There's no way to do this impersonally, because there's nothing impersonal about the man. Forrest J Ackerman, the pun-lovin' mind behind Famous Monsters of Filmland, our Uncle Forry, died of heart failure yesterday, December 4, 2008, at 11:58 PM. It's not an exaggeration to say that the man defined what it meant to be a horror fan for a whole generation of Famous Monsters readers and he's a legend to newer horror geeks like me. To list the full extent of his contributions to the genre would be foolhardy and I'm not even going to try.(read more...)

Sure, in some parts of the country it's already Black Friday, but better late than never, right? We here at Classic-Horror are thankful for you, our readers, for continuing to support our efforts to discuss horror movies in all of their permutations. Without you, we'd just be shouting at the wind. So thank you.

And because I can't resist, here's a little Thanksgiving treat, courtesy of Youtube, where you can find anything (this clip is very not safe for work):(read more...)

He's probably the most badass dude ever to drive an ice cream truck. In Don Coscarelli's Phantasm and its three sequels, Reggie Bannister faced off against the forces of the Tall Man, killer midgets, and a whole passel of silver spheres. In more recent years, he's become a dependable face in numerous independent horror productions (including Robert Kurtzman's The Rage, which makes its MonstersHD.com debut alongside George A. Romero's Day of the Dead this Thursday, November 27th). Last week, I had a chance to talk with Reggie about his career. What was supposed to be a quick fifteen-minute chat morphed into a full half-hour, as we delved into the staying power of the Phantasm series, the importance of music in his life and work, his production company, and how 2009 will be the Year of Reggie.(read more...)

Rarely seen outside of bootlegs, Dario Argento's Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) will see its first official DVD release on February 24, 2009, thanks to MYA Communication. The film, the third in Argento's loose "Animal Trilogy" (following The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Cat 'o Nine Tails), has been restored from the original negative. According to DVD Drive-in, the disc will present the movie uncut, in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and with both the Italian and English soundtracks as options. Special features will include trailers and an extensive photo/poster gallery, as well as the original English opening and closing credits. (read more...)