Wednesday 30 May 2012

Interview with Shock Horror Magazine Editor Dean Boor

1.) When Did Horror first enter your life?

The Nightmare on Elm Street films are my earliest memory of Horror Movies, I think i must have been maybe Ten years old. My older brothers made me watch them when i was a kid and i had nightmares about that yellow School bus for years after! Freddy Krueger  remains the fiend that started it all for me, I have a 1428 tattoo to pay tribute to 1428 Elm Street  the scariest House on the Planet!

2.) Can you remember the first Horror movie you saw?

I'm going to say Nightmare on Elm Street 2:  Freddy's Revenge, because  the school bus scene is what i remember most from my nightmares back then!  From what i remember Critters wasn't far behind.....is that even really Horror?  Largely  I  have my older brothers to thank for my twisted love of Horror, them and their buddies introduced me to Hellraiser too , all before my teenage years.

3.) What is it about the Horror Genre that you love?

I love old school fx, old monster movies with lots of gore and cheese. I find that Horror  is  the only genre that invokes any kind of response to the senses, be it fear or laughter, you will always get a reation from a Horror Movie. I also love the fact that there's a  real  Horror Community out there, I was never into sport as a kid so never really got into that team mentality, but with Horror I get it.  You can go to conventions, meet the guys from the movies and also meet other like minded Horror Fans that get what you are into. That to me is pretty special, to fit in with a love of something. You also get some pretty damn cool merch that you wouldn't get in any other genre, I mean you wouldn't ever see a rom com putting out collectable Jennifer Aniston dolls would you?

4.) Who or What inspired you to  "Make Your Own Damn Horror Magazine?"

Haha,  Well I had been writing and working full time for another uk horror magazine, which is what got my foot in the door of the Horror World and is really what got my name about. That magazine has since  gone under but i owe a lot to that magazine, it doesn't have the best of reputations and it pissed a lot of people off for various reasons ( many of which are why i left)  but that really was the foundation for my career in Horror. What inspired me was the lack of a decent UK Horror Magazine, there just wasn't one around. My Buddy Jason Miller agreed  and it snowballed from there. I'm not a corporate bigwig trying to make a commercial product that will make me rich, I'm just a guy who loves Horror movies and everything that comes with them.

5.) Of all the Movie Genres, Why does HORROR have the most loyal Fan Base?

The great thing about Horror is that there is so much you can do with it, be it Vampires, Werewolves, Leprechauns or Ghosts, ther are so many sub genres in Horror  that can cater for any kind of Horror Fan. It's easy to pull in an audience because of this, however i also strongly believe that film makers are much more passionate when making a Horror than they are say,  a comedy. That comes across  and fans pick up on that, along with the amount of effort in the FX  and the characters - Horror is just much more tangible  which again is strengthened at conventions and film festivals. Horror is a community, not just a genre. We've started calling our readers 'Creeps'  because with Shock Horror  we've created a community of Horror fans that follow and support us, our own creepy little  family of Horror fans.

6.) If you were stuck on a desert Island, What 3 Horror Movies would you have with you?

Gah, i hate this question!  Without hesitation, the first would be  John Carpenters  The Thing, the other two out of a million choices.....I'd choose Nightmare on Elm Street and then Masque of the Red Death.

7.) What do you think of Horror Remakes?  Are they Necessary?

Haha, the question of all questions that divides Horror Fans!  I'll answer in two parts, firstly necessary? No, I  don't think remakes are necessary.  There's a lot to be said for originality and I think that we as horror fans need an injection of originality within the Horror Genre. The second part to the question, what do i think to Horror remakes?  I'd be lying if I put them down completely, after all, one of my all time favourite films (John Carpenter's The Thing)  is a remake. What I don't like, is when a film gets a remake purely to cash in on an already established name to take advantage of film fans who will go and pay cash  to see the film. Nightmare on Elm Street the remake is a prime example of cashing in on a franchise name to make some money, I think we all agree as a collective that the film stank.  On the flipside, Rob Zombie's Halloween  was made by a guy who genuinely has a love for the genre and made the film as a Horror Fan - whether he succeeded  is a great divide amongst film fans but he made the film  as a fan of the genre and not to fill his wallet, which personally i'd rather see. The fact remains that whilst Horror Fans keep paying to go see the remakes that they so bitterly complain about, then the film companies will keep making money & keep making the films.

8.) What is your take on Censorship within the Horror Genre?

I honestly think that people should be able to make their own choices, they know what they are setting themselves up for so if people are willing to sit down and view the film then let them. The perfect example is A Serbian Film, one of the most controversial films of our generation. The more hype that is built up by films being banned or heavily Censored, the more people will go out of their way to view it.

9.) Are you a fan of CGI & 3D being used in Horror Movies?

I think 3D in Horror, or any genre in fact has become somewhat of a running joke now as it has become a matter of  "If it's not 3D then what's the point". I think it's a fad, one that will pass in time.  I can't think of a single Horror  off the top of my head that really blew me away for the 3D  to be honest, when i take my kids to the cinema I find that kids movies have better 3D than most other genres!  In terms of CGI I think it has to be used in small doses if at all, I much prefer old school FX with prosthetics and buckets of Blood rather than CGI, it just seems lazy to sit and CGI  everything in.

10.) What can readers look forward to in the next few issues?

We've Just unveiled our new cover featuring Alice Cooper,  we scored some time with him recently and so there's an interview inside on Dark Shadows as well as banned videos and all things vampire. We also have interviews with Tony Todd  and Linnea Quigley in this edition, so this is definitely an issue to check out!  The following Issue we also have some big content lined up that we are really excited about, I can't say too much  right now though, you'll just have to wait and see - or subscribe to the magazine and never miss an issue anyway!

11.) What would you like to say to all your Readers?

To all of our Creeps that are actually reading our magazine and supporting us, we salute you and give you are bloody thanks!  A lot of people don't realise that we are a truly Independent Horror magazine, so we rely on the support of Horror Fans to keep us growing and to achieve bigger things. Those that have been picking us up from the first issue will know that the magazine has been getting bigger and better each edition, we've got a long way to go to becoming anything like  the big Horror Rags  in the U.S. but if our Creeps keep reading us and keep supporting us, then we know we're on the right track. Thanks Creeps!


Thanks Chris for taking time out for Shock Horror Magazine, it's appreciated - Keep it Creepy!
Dean Boor | Shock Horror Magazine

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