Fangoria Magazine Rises from the Grave

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When I was growing up there were magazines that covered sci-fi but not many that covered horror. One of the magazines I picked up with issue #4 was Fangoria. Since then I have been in love with the magazine and when it went away it left an empty void. Now the folks over at Cinestate are bringing it back and I had a chance to catch up with the editors and this is what they had to say.

TR: Please introduce yourself.

NP: Hi! My name is Natasha Pascetta and I am the Director of Digital Production and Social Media Engagement for Cinestate and Fangoria.

TR: Now Cinestate sounds familiar. What are some of the films you are known for?

NP: Cinestate is known for its fearless entertainment. Our first child is Bone Tomahawk, a graphic horror-western hybrid, featuring Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, and Lili Simmons. It was written and directed by S. Craig Zahler. Brawl in Cell Block 99 featured a very intimidating Vince Vaughn, Don Johnson, Jennifer Carpenter, and Udo Kier. It was also written and directed by S. Craig Zahler. Our take on the Puppet Master universe, Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, was the first Puppet Master movie to be released in theaters and available in 4K! We currently have two films making the film festival circuit to critical acclaim: Dragged Across Concrete and The Standoff at Sparrow Creek and one (Satanic Panic) in production as I type this!

TR: In fact you just released a new Puppet Master film. Can you tell us a bit about it?

NP: Yes, we did! Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich was released in August. It’s a very fun (and VERY gorey!) movie! Charles Band gave us his blessing to create our own Puppet Master universe and we ran with it! Some familiar faces pop up in The Littlest Reich (Blade, Torch, Pinhead) but we also created many new, devious puppets. Puppet Master alum Barbara Crampton gives a stellar performance along with funny man Thomas Lennon and legendary actor Michael Pare!

TR: Films are not the only thing that you are getting into. Tell us about some of the books you are creating as well.

NP: We are true fans of the print medium. It’s important for us to share our favorite stories and characters that we come across with the world. We published two books under our Cinestate label: S. Craig Zahler’s Hug Chickenpenny: The Panegyric of an Anomalous Child and The Megarothke by Robert Ashcroft. We will publish the novel Headcheese by Jess Hagemann in December. It’s a very interesting look at people who live with acrotomophilia (Google it!). Under our Fangoria Presents label we released two horror novels in September: Our Lady of the Inferno by Preston Fassel and My Pet Serial Killer by Michael J. Seidlinger. Both books are female-character driven and flip the stereotypical “killer” on its head. We also have a very fun werewolf comedy called Carnivorous Lunar Activities by Max Booth III coming in February!

TR: OK I think we’ve kept our audience in suspense…tell us more about the rebirth of Fangoria.

NP: Fangoria is BACK! We are so honored and privileged to bring Fangoria back from the dead. We wanted to bring back Fangoria because we are, first and foremost, fans. We couldn’t watch it die and slip away into oblivion. We released Volume 2, Issue 1 in early October with Michael Myers gracing the cover once again. It was the perfect time for Fango to come back. Michael is back, and we’re back! We are so grateful and overwhelmed by the new issue’s positive reception. We are just so thrilled that we could bring Fangoria back to the fans in a way that was at once familiar and modern. I think we struck a perfect balance of legacy and evolution with Fangoria’s design and content. We have already started work on Issue 2 and can’t wait for you guys to see it!

TR: What is going to be the release schedule of this magazine and how much will it cost?

NP: Fangoria is now a quarterly magazine. Issues will be released in October, January, April, and July. An annual subscription is $60 plus shipping and handling. Individual issues are available in select stores for the retail price of $19.79.

TR: Some fans will wonder why so much per issue. Is this going to be bigger than the previous incarnation?

NP: Yes! Each issue is a 100+ page collectors edition. Think of the issues as north of a magazine, south of a coffee table book. Each issue is printed on high quality heavy card-stock and are hefty! They are also gorgeous—they are the kind of collectible that you will want to display and read over and over again.

TR: Where will this magazine be sold other than at the website?

NP: Volume 2, Issue 1 is available in select stores! We are distributed through Diamond, which services specialty stores and comic book shops. Ask your local comic store to carry us!

TR: Who will be included in the first issue?

NP: If you’re a fan of the new Halloween movie, we have you covered! Our Managing Editor Meredith Borders wrote about her amazing set visit to the new Halloween. Don Coscarelli wrote a wonderful reflection on Phantasm. Chuck Palahniuk gave us an amazing short story called “Someday You’ll Thank Me” exclusively for this issue. Eli Roth has a section on horror for kids. Barbara Crampton offers an inside look at acting in horror films. Grady Hendrix writes about the fascinating world of Big Foot fiction. S. Craig Zahler writes the first installment of his on-going section on independent horror. There’s even a feature on an unused treatment for a lost sequel to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. And. so. much. more!

TR: When will the first issue be available for sale?

NP: The first new issue is available NOW! If you subscribe by the end of October, you will start your subscription with Volume 2 Issue 1.

TR: So if people are sold where can they go ahead and get a subscription?

NP: You can subscribe at FANGORIA.COM!

TR: Anything else you’d like to add?

NP: Thanks for the opportunity, Thomas! We hope all the Fangorians out there are enjoying the first new issue and we want to thank them for trusting us to bring back their beloved Fango!

And there you have it! Check out the latest news about horror as well as stuff you never even knew existed all at fangoria.com!