Join me in a Halloween tribute to Forrest J. “Forry” Ackerman, the grandfather of modern horror fandom.
You kids today, with your interdimensional holograms and immersive 3-D wristwatches, never knew a time when every single media product wasn’t instantly available the moment you thought of it. But in our forgotten century, we relied on informed curators like Forry to open the windows to the wider world of exotic cinema. Namely, the horror films of yesteryear, dissolving into nitrate dust, which only occasionally made TV appearances or were shown in revival movie houses.
In one respect, Ackerman only exacerbated our longing in his legendary magazine, Famous Monsters of Filmland, showing us rare movie stills and describing the plots of antique monster movies we would never have the chance to actually see. Not to mention that some of the films he hipped us to, such as Godzilla vs. King Kong, which simply had to be the greatest movie ever made, turned out to be considerably overhyped when finally encountered for ourselves.
No matter. Forry was keeping the dream alive for dorky, bespectacled monster kids everywhere, and inspiring we wee melvins to slap monster makeup on our eager heads and create our own Super-8 cinema classics. The more I think about it, the angrier I get that he’s not on Mount Rushmore.
Happy Halloween, ya little Strickfadens!
- A.H.
(And let’s not forget Ashley’s website, jam-packed with portraits and other drawings, his highly-affordable prints and books currently available, his eagerness for your portrait commission, and his contact email, thrdgll@gmail.com, where he longs to hear from you.)
3 Comments
2 more comments...No posts
Forry looms large in my childhood memories. My dad was a good role model for a young monster lover, but that there were guys out there whose taste and sensibility were so inspiring, so willing and able to share entry into a grownup world of fantasy and imagination, it really helped shape who I am today. Thanks for bringing a little attention to the man!