‘Zine Review: Rue Morgue #63
Johnny Butane
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Issue #63
December 2006
It’s weird because usually the covers for Rue Morgue impress the hell out of me; something about this one (of The Pale Man from Pan’s Labyrinth) just feels awkward. Maybe it’s the fact that he seems to be in motion, thus a bit blury? Or because he’s not doing anything overtly creepy? Don’t get me wrong, it grabs the eye for sure (my co-workers were grossed out by it, which gave me endless sources of amusement); there’s just something off about it.
Luckily what’s inside makes up for it. Not that you’d expect anything else.
The main feature, of course, is an interview with Labyrinth helmer/deity Guillermo del Toro, a candid discussion about his influences for the film and how it came to be, as well as a overview of horror in general in today’s society. It’s a great piece with great questions, but to be fair you’d be hard pressed not to get a good interview out of del Toro; the man is just amazing. And in case you’ve not heard it enough times; Pan’s Labyrinth is every bit as beautiful and haunting as everyone says it is and easily tops my “best of” list for this year. See it!
There’s also a great little interview with young Labyrinth star Ivana Baquero about her role as the curious and lonely child Ofelia. She’s only 12 years old but her responses to some of the questions are those of someone much more mature; you can see why Guillermo chose her. Wrapping up the dark fairy tale theme is a one-pager about, you guessed it, dark fairy tales.
In celebration of the third DVD release of Black Christmas, as well as the upcoming remake from Morgan/Wan (though I don’t see why anyone would celebrate that), Paul Corupe sits down with the one and only Bob Clark to discuss his odd history in cinema, which began with horror but nearly ended for good with comedy and has now swung back around to horror. It’s a damn fine interview, if not a bit too short, and is followed by a one-pager on John Saxon, star of the original, and Andrea Martin who starred in both the original and the remake (poor thing).
A look at the creepy art of Camille Rose Garcia follows, which ties in well with the dark fairy tale theme, but even cooler is the article about Will Storr, a once-skeptic who was assigned to interview a demonologist for a men’s magazine and ended up becoming more than just a believer; he’s now written a book about his hunt for the supernatural. Who was this wizened demonologist who turned the man’s skepticism into belief? Our very own Lou Gentile! I can attest that the man is indeed the real deal and it doesn’t surprise me at all that he was able to convert a skeptic, something he probably was able to do without even trying, that’s how good he is. Read the article, buy Storr’s book, and be sure to hit Lou’s site right here for more on the man!
Following that we have review alley, with special attention paid to Subversive’s 4-disc release of Dust Devil (see my review here) and the last two films of Japanese cult king Teruo Ishii. The Audio Drome (music reviews) has a special focus on recently released soundtracks from classic Euro-shock oldies, too, which I didn’t even know existed but will likely have to get now. Rue Morgue is always good for that sort of thing!
So aside from the cover, which I still can’t figure out my issue with, this is another damn fine issue of RM. Click here for their site to learn where you can find it or, even better, how you can subscribe!
What do you think of the cover? Discuss in our forums!
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