son Chris Kent told The Hollywood Reporter.

Kent suffered two of his most painful injuries as a stunt performer in Rush films. He sliced up his arm on broken glass during a barfight fracas in Hells Angels on Wheels (1967) and was run over by an out-of-control motorcycle in The Savage Seven (1968), where he shared scenes with Penny Marshall.

His half-century stunt career came to an end on the set of Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) when he tumbled down a hill and damaged his leg, but he kept at it as a stunt coordinator, working as recently...

The September release slate from Severin Films has been announced and detailed today, this latest batch of new releases headlined by 1980 classic The Changeling on 4K Ultra HD.

Severin Films will be haunting disc players across the continent with a new 4K edition of Peter Medak’s beloved ghost story The Changeling, along with landmark Spanish television series Tales to Keep You Awake, My Grandpa Is a Vampire via the Severin Kids imprint, and the entire Plaga Zombie Trilogy through sublabel Intervision Picture Corp.

As if that isn’t enough, Severin will also be putting out a Blu-ray double feature of Al Adamson’s Dracula vs. Frankenstein and Brain of Blood as a standalone release.

Read on for everything you need to know about Severin’s September slate…

The Changeling: It has been called “remarkable” (Paste Magazine), “utterly terrifying” (Mondo Digital) and “a ghost story guaranteed to freeze the...

Ad Nauseam: Newsprint Nightmares from the ’70s and ’80s

1984 Publishing, October 5, 2021

Michael Gingold (Author), Joe Dante (Foreword)

Ballyhoo, the art of selling the public something they don’t want, has never changed—but like the devil it has assumed many disguises. In the 19th century small towns were inundated with colorful broadsides, barn-sized murals promoting the arrival of the circus or a traveling vaudeville show. The 20th century made do with the daily newspaper’s theater section—all in black and white but jam-packed with exciting possibilities. Today we have Twitter and your neighbor’s cousin’s friend on Facebook. That’s not exactly progress.

The movie advertisements of a not-too-distant yesterday were called ad mats. They permeated the entertainment sections of the dailies, crammed together side by side like post-war housing developments. They were in close competition for our undivided attention so the artwork was designed to attract—and shock—the most jaundiced soul.

The Circle Drive-in In Scranton, Pennsylvania, To Host The First Annual Blood-o-rama Shock Festival On Friday, October 22, 2021: "Calling all horror movie fans and drive-in movie enthusiasts! The Frankenstein Monster from 1971’s cult classic Dracula Vs Frankenstein will be returning from the dead after a 50-year rest, courtesy of makeup effects artist Roy Knyrim of Sota FX Studio. The man-made monster will be making a live appearance as Sam Sherman's Retro Road Show Drive-In Tour returns to the State of Pennsylvania with two back-to-back screenings of the Al Adamson cult classics, Dracula Vs. Frankenstein (1971) and Brain Of Blood (1971), both films celebrating their 50th Anniversary, on October 22rd, 2021 as part of The First Annual Blood-o-rama Shock Festival at The Circle Drive-In in Scranton, Pa. Gates open at 4 pm for this special event which will feature a local community Blood Drive and an opportunity to see the resurrected Monster of Frankenstein before the sun sets,...

2020 sucked in so many ways, but nobody told the movies. Here are some of my favorite things from a very, very weird year for all of us.

Color Out of Space (dir. Richard Stanley)

Richard Stanley’s return to directing after too many years away resulted in one of my favorite films of 2020 full stop, containing a great, unhinged performance from my favorite actor Nicolas Cage. It’s a neon-soaked nightmare and features maybe the second most disturbing visual of any movie in 2020; I won’t say what it is except that it involves family bonding. This is a bold, confident film, one that's weird, but never cold and disturbing without the nihilism of, say, Stanley's own Hardware. It's a horror film that's not afraid to go to really big places. It presents us with a true, exciting vision. Richard Stanley is back, and he's brought the best Lovecraft adaptation in 30 years with him.

Back in April we shared the news of Sam Sherman's Retro Road Show "Camp Classics" Tour that is bringing Al Adamson's Dracula vs. Frankenstein and Brain of Blood to drive-in movie theaters across the United States. We now have details on additional locations that have been announced for the tour, which will now feature a new blood donation PSA in which actor Zandor Vorkov (aka Raphael Peter Engel) reprises his role as Count Dracula for a good cause:

"After almost a fifty-year absence from the Silver Screen, Charlottesville resident/ actor Raphael Peter Engel (aka Zandor Vorkov), who appeared in Al Adamson’s and Sam Sherman’s camp classics, Dracula Vs Frankenstein (1971) and Brain Of Blood (1971), has decided to return to the Big Screen as the original blood seeker, Count Dracula. However, this time it is for a worthy and heroic cause. In light of the Covid-19 crisis and the...

There’s a lot of Al Adamson floating around the horrorsphere right now thanks to Severin Films’ gargantuan box set, Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection. While I don’t have that set (yet), after watching the fantastic documentary Blood & Flesh about him and his works, I was itching to bed down with Al. This brings us to Brain of Blood (1971), a one part Frankenstein, one part espionage, all parts goofy fun that is so entertaining I am down for whatever next comes down the Adamson pike.

Distributed by Hemisphere Pictures, the Philippines-based company that made the Blood Island films, Brain of Blood was made to seem like a continuation of the series; having not seen any of those either (I Know), I can’t vouch for the similarities. However, I can say that what they did produce is drive-in fodder of the highest order, with enough ridiculousness to spill over to another screen.

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(Above: Raphael Peter Engel (aka Zandor Vorkov) today.

By Mark Cerulli

When you think of Dracula, some iconic names immediately come to mind – Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Gary Oldman, Jack Palance… and Raphael Engel.

Wait.

Who?

Raphael Peter Engel, aka “Zandor Vorkov” played the thirsty count in one of the most unique films to feature the immortal character – 1971’s Dracula vs Frankenstein, made by the prolific B-movie team of director Al Adamson and co-writer/producer Sam Sherman.

Both the actor and the film itself took a very circuitous route to come into being. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Raphael (then known as Roger) grew up with a younger brother in Miami, Florida. “We did Saturday matinees – two films, cartoons, a short, popcorn and I’d walk down many blocks to the theater…”, Raphael recalls in an exclusive Cinema Retro interview. “That influenced me. We...

At this time of our National Emergency, when people are being advised to avoid crowds and remain at home, how can the public go out into the world for entertainment and keep a safe distance from potential germ-laden crowds? The answer: take a trip back in time to a Drive-In Movie Theatre! As the coronavirus wreaks havoc on the movie industry and our way of life, major indoor theatre chains have been forced to close. As an alternative, Sam Sherman, veteran producer/distributor and showman of drive-in movies from the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties, will be making his newly-restored catalogue of “B-Movie” film classics from Independent-International Pictures Corporation available to drive-in operators nationwide with the help of veteran drive-in theatrical distributor Mel Maron; former AMC programmer, David Sehring of Drive-In-Sanity Films; drive-in promoter and movie reviewer, George Reis, who runs the popular DVD Drive-In website; and David Gregory of Severin Films...

While the Covid-19 pandemic is currently keeping cinemas from opening their doors, this summer could see a resurgence in drive-in movies that allow attendees to enjoy films from the comfort of their cars. It's fitting, then, that producer/distributor Sam Sherman will bring his eclectic catalogue of movies on a drive-in road show this summer, featuring Al Adamson movies such as Dracula vs. Frankenstein, The Blood Island franchise, and more!

Press Release: Freehold, NJ, April 20, 2020 - At this time of our National Emergency, when people are being advised to avoid crowds and remain at home, how can the public go out into the world for entertainment and keep a safe distance from potential germ-laden crowds? The answer: take a trip back in time to a Drive-In Movie Theatre where you can see movies the way they were meant to be seen … on the Big Screen … all in the safety and comfort of your car!

Hunter S. Thompson liked to say “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” And monstrous times call for monstrous measures. As the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the movie industry, forcing major indoor theater chains to close and new movies to be released in miniature through streaming, the classic B-Movie film Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971) will be seen on the big screens.

Veteran producer and B-movie showman, Sam Sherman, will take his newly restored reissue of the Independent-International Pictures library of B-Movie drive-in films on a retro roadshow. The camp classics tour will be screened across the nation on drive-in big screens. The road show kicks off on May 26 at the Circle Drive-In Theatre in Dickson city, Pennsylvania with a screening of the Al Adamson cult classic, Dracula vs. Frankenstein.

Sherman, who is currently finishing up his memoir, When Dracula Met Frankenstein, handpicked one of the studio’s most...

In today's Horror Highlights, we have a look at Comet TV's March viewing guide, release details for Quarries, info on Nitehawk Cinema's annual short film festival, the crowdfunding campaign for the sock-centric creature feature Crust (produced by Felissa Rose), details on the Terror Film Festival, and new stills from Anders Manor.

Comet TV's March Viewing Guide: "You Don’T Need A Subscription To Watch These Great Movies…

They’Re Airing For Free On Comet!

Cherry 2000 (1988)

Monday March 13 at 8/7C

Static (1986)

Monday March 13 at 10/9C

The Twonky (1953)

Tuesday March 14 at 10/9C

The Bat People (1974)

Tuesday March 14 at 8/7C

War Gods of the Deep (1965)

Wednesday March 15 at 8/7c

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1987)

Wednesday March 15 at 10/9C

Encounter at Raven’s Gate (1990)

Thursday March 16 at 10/9C

The Lost Brigade (1993)

Thursday March 16 at 8/7C

The Beasts Within (1982)

Monday March 20 at 8/7C

Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1971)

Monday March 20 at 10/9C

Troll 2...

Featuring a cinematic showdown between two of the horror genre's most iconic characters, Dracula vs. Frankenstein is coming to Blu-ray this holiday season from Shriek Show.

Directed by Al Adamson, Dracula vs. Frankenstein stars Lon Chaney Jr., J. Carrol Naish, Anthony Eisley, Regina Carrol, Russ Tamblyn, and Angelo Rossito. Shriek Show will release the film on Blu-ray beginning December 13th, and we have official details and a look at the cover art below.

Synopsis and Special Features (via Blu-ray.com): "With a sudden slash of an axe, a woman named Joan is decapitated on a desolate beach at midnight. In a hellish laboratory hidden below the boardwalk Freak Emporium, Dr. Durea (a.k.a. Dr. Frankenstein!) drains the blood of corpses to distill an all-powerful serum. Count Dracula craves the new serum and offers the doctor the hulking body of the original Frankenstein monster in exchange. With a blast...

Jim Knipfel Oct 17, 2018

After all these years, Al Adamson’s cult classic Dracula vs. Frankenstein still doesn’t make a damn lick of sense!

Growing up in Wisconsin in the early '70s, I would get home from school, drop my bag, park myself in front of the TV and tune in The Early Show. Every weekday between three and five-thirty, a local station aired sometimes shockingly uncut films, and it was there my cinematic education began. I don’t know who was programming The Early Show, but I would like to shake his hand. The focus was decidedly on genre films,especially horror and recent drive-in hits. Along with scattered Westerns, war movies and mysteries, there were regular week-long Toho and Hammer fests, without a single stupid musical or romantic comedy tossed in to muck things up.

It was through The Early Show that I was introduced to Roger Corman,...

Jim Knipfel Oct 17, 2018

After all these years, Al Adamson’s cult classic Dracula vs. Frankenstein still doesn’t make a damn lick of sense!

Growing up in Wisconsin in the early '70s, I would get home from school, drop my bag, park myself in front of the TV and tune in The Early Show. Every weekday between three and five-thirty, a local station aired sometimes shockingly uncut films, and it was there my cinematic education began. I don’t know who was programming The Early Show, but I would like to shake his hand. The focus was decidedly on genre films,especially horror and recent drive-in hits. Along with scattered Westerns, war movies and mysteries, there were regular week-long Toho and Hammer fests, without a single stupid musical or romantic comedy tossed in to muck things up.

It was through The Early Show that I was introduced to Roger Corman,...

The Frankenstein Monster is arguably the greatest monster in all fiction. There have been a few genuinely excellent films made about him, but all too many of them are pretty bad. While the latest attempt in Victor Frankenstein falls flat, Cinelinx looks at the film history of Frankenstein to see which of them worked and which of them didn’t.

The Frankenstein Monster was the invention of 18 year old Mary Shelly (wife of poet Percy Shelly) who was vacationing in Switzerland with her husband, their close friend Lord Byron and John Polidori. Incessant rain left them housebound and reading ghost stories to each other. This led to a challenge from Byron, daring them all to create the scariest story ever told. Mary Shelly seemed outclassed by her literary companions until she heard legends of a crazy scientist named Conrad Dipple who performed illegal experiments using parts of dead bodies and electricity.

When it comes to epic horror crossovers, we sure do have some pretty awesome flicks. King Kong vs. Godzilla, Freddy vs. Jason, Dracula vs. Frankenstein, to name but a few. Now we can add another to that list in the form of Sherlock… Continue Reading →

The post First Set Images from Sherlock Holmes vs. Frankenstein appeared first on Dread Central.

The dead are set to rise again this June as Double Take (2T) launches Ultimate Night of the Living Dead, with three new comics that are set in the universe of the 1968 film. The launch of these titles marks the first release in a major initiative surrounding the classic horror franchise that frightened moviegoers worldwide and made zombies a household name. 2T has commissioned a new generation of writers, who are working in collaboration with 2T General Manager Bill Jemas, to breathe new life into the franchise and has a dozen series in the works - some of which follow characters from the film, while other stories are all new. Two series, Rise and Z-Men are written by preeminent zombie writer, Jeff McComsey, while the third, Home, is written by Moth Grand Slam Champion, Peter Aquero. Digital previews of all three premier issues are available now at doubletakeuniverse.com. Rise...

For the seven people seeking shelter from the zombies in an isolated farmhouse that hellish night in the late 1960s, it seemed like dawn would never come and the nightmare would never end. But the sun did come up at the end of George A. Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead, killing the night and bringing a sole survivor into another dawn before a gut-wrenching gunshot echoed across the Pennsylvania hills. That's where the story ends in the film, but tales from Romero's zombie-plagued world will continue to be told on the paneled page in three upcoming Ultimate Night of the Living Dead comic book series from Double Take, including one that follows siblings Barbara and Johnny.

Press Release - "This June, the will dead rise again as Double Take (2T) launches Ultimate Night of the Living Dead, with three new comics set in the universe of the 1968 film.

Welcome to the seventh and final season of "True Blood"! When a great, long-running show comes to the end of its run, it feels like the end of an era, and this is a great show. Or at least it was. It peaked around the time Russell Edgington pulled the news anchor’s spine out on live TV, then sat down to address the camera. and proceeded to show Howard Beale how it’s done. And the last couple of seasons were real off-road torture tests, raising troubling questions about the motives and abilities of almost everyone involved, starting with Rutger Hauer’s agent. Ultimately, the big question faithful viewers were left asking was, as Richard Pryor once so eloquently put it, “How long will this bullsh*** go on?” Now we know: whether the show rallies and pulls out of its tailspin or continues to spiral toward the Earth like...

In the mid-1960s, George Romero planned to make his feature debut with Whine of the Fawn, a drama about two teenagers in the Middle Ages. If he'd pitched a body-swap comedy about middle-aged teenagers, he'd perhaps have had more luck. As it was, his high-minded, "Bergman-esque" project failed to attract investors and the 27-year-old college dropout from the Bronx, now shooting commercials and industrials in Pittsburgh, turned his attention to horror.

A fan of the ghoulish EC Comics and monster movies of the 1950s, and heavily influenced by Richard Matheson's apocalyptic, home-invasion vampire novel I Am Legend, Romero scraped together $114,000 to shoot a Diy cannibal flick entitled Night of the Flesh Eaters. Set over a single night in a Pittsburgh farmhouse, it posited an America inexplicably overrun by resurrected corpses munching on human entrails, and threw together a band of scrabbling, squabbling survivors who hole up in a...

Located in Des Moines, Iowa, and opened in 2011, Zombie Burger + Drink Lab provides one of the more unique eating experiences in the country, and once you get a look at their menu, we're willing to bet that a thought bubble with the words 'road trip' will soon pop up over your head... if it hasn't already!

As we spotted over on Roadtrippers, not only is this zombie-themed burger joint decorated on the inside and outside with fitting imagery, but their drink and food menus are absolutely jam packed with treats inspired by some of the most beloved pieces of zombie entertainment of all time. Their burger of the week, for example, is a 'Chicken Fried Beth,' a reference to the Walking Dead character's possible fate as cannibal food, while their drink of the day is 'Carl's Chocolate Pudding Shake,' another homage to the show.

Other items on the...

Check out these incredibly badass pieces of concept art created for Marvel's Hulk Vs. animated films. One features Hulk Vs. Wolverine, the other features Hulk Vs. Thor. I don't know about you, but I miss those movies. Hulk Vs. was my favorite. The concept art was posted by the films' producer and director Frank Paur, who had this to say about the illustration above,

This little number is an ode to the early Creepy comics cover by Frank Frazetta of Dracula vs. Frankenstein... except of course this is Hulk Vs. Wolverine. The second half of Hulk Vs., I wanted the art direction to be completely different than the Thor segment. Where Thor was all bright colors, self color lines and grandeur, Wolverine needed to be darker more down and dirty. My direction was "Make it a Universal monster movie, dammit!" and that's what I got. Again Painting by Joel Chang over rough layout by me.

Here's a Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre DVD releases for the months of February and March 2013.

The Blob (1958) Criterion Collection Blu-ray & DVD Available Now

This entertaining low-budget favorite gets some well-deserved respect from the folks at Criterion. A gelatinous creature from outer space begins to devour the inhabitants of a small town. Each time it consumes a new body, it grows bigger. A couple of teens (including the wooden Steve McQueen) attempt to warn the town and save the population from certain blech! Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. directs the mayhem with a sure hand while Bart Sloane's great special effects still pack a punch. Followed by the bizarre comedy sequel, Son of Blob, in the early ’70s (directed by Larry Hagman!) and a great, underrated remake in 1988 by Chuck Russell.

Special Features:

* New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack

* Two audio commentaries: one by producer Jack H. Harris...

Five down and five to go! We've reached the halfway point of the Top 10 Greatest Horror Movies… Ever! list, and now it's time to start busting out the real heavy hitters.

Night of the Living Dead is nothing short of iconic, single-handedly not only launching a legendary film series, but it's the film that gave birth to one of our favorite movie beasties: the zombie.

#5-Night of the Living Dead

"They're coming to get you, Barbara."

And they came... big time.

Nearly 50 years after that classic line was uttered and Bill Hinzman shuffled into our lives as Zombie #1, the living dead are not only still coming to get us, but they've gotten exponentially badder as time has gone on. Zombies are the stars of loads of movies, TV series, video games, comic books, etc. Zombies are chic, and it can all be traced back to one Pennsylvania farmhouse.

With Night of the Living Dead,...

Frankenweenie

Written by John August, story by Tim Burton and Leonard Ripps, based on Tim Burton’s short film Frankenweenie

Directed by Tim Burton

USA 2012 imdb

A feature-length, black and white 3-D animated expansion of his original black and white live action short film, Frankenweenie is an amazing technical achievement by Tim Burton. The film looks fantastic and for once the 3-D isn’t just an excuse for Hollywood to dip their sticky fingers into your wallet. Rather than constantly thrusting objects into into your face like most 3-D horror films, Burton uses the technology to create a film environment to draw in the audience, apparently taking his cue from Henry Selick’s immersive animated masterpiece Coraline. Characters are blocked like in a theatre piece, moving from upstage to downstage as necessary. In the film’s best sequence, Burton draws the audience into the middle of a burning building, pulling...

Moviefone's Pick of the Week "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" What's It About? This documentary looks at Jiro Ono, a sushi chef in his mid-80s, who is regarded as the best in the world. See It Because: Ono is a fascinating character, and the movie's approach to his food preparation is meditative and hypnotic (plus, the film will make you really hungry). Moviefone's Blu-ray Pick of the Week "The Last Days of Disco" (Criterion Collection) What's It About? Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny star as two Ivy League graduates looking for love in New York, during disco's last moment in the sun. See It Because: Criterion is also releasing "Metropolitan" on Blu-ray today, but we're picking "Disco" as the one to see. The early '80s setting gives the film an exciting flavor, so if dialogue-heavy indies aren't really your thing, you can still give this one a shot. New...

 

In this week's episode, Ben and Tyler are joined by Vince Mancini (from Filmdrunk.com) to discuss John Carpenter's 1986 film, Big Trouble in Little China.

 

 

 

 

Introduction

Character Name Game Intro - 1:49

Media Consumed

Tyler

"Free Agents" cancellation - 2:27

The Burning - 3:53

Bridesmaids - 4:40

Vince

"South Park" - 8:05

"Chopped" - 13:03

Ben

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - 14:58

Dracula vs. Frankenstein - 20:20

Review

Big Trouble in Little China - 24:45

Wrap-Up

Next Week: Raging Bull -56:32

Listener Voicemail/E-mail/Twitter -57:20

Character Name Game - 1:00:08

Where You Can Find Us -1:02:37...

Directed by: Al Adamson

Written by: Mark Weston and Bob Levine, from an original story by Elvin Feltner

Cast: Don Stewart, Jennifer Houlton, Howard Segal, Kegina Carrol, Joe Cirillo, Mark Weston.

Hurry, hurry, step right up! The carnival is back and now at a video store near you!!

Considered lost for years, a clean print of the family film Carnival Magic was discovered in 2009. Restored and re-mastered in 2010, the film was shown Turner Movie Classic and screened by The Alamo Drafthouse during the Cinemapocalypse Tour. The exposure generated a minor cult following for the film, and a DVD/Blu Ray combo pack of this so-called rediscovered classic. But such praise feels a little far reaching, as the film suffers from a lazy script and pacing problems.

The film takes place at a traveling carnival down south. The owner, Stoney, is barely paying the bills and feels certain he'll close down...

I love movies that incorporate the word “versus” into the title, even if it is abbreviated. I grew up watching stuff like “King Kong vs. Godzilla” and “Dracula vs. Frankenstein”, so it shouldn’t be that surprising that I would instinctively gravitate towards modern-day motion pictures that attempt to pit one creature against another. And while “Tucker and Dale vs. Evil” doesn’t technically fall into this category, the film is so utterly badass that I simply couldn’t ignore its genius. Since I enjoy saving the best for last, we’ll start things off with the worst of the bunch. Guess which one it is. Go on — guess. Truthfully, you really shouldn’t be that surprised. Dahmer vs. Gacy (2010) I’m a pretty tasteless guy when it comes to comedy, so I don’t mind at all when a motion picture brazenly decides to tip its gnarled toes in controversial waters.

For those who think mash-ups of popular icons is something new (i.e., Freddy vs. Jason, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, etc.), Trembles is here to remind us that's hardly true. Case in point, this week's Mpp: Dracula vs. Frankenstein from 1971 directed by Al Adamson.

Synopsis:

Judith Fontaine (Regina Carrol) is looking for her sister, Joanie, who has disappeared into the hippie community of Venice, California. It turns out Joanie has become the victim of Groton (Lon Chaney, Jr.), an axe-wielding homicidal maniac working for Dr. Durray (J. Carrol Naish), who is really the last of the Frankensteins. Durray runs a house of horrors by the beach and performs experiments on Gorton's victims. One night Count Dracula (Zandor Vorkov) visits the doctor, showing him the original Frankenstein creation that was buried in a nearby graveyard. The doctor revives it and uses it to take revenge on his professional rivals.

Over 50 years and 249 issues (give or take!) in the making! Famous Monsters of Filmland is proud to present, for your entertainment, the sometimes inspiring and sometimes shocking, at turns awe-inducing and yet occasionally quite absurd, remarkable yet for the most part obscure, not-entirely-true history of perhaps the greatest (or at least one of the most ubiquitous) cameo and walk-on performers of all time: Forrest J Ackerman!

This special celebratory issue of FM is devoted to discussion of dozens of cinematic classics (and not-so-classics) from several decades of filmmaking — all seemingly unconnected, yet linked forever in fandom’s minds and hearts by the presence (however unnoticed) of the unforgettable Ackermonster. We’re talking Dracula vs. Frankenstein, Queen of Blood, Kentucky Fried Movie, the 1976 production of King Kong, Equinox, Return of the Living Dead Part 2, and many, many (too many?) more!

Our tongue-in-cheek salute to our Uncle Forry’s illustrious film career...

Whether he was calling himself Forry, Fojak, Sgt. Ack-Ack or any other of his many noms de plume, Forrest J Ackerman delighted in spinning pseudonyms. As previously noted, he transformed his wife from Matlide Porjes into Wendayne Mondele Ackerman. This ability went all the way back to his high school days, as Fja himself related…

“The earliest pseudonym I recall having created appeared in my high school newspaper. It was at the beginning of a kind of gossip column and I used the name Ion Lee Hurd. Then when the first amateur science fiction was created, The Time Travellers had two Ls. I used Allisvillette and later the same first name but the last name of Kerlay. Soon I added Weaver Wright, Spencer Strong, Jack Ermine, Jacque de Foresterman. Once upon a time I actually dreamed a pen name which upon waking I liked so much that I adopted it; it was Dr.