Last round, Monster Mag Meltdown fawned over the gloriously monochrome pages that made up the pulpy FILMFAX #141, a long-running retro-horror zine that expertly (and economically) blends in-house brand promotion with fantastic classic horror content. It was a great read, eccentric and even daring; a magazine that knows its audience and yet still manages to defy readers expectations.
To recap, this column comes pre-armed with admiration for any madman or woman who dares publish printed niche film-centric media in this hostile, digitally obsessed marketplace (and yours truly has first-hand knowledge of this world, having served as EIC of FANGORIA, GOREZONE and currently, fledgling cult film journal DELIRIUM) and no matter my thoughts on the content in whatever periodical I peruse, there’s always appreciation…always respect.
Which brings us to HORRORHOUND, the bi-monthly print mag published by Jeremy Sheldon and edited by Nathan Hanneman that, in the 55th issue we’re about to discuss, just celebrated its 10th year in business. Now, I can’t comment on HH’s struggles to make it to stands and I have no idea how profitable an enterprise it is. What I can tell you is that when I was running FANGO, HH is the only mag that made me nervous. Because HH is a fan favorite. They have tapped into the collector’s psychology like no other, with gorgeous, lurid covers, quick blasts of esoteric content and general sense of fun, of the joy of just loving weird cinema. HORRORHOUND never seemed concerned particularly about competing with other mags because they have their own cult, a legion of faithful that spills over from their immensely popular conventions and vice versa. These cats have created a myth and an identity that is distinctly their own. And long may they ride.
Now, let’s take a closer look at HORRORHOUND #55…
As we mentioned, this is indeed the 10th anniversary issue of HH and instead of rolling out a back-slapping selfie party, Hanneman simply mentions the decade-long run on the cover and in his brief editorial and then just moves on with the business of making a quality mag. Said cover is a Vance Kelly salute to the creatures and critters that populate the cinematic world of Guillermo del Toro, who features inside in a lengthy interview about his most recent offering, the hyper-Gothic supernatural romance CRIMSON PEAK. And yet, like (my old haunt) Canadian horror mag RUE MORGUE used to do, HH uses the hook of the new title to really go nuts on a classic, in this case a stem to stern salute to del Toro and Mike Mignola’s HELLBOY franchise. But more on that later…
HORRORHOUND runs only 66 pages, that’s 16 pages less than what I used to try to lock FANGO at, but with a price of $6.99 per issue (as opposed to the $10.99 or more of other mags) HH is a bargain, especially since ads are kept to a minimum. The layout crams a lot of info into its lean spaces, with smaller type and a mass of sidebars on top of sidebars, making it an exciting experience to absorb; your eyeballs just keep jumping around. That said, HH’s art design leaves much to be desired. It’s busy but not a particularly pretty mag. The headers for each feature are, well, they often aren’t even headers, just type tucked to the top left of the page…
There’s also an odd dotted pattern around the columns and photos that made me want to pull out a pair of scissors and cut out coupons. Initially, I found this almost tacky. Then, after spending more time with the mag, I kind of dug it. See, HH almost reads like a catalog. It feels interactive and the impulse to cut and clip sort is sort of appealing. It’s part of the mag’s charm.
Content wise, Jessica Dwyer gets things off to a rollicking start with that aforementioned and expansive del Toro interview chatting about CRIMSON PEAK. I can’t tell if this interview stemmed from a one-on-one talk or a roundtable (I haven’t seen these quotes anywhere else) but either way, the writing is solid, the questions thoughtful and GDT is engaging. A solid read.
Issue #55 is the September/October issue but some of the other more timely editorial isn’t terribly timely. A preview of AMC’s hit series FEAR THE WALKING DEAD is slightly late out of the gate, considering the show ended at the beginning of October. That bid to tap into the contemporary horror zeitgeist continues with features on the kid-flick GOOSEBUMPS and the still-in-release THE VISIT; the latter piece by Trevor Collins offers an absolutely first rate chat with M. Night Shyamalan that made me actually want to run out and see the flick (I missed it during previews) on my own dime. I did and Collins’ piece made me appreciate the experience more.
HH’s review section pays respect to the grassroots community that serves as the mag’s bread and butter and focuses exclusively on indie content. The reviews themselves here are spottily penned, like the critics are afraid to really get critical so as not to offend. Which would be fine if the writing was good. Sadly, outside of writer Freddy Morris’ work, which manages to amuse and offer constructive criticism, there aint much meat here. A suggestion for an ongoing indie spotlight section would be to ditch the review angle and perhaps focus on filmmaker profiles and interviews…
After the expected toy previews and a perfunctory Comic-Con recap (with thumbnail pics too small to register), HORRORHOUND #55 rolls up its red-stained sleeves and really gets down to business. Jason Kretton delivers a brief interview with Mignola that gives way to a massive, 9 page retrospective of HELLBOY, charting the Big Red Guy’s adventures in virtually every known media. Nicely illustrated, this feature is engaging and enlightening.
Following this, Shanna Edwards goes mental, getting into the guts of del Toro’s work by riffing on every film, even ones that didn’t actually make it into production. It’s a thorough piece and a good read.
Cover artist Vance Kelly is spotlighted and interviewed, with a gallery of his wildest works on display. Horror alumni talent agent and HH columnist Sean Clark delivers gold with a fantastic interview with one of metal giant GHOST’s “nameless ghouls” that proves the man knows his stuff. But the real treat for me this round is regular columnist John Kitley’s salute to Mexican horror films, focusing specifically on the works of Rene Cardona. After reading this, I wish to God HH would have put NIGHT OF THE BLOODY APES on the cover. I’m not sure who would have bought it, except me. But still…
All in all, it feels like HORRORHOUND is trying to spread their black wings a bit here. 10 years in and they’re looking to grow, attract new eyeballs and maybe speak not only to their own loyal choir, but to new pundits as well. They want to compete with the big dogs, but I’m not sure if they can or if they should. What HORRORHOUND does well is act like a more-refined 12 year old; raving and screaming about what excites them with style and without an ounce of pretension. Whatever path they choose to go down in their second decade, however, I’m a fan and will keep reading…
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