Published: October 2013
It is unusual for me to look at an issue of a magazine in isolation, especially when it is a sci-fi magazine. However when that magazine is a “Special Space Vampire Edition” then perhaps it becomes a necessity.
Now if you go to the magazine's homepage you’ll discover (in the rather short about section) that “Space Monsters is the magazine of classic film and television science-fiction”, and whilst there are other articles in this issue it certainly lives up to being "the magazine" when it comes to alien vampire content – an all too overlooked part of the genre.
Horror staple Emily Booth (the Reverend) writes for the magazine and the first alien vampire article is her look at It! The Terror from Beyond Space.
Further articles cover Lifeforce, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: Space Vampire, the Thing From Another World, Vampirella, Queen of Blood, Not of this Earth (the 1957 version only), Planet of the Vampires (recognising, as I did, that it isn’t a vampire film), First Man Into Space and Horror of the Blood Monsters. Finally – and the one film/episode that I haven’t covered here – came Astro Zombies; looked at in the issue as it has an alternate title that mentions vampires but recognising that (like Planet of the Vampires) it isn’t actually a vampire film.
If you are a sci-fi fan then you owe it to yourself to look to start reading Space Monster magazine. If your niche is vampires then, at the very least, this issue is a must have. Details of how to purchase the magazine are available at the magazine's homepage. For the issue 9 out of 10.
4 comments:
It's a shame the Author wasn't aware of Vampires of Mars, another French Vampire novel made available for us by Brian Satbleford and BlackCoatPress
I also feel an Honorable Mention at least goes to H.G. Wells War of the Worlds, whose Alien are Vampiric in a sense.
There is also a 1933 short story called Shambelo (I think I misspelled that)
Hi Jared, to be fair the magazine covers the TV/film medium not literature.
I have covered an anthology that contains Shambleau here - though to be fair I don't mention that actual tale. I have also covered Vampires of Mars here.
I have never really thought of War od the Worlds as vampiric - please feel free to expand on that, I'd love to hear more of your thoughts.
If I remember correctly, the Aliens drain Human Blood and in someway use it in their attempted terraforming.
interesting, thanks Jared
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