SCREAM MAGAZINE is the latest horror movie magazine to hit the shelves in the UK bringing genre fans delights such as:
When issue three of "Scream" magazine arrived for review from SGM Towers I was excited at the prospect, as I�d missed out on the first two instalments.
Issue three first came out in February 2011, so it�s no surprise that one of the main subjects of the magazine is the extremely hot potato of that time: A SERBIAN FILM. Here, we�re treated to an intelligent and engaging 4-page review and interview with the film�s director, Srdjan Spasojevic. Dr Karen Oughton probes the filmmaker about the levels of violence and his reluctance to cut his film, and he holds his own well in response. Whether or not you buy into the film being a political allegory, the fact remains that Spasojevic is clever enough to convince you of his sincerity.
Even more eye-popping are the 2 pages that follow, listing the cuts the BBFC made to A SERBIAN FILM in startlingly graphic detail.
Elsewhere, we get a great interview with Monique Dupree, actress in numerous dodgy latter-day exploitation flicks (POT ZOMBIES; GINGER-STEIN: RISE OF THE UNDEAD etc). This isn�t the type of article you get to see in more mainstream publications, and resulted in being a compelling, amiable read.
Interviews are also scooped with Bruno Forzani and Helene Cattet, the co-directors of AMER, and THE REEF filmmaker Andrew Traucki. Both are illuminating reads, benefitting from good journalistic questions and generous answers.
Probably the biggest scoop for the magazine is an interview with Paul W S Anderson, of the RESIDENT EVIL movie franchise. Richard Cooper keeps the questions brief, allowing Anderson to wax lyrical over two pages of informative chat.
Other contributors to issue three include Rob Talbot, Courtney Smith, Nia Edwards-Behi, Ian J Martin, Tom Lucas, Avery DeBow, Martyn Conterio, Rebekah Louisa Smith and Shaun Hobbs.
Aside from the spiffing interviews, we also get articles on THE EVIL DEAD trilogy, Ingrid Pitt, werewolves in the cinema, the modern phenomena of "found footage" horror films, Jason Voorhees, and a clutch of reviews for DVD titles such as DEEP RED, AMER, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE remake and A BAY OF BLOOD.
While some of the above won�t offer too much enlightenment for hardened horror fans, the writing is consistently energetic and enjoyable. Things are rounded off with a news section, and even a couple of attractive competitions.
The magazine is furnished with attractive black-and-white photographs throughout (only the front cover and inner cover are in colour), and benefits from glossy pages with easily readable text.
Priced at �4.50 (or $8.99 overseas), "Scream" is expensive considering it only contains 52 pages. But it�s what�s inside that counts, and the interviews alone are well worth the asking price.
Enthusiastically written, well-designed and offering a good cross-section of modern horror topics, "Scream" comes recommended for fans of the contemporary genre.
Now, I just need to track down those first two back issues and catch up with the few issues that have been released in this one�s wake ...
Review by Stuart Willis
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