31 Horror Favs (#14) - Fangoria Magazine

Fangoria Magazine



















For several years, Fangoria has been one of my main sources for horror news. Back in high school and college, before I could afford a subscription, I would always take a little too long glancing at the magazine when I at the local book or grocery store. often I was asked to buy it or leave. Of course I'd return another day and make sure somebody different was working.

But those days I've been a loyal subscriber. Even in this day and age of the internet and over saturation of horror news and information, I still always turn to Fango. Their writers are top notch and their broad coverage of films in the genre is always appreciated. They fight for the little guys and the bigger studio flicks. Not to mention they've had some of the most gruesome covers of all time.

Fangoira continues to brand out their name via their website. There you can link up to daily news, the Fango Radio Show hosted by Dee Snider and the lovely Debra Rochon, and many other cool items. Something is always happening on the site.

I thank Fango for taking care of the horror craving of my youth and keeping me satisfied to this day.


For more horror information, a subscription, and more check out the Fango website Fangoria

31 Horror Favs (#15) - The Adversary Cycle by F. Paul Wilson

The Adversary Cycle written by F. Paul Wilson



There are 6 books that make up that F. Paul Wilson's series of books called The Adversary Cycle. The first three are The Keep, The Tomb, and The Touch can be read in any order. The last three have to read in order, which are Reborn, Reprisal, and Nightworld. All of these novels tie in with Wilson's other main opus of the books, The Repairman Jack series. Jack is the hero of these tales and a force called The Adversary is his foe. These six books are its tale. So you get to see the flip side to the hero's tale.

If you read any of my posts before, then you may already know that I am a huge fan of F. Paul Wilson. I'm on the last couple of books in the Jack series and have finished the first four in this series. I am in awe of how so many of Wilson's story intertwine with his main Jack opus. I dont know if it's intentional or not, but it's very interesting.

Cant wait to finish both of these series and see how it all turns out.

31 Horror Favs (#16) - The Thing {1982}

The Thing (director: John Carpenter)





John Carpenter's The Thing is probably my favorite movie of all time. It's got all the ingrediants to be great flick. A good story with believable characters. Atomsphere. The perfect ending. Amazing special effects with lots of gore. All these items are thrown together by a master director to create a work of art.

The story is based from Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell. It's about a group of scientists in Antartica who discover an alien being which can replicate any type of DNA. One by one people start being replaced by the thing and turning on each other. The characters (and viewers) dont know who is human and who is not. If the thing is allowed to escape in civilazation, it will quickly take over the world.

The last scene of the movie is great. The camp is burning down. Almost every one is dead. Macready and Childs face off, they haven't seen each other in a while and niether one knows if the other has been replicated. Both men are tired and cold. They sit in the snow and split a bottle of whiskey. The waiting game begins.... It's a tad nihilistic, but perfect. If one of them is an alien, then all they have to do is hold out. They'll freeze and eventually be found, thawed, and the chaos will start once again. If both men are human, then they'll freeze and die thus saving humanity in the process.

This movie is proof that a remake can be done better than the original, if the people in charge of making the movie care enough.

For a far better and in depth discussion on the movie, check out John Kenneth Muir's blog at Reflections on Film and Television

31 Horror Favs (#17) - Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd






The tale of Sweeney Todd is one that is surround in the mystery if he was an actual person or merely an urban legend. The basic tale is about a barber named Sweeney Todd who slits the throats of the wealthy and then his friend Mrs. Lovett gets rid of the evidence by using the flesh for baking her meat pies, which she sells to the public.
The story first appeared in 1846 and several adaptations over the years in written form, stage productions, TV, and film. My favorite version is the 1979 Steven Soheim musical.

Now first off, I must admit that I have never actually seen the musical. I have however seen the 2007 Tim Buron film which was based off the musical. And even though I enjoyed the story, the music captivated me more. Days after I watched the movie, I found myself mumbling lyrics to songs.

"There's a hole in the world like a great black pit. And it's filled with people who are filled with shit." from The Barber and His Wife is an example. Catchy.

The lyrics in many of these songs are gruesome and usually are being performed with either a malicious intent or during a violent act. This is a rare combination of a horror-musical.

And best of all...it's jolly good fun.

31 Horror Favs (#18) - Takashi Miike

Takashi Miike (film director)





How does one go about describing the type of films Takashi Miike makes?
Violence. Check.
Graphic gore. Check.
Twisted and taboo subject matter. Checks.
Unapologetic, Over the top, disturbing. All checks.

Yet this only describes some of his films. The one's that garner the most attention from horror fans. Films like Audition (one of favorite horror films of all time about woman who isn't exactly what she appears to be), The Happiness of the Katakuris (a horror-comedy-musical about a family who owns a motel where the guests keep dying), Gozu (a surreal comedy-horror about a Yakazu member looking for his missing brother), Ichi the Killer (is about a sadistic enforcer for the Yakazu and a psychotic killer), and Visitor Q (a strange visitor seduces a wealthy family forever changing their lives). Then there's also One Missed Call, The Great Yokai War, Izu, MPD Psycho, his segment in 3 Extremes titled Box, and his episode Imprint in The Master of Horror series. All fun to watch.

On the flip side he's made movies for both independent and mainstream cinema in Japan. In addition to the films above abd his Yakazu movies, he's made fantasy films aimed at kids and even entered the romance genre. Takashi is not a one dimensional director that cant be pigeonholed into one particular genre or style.

Any fan of the horror genre should take time view this master at work. I always watch his newest releases and more often than not find them very entertaining and unique.