Contents
Editorial
Our dear Dr. Acula is recovering from his recent surgery. While not exactly routine, the word is that Forry is recovering well and will be returning home soon. He loves hearing from fans and friends, so why not drop him a get well card at his home in Karloffornia. Don’t have the address? Now you do! Click here for the rest of the story.
Abby’s Lazarus Soul: William Girdler’s Tale of Demon Possession in Search of a New Audience
In the 1970s, a lot of “blaxploitation” movies—cheap exploitationfilms with all black casts—were being made. Many of them were quite good (Shaft, for example, or Blacula). Some of them were awful (Blackenstein, Hell up in Harlem). But none of them were as extravagant as William Girdler’s horror flick Abby. Click here for the rest of the story.
All About the Movies: A Selection of Non-Fiction Books About the Horror Film Genre
You can get a lot of good movie information on the Internet, particularly on the Internet Movie Database; you can also get plenty of information, misinformation and uneducated opinion on other sites. Meanwhile, some of us still look to our own reference libraries for convenience, credibility and depth. Click here for the rest of the story.
The Sheriff’s Going To Kill Us, or Something: A Review of Satan’s Cheerleaders
Satan’s Cheerleaders—great title, huh? And check out the cast: John Ireland, who improved many 1950s westerns with his angry intensity; Yvonne DeCarlo, exotic actress of the ’50s turned Munster; John Carradine—they couldn’t make a low-budget horror movie after 1965 without John Carradine. Add support by Sydney Chaplin, son of Charlie and a competent comic actor in his own right, and Jack Kruschen, one of those comfortingly familiar middle-aged character players, and you’ve got a winner, right? Click here for the rest of the story.
The Pit and the Pendulum: AIP’s Follow-Up to The House of Usher
After the success of The House of Usher (1960), director Roger Corman and lead actor Vincent Price would pair together in a series of films based upon the work of Edgar Allan Poe for American International Pictures that have collectively remained favorites of horror film fans for four decades. The second of these films, The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), is easily an equal of the classic The House Of Usher, and MGM recently released a very nice DVD package of the movie under its “Midnite Movies“ line. Click here for the rest of the story.
Pocket Essentials Offer Pocket Insights
Pocket Essentials, a British publishing venture, offers handy ninety-six-page paperback intros to a large and growing range of topics, from Conspiracy Theories to Sherlock Holmes to Philip K.Dick. They’re particularly strong on film topics. Your faithful correspondent has read four guides of interest to MonsterZine readers. Click here for the rest of the story.
The MonsterClub.com Guide to Horror
If you’ve been to Monster Bash, Fright Vision or CinemaWasteland, chances are you seen The Monster Club’s free monstermovie fanzine Monster News. Each issue is chock full of tasty tidbits: interviews with horror movie stars and the people who make them, horror movie convention listings, articles on monster culture, contests, and more. The folks at the Monster Club clearly love classic horror films. Click here for the rest of the story.
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