During my growing-up days of total obscurity, it was difficult to find any additional info on this strange character, Forrest J Ackerman, in the wake of that fateful Horror Hall of Fame broadcast in 1990. FM had ceased publication in 1983 and the various magazines of lesser quality with which FJA had been involved since that time (Monsterland, Monsterama, etc.) received sparse distribution. I certainly didn’t see them on the magazine racks in Newport, KY, at any rate and had totally no knowledge of them at the time. Fangoria, the sadly short-lived Monsters Attack! and the occasional, much beloved Cracked Monster Party were the only genre-related publications open to me then.
Nevertheless, the memory of that single, spellbinding segment that introduced me to Forry Ackerman remained firm in the back of my mind over the next few years. When I was about 12 years old, a Blockbuster Video store opened its doors a mile or two from my home. Prior to this, my mother and I had relied on a creaky “mom and pop” rental place for our home entertainment needs. Boasting a much wider selection and, to be frank, cleaner floors, Blockbuster was the obvious choice from here on out. I still remember the first video I ever personally chose from there - Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which I played and replayed with a vengeance.
A short time after that, while browsing the store’s “horror” section, I stumbled across something called Hooray For Horrorwood. The video’s cover was illustrated with covers from Famous Monsters of Filmland – that thing I’d heard about on the Horror Hall of Fame! Sure enough, it was a documentary about Forrest J Ackerman and his, to me at least, mysterious magazine. I decided, of course, to explore further.
Dynacomm's Hooray For Horrorwood video, which helped re-introduce FM in the early 90s.
If The Horror Hall of Fame had been a tantalizing tidbit, Hooray For Horrorwood was a breakaway bonanza. This was a full-length, in-depth tour of Forry’s wondrous Ackermansion in all its Byzantine glory.
I’d pause the tape every few moments to study the clutter covering every table and shelf. Here again was this strange, bespectacled man and his wonderful assortment of cinematic treasures: Bela Lugosi’s cape and ring, actual models built by Ray Harryhausen, original paintings used on thousands of pulp publications and even King Kong himself! On and on it went; rooms full of what I considered the best stuff on earth had been collected into one, wonderful place in (where else?) Hollywood, California.
I was more determined than ever to make the trip to meet this man, no matter how much the odds seemed against it.
An interesting footnote to my encounter with Horray For Horrowood was that it marked the first time I’d become aware, if only fleetingly in an opening credit, of its producer, Ray Ferry. It would be a name to conjure with in the future, though I was blissfully ignorant of the significance at the time.
Gene Reynolds, Ray Ferry, Forry Ackerman and Zacherley hobnob with fans at an early 90s FM gathering.
Hi Earl — great stuff! I never get tired of reading about Forry, and your personal insights are very welcome.
But the videotape of “Hooray for Horrorwood” had a slightly different cover than the DVD box you showed, right? I have a copy of the VHS tape I got way back before the Forry-Ferry partnership went sour — but it just showed covers of vintage issues of FM, right? The little Frankenforry image in the center was added for the DVD release, I think — and I was very surprised (and I confess very pleased in spite of the Ferry connection) to see it, because that’s an image of Forry that I created for a webpage about him with info about his films! Nobody ever told me it was being used this way, but I was happy about it. Here’s the web address for the 4SJ filmography, which is sadly in need of updating:
http://myweb.wvnet.edu/~u0e53/forrestjackerman.html
Beast witches and keep up the great memories:
George “E-gor” Chastain, a lifelong Ackerfan
Hi, George!
You’re right! The original VHS did have a different cover; unfortunately though I couldn’t find an example online.
A very comprehensive filmography of the Ackermonster. I remember the very last thing he worked on was an animated film titled, I beleive, Walpurgis Night. The director stopped by one night to record Forry reading a line or two on tape.
Sorry for the late reply. I’m only just learning how to use this site!
I’ve been a fan of horror movies since I saw “House on Haunted Hill” at the age of five in 1958. I first discovered Famous Monsters of Filmland in 1963 when I was only ten years old, and I collected it for many years. As I grew older, I lost track of it and assumed that it had ceased publication, and I missed it, because I remembered how exciting it always was to get a new issue. I discovered in 2007 that it was still being published. I was delighted to find this out, and immediately ordered a subscription, some back issues and other merchandise. However, my delight soon turned into disappointment and disillusionment. Within a year, Famous Monsters’ online store Filmland Classics, operated by Connie Bean, cheated me out of about $200.00 worth of merchandise that I ordered, including some of the issues of my subscription. All of my correspondence to their “customer service” department was ignorned.
I am so glad that Ray Ferry and Connie Bean, whom I consider to be con-artists and liars, will no longer be associated with Famous Monsters of Filmland, but that the magazine will continue to exist under new management. Ray Ferry is now claiming on his website: “We have never intentionally taken a dime from a customer that we did not provide what they paid for.” This is a flat out lie. They ripped me off for $200.00. I don’t feel in the least bit sorry for them for all of the misfortune they have experienced. What goes around comes around. They deserve worse than what they’ve experienced. They should both be in jail for fraud.
Davina Anne Gabriel
Kansas City, Missouri