Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors

 

Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors. Directors Kerry O Quinn/Mike Hadley. (1986). 

I rented this on VHS back in the day. Just like Terror in the Aisles it gave you a crash course in gore movies. This promotion video showcases the greatest horror, monster special effects make-up magazine in existence (at least to this writer)! 

At first we’re greeted by one of the M.C.'s Mr. Chas Balun who proclaims this is Fango in 3D! Balun if you weren't aware was a writer and film critic for the influential magazine. This man is also the sole reason I discovered so many underground flicks from around the globe. His impact reaches into today's technological world because companies like Grindhouse Releasing and Vinegar Syndrome often churn out upgraded versions of trash Chas bootlegged off a laserdisc and dubbed onto a VHS tape in the 90s. 

Bitchin' 90s high tech shit!

There’s some prime convention nerd people watching in this videotape, which I saw on Internet Archive. The ravenous fans are here to see all the usual Fango faves like Freddy Krueger, Tobe Hooper and Elvira. The con is all presented by publisher Kerry O’ Quinn who wears a cheap looking pastel banded hat. He says "You people seem too normal to be into blood and guts"! "How insulting dude"!

Just took a paycheck, never looked at an issue. Too scary.

When I initially saw this video, I remember thinking they couldn’t show enough Nightmare on Elm Street clips to my satisfaction!

Howard Kaylan from The Turtles even gets Robert Englund’s signature—I shit you not! 

Flo and Eddie more like Flo and Freddy

 

Craig Reardon the FX artist does foam latex appliances on people. His impressive work ranges from Deep Space Nine(1993) to The Gate (1987).

 

Oh, I should mention I spotted Deep Red interview specialist and "shit flix expert" Kris Gilpin in the crowd. Read some of his past reviews here.

Kris is on the right next to someone in a purple jacket.

A young Rick Baker gives advice on breaking into the horror biz. Next we enter the Star Trek portion of the tape. One of my fav random weirdos is Nichelle Nichols former con booker. He's covered in buttons and has two homemade antenna protruding from his head.

I wasted my life (SIGH).

Chekov (Walter Koenig) and son show up and say "They love Monsters", which is just nice! 

John Carl Buechler (1952-2019 R.I.P.) briefly introduces himself as the director of Troll (1986) and we see a clip.I rented the movie he directed at a grocery store in Florida and absolutely loved it! That film has Harry Potter and Harry Potter jr., sound familiar? There are tons of people who saw the sequel first but I'm not one of them. Buechler is so much more to me than merely Troll (86). I love his warped looking Ghoulies (1985), the GPK Movie (1987) and The Cellar Dweller (1988). 

Demonic Toys and Seed People, can't all be gems!

 The stunningly attractive Jewel Shepard gushes over Dan O Bannon’s ROTLD in front of a Young Sherlock Holmes (1986) cardboard ad. Anytime I see O’ Bannon I can’t but think of him as the space hippie in Dark Star (1974). 

I'd jump his bones!

Forrest Ackerman talks about his famous mansion and all the collectables. 

Jenny Aspinal who mentions her first film was The Toxic Avenger (1984, which makes her Toxies mommy)! She just finished Street Trash (1985). Gosh, she’s so talented. Erok dissolves into a puddle of envy and admiration. 

AHHH She's soo fuggin' cool!

Whew, OK I’m back. Next up to the podium is Elvira who thinks Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978) is thee worst flick she’s ever seen. I heard she refused to host Cannibal Ferox (1980) on Thriller vid. Whatever, her loss. 

Quit talkin shit about my woman!

Next is Steve Miner’s House (1985) with William Katt who appears to sign headshots. I love the William Stout designs for Big Ben (Richard Moll's character). Miner seems very cranky and later on ditched horror for shit like Dawson's Creek (1998-03) and (GASP) Soul Man (1986)!

Tobe Hooper who holds a big ass cigar, gives low budget film advice. There are clips of a few shorts films and awards are given. Hooper later on talks about recreating segments from Invaders from Mars (1986). 

Clu Gulager, yet another ROTLD alum speaks. He says horror gives him an erection! Ha!

Alex Gordon, whom I remember as the guy who writes the Pit and Pen articles on classic horror for Fango. Stan Winston is briefly interviewed about the effects. Dick Miller shows up for a few mins. One Freddy Krueger superfan applies their own makeup and mentions how they get an adrenaline high off chasing people in costume.

Yo! I get high on my own supply

I’m glad to see Fangoria evolve into this new LGTBQ plus friendly magazine. It's quite remarkable. I read in Bill Landis’ biography (given to me by my pal Rob Fletcher), that in the late 70's Landis wanted Bob Martin head honcho of Fangoria to allow gay porn reviews. Unc Bob freaked and it soured their relationship. It’s insane how ahead of his time Bill Landis was even if he was kind of a wacko. He was also a gay stunt cock but that’s spoiling the book, read it yourself. 

I love Fangoria with all my heart and soul. I have 3 plastic bins full of 70s. 80s and 90's issues under my bed right now! I wanted to work as Tom Savini's apprentice at some point in my preteens. Support the magazine, be on the right side of history. Watch this time capsule right now I highly recommend YOU GET UNDER THE INFLUENCE BEFOREHAND. 

WATCH HERE

Hatchet for a Honeymoon

Hatchet for a Honeymoon. Directed by Mario Bava. (1970).

I saw this once before long ago and remember liking it. It’s a title from Chas’ catalog so it’s a long overdue review. Here we go! 

The credits give off a Rankin Bass drenched in blood vibe. This is of course the master of the macabre Mario Bava. Tarantino once gave him a lifetime achievement award!

A meatclever murder happens on a speeding train as John (played by Stephen Forsyth) a self described psycho hates his current wife and killed 5 before her. Mildred his bride played by Laura Betti warns that she’ll never grant him a divorce! John is in the fashion business, so lots of models show up, however this dude is preoccupied with some mannequin hanky panky to care. The psychedelic score is pretty jarring and nail biting. 

Egg sucking psycho! (I wonder if this influenced Angel's (1983) mom fixated creep)

At a seance Mildred (Betti) has a very dramatic hysterical fit. These types of spectral events never work out in most situations unless it’s Patrick Swayze in Ghost (1990). Forsyth's character, the meatcleaving weirdo has a really snazzy garden with roses and flapping parrots. He has a creepy wedding murder fetish and claims a new victim played by Femi Benussi. They play lots of fuzz guitar during this scene. 

Goth enough for ya?

Frank puts on a wedding dress and lipstick as this point. I did doze off a little during this film but I was smoking some herb maaann.I used to not really care for Giallos but this one was very entertaining. The subgenre has become more appealing to me ever since I heard that Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats album Nell' Ora Blu. Bava fans or Giallo puddin' heads will most likely lose their minds over this flick.

Redemption and Kino put out a DVD and it's also streaming on Tubi.

BUY HERE

Mildred is so drama

Wild guess, Mommy issues?

Trick or Treat (1986) 2024 Blu/4K Re-release

Super Fan Alert!

Trick or Treat (1986) Dir Charles Martin Smith. 

Now here is a perfect Heavy Metal “Halloween” themed horror treat that can’t be beat! "Hey what am I the corpse of Gene Shalit"? Wait, don’t tell me he’s still alive! No, its Erok forcing himself to write once again now that we’re in the future of 2024 and all the rare films of the past are now available in pristine format. 

Synapse Films really brought out the colors and majesty of Trick or Treat, a film I’ve watched over 100 times. Why am I so obsessed with this particular Satanic Panic infused flick that features a flamboyant barbecued rocker named Sammi Curr? You tell me, just go and watch it right now I’ll wait. If you’re not sold on this one just stop reading here. 

Sammi Curr Lives

I initially saw this in middle school and related to it hardcore because I basically was Ragman! I still wear flannels and horror movie graphic tees and eat Twinkies. I currently own the VHS Tape and remember when the cheesy DVD from Target came out with the goofy photoshop clip art of Ozzy and Gene Simmons. That was the only legit version available before until now that is. 

Not available as an alternate cover thankfully.

This movie planted the seed and it made me wonder if I played certain records backwards (like a rare acetate),could you conjure up the dead? We pondered this theory on me and Bobby Hazzard’s podcast Five Minutes After Midnight. This radio show is no longer available because hosting got too pricey. We almost go to the end of the movie, maybe just credits left.

Eddie Weinbauer (played to perfection by Marc Price aka Skippy from Family Ties steals the show and I really had empathy for his situation). I mean he is viciously humiliated by these brutal tyrannical thugs! There are “New Wave” Jocks in this film, a concept I’ve seen in a few others teen flicks like “Just one of the Guys” but none as menacing as Tim Hainey (played by Doug Savant from Melrose Place). These jerks despise heavy metal and their school is basically a warzone where Eddie and his crummy friend Roger (played by Glen Morgan writer and director of the Black Christmas remake) have to battle their way through. 

Shops at Retail Slut!

Sammi communicates byway of the acetate record “Songs in the Key of Death” and all of his advice starts to benefit Eddie. One of the oddest and horniest scenes happens with nubile actress Elise Richards who listens to a dubbed recording sent to Tim as a “Peace Offering”. Green fumes envelope her nude body and a giant demon puppet slobbers and melts her ears off. 

Skeezix the demon with FX Wizard Kevin Yagher (Nightmare 2, Child's Play, 976-EVIL)

I have to mention the soundtrack by Fastway to me it fits perfectly with every scene. The way Tony Fields twirls and lip synchs on stage is just shockingly infectious. Fields early demise from the AIDS epidemic was a tragic loss. The dance scene is a highlight and has never looked better than on this new Blu-ray. I always wondered if the singer of Fastway, who went onto Flogging Molly prevented the release because of music issues. Who knows what the hold up was but it doesn’t really matter now. 

 I’m really glad that this film in finally available in all it’s glory from Synapse Films. The package comes with a lot for fans of this film. There’re cool lobby cards, a Sammi Curr poster, booklet and tons of interviews and commentary tracks. Marc Price and Elise Richards are featured but sadly No Leslie (Lisa Orgolani or Doug Savant). I’m sure a standard edition will be out soon. I would highly recommend owning this film in any format. HAIL SAMMY CURR! BUY OR DIE. PLAY THIS TAPE OR DIE!

AVAILABLE SOON IN STANDARD FORMAT.

Chinese Torture Chamber Story (New VS restored Edition).

 Chinese Torture Chamber Story Directed by Bosco Lam. Starring Yvonne Yung.  

In my review from 2012 of this newly restored title by Vinegar Syndrome, I had just discovered the perverse world of Wong Jing. My standards for the depravity he doled out with his category III flicks were apparently very high and as a result set by this film. I credit the Deep Red Catalog for this and also commend 88 Films, VS, Severin, Kino and all the other Media companies for unleashing these maniacal films in pristine condition!

 

Did we really need this morally reprehensible fuck-fest to come out on Blu-ray? I mean solely for my enjoyment then YES!I wonder how many people out there even knew of this title before VS announced it? I was stoked to re-watch it for sure because it’s just so fucking unique and brutal but not in a stomach-turning kind of way. I haven’t seen it since 2012, the year I started this blog. Hard to believe and it’s cool to see how far we’ve come in unearthing strange hard to find cult classics for those who missed out back in the day.

 

Almost weekly I rent VS titles from the record store I work at and CTCS is highly irregular in quality and culturally for their usual fare. This film does have all the sleaze, sex novelties and cancel culture red flags here that are usually represented in a Cat III title. On Tubi (as of this review) there is currently a documentary on the subject of CAT III films to help the novice navigate his way towards the Shaw Bros and Men Behind the Sun territories. So, if you like demented shit in an Asian period piece setting, you will dig the hell outta this!

 

There’s so much torture in this movie involving the antics of Little Cabbage played by Yvonne Hung Yung. 

 

Nuff Said

Yang played by Lawrence Ng is a sex maniac and involves Cabbage in his debauchery and lies. He first notices and is also enchanted by her “tiny feet” I loved that this new version comes with English subs or original Language w subs. That way you can rip a bong hit and laugh at the chop-socky dubbing. But it gets more thorough because the disc includes Cantonese and Mandarin language.

 

These snazzy fingers traps will turn lil' Cabbage into Coleslaw

The style of Torture Chamber is like an erotic wacky comedy with punishment. One new aspect I noticed were the Grand Inquisitors fuzzy mauve hats, which was an inspired fashion choice!

Kwong-Leung Wong plays Got Sui Tai. In this, he supposed to have a huge donkey dick. I like how one female character pantomimes the size to Little Cabbage (who later on wrestles the massive python).Kwong-Leung was in John Woo’s Killer and all 3 of the “On Fire” movies by Ringo Lam. He seriously outdoes himself in this role in the sex acrobatics department.

 

There is a slight parody to the Patrick Swayze movie Ghost (with an Asian sounding version of The Righteous Brothers song), which ends with a giant orgasm hitting a gong across the room. Next, we are thrown into high flying kung Fu mid-air sex in a haunted forest. This is my favorite part because it’s just super wacky.

Horniest couple of the forrest award goes to...

Back in the torture chamber a man is sentenced (by association with Cabbage). He is dragged through broken china and has his fingers torn off by pliers.Cabbage is sexually assaulted by two Samoan looking women. The last 30 minutes attempts to outdo "Mark of The Devil" with its grand inquisition grossness. There are Mario Bros sex sounds and jokes about rape. Among the torture is that exploding dick gag we keep hearing about, some really insanely tasteless shit, but what do you expect from a Category III!   

I left some parts of my original review in this one. I really enjoyed this one but understand if not everyone can stomach it. There are many scenes where females are slapped (and it looks very realistic) or beaten and man-handled. I think those with weak stomachs would rather not bother watch these sorts of films anyway, there’s lots of A24 bullshit for them to gnaw on. This movie is more titillating and or revolting than a THOU album cover.

BUY HERE

Bloodlust (1992)

Bloodlust (1992) Directed by Jon Hewitt/Richard Wolstencroft

 

Does an Industrial music flavored Australian indie flick with a vampire fetish sound like a fun time? Then (as of this review) Tubi is the one place that has this rare treat available. so let's get goin Mate!

 

Like I’ve said before, Chas knew a treasured gem when he saw it. 

There’s another film with this title that I still jab Mr. Goat in the ribs about and that’s the German Mosquito (aka Bloodlust 1976). This one has an industrial soundtracks from the likes of 100 Homo DJs and Revolting Cocks. Oh Joy!

 

The fly that died in my coffee looks just like Al Jourgensen

The three gun nutter butter bloodsuckers are Frank a redhead (Kelly Chapman), a Blonde named Lear (Jane Stuart Wallace) and Tad, a longhair dude (Robert James O'Neil). (Erok here, it was very hard to recall which female was which and the actors never appeared in anything else, so excuse my laziness).

 

To my shock, I found this director has a knack for comedy, some of it on the bad taste Troma level or a foreign Street Trash which I guess would be Body Melt! 

 

Man do they love their 2nd Amendment rights in Austria or maybe vampires just really enjoy massacring police with endless rounds of hot lead! You think they’d drink all the yummy Dunkin’ syrupy blood in their veins? But ok we get it, shoot to kill already! 

There’s a racist dude who talks shit about Italians. Seems uncalled for.

 

Some of this movie has a rock video vibe to it like those AmRep ones. Dope Guns and Fucking up your VCR—something like that.

 

Murray Hill?

The random pilgrims running around town staking people kind of wear out their welcome pretty fast but they are necessary to destroy vampires.They have a pincushion mascot who looks like an Aussie Gwar character. 

 

I'm in Sleazy P Martini's Posse

I think more people should be aware of this film. It's raw, clunky and yet brutally endearing.

I get the feeling that people in bands would trade this tape back in the bootleg

days. Think of Bloodlust (92) as an exclusive club for weirdos with a taste for a Skinny Puppy adjacent vampire movie.

Hey Quit Jackin Off!

let the torture commence

Cthlulu Mansion

 Cthlulu Mansion Directed By Juan Piquer Simon (1990)

 

From the auteur behind two exploitive gross-out classics, Pieces and Slugs-the movie! This one has that bizarre ESL type dialogue where people sound “Murican”. This just makes an already ridiculous movie even more enjoyable. Simon has some duds in his career (entertaining ones nonetheless like Pod People aka Extraterrestrial Visitors).

 

I recognized  actor Frank Finlay from Lifeforce (1985), he plays a magician who incinerates his wife accidentally using Love-craftian magic. 

 

Doug Henning was my star pupil!

A middle-aged gang led by Hawk (Brad Fisher) sell coke in a haunted house ride. It’s an impressively ghoulish location, sort of like a run-down version of the London Dungeon.

 

Chandou the magician and his daughter Lisa (Marcia Layton) get abducted by the gang but they all finally end up at his mansion. Oh, and he seems to have a closed eye on the palm of his hand or some mutation that will pay off later.

 

that's just my skin condition, "DON'T MENTION IT AGAIN"!

Candy (Kaethe Cherney) a frizzy haired punkette says “I love Tuna” after biting into a sandwich.

Later on, she says “I bet you wipe your ass with 20$ bills”! Now there’s some choice JP Simon dialogue right there!

 

The punks throw darts at a painting of the magician's daughter, terrorize Chando’s mansion and generally create havok.

Lenora, the magician’s wife possesses Candy and warns her husband that “Evil is Now Congregating” since he opened the portal!

 

I haven't seen one bloody tentacle, so let's call this Chandor's mansion

These giant Ed Roth style monster hands pop out of the fridge and drag in Candy. She was my favorite character but sadly she’s now in refrigerator heaven.

 

all the ratfinks and weird-oh model kits live in this fridge.

A detective who kind of resembles Billy Ocean gets killed then a bag of coke drifts over to the fireplace and bursts into flames.

 

One character gets in the shower and then drowns in blood. Hawk is later haunted by the ghosts of the victims.

 

Eva suffers the same fate as Bobby Joe from Evil Dead 2. Tree vines cover her body and dissolve her. I enjoyed this one more each time I watched it and that was twice. JP Simon has some clunkers in his catalog but this is certainly NOT one of them. Well worth owning on blu ray.

I guess for me it's a tie between The Rift and Trumpy aka Pod People/Extra-terrestrial visitors for worst.

excuse me?

Chas Balun vs Film Threat

CHAS BALUN VS FILM THREAT 

-Erok/Crankenstein

The first time I discovered Chas Balun was through Fangoria. I saw the hypnotic ad featuring the eyes of Christopher Lee from Dracula A.D. 1972 which boasted about “chunkblowers to rip your guts out”. I was thoroughly intrigued and requested a copy of the bootleg catalog, I even ordered the Deep Red delivers shirt and literally wore it until it dissolved off my torso. I was aware of Balun's writing in Fangoria and Gorezone and loved his anarchistic sense of humor and punk/ hippie way of writing. I’d heard all about these Film Threat shit posting letters aimed at one of my heroes Chas Balun. While digging around, I finally found them on archive.org. 

In the letters between Balun and Manfred Jellinski there is some vitriol and shots fired over contracts and illegal duping. We’re talking about VHS tape deck/ foreign laserdisc technology folks, I mean how archaic. But often that’s what TOG is all about so “Be Kind and Rewind” if you dare. 

Jellinski starts off by telling Balun to stop selling his illegal boots of Nekromantik 1 because Film Threat owns the rights. Next Balun offers free promotion for Buttgereit and Jellinski to spread the word about Nekromatik 2 (which was heavily showcased in DR Alert #1). I recall first seeing the grotesque sight of a nude girl, played by Monica M., fondling a realistically dismembered corpse in a bathtub. I myself didn’t become aware of Film Threat until I bought an issue that mentioned Parker Posey. 

Film Threat and Manfred's response.

The vicious letter ends with Chas basically unglued and irked beyond belief. He calls Film Threat, Chris Gore and his mutant twin “punk snitches” and “quasi-porn merchants”. It seems as though he felt caught and says some idiotic things like “I didn’t make all that much money from bootlegging your films”. I guess he should’ve known better but I still gotta side with the big guy. 

They were very unfair and mean spirited in David E. Williams article. Chas sadly comes off like a “caught child” as M. Jellinski puts it and both sides handled this situation poorly. But for Chris Gore/ Charlie Sheen to sic the U.S. Government on Chas when they knew full well that Guinea Pig (1985) was never an actual snuff film, it comes off as a nasty move. Hashtag Winning! 

To me both sides look childish. I always assumed that Jorg and the Deep Red crew were pals, considering Graham Rae (who briefly wrote for FT), took him along on their journey to see Ed Gein’s gravesite. (read here). 

Both parties are sadly from a bygone era of VHS tape traders and for some that dead format had a sudden resurgence in popularity. I myself collect VHS tapes but prefer the cleaned up version the film makers intended us to view. The technology boom to restore anything of cult media had no signs of stopping, just as long as there are rich nerds with deep pockets willing to re-purchase shit they already bought a month ago, with a handy dandy new slip cover! Whoopie-fucking-doo! 

Seriously though without Fangoria, Gorezone, Deep Red Magazine or Psychotronic Video, where would I turn to for sources of all the horror, cult films I treasure? Film Threat never taught me a thing and I noticed how they seem to despise any bootleggers. The underground would still thrive regardless of who they slandered. These hypocrites would publicly shame the victim, even though years before FT sold bootlegs. In the “hatchet-job” piece called “Busted” by David E. Williams, they mention going after a lowlife named Donald Farmer! Read Xerox Ferox to learn more about that zine writer and film maker. 

FT’s opinion goes so far as to say (and this was written in 1992), "Dario Argento. George Romero. Lucio Fulci. Balun viciously stabs them all in the back by pirating their legally available work and selling it for his personal profit". This is way off base and funnily enough somewhat true. I mean I received The Hypnotic Eye (1960) with commercials, it was taped off of some local station. And I could pretend and say “Oh yeah I can just order the KINO blu-ray for 10$ online instead”, YEAH RIGHT! It wasn’t that fucking easy! The only source you had in the 90s was turning to bootleggers and Yes, the quality was horrendous but if you wanted to see them uncut, Chas had your back. 

In 1992, the pristine uncut versions of these impossibly rare flicks didn’t exist yet and you had all the butchered versions of every Italian Horror available! Instead of Tenebre (1982) you suffered through Unsane (1982). 7 Doors of Death (1981) the truncated version of The Beyond (1981) was all that my local Blockbuster carried and when I saw the original version my jaw dropped (read my review here). As for Romero goes, Deep Red sold the extra-long euro-cut of Dawn of the Dead (1978). 

You can dream that America already had every impossibly rare cult movie at our collective disposal back in the day, ones currently are all getting a 4K restoration (whether it needs one or not)! But I was there and it was a struggle for ghoulish film lunatics because we needed our fix. CB was the main reason for my education in rare underground cult trash films and through the chapters of the Deep Red Horror Handbook, I discovered the works of Buddy G, Jim Van Bebber, Roger Watkins and other influential indie film makers. Balun shared and meagerly profited from his collection of laser discs and duped foreign horrors for those who dabbled in the grey market. Does anyone think Film Threat and the team behind Nekromantik's bullying helped matters? I don't and it made both sides look desperate.  

I also find it fascinating that companies like Grindhouse Releasing, Blue Underground, Severin and VS have all restored the picks Chas celebrated in his books and zines. I submit for your "Rod Serling" type approval that it was Balun who ignited to flame and inspired others to secure the rights for proper release. Not only that, he included some films that are still unreleased in his catalog (or ones that have yet to come out like Run and Kill (1993). This man was light years ahead of his time. I’m glad these legit companies were able to decimate the bootleggers and now the licensed, upgraded versions are available but for decades, a 2nd generation dub of The Beyond (1981), LHODES (1972) or Porno Holocaust (1981) was all that existed in the 90s. This is mainly attributed to censorship in the USA, these VHS dupes were pretty much my only source as a suburban kid trapped in Florida with typically generic Blockbusters or Hollywood Video to rent from. OK, my two sources were 16000 and Video Waves (which carried all the Film Threat shit). 

Lately insane HK movies I only knew existed because of the Deep Red Catalog are getting 4K restorations like Burning Paradise(1994), Blue Jeans Monster (1991) and Ebola Syndrome (1996). These are some fucked up movies that I was only aware of their existence through CB, which inspired me to review them. And YES---like Film Threat accused him of selling out the film makers to get stoned on weed and maybe Orange Sunshine, he committed this petty crime. After this incident, Chas stopped selling boots of Buttgereit’s work. I currently own the Film Threat clamshell VHS and Cult Epics owns the rights now. 

Chas wrote so passionately about Nekromantik in the DR Horror Handbook that it made me want to rent the tape. I did buy a bootleg of Bad Taste (1987) and Meet The Feebles (1989) in high school. Do I feel responsible for causing Peter Jackson to struggle before he made LOTR? Ha fuck no! I mean you could make the argument that the internet devoured all forms of pay media, rendering it all free. Unlike the mean article about Chas printed in Film Threat, at least I didn’t read about how paunchy, childish and backstabbing Chris Gore is. Why go there? And who’s really the childish one here? I’ve never been a fan of FT’s condescending tone and thirst to be accepted by the mainstream Hollywood masses. They are not fondly remembered by me at least and these excerpts come off in my mind as “Punching down”. 

In one picture (the one featured at the start), FT brags about harassing Balun on his turf, the Fango Weekend of Horrors! Nice going choads, bothering a legend who’s trying to mellow out! Chas remains a triumphant educator in my film history knowledge and FT, a cringy reminder that not all zines have something important to say.