RUE MORGUE NO. 193 ON SALE NOW

RUE MORGUE has been around for almost 200 issues now. It is consistently one of the best looking monster 'zines being published. The folks at RM really know how to put out a well-designed and written magazine.

Visit and order HERE.

What's inside the latest issue:

A look at legendary artist GRAHAM HUMPHREYS‘ 40 year legacy of horror, also features cover art by Humphreys. Plus! A new documentary explores the life and ghastly death of Z-movie filmmaker AL ADAMSON; Indigenous director Jeff Barnaby talks about BLOOD QUANTUM, the first Native Canadian horror film ever made, and more.

Also features: writer/director Neasa Hardiman on SEA FEVER; Bowen unearths A COLD NIGHT’S DEATH (1973); Black Museum spotlights HOUSE OF HORRORS (1946), Mark Matthews’ LULLABIES FOR SUFFERING; the classy creeps of JENNY RICHARDSON; horror home economics from THE HOMICIDAL HOMEMAKER; the latest from RASPBERRY BULBS and more!

All this and the latest film, book, comic book, music, game and toy releases!

RUE MORGUE NO. 185 NOW AVAILABLE

File under the movies least necessary for a remake is the new version of Dario Argento's horror masterpiece, SUSPIRIA. I will watch it with the mindset that it is not connected with the original at all and try to view it on its own merit. Could be good, but as a remake, this will never touch the original. The combination of Argento as the director and Jessica Harper, who I immediately had a crush on after seeing her in PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, is a bar that raise high enough to ward off all comers.

From the publisher:
INSIDE RUE MORGUE #185

FEATURING ORIGINAL COVER ART BY ROB BIRCHFIELD
Features
BROKEN MIRRORS, BROKEN MINDS
Suspiria remake director Luca Guadagnino talks dance, Dario and the ghosts of German history. Plus! Original Suspiria star Jessica Harper on her role in the new film, and a look at the drug-fuelled dancehell of Gaspar Noe’s Climax.
by Michael Gingold and Sean Plummer

CATCHING HELL
After 25 years, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday director Adam Marcus looks back on a film that has aged unusually well for a host of progressive reasons. Plus! Marcus’ perverse new holiday horror movie, Secret Santa.
by Rocco Thompson

NEW BLOOD FOR OLD GODS
After 37 years of dominating the classic tabletop RPG realm, Cyanide studios brings Call of Cthulhu into the digital age for a new generation of gamers to feel the pull of existential terror. 
by Evan Millar

MEGO RETRO MONSTER FIGURES
Active for 28 years and then defunct for 35, Mego Corporation prepares for a nostalgic return with its retro styled action figures. 
by James Burrell

Departments
NOTE FROM UNDERGROUND Care to dance?

POST-MORTEM Letters from fans, readers and weirdos

THE CORONER’S REPORT Weird Stats & Morbid Facts, Monstro Bizarro, Body Horror and more!

NEEDFUL THINGS Strange trinkets from our bazaar of the bizarre

CINEMACABRE The newest films and reissues, featuring Anna and the Apocalypse.

BOWEN’S BASEMENT  Godmonster of Indian Flats

BLACK MUSEUM The Wasp Woman

BLOOD IN FOUR COLOURS Comic reviews feat. Tom Seeley’s Grave Danger.

THE NINTH CIRCLE Book reviews feat. Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein

THE FRIGHT GALLERY The Demonic Depictions of Wes Benscoter

HOMICIDAL HOMEMAKER Hot Buttered Redrum

AUDIO DROME Music reviews feat. Arsis’ new album, Visitant.

PLAY DEAD Game reviews feat. Vampire: The Masquerade and Narcosis.

VS Debate: Should iconic horror characters be retired when the actor retires?

RUE MORGUE NO. 184 NOW AVAILABLE

The venerable Toronto-based monster mag is serving up their 21st annual special Halloween Issue. Here's what's inside:

Features
GENESIS OF THE LIVING DEAD
Fifty years after it was released, fellow directors John Landis and Joe Dante, along with Romero collaborators Ken Foree and Daniel Kraus, gather to discuss the importance of one of the most seminal horror films of all time: Night of the Living Dead. Plus! Judith O’Dea and Patricia Tallman re-examine Night’s lone female; John Russo’s ill-received 30th anniversary re-edit; Romero’s posthumous The Living Dead book and more. 
By Andrea Subissati, Michael Doyle and Benoit Black

AIM FOR THE HEAD! 
From Splatterhouse to Resident Evil: Biohazard, Enter Rue Morgue’s Horror Game Hall of Fame. Includes video and atbletop games!
By Monica S. Kuebler and Staff

GENERATION DIE
Set in modern-day Salem, Sam Levinson’s Assassination Nation depicts contemporary witchfinder generals with a new axe to grind.
By Andrea Subissati

CLASSIC MONSTER MAN
Every Halloween since 1966, Cortland Hull has opened wide the doors of his Witch’s Dungeon Classic Movie Museum to horror fans and horror royalty alike.
By Michael Gingold

MEMENTO MORGUE
A big thank you to the many fans and fiends who joined us at this year’s Rue Morgue events! Here’s a glimpse at what you may have missed…
Photos by Various

ATTACK OF THE KILLER TEES!
Meet Ben Scrivens, the mind behind Fright Rags, the company that has been reinventing horror wear over the past 15 years.
By Sean Plummer

DEATH DESSERTS
Enter the dark edible art world of Conjurer’s Kitchen, where the food bites back.
By Leslie Hatton

Departments
NOTE FROM UNDERGROUND They’re coming to get you, America!

POST-MORTEM Letters from fans, readers and weirdos

THE CORONER’S REPORT Weird stats, morbid facts Monstro Bizarro and more!

NEEDFUL THINGS Strange trinkets from our bazaar of the bizarre

CINEMACABRE The latest films, the newest DVDs and reissues feat. Mandy

BOWEN’S BASEMENT The Evil (1978)

BLACK MUSEUM The Tingler

BLOOD IN FOUR COLOURS  Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror

THE NINTH CIRCLE Book reviews feat. Maria Alexander’s Snowbound

THE FRIGHT GALLERY The Heavy Metal Monochrome of Dylan Garrett Smith

HOMICIDAL HOMEMAKER Charred Remains with Bosco “Blood” BBQ Sauce

AUDIO DROME Music reviews feat. Goblin’s score for Romero’s Dawn of the Dead

PLAY DEAD Game reviews feat. Vampyr and State of Decay 2

VS Is A Nightmare on Elm Street a slasher film?

RUE MORGUE NO. 183 SUMMER ISSUE

RUE MORGUE is another venerable mag on its way to 200 issues. The many times award-winning 'zine has released its summer issue. Available on the newsstand rack at your local B&N.

INSIDE RUE MORGUE #183

FEATURING ORIGINAL COVER ART BY BLAKE EVERNDEN
Features
I AM LAURIE STRODE
Jamie Lee Curtis returns to the franchise that launched her career and shares insights into the character who has been tied to Halloween’s iconic Boogeyman for 40 years. Plus! Halloween director David Gordon Green and co-writer Danny McBride rethink horror’s defining franchise and a new look at Michael Myers’ trademark William Shatner mask.
by Michael Gingold

HEART OF SHARKNESS
With the sixth (and final) Sharknado film due to take a bite of the audiences this summer, Rue Morgue compares scars with series director Anthony C. Ferrante and screenwriter Thunder Levin. Plus! Everything you need to know about the Sharknado franchise in one handy overview!
by John W. Bowen

THE LAST DRIVE-IN
Joe Bob Briggs, the man who made Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater and MonsterVision the stuff of cult television reunites with his fans for one final scream. Plus! Ten 21st-century movies that exemplify the drive-in spirit, as selected by Joe Bob himself!
by Michael Gingold

CRIMES OF THE SLENDER MAN
Will this year’s big budget Hollywood movie absolve the principal character in an urban legend that almost came true?

Departments

• NOTE FROM UNDERGROUND The great glass house of horror fandom. 
• POST-MORTEM Letters from fans, readers and weirdos 
• THE CORONER’S REPORT Weird Stats & Morbid Facts, Monstro Bizarro, Body Horror and more! 
• NEEDFUL THINGS Strange trinkets from our bazaar of the bizarre 
• CINEMACABRE The newest films and reissues, featuring RKSS’ Summer of ’84. 
• BOWEN’S BASEMENT Shakma 
• BLACK MUSEUM Curse of the Cat People 
• BLOOD IN FOUR COLOURS Comic reviews feat. Laszlo Tamasfi’s The Observatory. 
• THE NINTH CIRCLE Book reviews feat. Valancourt Books 
• THE FRIGHT GALLERY The Wicked Watercolors of Studio Ronin 
• HOMICIDAL HOMEMAKER Blood Orange Morgue-aritas 
• AUDIO DROME Music reviews feat. comic book soundtracks from Eibon Press. 
• PLAY DEAD Game reviews feat. Yume Nikki -Dream Diary- and Double Kick Heroes. 
• VS Debate: Should a horror movie sequel be consistent with the franchise’s storyline?

RUE MORGUE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL NOW ON SALE

The long running Canadian horror mag, RUE MORGUE is now offering for sale issue #178, a "Century of Witches" Halloween special. The Sep/Oct issue is always an expanded edition featuring more pages. Look for it on magazine racks or order it HERE.

INSIDE RUE MORGUE #178

Original cover art by Sara Deck!

Features
A CENTURY OF WITCHES Legendary filmmaker Richard Stanley joins author Kristen Sollee and anonymous members of W.I.T.C.H. for a roundtable discussion celebrating the last hundred years of an iconic figure. Plus! Witchcraft cinema through the ages, Argento’s Suspiria restored and more! By Andrea Subissati, Benoit Black and Michael Gingold.

25 NON-FICTION HORROR FILM BOOKS THAT EVERY HORROR FAN SHOULD OWN From the making of Psycho to the history of Canadian horror film, Rue Morgue’s cabal of bookworms unearth essential additions for your home library of horror. Also includes an in-depth look at Matt Cardin’s super-ambitious Horror Literature Through History.

HOW TO BUILD AN EVIL CLOWN It star Bill Skarsgård, producer Barbara Muschietti and the faces behind The Losers Club take us inside Stephen King’s latest big budget adaptation. By Monica S. Kuebler.

DEATH BECOMES HER Meet Caitlin Doughty, handmaiden to the recently deceased. Plus! A look at Doughty’s The Order of the Good Death and From Here to Eternity book. By Alison Lang.

THEY CAME FROM RUE MORGUE Celebrate our 20th anniversary with us by grabbing our free downloadable horror-synth compilation! By Aaron Von Lupton.

20 YEARS OF RUE MORGUE IN PICTURES A scrapbook of highlights from the past two decades of Rue Morgue history!

SPOOKY PINBALL A classic arcade game teams up with horror rock n’ roll to make a fright-filled comeback. By Gary Pullin.

Departments

• NOTE FROM UNDERGROUND By the pricking of my thumbs…. 
• POST-MORTEM Letters from fans, readers and weirdos
• DREADLINES News highlights, horror happenings
• THE CORONER’S REPORT Weird stats, morbid facts Monstro Bizarro and more!
• NEEDFUL THINGS Strange trinkets from our bazaar of the bizarre
• CINEMACABRE The latest films, the newest DVDs and reissues feat. Death Note
• BOWEN’S BASEMENT From Hell It Came
• BLACK MUSEUM The Humanity of The Manster
• BLOOD IN FOUR COLOURS Thom Burgess and Barney Bodoano’s The Eyrie
• THE NINTH CIRCLE Book reviews feat. Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks From Hell
• THE FRIGHT GALLERY The Italian Horror Poster Art of Enzo Sciotti
• HOMICIDAL HOMEMAKER Black Phillip Cranberry Blood Orange Goat Cheese Tart
• AUDIO DROME Music reviews feat. The Hilarious House of Frightenstein on vinyl
• PLAY DEAD Game reviews feat. Hello Neighbour and more
• VS Should Horror Fans Boycott Jeepers Creepers 3?

WICKED NO. 1 (PART 1)

WICKED
Vol. 1 No. 1
1999
MVP Entertainment, Inc.
Publisher: Steve Harris
Editor: Gina McIntyre
Pages: 84

When the 80s hit, the first wave of the pop culture phenomena known collectively as "monster magazines" were on their way out. The title that started it all, FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, was in its final years under the helm of its original stewards, publisher James Warren and editor-in-chief, Forrest J Ackerman. Warren would suffer illness, forcing him to quit working and Ackerman would be lost without his stalwart partner for the previous 20-plus years. Indeed, it seemed like the moldering gothic castle was slowly giving way to the clean-room atmosphere of the space station. And, after the last liturgy faded from the huge success of THE EXORCIST in 1978 , change was inexorably in the air.

Other monster magazines had come and gone. Monster Kids from the 60s and 70s were growing up and the numbers who slavered, waiting for the next issue of their favorite monster mag to hit the newsstands were diminishing, now poised for the "next big thing". Pro-zines like CINEFANTASTIQUE (published from 1967 - 2006 and rebooted in 2007 as a webzine called CINEFANTASTIQUE ONLINE) was still going strong, but emphasis was more on newer films. Another pro-zine, STARLOG (published from 1976 - 2001, sold and folded from bankruptcy) was primarily a science-fiction magazine and articles about the vintage monsters us Monster Kids came to know and love were few and far between. LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS was one of the few fan magazines that "toughed it out" (and is still being published today) and kept its focus on classic horror films (albeit mostly British).

The success of TV's STAR TREK and the big screen blockbuster, STAR WARS, opened the door (or hatch) for a new era of technology-based science-fiction, fantasy and horror films. Of course, the magazines followed suit and covered what was popular to stay in business. Even FAMOUS MONSTERS reacted to the hot market of the two "Stars" by increasing its cover images and interiors with the high-flying science-fiction properties. The young upstart, FANGORIA, which began publishing in 1979, was a tooth-and-claw dedicated monster 'zine, but even though its editorial content would occasionally recognize its gothic roots by covering silent and 30s and 40s horror flicks, it would fill most of its pages with current and future fright fare.

Twenty years later, at the dawn of the new millennium, the monster magazine landscape looked a little different. Titles like SCARY MONSTERS were enjoying a decade-long run, and RUE MORGUE debuted in 1997. However, the venerable newsstand was disappearing and being replaced by the magazine rack inside "brick and mortar" book store giants like Borders and Barnes & Noble. Science-fiction and fantasy were still on the top of the heap so far as genre magazines went. Horror 'zines kept up the pace but were still being overshadowed by coverage of popular sci-fi TV and movie series.

In a seeming effort to resurrect the horror film magazine, in 1999 a Time Warner subsidiary-distributed magazine called WICKED hit the stands. Intended to fit in amongst its sci-fi competitors, the slick new publication was professionally designed and contained smartly written articles on the contemporary horror film scene. Lasting only 7 issues it tried to maintain relevance but couldn't keep up with the likes of RUE MORGUE, which wisely struck a balance between vintage and new horror.

 

 

RUE MORGUE "CONJURES" UP ISSUE NO. 167

While some 'zines appear to be struggling with their publishing schedules (FANGORIA, DIABOLIQUE, VIDEO WATCHDOG), Canada's RUE MORGUE keeps delivering on time. One of the best-designed of the monster/horror magazines, RM, headed by Dave Alexander, maintains a strong fan base. Here is the contents of the latest issue:

FEATURES

TWO AGAINST THE DARK With The Conjuring 2 out this month, stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga shed light on reprising their roles as real-life demon hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren. Plus: The screenwriters cut through the skepticism to find the fear in Enfield, and England’s 134-year-old Society For Psychical Research puts poltergeists under the microscope. By April Snellings, Moaner T. Lawrence and Dave Alexander. 

MAN ON FIRE Author Joe Hill turns up the heat on his career with The Fireman, a novel about a worldwide, infectious, spontaneous combustion epidemic. Plus: From inflatable friends to a child-thieving boogeyman, we take a look at the author’s work leading up to his latest. By Monica S. Kuebler and Ron McKenzie.

SLASHED BEAUTIES The Anatomical Venus takes us back to a bizarre era when dissectible anatomical wax models of women made realistic gore both popular and gorgeous. By April Snellings.

FROM THE MOUTH OF THE TOOTH FAIRY With a 30th anniversary Blu-ray edition of Manhunter out this month, Tom Noonan recalls the serial killer role he could really sink his teeth into. By Andy Burns.

DEPARTMENTS

NOTE FROM UNDERGROUND Ghost busted

POST-MORTEM Letters from fans, readers and weirdos

DREADLINES News highlights, horror happenings

THE CORONER’S REPORT Weird stats, morbid facts and more

NEEDFUL THINGS Strange trinkets from our bazaar of the bizarre

CINEMACABRE The latest films, the newest DVDs and reissues featuring the Species sequels.

THE LATE-NITE ARCHIVE I Saw What You Did

BOWEN’S BASEMENT Forbidden World

BLOOD IN FOUR COLOURS Brooklyn Blood

THE NINTH CIRCLE Book reviews feat. Richard Gavin's Sylvan Dread

THE FRIGHT GALLERY Montwain Gonzales

THE GORE-MET Blood, Biceps and Bronson

AUDIO DROME Music reviews feat. Shadow Windhawk and the Morticians

PLAY DEAD Game reviews feat. Day of the Tentacle and Fallen London

CLASSIC CUT Marilyn Manson’s Antichrist Superstar

 

MONSTERS UNLEASHED: NEW AND RECENTLY RELEASED

 

FANGORIA NO. 329 / RUE MORGUE NO. 140

"In those days, nobody was thinking of a legacy." -- William Friedkin on The Exorcist

GOSH, IT SEEMS HARD TO IMAGINE that it's been 40 years since I stood in a line that snaked around the block, waiting for the movie at a Westwood, CA theater that would later become known as "The Scariest Movie Ever Made". After all these years, just thinking about some of the scenes from that film evoke a time-diluted, but nevertheless still-present frisson of dread. I think you would agree that very few other films from that long ago or longer -- if any -- still have that kind of power. Consequently, I do not hesitate when I say that THE EXORCIST (1973) is, for me, the most frightening movie I've ever seen.

It seems only natural then, that two of the premier commercially-printed monster magazines devote a substantial page count to it. And, after years of magazine articles, movie reviews, and volumes of criticism, there is still more to be discussed about the movie that shakes many people to the core of their spiritual beliefs, and challenges their reluctance to accept the concept of evil.

Chris Alexander's FANGORIA #329 begins its celebration of the recent 40th Anniversary Blu-ray release of THE EXORCIST in typical style with a front cover photo of the possessed Regan staring balefully at the reader, soaked in her infamous "pea soup" vomit. Alexander comes from THE OMEN generation, but he nevertheless fully acknowledges the importance  of THE EXORCIST in cinema history and its impact. Shade Rupe's interview with Director William Friedkin is the centerpiece of the issue. The chapter on THE EXORCIST in Friedkin's recently published autobiography is titled, "The Mystery of Faith". During the interview, Friedkin explains this concept and how it influenced the making of the film: "People have been, over the centuries, willing to give up their lives for these [religious] teachings. We will never have a personal experience of them, yet they come to us and we absorb them, and often we find ourselves following them. That, to me, is the mystery of faith, and it joins all the other mysteries of the universe." He goes on to say that we are "fascinated by something we have little or no evidence of, but that we continue to seek. I find faith to be an eternal mystery."

Also discussed is lost and recovered footage from the film over the years, as well as the recent film festival showing of his director's cut of SORCERER, starring Roy (JAWS) Scheider, which has so far played to exuberant  SRO audiences (it will be available on DVD in April of this year). Mention is also made of the notorious "ripped from the headlines" gay serial killer thriller, CRUISING, starring Al Pacino, which FANGORIA intends on expanding on in a later issue.

Included are a number of other interesting articles and features that FANGORIA can be counted on in each and every issue. For example, I was surprised to learn that producer Steven-Charles Jaffe is filming a documentary on the master of graveyard humor and long-time PLAYBOY cartoonist, Gahan Wilson. There is a short essay, Where are the Wolves?, by Craig Anderson, lamenting the short-shrift that our canine cousins have been getting in the media over the years. It was also nice to see Bill Mohally recognized for his many years of work behind the scenes as art director for not only FANGORIA, but also for his days at Warren Publishing. Mohally is largely responsible for "the look" of FANGORIA, and has been since issue #27. Greg Nicotero, genius makeup artist and producer of the hit TV series, THE WALKING DEAD, Night of the Living Dead author John Russo, and OMEN II's Elizabeth Shephard are all interviewed in yet another issue of FANGORIA that's brimming with enough meat for any monster to sink it's teeth into.

"I painstakingly almost made it as a documentary of the actual 1949 exorcism case that occurred in Silver Spring, Maryland, that involved a fourteen-year-old boy." -- William Friedkin on THE EXORCIST

The other Alexander -- David -- and his magazine, RUE MORGUE, take a similar track in issue #140, by also interviewing director William Friedkin for a 40-year take on THE EXORCIST. Freidkin expounded on the idea of the continuous battle of good against evil and it's unconscious effects on society and faith. He also spoke aboit the opening sequence of the film, and how it was nearly cut out. I, for one, am thankful, because that is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. "They wanted to drop it back then," Friedkin explains. "Even Blatty's own publisher wanted to cut the prologue from the novel because they didn't understand it. Warner certainly didn't want me to film it , let alone travel to Northern Iraq to film it. I decided to shoot it because I felt that sequence set the whole mood and tone of the film with very little dialogue. It acts as a portent or forewarning of Merrin's future -- and ultimately fatal -- confrontation with the demon, and also establishes this overriding sense of a mystical, eternal evil." Freidkin also dispels the so-called "curse" surrounding the making of the film. He acknowledges that some strange things occurred, but says he had nothing to do with hyping the film in this way. He names actress Helen Burstyn as among the perpetrators, however.  After a showing at the Smithsonian last October, as well as its induction in the U.S. Library of Congress, Blatty and Friedkin's THE EXORCIST will be preserved for generations. Makes one wonder if the Devil made them do it?

Included in this issue is a feature on the making of a bit of an unrecognized horror gem, THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW (1988). I have watched this film numerous times, and while in several places it strays from the original (the bad guy character played by Zakes Mokae is not in the Wade Davis non-fiction book, for instance), it nevertheless tells a gripping story. Director Wes Craven relates the sometimes harrowing adventures that the actors and crew had trying to get this movie filmed. For example, they had to flee Haiti to the Dominican Republic or be overcome by a mob who obviously didn't care who they were and what they were doing. The practice of Voodoo, it seems, is still a powerful religion, as well as a political tool.

This latest issue of RUE MORGUE is filled out with its other features and columns that make it one of the "go-to" monster mags for the latest 411 in fear.

It's hard to compare the two magazines, and there is certainly not one that is better than the other in terms of overall quality. FANGO is a bit pricey at $10.99, but has about 20 more pages than RUE MORGUE. RM uses heavier stock paper, but FANGO boasts more content. Either way you slash it, I recommend either -- or both -- of these magazines for a double-dose of monster goodness.

MONSTERS UNLEASHED! NEW AND RECENTLY RELEASED