From Zombos' Closet

La Methode Revue De Cinema No. 9

I don't read French, but Professor Kinema visits Paris every year. He brings back a lot of good reading he finds in the book stalls. Here's his copy of La Methode Revue De Cinema No. 9, which is full of great horror movies. While we were punning our way through the movies in the 1960s, the French took a more serious approach to our horrors. We caught up in the 1970s but I will always be grateful to the French fans and critics who saw the classic in our terrors before we did.

Here's the comic book reader version:  Download La Methode Revue De Cinema No. 9

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All About Star Trek Fan Clubs No. 3, 1977

In the 1970s, Star Trek was hot. Judging by the franchise owner's less than planet-shaking attention given this year to the 5oth anniversary of the landmark television series, I doubt they experienced any of the 1970s love-fest for all things Trek. 

Comic book reader version:  Download Star Trek Fan Clubs Issue 3

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Fanstastic Monsters of the Films Vol. 1 No. 6

In FMOTF number 6, Vincent Lewis, in his Horror of Dracula review, says "In comparison to Lee's deathly sinister portrayal, Lugosi's Dracula is today not only completely outdated but in many instances utterly ludicrous." I love both Lee and Lugosi and all I can say is Mr. Lewis's statement is ludicrous. One can argue thematics, varying character to sociological nuances, and tonally structured elements, but I doubt he knew what those were, so why bother? On a more positive note, horror host, the Outsider, (bet you didn't know about him!) of Nightmare Theatre is spotlighted, Bela Lugosi's filmography is listed, and The Shadow strikes back. (This copy courtesy of Professor Kinema.)

Comic book reader version:  Download Fantastic Monsters of the Films v1-6

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Fantastic Monsters of the Films Vol.1 No. 5

Robots, scream queens, and more Bela Lugosi make for another stellar issue of Fantastic Monsters of the Films. But there's more. The importance of a deadline hits home in The Devil's Workshop, FMOTF plants a big wet one on The Day of the Triffids, the Horrorscope dishes the dirt on the hottest news from monsterland, Alex Gordon talks about the real Bela, and Spy Smasher smashes spies. All you need to do is supply the bed sheet and the flashlight. (Oh, wait, if you're reading on an e-reader, nevermind the flashlight.)

Comic book reader version:  Download Fantastic Monsters of the Films v1-5

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Fantastic Monsters of the Films Vol. 1 No.4

More horror movie coverage with lots of photos fills up Fantastic Monsters of the Films issue 4. The Raven from AIP gets nice coverage, James Bond's first outing with Dr. No gets a license to see, and George Pal is highlighted. A fantastic close-up of Lon Chaney Jr. as the Frankenstein Monster stands out among other great shots of him in various roles, and horror host Jeepers of Theatre 13 is spotlighted. A treat for Mexican horror fans is Thomas Bradley's article, Ship of Monsters. Another real treat is Vincent Price's In Defense of Horror Films. (This copy comes from Professor Kinema's archive.)

Comic book reader version:  Download Fantastic Monsters of the Films v1-4

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Fantastic Monsters of the Films Vol. 1 No.3

Photos, photos, and more photos fill Fantastic Monsters of the Films magazine. Issue 3, courtesy of Professor Kinema, has The Devil's Workshop by Paul Blaisdell, Vincent Price in the Tower of London, an eye on Doctor Cyclops, and radio stories made into movies in Terror in the Air. Great shots from 3 Stooges Meet the Martians and for A Belfry of Bela make this another issue to treasure. But the piece de resistance is the photo on the inside back cover: it shows an early maquette of the Creature from the Black Lagoon!

Comic book reader version:   Download Fantastic Monsters of the Films v1-3

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Castle of Frankenstein No. 18

An eye-popping cover by Kelly gives the 18th issue of Castle of Frankenstein a graphic jolt, but once you get under the covers that jolt fizzles. Which is one constant lapse in judgement seen throughout CoF's run: poor layout and small text. In this issue, the text goes minuscule, and against a dark background, makes it difficult to read. Wasting space on useless graphic filler, the editorial ironically mentions some articles had to be left out of this issue, while H. P. Norton's assault on H. P. Lovecraft (fishy byline, right?) uses very small text to capture quite a big space of opinion. On the other hand, John Carradine's interview is a welcome portrait for a great classic horror actor, who, at age 14 and after seeing the Merchant of Venice, decided he wanted to act. The interview is too short, though. Night of the Living Dead gets a positive review, an amateur picture story for Tarzan centerfold, and a so-so review for Tales from the Crypt round out the issue.

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Castle of Frankenstein No. 16

With issue 16 of Castle of Frankenstein, you start to notice a certain "attitude" to be found in some of the reviews and views. It's a bit haughty, a bit snobby. Joe Dante's Dark Shadows review avoids this, luckily, and he could be very snobby, so a pleasant surprise there. Reviews by the Comic Book Council (who?) cover Marvel, DC, Dell, and Gold Key titles off the stands, with a mention of "a new line called Skywald" and Archie Goodwin's move to the Warren camp. A striking Ken Kelly cover and John Stanley's interview with Robert Block are highlights, along with Peter John Dyer's final part of his History of Horror Films.

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Castle of Frankenstein No. 19, 1972

Issue 19 of Castle of Frankenstein contains the usual reviews (including Hammer Horror) and interviews (with Ray Harryhausen and Douglas Trumbull). Social commentary (this is the 1970s) enters with CoF's best horror film of the year choice: Vietnamese children running from a napalm attack.  A reader really dislikes issue 18 and wishes CoF would publish more frequently.

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Horror Tales Vol. 2, No. 3, 1970

Lots of gruesome terror in this issue of Horror Tales, beginning with those vile monsters torturing their poor victim. Ghouls running amok, rail-kill hits the tracks, and horror comes to room 1313, all drawn with verve and nerve to bring a chill to your ebookish ways. Just try to keep your head, unlike the poor fool stalked by the lady killer in the last story. 

Castle of Frankenstein No. 14, 1969

Courtesy of Professor Kinema comes this well-read issue 14 of Castle of Frankenstein. Boris Karloff takes center stage in this issue with My Life as a Monster, Ray Bradbury's interview concludes, and part one of All Manner of Fantasies explores the patterns of fantastique cinema. Lin Carter looks at more books, a reader's mail lambastes Star Trek, and there's the latest film news and movie guide. Here's the comic book reader version:  Download Castle of Frankenstein 14

Cinefantastique No. 2, 1971

Cinefantastique explored the mechanics of genre movies, providing more production depth and more creativity-analysis than you would typically find in the monster magazines and fan publications of the day. In this second issue, House of Dark Shadows, stop frame fantasy film animation techniques part one, and John Carradine's movie comeback are covered. And similar to the Frankenstein TV Movie Guide in Castle of Frankenstein, there are many movie reviews to ponder, too.

Here's the comic book reader version:  Download Cinefantastique Issue v1-2