If you were a kid in the 1970s and loved horror, you are familiar with Famous Monsters of Filmland. Forrest J. Ackerman was the editor, and the magazine was published by James Warren, the publisher of Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella. Yes, that James Warren. As a kid, I’d buy Famous Monsters and horror comics like The Witching Hour, by DC Comics. I had a newspaper route and while I saved what I made in my “Squirrel Account”, designed by a local bank for children, I had left over money to purchase comics and magazines. You guessed it, I bought issues of Famous Monsters.
They had articles about past and present monster movies with many great photographs from the films. I usually perused the pictures and made note of films to watch on TV or at the movies. We had a tent set up in the backyard and I read past issues with my flashlight. Great times.
I also did what other monster kids did, I assembled those fantastic monster models by Aurora. As things go, I grew up and lost interest in models and Famous Monsters. I never grew out of my love of horror films and books.
However, as you grow older, nostalgia pulls you back to your kid days. Aurora reissued their models. I bought them, painted and assembled the monster models. I decorated my theater room with the models, something my wife Margie indulged. I soon discovered a new horror film magazine, Scream. I fell in love all over again.
I loved the glossy pages of Scream and the great articles on “Hammer Horror” and the films from the 1980s. If you are not familiar with “Hammer”, they were a British film studio known for their resurgence of the classic Universal monster films: Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Werewolf, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They also were the first to show blood in their films. I remember my father taking me to see Dracula, Prince of Darkness at the Rivoli Theater in Indianapolis. Yes, it was a “Hammer Film.”
The Scream articles were well done and provided behind the scenes making of many classic horror films. I found at our local bookstores similar “Horror Film” magazines including The Darkside, Rue Morgue, Fangoria, and Castle Frankenstein. Each one is different. The Darkside has more articles on classic and obscure horror movies from the silent era and the 1930s. Like Scream, The Darkside gives some background behind the making and marketing of films. Fangoria focuses on recent horror films, special effects, and it has articles penned by scream queens and horror authors. If you want something more nostalgic and a kin to Famous Monsters, that would be Castle Frankenstein.
I pour over each magazine and only part with them when I’ve read every article. I’m been more economical about what I buy, mostly because I hate having unread magazines stacking up. All of the magazines I’ve mentioned can be found at Barnes & Noble or other large chain bookstores. The days where you could find them at the local convenience store are long gone.
I hoped you enjoyed my trip down nostalgia lane. Until next time horror fans.