May 2016 marks the 28th anniversary of GOREZONE, the bi-monthly ‘sister’ publication of FANGORIAMagazine which made its debut in 1988. At the time, GOREZONE was intended to act as a sort of companion piece to its more well-known counterpart, covering the bloodier/weirder/more obscure stuff that Fango didn’t. Can you imagine? So many noteworthy horror films were being released, multiple magazines were necessary to cover them all. What a time to be alive!
GZ ran for a brief but bloody 27 issues, ending its run in 1994. Despite a short magazine stand life, it was a hardcore horror fan favorite. It was nastier, slimier, and darker than Fango, and it wasn’t afraid to showcase the splattery stuff, oftentimes as close-up and vividly as possible. Thanks to the powers of nostalgia, GZ was revived in 2013, albeit with one minor limitation – it is now only available via direct subscription. Continue reading Looking Back: the First Issue of GOREZONE!→
Brundle, the tragic weirdo genius played by Jeff Goldblum (pumping every bit of oddball charm into the character) in David Cronenberg’s 1986 body horror masterpiece The Fly, may be the quintessential horror nerd.
All the signs are there: he’s really into science, he’s not particularly good with the opposite sex, he’s self-conscious, and he occasionally suffers from car sickness – does it get any more lame than that? Continue reading HORROR NERD OF THE MONTH – Seth!→
If you took the claustrophobic paranoia and shaggy-haired chic of David Cronenberg’s apartment complex horror, Shivers (1975), added a bit of plastic personality and debaucherous decadence from Mary Harron’s American Psycho (2000), and filmed it all through Stanley Kubrick’s surrealistic dystopian lens, the result would probably be pretty close to High-Rise, the new film from director Ben Wheatley, based on the novel by J.G. Ballard.
Now if you think that description sounds like the final product might be a bit too chaotic and disjointed, well, you wouldn’t be wrong. Although all the 1970s set design is absolutely stunning to look at, the overall final product often feels disorganized. That’s not to say High-Rise isn’t an incredible and enjoyable film – it is. It’s just a lot to take in. Continue reading “High-Rise” (2016) REVIEW→
ARTISTS BEHIND THE IMAGE is intended to put a name (and sometimes face) to the talented men and women who created the most iconic images to adorn horror VHS boxes and posters from ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Their art is vital; it’s the reason I (and many of you, certainly) fell in love with horror movies in the first place. This is not only intended as a tribute, but also a minor compendium, meant to collect their works in one single spot. Corrections, additions, or other info? Email me.
It’s not unusual for an illustrator, working under the tutelage of a creative agency, to occasionally find themselves freelancing for the same production companies every now and again due to the contractual obligations between the businesses. Furthermore, if a filmmaker with enough pull feels a certain artist’s work represents their vision faithfully, they might make that artist their go-to designer, especially if the product and its visual representation end up becoming inextricably tied – such as the working relationship between Drew Struzan and George Lucas or Steven Spielberg. Continue reading ARTISTS BEHIND THE IMAGE: Tricia Zimic→
The way I felt watching Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room this weekend is the way I imagine unsuspecting French audiences who saw the short film L’arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotatback in 1896 felt. Totally blindsided by moving images of a train up on the screen, the Parisian moviegoers ran screaming in terror to the back of the theater for their own safety. The film was so real and so visceral that it had an actual physical effect on them. It’s the type of reaction that film can (and honestly should) have on audiences, and it’s something this oft-jaded viewer is constantly in search of. Continue reading “Green Room” (2016) REVIEW→
Horror is an incredibly chummy genre. With every horror movie released, there’s a good chance – whether intentional or not – that it pays homage in some way to the films that came before it. It could be as obvious and generically broad as the color red, or it could be more intentional – something playful and cheeky like a J&B bottle on a liquor cart in the background.
These nods and flourishes are part of what make horror movies so fun and endearing for us, the rabid fans. They’re also probably part of the reason the movies themselves endure so long – at least partly so – even after multiple viewings. And spotting these homages doesn’t just make for an entertaining watch, it also makes for good internet: look at any horror blog today and I guarantee a majority of their film reviews, articles, and dissertations will make mention of just how referential horror movies are. Continue reading MORGUE MUNCHIES!→
Camera Viscera 