FANGORIA PRESENTS: CAMP SLASHERS

There's a new, Fangoria in town, one that severs mauls and mutilates. It's a 100-page extravaganza called Camp Slashers (available in two imposing covers). 

As one might expect, this spinetingling release tosses the spotlight on the genre's overriding kingpin: Friday the 13th, led by its marauding catalyst, Jason Voorhees. (To supplement such, readers are treated to a nostalgic look at Mr. Voorhees' over-the-top, sleeping-bag kill from Friday the 13th: Part VII: The New Blood.) 

Sleepaway Camp and Fear Street appear, too, along with the legend-fueled The Burning, and then there's the new-fangled Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Maisma and Final Girls. Readers even get a scholarly glimpse at that old, slasher foe, the censorious Hays Code. 

The issue's details are rich; its photos lurid. Camp Slashers is a gruesome throwback to 1980s carnage, a time when the fearsome Fangoria reigned supreme. 

Order a copy for your library or better yet, use it as a guide for your next campground sojourn. It's the ideal way to mark your inevitable ("Ki, Ki, Ki, Ma, Ma, Ma") demise!🗡

https://www.fangoria.com/fangoria-presents-camp-slashers-is-your-ultimate-summer-horror-read/

PINUP TIME: LINDA HARRISON

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MISS MITTENS: SATURDAY NIGHT CELEBRATION (8/8)

This Saturday night (Aug 8), Mr. Lobo will host a very special, Cinema Insomnia, birthday event for his endearing cohost, Miss Mittens, with a showing of two of her all-time, vegetated favorites: The Day of the Triffids (1963) and Prisoners of the Lost Universe on Twitch, OSI74/Roku and Amazon Fire, starting at 10pm.

Many consider the original film adaptation of John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids to be the best. The movie was directed by Steve Sekely (with some hardy help from Freddy Francis), fortified by Bernard Gordon's character-driven script: a plus for any post-apocalyptic adventure. The cast is great, too, helmed by Howard Keel, Janette Scott, Nicole Maurey, Mervyn Johns and Kieron Moore: a veritable who's who in quality, British cinema.

Prisoners of the Lost Universe is a science-fantasy romp directed by Terry Marcel, who cowrote with Harry Robertson. The plot takes off when a couple is catapulted into another dimension, the world of Vonya, where they face a series of strange encounters that include fierce cavemen, subterranean freaks, a menacing villain named Kleel and above all, amazing, scrubland plant life.  

Battlestar Galactica's Richard (Apollo) Hatch (joined by Kay Lenz, John Saxon and Ray Charleson) propels the action, which rolls in the style of an old-time, movie serial.

It should be noted that this episode is Miss Mittens-centric in more ways than one. Beyond the plant-based movies (where her leafy friends are seen), our beloved cohost is left in charge of the proceedings (and through the use of a handy keyboard, makes derisive, pop-up comments throughout), while Mr. Lobo goes off to participate in a Battlestar Galactica playdate. (And to entrench that Galactica element even further, there's a terrific interview with Mr. Hatch that all Galacticans will enjoy.) 

Miss Mittens' official birthday was on Aug 4, but Saturday's commemoration seals the official deal. Please tune in to be part of this wondrous, double-feature event. It'll surely be one to remember. 

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

SO LONG, JIM KRUT

Your screen time may have been brief, but man, did it ever pay off in the original Dawn of the Dead! 

Tom Savini's grisly orchestration deserves credit for that moment, too, but your ambling motion sold the scare. 

Over the years, fans appreciated your openness and accessibility, and yes, when it comes to horror history, your on-screen demise holds up with the best of 'em, but we shouldn't mistake Dawn as your only feature, for you can also be seen in Deadlands 2: Trapped, Quattro and Serious Profession. 

There ain't no doubt that you're the stuff of classic legend, Mr. Krut. So long and thanks for the many frightful and heartfelt memories.🧟

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: SPIDEY & THE X-MEN

 

EIGHTH TOWER'S BLIND DEAD/DARK FICTION ANTHOLOGY: AN UPDATE

Hello, Bizarrechats readers! 

I have an update on Eighth Tower's upcoming Dark Fiction anthology, based on Amando de Ossorio's  Blind Dead franchise. 

According to Eighth Tower's CEO, Raffaele Pezzella, the book (yet to be titled) is scheduled for a November release. Considering the way time flies, that's not far off. 

I'm uncertain what my fellow authors are composing for this tribute, but my tale was inspired by an altered print of Tombs of the Blind Dead, when it received an opening narration that tied it to Planet of the Apes. 

My story is by no means a Blind Dead/Apes crossover, but its principal protagonist does sport a simian scowl, and he does, indeed, link to an evil faction of the Knights Templar. 

I'll share more details on the anthology prior to its release, but for now, it's just nice to know that this fascinating curation is moving along. ♞🦍