Managing Editor Kristen Snyder writes to tell us that “Famous Monsters of Filmland is back! Created in 1958 by sci-fi and horror aficionado Forrest J Ackerman, the magazine that captured the imaginations of legions of fans, including some of today’s most iconic storytellers and entertainers launches its newly redesigned website, famousmonstersoffilmland.com” (famousmonsters.com redirects to the same page).
The web site “will pay tribute to the monsters of old while keeping up with all things current in the world of genre.” The management team—including Publisher Phil Kim and Editor-in-Chief Dominie Lee—expect the site “to evolve and grow as we add new features and technology to bring the fans the most cutting edge web experience available today.” The site already features news, reviews, and interviews related to monster films past and present, as well as an online store. They also have a significant library of old monster films available for paid downloads.
Famous Monsters also announces their first film festival, for “horror, sci-fi, fantasy, dark comedy, thriller, or just plain weird films.” A variety of categories cover films from fewer than 12 minutes to longer than 50. Deadlines are in early 2010, and the “1st Annual Famous Monsters Film Festival” will be 8-10 October 2010. Further details on the contest are expected to be posted soon.