Nosferatu lives!

This isn't comics related but it may be of interest to those of you who like classic horror movies (and by classic I mean films from the early 20th Century). The people who publish the excellent Classic Monsters Magazine also do one-off special editions of individual movies. Coming up in October is one dedicated to Nosferatu, the 1922 German expressionist movie that set a high standard for chilling horror films. 

Here's the info from their website:

Though controversial in its day for its unauthorised use of Bram Stoker’s story Dracula, F W Murnau’s 1922 expressionist nightmare Nosferatu remains a powerful piece of filmmaking. Our Ultimate Guide to this silent horror classic explores the creation and legacy of one of cinema’s all-time favourite vampire films.

Produced in full colour and designed with the beautiful attention to detail you’ve come to expect, our Nosferatu magazine guide is the perfect companion piece to the movie. It’s packed with images, artwork, information and trivia which will place you right at the sinister heart of this beloved motion picture.

Biographies of the cast and crew, from Murnau himself to stars Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim and cinematographer Fritz Arno Wagner, shine a fresh light on the people who brought Count Orlok’s shadow-haunted horror tale to life, while a range of articles examines the impact that Nosferatu had on horror cinema and filmmaking more widely.

So come with us as we walk the eerie streets of Wisborg, and take a fresh look at a turning point in horror cinema. Just like the movie itself, this is a Nosferatu guide you can’t afford to ignore – and remember, the first 250 copies are signed with a FREE Nosferatu art print!

To pre-order your copy, visit the publisher's website here:

http://www.classic-monsters.com/shop/product/nosferatu-1922-ultimate-guide-signed-art-print/?awt_l=CcWXz&awt_m=3VYkTreKatmf25h

Classic Monsters of the Movies!

This isn't a comic but I think it'll be of interest to those of you who share my interest in the genre. Classic Monsters of the Movies is a British magazine dedicated to, well, classic monster films. Mainly the wonderful early ones put out by Universal, RKO, and suchlike, but also the later ones by Hammer. (I'm not a Hammer fan myself but I've liked those atmospheric Universal and RKO films of the 1930s and '40s since I was a kid watching them on Friday night TV in the 1970s.)

Classic Monsters of the Movies is a superb publication. Intelligently written and informative, and accompanied with excellently reproduced stills and photographs with well designed layouts. It reminds me in some ways of a great partwork called The Movie that I used to collect in the 1980s, which had a similar attitude to its subject matter.

So far there have been five issues published, with No.6 coming next month. (There's the fearsome cover at the top of this post.) But that's not all. The same publisher also produces 'Movie Guides' that focus on one movie, providing all the key information in one magazine. Guides for the early Frankenstein films, Dracula, King Kong, The Invisible Man, Phantom of the Opera... and more!

I really can't recommend these publications highly enough. The cover prices might appear to be a tad steeper than you're used to paying for, say, SFX or Sci-Fi Now, but bear in mind that Classic Monsters of the Movies and its Movie Guides are printed in smaller quantities and are not from mainstream publishers. Nevertheless, the quality is just as high, and higher in some respects, than magazines you'll find in the High Street.

Intrigued? Then visit their website where you'll find more information and ordering details...
http://www.classic-monsters.com/shop/