Vanity Scare #7

GOREZONE (#22, Summer 1992)

Gorezone ran in circulation before I discovered horror magazines. I had always heard that it was an incomparable rag, a discretionary alternative to Fangoria that thrived in the recesses of the horror genre. It was supposed to be less mainstream, or at least that's what I inferred from the effusive comments of shock hounds. Now that I have furrowed my blood-caked claws into an issue of this leonine publication, I can safely say that it's awesome. But less mainstream? Maybe a tad, but take a gander at the cover. I could have sworn that Sleepwalkers and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth were about as underground as Coldplay. You have to dig deeper into Gorezone to mine obscure riches. That's not necessarily a complaint.

It's time for an itemized list!

- Gut Reactions (the mail section) is fascinating. We get a letter from a young upstart named Peter Jackson who dishes on his latest project, a ribald puppet show entitled Meet the Feebles. He laments on the fact that he has had trouble nailing down distribution for his gross-out fable, but that hasn't stopped him from beginning work on Braindead, his forthcoming zombie epic. Sounds lame, if you ask me. HEY! There is also a letter from Karim Hussain, a filmmaker who would go on to stir controversy with 2000's Subconscious Cruelty. Man, this is the most badass time capsule ever.

- Someone writes in to vent in the general direction of Lucio Fulci. This person didn't care for Demonia, the "new" film from the Italian splatter architect. Can you imagine living in a world where Fulci is still kicking and cranking out blasphemous motion pictures? Granted, I haven't seen Demonia, but how bad could it be? That was a rhetorical question, wasn't it?

- The article on Hellraiser III is rather intriguing. The concept of the film went through six permutations before arriving at its final checkpoint. I maintain that it's a compelling b-movie, but I understand why it's calumniated by casual observers and vehement Clive Barker groupies alike.

- Unlike its brother periodical, Gorezone prints fiction. I don't read a lot of fiction (don't judge me). I figure it's worth mentioning.

- The actresses in Sleepwalkers took their roles very seriously. Guffaw.

- I have a soft spot for The Guyver (and its sequel), so I dug the interview with co-directors Steve Wang and Screaming Mad George. My adoration for rubber monsters is well-documented. I don't think I have to explain why these movies tickle my clitoris. It's a shame that George hasn't helmed any other feature-length genre nuggets.

- I loved The Resurrected. Likewise, I loved the profile of Todd Masters, the man behind the off-kilter creature effects in Dan O'Bannon's Lovecraft masterstroke. The river skeleton...yowza!

- Steve Bissette recounts his top 20 made-for-TV horror films. An excellent read. The usual suspects are docketed, but there are a few titles that I'm not terribly familiar with.

- Kudos to Michael Gingold for his prescient editorial on the disturbing nature of reality television. Keep in mind, this issue hit stands in 1992. The more things change...