In the wake of last year’s successful resurrection of Famous Monsters of Filmland, the legendary brand has announced that it will soon expand its publishing line-up. May 2011 will see the debut of FM Underground, a bimonthly dark carnival in magazine form that will offer a fun, irreverent take on the horror genre and its staggering pop culture influence.
“This new magazine will feature a more ‘in your face’ approach to horror,” says Famous Monsters publisher Philip Kim. “FM Underground will bring all the best artwork and writing that readers have come to expect from Famous Monsters and take you beyond filmland for a visceral experience with a razor’s edge tone, and a so-close-you-might-get-smacked look at horror, comics, music, video games, and more.”
The 96-page debut issue of FM Underground will feature a special section devoted to ’80s shock, as well as coverage of contemporary movies, literature, music, art, and comic books. Underground #1 includes interviews with the icon of fear, John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing), legendary exploitation auteur Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case, Bad Biology), and best-selling novelist Jack Ketchum (Off Season, The Girl Next Door), as well as filmmakers Fred Dekker (Monster Squad, Night of the Creeps) and Tom Holland (Fright Night, Child’s Play), writer Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre), and world-renowned tattoo artist Bob Tyrrell.
Editorial duties will fall to award-winning writer and entertainment journalist April Snellings. Besides her extensive contributions to popular horror magazine Rue Morgue, Snellings’ work has appeared in numerous publications, including Famous Monsters of Filmland, Fangoria, and MovieMaker. “FM Underground will give Famous Monsters a chance to bring its signature style of fun, thoughtful coverage to the many aspects of horror/fantasy,” Snellings says. “Besides covering the more subversive trends in genre movies, we’ll also dig into music, books, comics, even eerie art. If Famous Monsters is the three-ring circus under the bigtop, we’re the sideshow your parents wouldn’t let you go anywhere near. You really won’t want to miss this!”
Look for FM Underground in major bookstores and specialty retail shops this May.
