As with Scary Monsters and Little Shoppe Horrors, it's always great to see a new issue of Monsters from the Vault sitting on the racks of the local comic book store, keeping alive the tradition of the old-school, printed monster movie magazine. With its thick, glossy stock, superb photo reproduction and gorgeous original cover art, Monsters from the Vault is as near a pro-zine as you can get, and is clearly a labour of love for publisher/editor Jim Clatterbaugh.
The latest issue (#28) highlights a marvellous retrospective of James Whale’s classic The Bride of Frankenstein on its 75th anniversary, with essays on the film contributed by a variety of writers, and filled with some incredibly rare photographs (including some great behind-the-scenes shots supplied by Ronald Vorst). Complimenting the article is Daniel Horne’s stunning cover painting of Elsa Lanchester as the Bride. Elsewhere in the issue, articles cover director Roy William Neil (Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, The Spider Woman, Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear), a retrospective of the 1931 John Barrymore thriller The Mad Genius and an intriguing look at a stage production of Dracula starring Bela Lugosi which was held in the auditorium of a Florida high school in the early-1950s.
A great read, although not quite as enjoyable as the issues which cover some of the more B-grade or exotic/oddball fare, such as the previous issue’s articles on Don (The Giant Gila Monster) Sullivan and The Monster of Piedras Blancas, or the coverage of Mexican monster movies featured in issue 24 (my fave issue of MFTV so far).
For more information and ordering instructions head on over to:
MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT
The latest issue (#28) highlights a marvellous retrospective of James Whale’s classic The Bride of Frankenstein on its 75th anniversary, with essays on the film contributed by a variety of writers, and filled with some incredibly rare photographs (including some great behind-the-scenes shots supplied by Ronald Vorst). Complimenting the article is Daniel Horne’s stunning cover painting of Elsa Lanchester as the Bride. Elsewhere in the issue, articles cover director Roy William Neil (Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, The Spider Woman, Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear), a retrospective of the 1931 John Barrymore thriller The Mad Genius and an intriguing look at a stage production of Dracula starring Bela Lugosi which was held in the auditorium of a Florida high school in the early-1950s.
A great read, although not quite as enjoyable as the issues which cover some of the more B-grade or exotic/oddball fare, such as the previous issue’s articles on Don (The Giant Gila Monster) Sullivan and The Monster of Piedras Blancas, or the coverage of Mexican monster movies featured in issue 24 (my fave issue of MFTV so far).
For more information and ordering instructions head on over to:
MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT
