Scarlet Issue 3

Scarlet: The Film Magazine

Number 3

Scarlet Media

PO Box 39093

Cleona, PA. 17042 USA

Scarlet The Film Magazine never ceases to amaze, each issue is filled with fascinating features, films that are not reviewed or even discussed anywhere else and loads of erudite and informed content. It opens with another slice of “Music of the Night” offering information on all manner of unusual and fascinating soundtracks. We then receive our welcome for the issue including the sad tale of the editor having lost the whole issue and having to rebuild from ground up. As an editor I sympathize with his suffering and congratulate him on still producing a superb issue ! The Old Dark Library again gives us some great reviews of interesting books, while the Screening Room all sorts of film reviews. Since Forrest J Ackerman has recently passed, there are a couple of excellent and nostalgic pieces on his life and memories about his life and work. He will certainly be missed.

This is followed with a great article by David Skal and Jessica Rains “Mr.Rains goes to Burbank” on Claude Rains with some very nice rare photographs, something Scarlet seems to be developing a reputation for. Vampires and Space Probes and Snails looks at The Return of Dracula (1958) as well as a look at The Flame Barrier, a film which was double billed with it by United Artists. Linda Miller is a great profile of a superb artist who sadly died at the young age of 48 in 2008 after producing a body of impressive character based work.

The Cross and the Cauldron, Part 1:Classic Hollywood by Paul Leggett and art by Linda Miller is a superb examination of Christian themes within horror themes, regardless of your religion (or lack of it, like me!), this is an insightful piece showing how the use of Christian symbolism encodes so many horror films. I am looking forward to further articles in this series. Elias Merhige on The Begotten looks at an unusual film called Shadow of a Vampire (which we are reviewing this issue) and is an interview with the director. Robert Quarry is another reflection on a recently passed significant horror personage. It is sad to realize that we are now reaching a time when so many great actors and directors are joining the “heavenly film crew”, at the same time it is nice to reader people’s memories, so often if they are not put into print they are forgotten and lost to time. This is followed by an extensive review of “The Midnight Meat Train” the new Clive Barker inspired genre breaking horror film and some further reviews. All in all, another brilliant issue from Scarlet !!

Reviews appear on the Synergy website with a single cover image. In the digital and print edition, reviews appear with multiple images and with expanded content. We recommend you download the free digital edition (or buy the print edition) to get the most from Synergy Magazine.

This review will appear in Volume 2 No.5 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

If you came to this page directly (and missed our menu), click here to go to the front page of Synergy Magazine Website or click the following link: http://www.synergy-magazine.com