HorrorHound (Issue 3)
Editor – Nathan Hanneman
Publisher – Jeremy Sheldon

Horrorhound.com
My Space Page
Email: mail@horrorhound.com

Considering this is only their 3rd issue, it is quite impressive. I feel that the writers are real horror fans and travel to conventions to get first dibs on groundbreaking horror info.

HorrorHound features Movie News, Comic Books, Hall of Fame, and DVD releases. What sets it apart from the rest are the Toy News, Haunted Attractions, and Horror Movie Merchandise pieces, which are typically not covered in other horror mags.

There were two main articles of interest. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Spotlight providing background information I have never heard before especially on Bill Mosley aka Chop Top. The other was a lengthy overview on the Video Nasty Era providing a few more details than other mags provided in the past.

I can tell the editor also cares about his readers and giving back to the horror community. The Collector’s Spotlight features readers and their collections of horror art, masks, and paraphernalia. There is the Crossword contest where you can win costumes and masks valued at over $400.

I really enjoyed the overall layout of the magazine. It makes it fun to read when the pages are colorful and there are multiple boxes that catch my eye. There is an original short story comic “An Old Fashioned Zombie Love Story” which was very well drawn and references the book Necrophilia for Dummies. There are fun Trivia and Film Facts at the bottom of every page which such tidbits as “Financing for TCM reportedly came from the profits of adult film Deep Throat” or “Since 1998, Misty Mundae starred in over 50 films and directed 3”. There is even a maze consisting of a women’s intestines. Can you reach her baby dangling at the end?

Minor Qibbles: They need reviews and badly. Reviews are one of my favorite parts in a horror magazine. There were also a few minor grammatical & spelling errors that I will let slide.

Cost: $6.95 each or $24.00 for a Quarterly Subscription. A nice touch is that you get an account online to keep track of upcoming issues and tell you when something has shipped to you.

Bottom Line: A must for horror merchandise collectors. This stands up against the big dogs like Fango and Rue. Mostly fun pages you can breeze through with a couple of hulking articles to stimulate your mind.

Rating: 8/10

Body Bag (Issues 1 & 2)
Editor – Geoff Turner
Publisher – Negative Utopia Magazine

Negative Utopia (Website)
My Space Page
Email: Bodybag@negativeutopia.net

Upon receiving the magazine, you will notice immediately that it is not a typical magazine. It is really something home made, printed out, and stapled together. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I realize everyone must start somewhere, but the content was seriously lacking as well.

There is a Coroner’s Report (Editor’s Note) and Hate Mail section which they have none of yet. It lists DVD releases, but no description or review to accompany the movie listings. There was Theatrical Coming Attractions, Under the Slab (In Talks), and Convention & Festival Calendars.

I had some problems with the grammatical errors in the writing. But the most annoying flaw was the overall layout. All articles and reviews are one page with a “Continued on page…” at the bottom. So the reading adventure goes something like this: Read pg 2, flip to pg 20, flip back to pg 3, flip forward to pg 21. You see where this is going.

There are very few reviews, most of which lack important details such as plot synopsis, background info, clever marketing campaigns, etc. When reviewing Slither, they failed to mention that Michael Rooker (“hero” of Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer) was even in it. They focused on the gore while forgetting it was a love story written by a husband/wife duo.

There were a couple decent articles such as an Eerie Horror Fest Interview with info on submissions (Issue 1) and an interview with August Underground’s Director Fred Vogel (Issue 2). There was also Beneath the Crypt showcasing the short story “The Door” from a collection entitled Eat the Dead featured in the first issue, but suspiciously missing from the second.

Cost: $2.00 each (came with a free Sitcker), No Subscription available yet

Bottom Line: Not much new to see here and the old doesn’t receive the respect it deserves. Earns a few points for being affordable horror, for it’s original short story, and for slightly improving on the second issue.

Rating 3.5/10

Read all Molly Celaschi’s Articles and Reviews in her Archives