SCREAM SIRENS: A CLASSIC MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES TRIBUTE

With thoughts and fears turning to female, horror figures in recent days and years (Kathryn Newton's Lisa Frankenstein, Mia Goth's Elizabeth Lavenza, Jessie Buckley's The Bride!, Alisha Weir's Abigail and Natalie Grace's Katie), their faithful followers will find Classic Monsters of the Movies' Scream Sirens: The Heroines of Classic Horror an invaluable resource. 

Nige Burton and Jamie Jones' encyclopedic, 68-page volume explodes with the great women who inspired many of their contemporary counterparts.

These talented, pioneering ladies range from the silent era through cinema's silver stretch and include Mary Philbin, Elsa Lanchester, Zita Johann, Helen Chandler, Frances Dade, Frances Drake, Mae Clarke, Valerie Hobson, Gloria Stuart, Gloria Holden, Nan Grey, Martha Mansfield, Miriam Hopkins, Ingrid Bergman, Maureen O'Hara, Carroll Borland, Brigitte Helm, Olga Baclanova, Fay Wray, Simone Simon, Kathleen Burke, Evelyn Ankers, Anne Gwynne, Jane Adams, Illona Massey and yes, more, more more! 

Of course, respectful adoration also falls on the memorable movies in which they starred, such as King Kong, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, Dracula's Daughter, Mark of the Vampire, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, The Old Dark House, The Invisible Man, The Invisible Man Returns, Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, Metropolis, Mad Love, Cat People, Freaks, The Phantom of the Opera 1925, The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1939, Island of Lost Souls ... and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde 1921, 1931 & 1941.

In addition to Burton & Jones' detailed overviews, this special edition features outstanding, photo reproductions of the actresses, along with their virile (and often sinister) costars, which makes this trip down memory lane all the more comprehensive and endearing. 

If one loves old-time Hollywood and the women who distinguish it, Scream Sirens is an essential: an elaborate reference source that celebrates a cordial kind of nostalgia that only grows more vibrant with the passage of time. 

Order Classic Monsters of the Movies' Scream Sirens at 

https://www.classic-monsters.com/shop/product/scream-sirens-the-heroines-of-classic-horror-magazine/

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

I SAW BAMBI: THE RECKONING

 

Directed by Dan (Mummy Reborn/It Came From Below/The Mime) Allen and scripted by Rhys Warrington for Rhys Frake Waterfield's progressing, fairy-tale monsterverse,  Bambi: The Reckoning is based on Felix Salten's children's novel, Bambi: A Life in the Woods, which was made evermore famous by Disney Studios in 1942. 

For this fearsome, 2025 update, a pharmaceutical truck strikes and kills Bambi's mom, with its drivers dumping toxic waste in a nearby stream, from which Bambi sips, hulking out thereafter. 

The fable then shifts to a mother and son (Roxanne McKee and Tom Mulheron) traveling home for Thanksgiving (a Brit knockoff, that is) and while with family and friends, find themselves in the mad mutant's crosshairs. They're forced back on the road with the crazed beast on their heels, just as the family's estranged patriarch (Russell Geoffrey Banks) enters. As an interesting side note, the clan's dementia-bound grandmother (Nicola Wright) shares a visionary link with Bambi. (The cause is never explained, but does add to the movie's ominous ambiance.) 

Though the humans are engaging as Bambi's bait, it's the monstrous buck who dominates. I'm assuming Bambi is a computerized rendering, and though I'm not keen on that special-effects tactic, I was okay with it here, considering Bambi is beyond formidable with his oversized horns, hammering hooves and frightful fangs, his presence enhanced even further when flesh-feasting Thumpers appear. (Too bad something along these lines wasn't utilized for John Landis' Masters of Horror: "Deer Woman," but that's a gripe to expound upon at another time.) 

As I witnessed Bambi's rampage, I couldn't help but think of Prophesy: The Monster Movie, a corporate-caused, environmental tale about a mutant bear. Even so, I'm glad Reckoning never pressed its toxic gimmick. It's planted as a nugget for revenge and then shifts to the margins as a handy, reference point, as opposed to becoming a long-winded sermon. 

Due to its lean structure, Reckoning is the loosest derivation of Warrington's cinematic chapters and could have ignored Salten's story altogether. A mad deer running amok (for whatever the trigger) would have worked well enough to coexist with other such no-strings-attached, nature-attacks features, such as The Birds, Jaws, Frogs, Grizzly, Day of the Animals, Cujo and Primate.  

No matter the perception, Reckoning should satisfy most horror fans, while giving them cause to accept Bambi in Waterfield's weird assembly of Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Peter Pan and (before long) Pinocchio. From either or all ends, the product and its preordained conglomerate click. 

AZALEA FESTIVAL AT SAYEN GARDENS 2026 (5/9), HAMILTON TWP, NJ

 

REMIND MAGAZINE (MAY 2026): TV'S PIONEERS

The May 2026 issue of ReMind Magazine covers historic turf and the individuals who made it so.

Among the pioneers featured are Johnny Carson, Betty White, Ernie Kovacs, Sid Caesar, Dick Clark, Ed Sullivan, Gene Roddenberry, Rod Serling, Dan Curtis, David Lynch, Jack Webb, James Arness, Aaron Spelling, Barbara Walters, Alan Alda, Diahann Carroll, Larry Hagman, Marlo Thomas, Dick Van Dyke, Lorne Michaels, Oprah Winfrey, Norman Lear, Jerry Seinfeld, The Smothers Brothers ... and of course, Lucy & Desi Arnaz.

This top-thirty countdown is enhanced by ReMind's appreciated supplements, which include comics, trivia, puzzles and prizes, in addition to sentimental pieces on Johnny Mercer and 16 Magazine, to occupy one's time in the most nostalgic of ways. 

One can order this wonderful issue (and subscribe to ReMind while one's at it) by taking a trailblazing trip to

https://shop.remindmagazine.com/product/pioneers-of-television-may-2026

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER:

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: GODZILLA VS GAMERA (TURKISH STYLE)