Cool things cooking this week, as we launch our second special edition (following our successful Frankenstein one-shot): FANGORIA Presents: Vampires! I am exceptionally proud of this one, so please do check it out! |
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Kristen Stewart is back in vampire territory, but it’s probably gonna be a lot more… uh, more this time. Check out what we mean. |
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Obsession is in theaters this week (we loved it), but you can catch the director’s first film for free online, and you should. |
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FANGORIA Presents: Vampires is 100 pages of bloodsuckers, from the beginning of time to Sinners and just about every fanged fiend in between. Pre-order yours today! |
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Content and Community Manager Kimberly Leszak here. There are so many ways to celebrate the late Bill Paxton on what would have been his 71st birthday this Sunday – you could watch Broken Lizard’s Club Dread, throw on your Martini Ranch album, or get your third Paxton tattoo. If you’re like me, you will do all three. His role as Severen in Near Dark changed me in ways I cannot adequately or politely express in a public-facing newsletter. But Paxton left this realm behind with an unforgettable posse of iconic horror characters to remember him by. Strangeness is my magnetic north when it comes to film picks, so may I suggest these two currently streaming beacons of the bizarre in his filmography… |
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1982’s Mortuary marks the final role of the late Christopher George (Pieces, Grizzly) as well as the earliest example of the kind of over-the-top performances for whichPaxton had such a talent. It’s a blend of whodunnit, occultism, and early slasher tropes that makes for a grippingly imperfect ride. Paxton plays the unseemly Paul Andrews, a local embalmer with a penchant for obsession. It’s cool-toned, exciting, and has the little touches I miss about ’80s horror – like a “dead” body with eyelashes visibly aflutter. It’s on Prime and Pluto TV. |
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Ready to stay weird? Stay with me. An assumption that’s always had such a hold on me was that Paxton was game for any role, so long as it had never been done before – by anyone. In The Vagrant he stars as lead Graham Krakowski, a neurotic financial clerk driven mad by a homeless man (Marshall Bell) on his street. What it lacks in class sensitivity it makes up for in stomach-churning practical goo from director and effects supervisor Chris Walas (Yes, the guy who made Cronenberg’s The Fly so sticky). All that plus a great supporting role in Michael Ironside's Lieutenant Barfuss and Mel Brooks as an executive producer. It’s on Prime and Pluto TV. Go forth. |
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Bonding activities on the set of Hellraiser III. |
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What Party Are You At?
By Phil Nobile Jr.
More than a dozen years ago, in another life, I sold a TV pilot to a local production company. It was a boutique production house, and a lot of what they made was for The Golf Channel. My show was not that, but Philly is a small city, TV production-wise, and I knew people at this company, and I got them to take a chance on my idea.
It was a largely miserable experience; the company was run by an asshole, he didn’t give me a proper staff to execute the thing, and I left a few months later for greener pastures with a bad taste in my mouth. But part of what sucked about the whole chapter was… the place was full of golf guys.
That’s not shade against golf guys; many of them were very nice and easy to get along with. But they were part of a culture I was not, and so there was an invisible wall between me and them, which led to integration problems, interpersonal awkwardness and a general “we aren’t speaking the same language” kind of unease that kept me from acclimation. I wished it wasn’t so, but I was not about to spend… (goes and Googles real quick) $600-$1800 on a set of golf clubs I didn’t know how to use, just to hit the links and fully suck at golf in front of these dudes. No, I had to accept that they were not my people, and I was not theirs. These things happen!
I want to be clear, and this is my eventual point: this gap was MY fault. I sold my not-golf show to a company of golf guys, knowing they were golf guys and that I was not a golf guy. I didn’t anticipate how that cultural schism would impact not only how they viewed me and how I viewed them, but so many basic interactions, small talk, vibes. It was all… off. I set myself up for failure.
I think about that period of my life sometimes when I look at the horror world, where I often see folks who don’t seem all that interested in the genre trying to make a career/get rich/get famous in this space. The horror crowd likes to call itself the most welcoming community, accepting and tolerant and all that. I think that’s mostly true. But horror is also more popular than it’s ever been, and that attracts wannabes, carpetbaggers and all manner of bandwagoners. And man alive, is that welcoming horror community also really good at sniffing out bullshit, and those who are full of it. (“Posers” (sic), we used to call them.)
I’m not talking about novices and newbies; we all start somewhere, and if you’re ostracizing someone because they’re new here, that’s a paddlin’. But if you don’t give a shit about horror while — for whatever reason — immersing yourself in it, you need to know that the people you’ve chosen to surround yourself with are really, really good at spotting it. And then that’s not a good time for anybody. It’s important to understand what party you’re at, decide if that’s a party you want to be at, and proceed accordingly.
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Even Nutter Butter is getting in on the liminal horror trend.
WATCH NOW
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Texas Frightmare Weekend is almost here, and FANGORIA is once again bringing you a must-have con-exclusive issue. Whether you’re looking for the perfect spot for guest autographs or a new addition to your collection, this one’s essential. Pre-orders are live now for $10 (price jumps to $15 on-site), pickup only at the convention, and quantities are limited— reserve yours before pre-orders close on May 4.
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👑 The Kingcast: Bonus Ep: Diving Into The Stephen King Archives with Professor Caroline Bicks
LISTEN
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💀 Colors of the Dark: Obsession Horrors
LISTEN
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🦴 Flesh & Blood & Bone: The Movie That Triggered The FBI — My Dad’s Practical Effects on Three Kings
LISTEN or WATCH
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😱 Katie Afraidy: Longlegs w/ Kelly Farmer
LISTEN or WATCH
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A heads up to readers of the Terror Teletype: We recently upgraded our subscriber-only community to a Discord server! Not familiar with the community? Fango’s subscriber group gathers online regularly to talk horror and to share opinions, collections, memories and recommendations. The group also enjoys exclusive access to online Q&As with filmmakers and horror personalities, and indulges their love of horror without the toxic aftertaste of social media.
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Email [email protected] with questions.
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