The Magazine That Bleeds!

As someone who owns the entire twenty-six issue run of GOREZONE, the recently released compilation THE BLOODY BEST OF GOREZONE wasn't an opportunity for me to rediscover lost memories but yet the many reminisces this issue includes from GOREZONE alumni - including editor Tony Timpone, managing editor Michael Gingold, and contributor Tim Lucas, along with a fond appreciation of the late Chas. Balun from new FANGORIA editor Chris Alexander - couldn't help but put me in a reflective mood about what GOREZONE meant during its tenure on the newsstands and how different the cultural climate is today from what it was in the late '80s/early '90s. It also couldn't help but make me feel too old, but that's another story.

For those who may not know, GOREZONE was the sister publication to FANGORIA, launched in 1988 by Fango publisher Norman Jacobs as a means to block any upstarts who might be looking to cut into FANGORIA's dollars. GOREZONE was essential meant to cut Fango's competition off at the curb and was effective at doing so, with Fango wannbes like Slaughterhouse never establishing an audience. But although GOREZONE was hatched with mercenary intentions, Fango head honcho Tony Timpone made sure the magazine was something special in its own right.

While Timpone had inherited a successful template for Fango from former editors Bob Martin and Dave Everitt when he came aboard that mag as editor and wisely stuck with that template, making his own tweaks along the way, GOREZONE was Timpone's from the start and it arguably represents an even more important genre legacy on his behalf than his long-lasting reign as Fango's editor-in-chief. A magazine that felt like a more muscular fanzine, GORZEONE was rowdier, more opinionated, and more personable than Fango. Fango was - rightly so - more even-handed in its coverage and more focused on mainstream offerings while GOREZONE was made for the more discerning, hardcore fan. When GZ's run was finished, its influence inevitably - and appropriately - bled into its parent mag, bringing more eclectic coverage into the pages of FANGORIA itself.

Embodying GOREZONE's style (almost single-handedly) was Chas. Balun. A writer who inspired many but remains unmatched by any, Balun practiced a more gonzo brand of genre journalism, creating a niche all his own with self-published books of reviews like The Connoisseur's Guide to The Contemporary Horror Film (1983). Although he had contributed to Fango, it wasn't until his "Piece O' Mind" column in GOREZONE that he really reached his apex. It's no exaggeration to say that Piece O' Mind changed the way many horror fans felt about the genre - or more specifically, it validated the way they felt about it and articulated that passion in a revolutionary way.

Equally revolutionary - maybe even moreso - were the contributions of Tim Lucas, whose Video Watchdog column was given space to grow in the pages of GOREZONE, eventually leading to Lucas launching his self-published magazine. Prior to those early Watchdog columns, I had never encountered anyone who looked at genre films with that kind of exhaustive attention to detail and it's no exaggeration to say that Lucas' writing permanently changed the mentality with which fans regarded films and also, in time, changed the way that films themselves are treated by studios. Most of Lucas' GZ columns focused on the ways that films were mistreated in their home video incarnations, suffering inexplicable edits and shoddy transfers. Today, people who were influenced by Lucas when they were younger now run specialty video labels like Blue Underground and Synapse. And, as Lucas notes in the new interview included in this BLOODY BEST compilation, "...we've also had longtime readers who were able to get into major companies like MGM and Sony and make a difference." Every time you see a DVD of a classic genre movie in which that film is in the most complete and pristine condition possible, some measure of thanks for that is owed to Tim Lucas.

But while Balun and Lucas were GZ's most famous contributors, the GZ masthead included plenty of other luminaries, like Psychotronic author Michael Weldon, Broken Minds/Broken Mirrors author Maitland McDonagh, and Swamp Thing artist and Taboo publisher Stephen Bissette. Given the amount of talent that was represented in GZ's pages, editor Chris Alexander has done a heroic job of compiling a proper Best Of. Like any fan would, though, I have my own personal nitpicks concerning pieces that I believe ought to have made the cut but didn't - such as Bissette's preview of Alejandro Jodorwky's Santa Sangre (1989) or McDonagh's review of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (both examples of the way that GZ shined a light on fringe films well before any other publication).

Regardless of a few missing favorites, though, THE BLOODY BEST OF GOREZONE is a more than worthy representation of GZ's greatness. And the new content from Timpone, Lucas, Gingold, and Alexander puts a welcome sense of context onto these old pieces, looking back on what was once a very different world for horror fans.

Part of Chris Alexander's stated intention with publishing THE BLOODY BEST OF GOREZONE is to test the waters for a relaunch of the magazine. I hope he can pull it off but looking back on GZ, and the ways in which the culture has changed since the magazine closed shop in 1993, one has to wonder what a new GOREZONE's function would be in today's world.

As Timpone notes in his BLOODY BEST recollections, "audiences today don't know how good they've got it; no way a Saw film or a Hostel would have escaped with an R rating in the late '80s/early '90s." And that, in a nutshell, is why GOREZONE was so vital during its run. GZ was a magazine that was desperately needed by horror fans who were suffering through a restrictive, reactionary era. Even more than Fango itself, GOREZONE was a magazine that connected fans to the beating heart of horror at a time when the MPAA was doing its best to squelch it. Even TV shows like Freddy's Nightmares and Friday the 13th: The Series were being chased off the air by the Religious Right. Horror was fighting for its very existence back then and in the face of that, GOREZONE represented the voice of the unbowed horror masses.

Now cut to today. Just yesterday when I was shopping for Halloween decorations, right next to the kiddie costumes was a rack of horror movie DVDs, stocked with multiple copies of The Human Centipede (2009). No one who wrote for, or read, GOREZONE back in the day could've conceived of a day when a movie like that would be so readily available with barely a peep of outrage. Compare the kinds of films and shows that concerned parent groups would once lose their shit over with what gets released to no response today and, jeez, it's enough to make you wonder what happened to society. Bullshit controversies still erupt here and there but if you took any angry protester from back in the late '80s and timewarped them to today, their heads would explode. And if you took the MPAA panel from that time to now, they wouldn't believe what had become permissible just a few decades down the line.

It's a pretty low point for the genre at the moment, with the latest string of horror offerings getting lukewarm receptions at the box office (mostly with good cause) but yet it's still a more booming time than it was when GOREZONE was around. In the late '80s/early '90s, if you had maybe five genre films get a wide release in theaters in the entire year, you were lucky. But just in the past three months, Final Destination 5, Fright Night, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Apollo 18, Shark Night 3-D, Creature, Straw Dogs, Dream House, The Thing, and - coming this weekend - Paranormal Activity 3 have all hit screens across the country (with films like The Woman, The Human Centipede Part 2, and The Skin I Live In playing in limited release). And on TV, there's the return of Supernatural and The Walking Dead along with the premiere of new genre fare like American Horror Story and Grimm. There's so much horror product out there, I can't keep up with it all (granted, some of it I don't want to keep up with).

Not only is there a surplus of genre product, but it's not watered down. Aside from the fact that some of these films and shows are duds, it's not due to censorship but due to creative shortcomings. When I read about Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer in GZ, I had to legitamately wonder if I'd ever get to see that movie. Most of Tony Timpone's GZ editorials back then were about the struggles that filmmakers (especially indie filmmakers) faced with the intractable, and frequently small-minded, judgements of the MPAA. Today, not even the likes of A Serbian Film has to worry about distribution.

Honestly, as much as I appreciate filmmakers having more freedom and viewers having more access to movies, I miss those earlier days. GOREZONE was a magazine for an "Us Against Them" kind of time and that's, unavoidably, a romantic sort of thing. Horror fans were joined together in the trenches, railing against the imperious rule of the MPAA. Now, the MPAA pretty much lets everything skate by - we're not oppressed by any "Them" anymore. Not enough to care about, at least. I mean, Shark Night 3-D would've had to have been cut to earn an R in 1989. Today it gets a PG-13, with no pleas to the MPAA required. So things are better now, yes, but it's hard not to feel nostalgic for what once was and a huge cornerstone of that nostalgia will always be GOREZONE.

Best wishes to Chris Alexander and co. if they go ahead with a new edition of GOREZONE. The challenge, of course, will be to make it as relevant to the current genre scene as its predecessor was to its day but if any mag deserved a second chance, it's GOREZONE.

To see about getting a copy of THE BLOODY BEST OF GOREZONE while they last (if they're not gone already), visit Fangoria's website.

First Rate Fango

In Fangoria #293, when Chris Alexander stepped into the role of Fango's first new editor-in-chief in over twenty years, the changes were slight (new columns, like Trash Compactor, Sound Shock, and Monster of the Month, made their debut) but they were enough to indicate that a new sensibility was at the helm. Over the course of the next few issues, the new direction became bolder, more solidified. But #298, with its illustrated, Famous Monsters-flavored Gene Simmons cover, is when the new era of Fango really started to feel like an official new era.

Whereas the first few issues of Alexander's reign were generally in step with what was expected from Fango, issue #298 was an issue that never would've occurred under the stewardship of former E-I-C's Tony Timpone or Bob Martin. #298 is where Alexander really started to make Fango fully his own - while still showing reverence for the mag's traditions.

After several issues of experimenting with the cover design, issue #299 settled on the perfect combo of new and old. The new logo won out over the classic Fango font but the much-missed filmstrip was finally back. And again, #299's striking cover choice of Black Swan showed a willingness to go where Fango wouldn't have gone before (they would've covered the movie, surely, but not made it the main cover feature).

Since the subsequent celebratory installment of #300, two new issues have been published and having just had the time to catch up on #301 and #302 back to back, I have to say it's amazing what a different mag Fango has become. Fango was never less than a polished production but in recent years its format had begun to feel calcified. What Alexander has brought to the mag - besides the kind of enthusiasm that only someone newly taking the reins could have - is a natural eclecticism and a willingness to throw the readership some curves. The old Fango standbys are still in place - Monster Invasion, Dr. Cylclops, Nightmare Library (even the M.I.A. Postal Zone has returned, along with a revivied version of The Pit and the Pen) - but there's an unmistakably personal stamp on the magazine that there hasn't been in awhile.

The strength of the Timpone era was that it refined what had been established previously by Bob Martin and Dave Everitt and took it to the next level. Under Timpone, Fango wasn't as quirky as it had been in its earliest years (no more articles on horror in wrestling, for example) but it was like the difference between Ditko's Spider-Man and Romita Sr.'s Spider-Man - both great runs but one more idiocyncratic and the other much slicker and with broader appeal. But while Timpone's approach had carried the mag through many eras of horror, the time had come for Fango to be a more unpredictable, more offbeat publication again and Alexander has delivered that.

From a reader standpoint, the biggest problem Fango faced pre-Alexander is that it had become easy to take for granted. As the senior horror mag on the stands, it often felt as though it was creatively lagging behind younger competitors like Rue Morgue and Horror Hound. That's not the case anymore. In #302 alone (whose cover appears at the top of this post), alongside coverage of Scream 4 and Insidious are looks at Hobo with a Shotgun and Rubber, an interview (begun in #301) with Wolfen director Michael Wadleigh, interviews with pioneers of German splatter like Violent Shit director Andreas Schnaas and Nekromantik's Jorg Buttgereit, an interview with exploitation queen Sybil Danning, Luigi Cozzi interviewing Dario Argento, the first installment of an ongoing short fiction feature, and a pull-out poster reproduction of the original US Deep Red poster. It's a hell of an issue.

If you're not reading Fango, you're missing out on the best horror mag on the stands. And if you haven't sampled Fango lately, next issue's incredible cover ought to convince even the most stubborn hold-outs to give it a try:

Fango At 300!

I started buying Fangoria with #22, an issue which featured Halloween III: Season of the Witch on the cover. That was a long frigging time ago so holding Fango #300 (!) in my hands is a sharp reminder of how much time - and how much horror history - has gone by since I picked up my first issue of the World's Greatest Horror Mag at a now long-defunct book store in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Those early years, when the ship was being steered by "Uncle" Bob Martin and David Everitt, were the magazine's fondly-remembered formative years. Horror was changing in the splatter age and Fango was right there on the cusp of it. When both Martin and Everitt left the mag prior to its 50th issue, it was a genuine shock to readers.

Thanks to those behind-the-scenes shake-ups, little could be done to make that first publishing milestone a special occasion but succeeding Fango Editor Tony Timpone went on to make sure that Fango's anniversaries would be duly celebrated with jam-packed issues.

Now, Fango is celebrating its 300th issue in the aftermath of yet another editorial change. After a lengthy run, Tony Timpone moved up the ladder to other responsibilities in the Fango organization, leaving Chris Alexander to step in - as of issue #293 - as Fango's first new Editor-in-Chief in over two decades. That means the responsibility of assembling a 300th issue extravaganza fell into Fango's new editor's lap with barely any prep time. The change may not have been quite as last-minute as those changes surrounding issue #50 but seven issues is still a very short time to pull together an anniversary issue that could meet the high bar set by the mag's previous landmarks.

Alexander's solution was to honor 300 essential horror films, with brief commentaries from a mix of filmmakers, actors, and genre commentators - topped off with a pull-out poster reproducing the classic Godzilla cover to Fango issue #1. What Timpone might have done had he stayed in place for the anniversary, we'll never know (he does contribute an editorial and several of the issue's capsule reviews) but judging by past examples, I imagine it would've been very different than Alexander's approach. And also, had Alexander had more time at his new post leading up to this issue, I expect that we'd be looking a very different celebratory ish as well.

As is, Fango #300 is a fun read, oozing with a love of the genre, but it inescapably suffers in comparison to the anniversary issues of the past. Given the situation, I think it's a miracle that Alexander was able to put together as elaborate an issue as he did but it's still, unfortunately, the least of the centennial Fangos.

Fango's anniversary issues - including the 25th and 30th anniversary issues - have always been used to take measure of where the genre has been, where it's at, and where it's going. As such, they were Who's Whos of authoritative genre voices, bringing together the best, brightest, and most knowledgeable genre critics. Previous Fango anniversary issues have been graced by the seasoned skills of Maitland McDonagh, Tim Lucas, Tom Weaver, Bill Warren, Kim Newman, Douglas E. Winter, Stephen Bissette, David J. Schow, Peter M. Bracke, Ramsey Campbell, Chas. Balun (R.I.P.), David J. Skal, and Joe Kane (aka The Phantom of the Movies). That none of those venerated scribes - nor many of the magazine's most notable past contributors like Carnell, Ryan Turek, or Kier-La Janisse - are found in the pages of Fango #300 feels like there's just too many people missing to call it a proper party. Even longtime Literary Associate Linda Marotta sits this issue out (but at least Philip Nutman is still around!).

Fango is in a transitional time and this issue is proof of that. I think Alexander made a Herculean effort, given the time and resources available, to pull out the stops for #300. Issues like this don't come together overnight and it's a better anniversary issue than it probably has any right to be. Alexander and managing editor Michael Gingold contribute the lion's share of the reviews and it's enjoyably batty to see Uwe Boll offer his opinion on The Shining, Vincent D'Onofrio (!) give a shout-out to High Tension (2003), and to see Gene Simmons and Lamberto Bava share a byline (!!) on the issue's back page. And it's also welcome to see underappreciated films like Parents (1989), The Last Wave (1977), and The Burrowers (2009) get some notice.

It's a bummer that the first issue of Alexander's editorial reign to date that I haven't been 100% keen on is this anniversary issue but that doesn't dampen my enthusiasm at all for where Alexander has been taking the mag and where it's heading. His arrival in the editor's chair has been a great shot in the arm to Fango and I have no doubt that some of its best days are ahead. To have an anniversary issue so early on in his editorial run is a monster of a hill to climb and given the circumstances, I think Alexander was wise to spotlight something that every horror fan can come together on - classic movies. Although I dearly wish that a place could've been found among this issue's 300 films for The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966).


Cheers to Fango at 300! May it continue to be the biggest name in horror journalism for another hundred issues and beyond!

The New Fango

Magazines aren't nearly as pivotal to genre fans today as they were in the pre-internet age so the changing of the guard at FANGORIA, as longtime editor Tony Timpone hands the reigns over to Chris Alexander with issue #293 (on sale now), isn't likely to shake the pillars of the horror community in the way that it once might have (I still remember how crestfallen I felt when Uncle Bob stepped down). However, to see Fango under the stewardship of a new editor for the first time in almost 25 years really is something of a big honkin' deal. I picked up my copy today and eagerly pored over its pages, looking to see how the first issue of the Alexander era shaped up.

Before we get to that, though, how about a standing O for the departing Tony Timpone? As his farewell editorial states, he isn't going that far, just taking on other responsibilities on behalf of FANGORIA. He won't be calling the editorial shots anymore, though, and his abdication of a position he's held for close to a quarter century is a milestone for Fango. Whether it's due to the mag's status in the world of genre journalism as the old kid on the block, or to its coverage of mainstream horror (especially the kind of pseudo-horror, like Twilight, that drives fans into an indignant rage), FANGORIA has unfortunately become an easy punching bag in some circles but I believe Timpone should be commended for guiding the mag through so many ups and downs in the genre's fortunes. It couldn't have been easy to edit a horror magazine during the '90s and make it work, for crying out loud, but Timpone did it. Throughout Timpone's lengthy tour of duty (ably assisted by Managing Editor Michael Gingold, who is keeping his long held position with the mag), Fango remained a indefatigable cheerleader for horror films both big and small and never smacked of cynicism or elitism. That rates as an achievement in my book.

Now, as for how Alexander fares at his first time at bat - the answer is "very good." When Alexander first came into the Fango fold a few years back, taking on the role of Canadian correspondent after leaving his digs at Rue Morgue, I was excited to see how he'd be put to work in the pages of Fango. However, as a fan of his Rue Morgue column, it never seemed to me as though he was utilized enough. Unsurprisingly, in his first issue as editor, his writing is featured much more (go figure!) and it immediately helps make the mag a more lively, impassioned read.

Among the Alexander-penned columns is "Trash Compactor," in which Alexander lauds praise on his favorite low-end genre pics (this month's feature, 1981's estimable zombie opus, Burial Ground), and also "Sound Shock," in which genre soundtracks are discussed (the inaugural column looks at the soundtrack for 1978's Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake). There's also "Monster of the Month," which some might see as little more than a one-page throwaway spent on spotlighting a famous ghoul (the feature kicks off by giving props to Mr. Barlow from Tobe Hooper's 1979 Salem's Lot) but with the old-school design of the page affectionately harking back to the look of Famous Monsters, I found it to be one of the highlights of the issue.

The rest of #293 is pretty much business as usual (set visits, Monster Invasion, Dr. Cyclops, Nightmare Library, etc.), although it seemed to me that Alexander phased out the kind of excessive coverage to zero-budget indie efforts that's been allotted in Fango's pages lately. There's still plenty of attention given to the little guy but the mag's attention is spread nicely among the new and the old and between studio pics and indie horror. I also have to commend Alexander for not going with a Nightmare on Elm Street remake cover, by the way - or with any coverage of the new film (there is an article, however, with interviews with some of the cast members of the original Elm Street films - including Freddy's Revenge star Mark Patton). This total rejection of a major genre film on the eve of its release is, more than anything else, a sign of a new day at Fango. Timpone published an article devoted to the new Nightmare last month but this is traditionally the kind of major release that would've been milked for at least three or four pieces over the course of a few issues. Personally I think the remake could've borne more attention without venturing into overkill but I appreciate Alexander's decision to not go by the established Fango playbook.

As a final thumbs-up, I just want to say I welcome the return of the much-missed film strip to Fango's cover. It's not exactly like the film strip of old, but I'll take it. I just hope a little more tweaking on the design front is planned. That's really all this issue calls for in regards to moving ahead - a few tweaks. Fango wasn't broken to begin with - it just needed some new blood.

FANGORIA: A New Beginning

When 'Uncle' Bob Martin exited the ranks of FANGORIA in 1986, it came as an out-of-the-blue shock to readers. For myself, as part of the first generation of Fango fans - someone who was among those splatter-happy Gen-Xers to embrace Fango as "their" monster mag as opposed to the baby boomers who had been raised by 'Uncle' Forry and Famous Monsters - to have Martin abruptly depart the magazine that he had instilled with his quirky sensibilities was a rude jolt. As a reader, I felt crestfallen - abandoned, even. But while I didn't know what to expect from newly appointed editor Tony Timpone back then, I could only hope that the magazine had been left in capable hands.

As it turns out, it was. To later day Fango fans, Tony Timpone has been the face of Fango for their entire lives. While Martin was brash, creative, and innovative, Timpone was a level-headed but passionate steward of the biggest brand in horror journalism. While Fango would not have existed as we know it without Martin's eccentric touch (with credit for its distinctive edge going also to Martin's co-editor for much of his run, Dave Everitt), neither would it have lasted for over thirty years now without Timpone's dedicated guidance. Martin had the good fortune to be Fango's editor during one of the biggest boom periods in horror history. Timpone, on the other hand, was dealt a much tougher hand. As Timpone took the reins of Fango, horror was under assault by the MPAA with new releases regularly being censored of all but the most timid acts of violence. On top of that (or perhaps because of it), the slasher boom had passed and horror's commercial fortunes began to dry up. Horror, which always had a shaky reputation even in good times, was now really unwelcome. But Fango doggedly rode out these lean years, with Timpone and managing editor Michael Gingold tirelessly waving the flag on behalf of horror fans.

While horror had rallied as a commercial force as the new millennium dawned and the genre was flush with hits again, another force was on hand to frustrate Fango's future - the rise of the internet culture. Whereas for years horror fans who wanted to stay informed needed to turn to Fango and other periodicals, now information and opinions were instantly accessible. But under Timpone's direction, Fango has managed to persevere through this challenge as well.

Whether the magazine could've met these recent challenges better than it has is a matter of debate but the fact is, Tony Timpone has steered FANGORIA through thick and thin. But now his stewardship of the magazine is ending. And whereas in 1986, the changing of the guard was something that was sprung on surprised fans in the pages in the magazine itself, in our internet age information travels much differently. While we are not privvy to all the details behind the upcoming change, what is known is that the April issue of FANGORIA will be Timpone's last as editor with writer Chris Alexander taking the helm afterwards.

I have mixed feelings about this news - but mostly very positive feelings. By 'mixed' I mean only that it's strange to know that the man who has been the keeper of Fango's flame for so many years is finally stepping aside. Some of my greatest memories as a fan were attending Fango's annual Weekend of Horrors with Tony always there in his familiar suit and tie (will we ever see another editor for a horror mag stick with such a conservative image - probably not, but I loved that Tony always stood out among the sea of pierced, tattooed, and black T-shirted fans) orchestrating the event as master of ceremonies. And when horror was under fire from conservative groups, Tony was a regular fixture on talk shows, calmly defending the genre's right to be provocative, edgy, and offensive. Regardless of whatever ups and downs have occurred during Timpone's tenure, editing Fango must've been very good for him because twenty four years later, he somehow looks exactly the same. That's either the sign of someone who's in love with their work and their life, or it's a case of uncannily blessed genetics, or both. Either way, I think it's safe to say that FANGORIA and Tony Timpone have been very good to each other.

But while I'm sad to see Timpone go, I'm extremely excited to see what Chris Alexander will do as Fango's first new editor in almost a quarter century. This will truly be a new era for the magazine and that's a wild thought to consider. I love Chris' writing - it's passionate, free-wheeling and not cynical in the least and it's the main reason I bought Rue Morgue when he was working as a writer there - and I always felt that his talents hadn't been properly put to use at Fango. What 'his' Fango will be like is something that only time will reveal but I have a feeling that Chris will be more of the Uncle Bob mold than of Tony Timpone. Besides being a fan of his writing, what interests me most about Chris taking charge of Fango is that for the first time, the magazine will be helmed by someone who grew up as a fan of the magazine, who's sensibilities were shaped during its golden era. As such, I hope his tenure as editor will be a combination of renewed risk-taking along with a respect for tradition. His early thoughts on his new position - as expressed to Shock Till You Drop - have me encouraged. Name-checking Chas. Balun is never a bad thing.

As Fango approaches its historic 300th issue (!), I hope its new leadership will be giving fans good reason to celebrate. Oh, and one more thing - BRING BACK THE FILM STRIP!!!