Rue Morgue
Horror in Culture &
Entertainment
Based in Toronto, Canada, Rue Morgue (rhymes with blue org) is a
monthly magazine devoted to the
genre of horror. First published in the fall of 1997, Rue
Morgue now holds a significant place
within the horror world. In May of 2010 the magazine published its 100th
issue, and now supports not only a
print publication but also a radio and web presence. In addition, Rue
Morgue is a major supporter of
Toronto's Festival of Fear.
Published by Marrs Media, Rue Morgue derives its name from the
Edgar Allan Poe short story "The
Murders in the Rue Morgue." The magazine maintains a distinctive graphical
style, thanks largely to the long
tenure of the Art Director, Gary Pullin. Printed on heavy quality glossy
paper, most issues contain eye-
catching paintings and the recognizable title logo featuring the words
"Rue Morgue" divided by a waxing
crescent moon on the cover. Each Rue Morgue contains a variety of
typographic styles and colors that
reinforce each issue's themes. Past themes include Paul Naschy and his
Waldemar Daninsky movies, 1982's
The Thing and John Carpenter, Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Harryhausen
, and Christopher Lee and the
return of Hammer Studios.
Until the spring of 2010 Rue Morgue received support from the
Canadian Magazine Fund, but this program
has now been replaced by the Canada Periodical Fund. As a Canadian
publication funded in part by this
program, Rue Morgue often features articles directly related to
Canadian culture. For instance, the
Canadian children's program "The Hilarious House of Frightenstein" has
been featured in an article. But the
magazine does not limit its coverage to horror items in the far north,
instead developing an international fan
base and frequently covering foreign topics, such as issue number 85's
highlight of Coffin Joe and Brazilian
horror movies.
Rue Morgue is published 11 times a year, skipping January and
producing a double issue in its place, and
follows a format that mixes regularly occurring articles with freelance and
one-off work. Recurring columns
include:
- Dreadlines - "News highlights, horror happenings." - This covers
current happenings in the horror
world, including a sidebar entitled Roadkill that covers online
content.
-
The Coroner's Report - "Weird stats and morbid facts." - A listing of
various facts and figures
typically related to each issue's theme. One example from issue number 100 -
"After the recent SeaWorld
trainer death in Florida, the American Family Association called for the
killer whale to be stoned to death.
This is how the Bible advises dealing with animals that kill."
-
Cinemacabre - "The latest films, the newest DVDs and reissues." -
Reviews of recently released or
reissued movies related to the horror genre, including a sidebar entitled
Last Rites - Overlooked, Forgotten
and Dismissed covering a related grouping of movies. For instance, three
short reviews might be provided for a
less well-known directors work or three short reviews might be provided for
a niche within the genre such as
torture horror or lesbian vampire horror.
-
Travelogue of Terror - Each issue finds this recurring column in a
different haunted locale or horror-
associated place. Sometimes these are campy or historical, such as visiting
Dracula Castle in Romania, and
sometimes these are more haunting themed, such as Montréal's ghost
walk.
-
Audio Drome - Rue Morgue not only focuses on horror in the
cinema, but also covers the genre in
other mediums. This recurring article notes albums with a particularly dark
bent to them. In addition, Rue
Morgue also offers a free downloadable album (Hymns from the House of
Horror) that showcases a variety of
musical acts that fall within the purview of the magazine.
-
Classic Cut - The end page of the magazine each month, Classic Cut
features older horror related works
in a one-page writeup that provides background information as well as
current links to the genre. Often the
Classic Cut is a movie tied to the issue's featured director or actor, but
sometimes other media are included,
as in the case of Mozart's Requiem in issue number
70.
Rue Morgue can be found on the World Wide Web at rue-morgue.com and
by phone at 416.651.9675