Fans of all things creeping from heinous vaults of dread and eerie abominations erupting from cob-webbed catacombs should do their fastest undead-shuffle to the nearest newsstand and acquire a personal copy of Rue Morgue, the magazine of "Horror in Culture & Entertainment". This glossy mag is rapidly becoming the #1 choice of discerning horror-philes who approve of its introspective attention to detail combined with a graphically bloody good presentation of all things macabre.

And would you believe that Rue Morgue is one of Toronto's own? Yes, the world's best horror magazine is produced right in this city. Their crypt, I mean, headquarters is a refurbished funeral home at 2926 Dundas West where 10 times a year the finest of blood-spattered pages are churned out. From movies, literature and art to horror-themed games, memorabilia, history, and festivals, everything a fear-hound could ask for is on offer in sanguinary colour.

What sets Rue Morgue apart from other inferior horror mags are the writers' well-crafted features and intelligent, wide-ranging horror knowledge. Moving beyond the mainstream the mag provides more than the

typically overdone four-sentence articles for the ADD suffering Playstation generation. This month's copy, the 8th anniversary Halloween issue, is packed with the following features:

-No less than a dozen pages extolling the long-reaching influences of H.P.Lovecraft. (12 pages exploring a single topic in a magazine? What a rare treat!)
-A section on B-movie deity Bruce Campbell
-A feature on the artwork of horror-scribe Clive Barker
-"The Masters of Horror" details an upcoming TV series with episodes directed by well-known horror alumni.
-"The connoisseur's guide to 100 alternative horror films"

That last feature is one of my favourites. Who needs yet another mention of The Exorcist or Psycho? Next time you're at Suspect Video ask if they have a copy of Gates of Hell (horror maestro Lucio Fulci's "most overlooked film) or Canada's own ode to cannibal Ed Gein, Deranged.

But wait, there's more! Also stuffed within the 138 value-packed pages are numerous ongoing sections that review movies and DVDs, video games, novels, and comic books. If you're looking for a new addition to your collection of gore paraphernalia why not check out Needful Things ("The Bazaar of the Bizarre") and purchase a zombie outbreak survival kit for use in case of the apocalypse or peruse the Travelogue of Terror section to plan your next visit to real-life horror-themed destinations?

Really, Cub-Scouts honour, this is an amazing magazine slickly packaged and crammed with articles and curiosities to satisfy even the most discerning aficionados of the grisly and the weird. You can find your own unapologetically wicked copy of Rue Morgue at Chapters/Indigo, Suspect Video, and finer comic shops and film stores. Devour a copy this Halloween!

images used with publisher's permission