The cover image was graciously donated by Jeremy of iZombie fame.
EditorialThere's no doubt about it: the publishing world is floundering. In this internet-connected world, fewer and fewer people are purchasing physical copies of publications, especially those that release on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis, i.e., newspapers and magazines. Book sales are suffering as well, but it is much more feasible that they will bounce back in time, as their content tends to be more "exclusive"--that is to say, any magazine can write an article about Stephen King, but there's only one (legal) outlet for Stephen King's latest novel. Beyond that, newspapers and magazines, generally speaking, have an inherrent disposable quality to them that lead a reader to think, why purchase information that I can find for free elsewhere, especially when it's just going to end up in the trash bin later? For the publisher, fewer sales mean less money. This, coupled with the rising prices of physical printing, translates for the customer as higher cover prices and a lower page count. It's almost a mathematical formula that proves itself each and every month. As much as I try to support endeavors that I believe in, it has become harder and harder for me to justify spending more money on a magazine--upwards of ten dollars in some instances--than I would spend on a paperback book. I have recently had to let my subscriptions of certain genre-related magazines, which will remain nameless, lapse. One of these publications has just announced that they are adapting to the changing world in a simple but innovative way--by offering subscriptions to digital editions of their issues at a lower and more affordable price, tempting me to rejoin their ranks. This is the next great step in publishing, but until the rest of the industry catches up with the times, there are plenty of free alternatives available on the so-called blogosphere. This is just my attempt to demonstrate that one need not shell out their hard-earned dollars in order to access fun, intelligent, and entertaining genre journalism. Browse through the pages, and enjoy.--J/MetroNOTE: This is not necessarily an endeavor that I intend to undertake on a monthly basis, however if there is enough favorable response, I may consider it. Also, none of the articles below are hosted on my blog, they are merely links to some of my favorite blog postings from the month of October, so I have not felt the need to ask permission from their respective authors. Free publicity and public acknowledgement = good, right? If, for whatever reason, you would like a link to your blog removed, let me know, and it will be done post-haste.
Table of Contents
True Crime: America's First Serial Killer?: CRWM from And Now The Screaming Starts opens our eyes to the possibility of a serial killer pre-dating even H.H. Holmes.
A Brief History of Backwoods Horror: Aaron Mason of Dread Carcosa gives us a twisted history lesson that dates back much further than you might expect.
You Are My Lucky Star: Aylmer from Unflinching Eye waxes poetic about the H.R. Giger design for the creature feature Alien.
Fact or Fiction? The Infamous Heidi Saha Magazine: Was Forrest Ackerman really a dirty old man obsessed with a very young girl? Gilligan at Retrospace intends to find out.
FOUND: Deathday: Richard of Cinema Somnambulist finds his (admittedly impulsive) Holy Grail of Horror, a forgotten novel by Shaun Hutson.
Dracula by Bram Stoker - The Red King Dreams: Joe Monster of From Beyond Depraved gives us an in-depth account of the classic blood-sucking novel.
Monster Mags! Horror Movie Magazines In 1970s England: Mark of Black Hole Reviews takes us back in time and across the pond as he reminisces about the pulpy pages of the mags he grew up with.
Disco! Monkeys! Puppets! How Netflix Instant Watch Replicates the Video Rental Store Blind Watch Experience: Tenebrous Kate wades through the wasteland that is Instant Watch, and resurfaces with some surprising non-genre offerings.
The Paul Lynde Halloween Special: Doug, of Dougsploitation, recounts one of the most bizarre Halloween specials of all time.
The Truth About Candy Corn!: Pax Romano from Billy Loves Stu loves candy corn so much that he's willing to create an entirely ficticious history for the sugary little bastards.
The Top Twenty Best Cameos In Horror History: Counted down by the ever-fanatical Johnny of Freddy In Space.
The Ten Most Overrated Horror Films Of All Time: Shaun of The Celluloid Highway kicks up some dust with what is sure to be a controversial list.
