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Freaky Friday: 1970's Famous Monsters of Filmland

Writer's picture: Steph From Pop ArtsSteph From Pop Arts

A Vintage Horror Magazine from the 1970's with an undead man's face on it. It has a red background. The corner is torn. Key phrases on the magazine include "Monsters", "Special Issue", "Best Issue Ever", and "1971 Horror Packed Fearbook!"
What, me worry?

This week's Freaky Friday, 1970's Famous Monsters of Filmland, is fairly new to the collection. This vintage magazine is a horror packed issue and was given to me by a friend and fellow thrifter, Kelly from Re.Find NY. On a (thrift) hunting trip they saw it and thought, "I know who needs this in their collection."


On the left is a a full page black and white vintage magazine photo of a man wearing a wolfman mask from the 1970's. On the right is the contents page for the Famous Monsters of Filmland 1971 Issue
"Monsters Are Good For My Children"

It's packed full of classic horror icons from Boris Karloff to Vampira to Frankenstein's Monster to King Kong. The gang is truly all here. But the best part is that you can feel on the pages that they were poured over and read lovingly. You can feel the way weirdos held this magazine and could only dream of communities of people like them all reading this magazine in their bedrooms under the covers with a flashlight in the days pre-internet.


From what I can gather on the internet, the tea is: The original run of this magazine went from 1958 until 1983 after the publisher (James Warren) became ill and the editor (Forrest J. Ackerman) stepped down. It had 191 issues.


A photo of an open 1971 Issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine opened to an interview. On the bottom third of the 2 pages is the interview. On the left side is an image of Fay Wray in King Kong when she is being brought to meet him and on the right is Frankenstein's Monster holding the hand of the Bride of Fankenstein
Science Fiction... Double Feature...

At the end of 1984, spin-off magazine titled "Monsterland" released 17 issues from 1984-1987 by a publisher that briefly had Ackerman as editor. Without Ackerman, the magazine folded.


By 1993 the trademark had lapsed so, New Jersian, Ray Ferry revived the original magazine and brought on the original editor, Forrest J. Ackerman.


Yadda yadda yadda, Ferry was shady, Ackerman was forced to leave, and a lawsuit was born. Ackerman sued Ferry for libel, breach of contract, and misrepresentation... and won. Ferry filed for bankruptcy and was forced to give his trademark to Ackerman.


A photo of an open 1971 Issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine opened to updates in the magazine on the bottom half of the two pages. On the top left is the King Kong Poster and on the top right is a still of Vampira in a trance during Plan 9 From Outer Space
"FJA's face turned as red as a pterodactyl's tongue." -- New catchphrase alert.

That wasn't the end for Famous Monsters of Filmland, though. In 2008, a website was launched after Phillip Kim (an entrepreneur and equity investor) bought the rights to the logo and title and entered an agreement with Ackerman to use his trademark. In 2010 issues started printing again and did well. It then seems in 2017 they switched to annual issues and after that I'm not too sure what happened.


There is a website, though it's confusing. If you click around enough you can find them on social media and/or get taken to their shop that is labeled "Captain Company" and find out that they started a new rendition of the magazine. Issue 1 released in December 2023 and issue 2 released in June of 2024. They also have an online shop with some toys, apparel, clothes etc in the horror theme. They also have an up to date instagram.


For me, I think I'll just grab my flashlight, head under the covers, and read my vintage copy.


Talk next week,

Steph


P.S. Want to build your own Freaky Friday Collection? Check out my board on Etsy* where I find items similar to my collection and save them for you!


The image is an illustration based on the Pop Arts & Crafts Logo. On the bottom left a witchy woman's hand holds an anatomical heart squirting pink blood to form a dripping bubble on the top left of the picture. Inside the bubble in black and white reads "Freaky Friday". Below it in the same black and white font reads "With Pop Arts & Crafts". In the top left corner is a QR code that links back to Pop Arts & Craft's Linktr.ee
This Week - 1970's Famous Monsters of Filmland - Vintage Magazine

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