With the Bloody Disgusting Awards contest (insert shameless plug here: Vote for the jaded viewer!!!) and the Total Film disaster, what I recently noticed that some people haven't been talking about is that Fangoria.com has been down for the last few weeks. If you click on the site, it goes to a blank white page.Just a week or so ago, they had the logo up but it wasn't clickable. Hmmm, this all leads me to believe one of the following:
A.) The site's been having server problems
B.) It's undergoing a redesign of some sort
C.) They are possibly changing domain names
D.) The staff all left, the magazine is probably bankrupt and this is the end of Fangoria as we know it
Yup I'm gonna have to with D. That's the persistent rumor that's been floating around the interwebs of late. If it is true that most of the staff of Fangoria has been laid off, this is a sad day indeed.
Fangoria has been part of my horror childhood, tweens, teens and adult size life. I remember opening up a copy of Fangoria and looking at all the gory pictures and saying: "OMG! We gott a see Hellraiser Part...whatever". Look at Pinhead! He's fuckin badass!". The articles were a gateway into the minds of the horror filmmakers, the writers and the special effects geniuses we all know and love.
Aside from the magazine, the Weekend of Horrors was a must go event back in the day. I say back in the day because its recently become a shell of its former self. Horrible guests, boring panels, lack of dealers and just outrageous prices for autographs of C level celebrities.
But back in the day, it was filled with hard to find movies, a place to get awesome Evil Dead t-shirts and toys and collectibles that were nostalgia gone wild. The world premiere movies, the panels and the auctions made this one of the best conventions to go to.
Well that's all gone now.
The web is short on information on what's going on behind the scenes with Fangoria as we speak. Here are the rumors and heresay I've collected:
- One of the moderators at Fangoria.com (@fubarinpa) was booted as a moderator
- According to some message boards, the entire staff have been fighting and the web staff walked out and started their own blog (which you can go to here: Fangoria News)
- No new Fangoria Weekend of Horrors conventions have been announced
- The magazine is being handled by a different distribution agency
- The magazine has slight pulse (people have gotten the most recent issue)
- Editor Anthony Timpone has said it will be back up soon (via Facebook)
Fangoria is not the same as it use to be. In this internet age, how can a magazine/website compete with the Horror Hounds and Rue Morgues that seem to be now better in the space they once used to dominate.
Is this the end of Fangoria? What do you think?
******************************UPDATES***********************************
Look at what I started! Got a couple of updates and a few links from the horror-verse since I posted this up:
Here's hoping Fangoria survives. Some of us want to see it continue, others don't. But without any doubt, Fangoria has left a impact in the horror universe.
- As of right now, the site is down again (showing an odd logo of sorts)
- Here is my own update the day after I posted this (2/2)
- John Z's Weimar World Service chimes in as well (2/2)
- HorrorBid's take on the whole thing (2/2)
- Shock til you Drop also posted their own take as well (2/3)
- Jeff @ Dinner with Max Jenke adds his two cents (2/4)
- J. Zahn (former employee for the webite) tells you what it was like working there a few months ago (HorrorMovies.ca posted his rant if you can't access Facebook)
Here's hoping Fangoria survives. Some of us want to see it continue, others don't. But without any doubt, Fangoria has left a impact in the horror universe.
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Very well-researched post. Raises a lot of good questions. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteI'd miss Fangoria even though it's become almost last on the reading list. Hopefully they're just doing a reboot and will come back in awesome force.
Personally, I think they should go back to the old cover style (80s era) because those were certainly attention grabbing.
Good post - been wondering about this, myself. Fangoria is a staple of the industry but it wouldn't surprise me if it goes away. Print media is a dying breed. I only wish I could have attended the past Weekend of Horrors when they were awesome. I went to this year's in NYC and it was pretty sad. But hey, maybe I can show off to the young folk in a few years.."I was at the LAST one, man!"
ReplyDeleteI hope Fango can pull through whatever difficulties it currently has. In horror circles it ought to be considered a national treasure and something like that shouldn't be allowed to just slip away.
ReplyDeletehope this gets sorted too. Hate it when this happens.
ReplyDeleteGood to get publicity out there.
Your post has me nervous.....
ReplyDeleteI'd like to add that even successful, profitable small businesses have been largely unable to get credit for the past year (it's the reason for President Obama's plan for injecting $30 billion into the small-biz lending system, which he announced today). I don't know if or how much that is a factor in The Brooklyn Company's current turmoil, but a mass walkout of staff usually points to something like nonpayment. More at http://weimarworld.blogspot.com/2010/02/rumors-about-fangorias-fate.html if you're interested.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, Im not surprised though I am saddened. Print is slowly dying thanks to all of us 3l33t ass computer Horrorphiles. The bullshit surrounding the Las Vegas convention pissed me off, and I am 100% going with Creation for this years convention, Argento!! If the magazine didnt cost more than my weekly DVD spending I would have continued my subscription, but free is so much cheaper than $6 to read everything online
ReplyDeleteFangoria abused their fans in print and online. I read it since #1 but I quit reading last year because of the lameness. I hope they do go out of biz, just so they quit shitting on Bob Martin's legacy
ReplyDeleteThe day I write up this post, their site goes back online. However their last post was 1/10. Also, the site is their old design not the newest one they they redid recently.
ReplyDeleteWho knows what the hell is going on over there.
Just an FYI Fango ditched on the whole Weekend of Horrors thing last Fall. I've heard some claims that they were dissatisfied with CreationEnt (The other company they were cahooting with for the WOH's). Last I heard they are only doing the once per year fest Trilogy Of Terror in Vegas. After attending all 3 days of quite a sparsely populated fest in San Jose 4 years ago, I can understand why a one location, once per year fest was implemented. They can put on a bigger fest, and not worry about a low turnout. Creation are continuing their own W.O.H.'s by the way. I think the L.A. fest happens in April or May. So we'll see who the onus belongs too in terms of sucky W.O.H.'s.
ReplyDeleteAs for the site/mag I kind of wonder if it isn't a whole redesign. I recall hearing late last Summer that they were working toward bringing back the streaming FangoTV site. And other similar big ventures were underway. That could mean that the current web team has been re-deployed and or let go in lieu of another team or a new partner. It would be a shame if they bottomed out. Hopefully their Satellite radio show will illuminate the situation at some point soon.
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ReplyDeleteFangoria will return. Our demise is just a rumor fueled by cliques that for some reason felt the need to spread slander over the Internets.
ReplyDeleteWe will be back, the magazine is as better as ever.
I don't know what to believe, just the other day a notice for renewal of subscription was in my mailbox. Since I live in The Netherlands I always did use the Paypal option at Fango's website. Can't find it anymore.
ReplyDeleteI really don't know what to do next, shall I pay in cash, shall I wait and buy next magazines (if they come) in my fav comic shop?
I agree with everyone that said that it is a sad day if Fango's really dead.
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