What a time to be alive! In our year of the lord 2018, Fangoria is coming back from its untimely digital death with a new print(!) magazine and plans to move into producing film, podcast, and horror novels. The resurrection comes courtesy of Texas-based entertainment company Cinestate – who you may best know for producingS. Craig Zahler’sBone TomahawkandBrawl on Cell Block 99. AfterFangoriafolded last year, Cinestate purchased the rights from its previous publisher, picking up the archives for more than 300 issues of Fangoria Magazine, as well as the assets and trademarks for Starlog and Gorezone, and staffing up with a new team to lead Fangoria into the future.
That team is headed up by Editor-in-ChiefPhil Nobile Jr., former editor-at-large for Birth.Movies.Death., writer/producer for Stage 3 Productions in Philadelphia, and all around good dude. Nobile was recruited by Cinestate CEODallas Sonnierfor the gig, and will also act as the creative director for the Fangoria brand. The plan is to launch the quarterly magazine this fall, just in time for a super spooky Halloween, and Nobile has already lined up some killer talent.
Longtime Fangoria mainstaysMichael GingoldandTony Timponehave been brought on as columnists and brand consultants. DirectorS. Craig Zahler, Shudder curatorSam Zimmerman, former Birth.Movies.Death. editorial directorMeredith Borders,Paperbacks From HellauthorGrady Hendrix, horror historianRebekah McKendry, andPreston Fassel(whose film is currently in development at Cinestate) have all signed on as contributors.
“There needs to be a Fangoria,” Nobile said in a statement. “The magazine was a constant presence in the genre since 1979 - and then one day it was gone. That felt, to us, tragically incorrect. Fango was, for multiple generations, a privileged window into the world of horror. It gave us access to filmmakers’ processes and secrets, opened our eyes to movies we might have otherwise missed, and nurtured a wave of talent that’s out there driving the genre today. I’m proud and excited to be part of the team that’s bringing this institution back.”
This is great news in just about every way. Fangoria is an institution and it was painful to see it go under. I’ll never forget when my mom got me my first subscription (my mom is chill as hell) and how much it helped shape me in the horror hound I am today. I cherished the days those magazines would arrive in the mail. In the interest of full disclosure, Phil is a buddy and I’m thrilled for him on a personal level, but if you’re at all familiar with his work, you’ll know Fangoria is in good hands. I can’t wait to see where the beloved publication goes from here. Now, here’s hoping they bring back Weekend of Horrors!
