FANGO BONUS PAGES: The Weird History Of Stop-Motion Animation

We close out this week of Fango Bonus Pages with a connection that’s been staring us in the face for a hundred years, yet one I never pondered: that of stop-motion animation and the horror film. From King Kong (and before) to The Evil Dead (and beyond), stop-motion has been used in some of the absolute classics of the genre, though it has in recent years taken on a reputation as hokey or corny. But not to us; such hands-on filmmaking is maybe the purest kind there is, so we wanted to celebrate it in FANGORIA.

On top of all that, I love these kinds of history backroads, where a specific topic can weave itself through the whole of cinema’s history, and Max Booth III does an amazing job of laying out just how this particular technique has served and advanced the medium. It also happens to be a really fun read. (If you like Max’s stuff, I encourage you to check out his FANGORIA Presents novel, Carnivorous Lunar Activities, linked at the bottom of this page).

That’s a wrap on our week of Fango Bonus Pages! It’s been a blast bringing this stuff to the BMD audience, and I hope it’s moved you to come see what we’re doing on the printed page every quarter. Issue 4 hits subscribers in late June; comic/specialty shelves a couple weeks later. You can make sure you don’t miss it by subscribing, and BMD readers get 10% off with the code FANGORIABMD. See you soon! - Phil Nobile Jr.