Famous Monsters of Filmland #16

History

Published in March 1962 by Warren Publishing under editor Forrest J Ackerman, issue #16 arrived during the early peak years of the magazine, when FM was publishing on an erratic schedule ranging from quarterly to nine times a year. The magazine had been conceived by publisher James Warren as a one-shot in late 1957 and shaped into a recurring publication by Ackerman, whose encyclopedic knowledge of genre film and pun-heavy editorial voice defined every issue. By early 1962 FM was firmly established as the central organ of American monster-movie fandom, and commissioning an essay from Robert Bloch — a celebrated horror writer and Ackerman's peer in the genre community — reflected the ambition to occasionally publish criticism alongside its photo spreads.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Published March 1962 by Warren Publishing; issue #16 in the series that ran from February 1958 to 1983.
• Features part one of 'The Clown at Midnight,' a horror-criticism essay by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho — one of the most praised pieces in the magazine's early run.
• Includes 'The Man Who Lost His Face,' a feature by makeup artist Dick Smith, spotlighting the craft of film monster creation.
• Cover is a painted portrait of Lon Chaney, executed by Basil Gogos, the artist most associated with the magazine's iconic cover style.
• Contains an AIP (American International Pictures) contest, reflecting FM's close relationship with the low-budget horror studios of the era.
• One MyComicShop index entry attributes the debut of Ackerman's 'Inside Darkest Acula' recurring column to this issue, though this claim does not appear consistently across all source entries for #16.
• Edited by Forrest J Ackerman, who served as editor and principal writer throughout the magazine's Warren-era run.
• A reader letter published in FM #20 (1962) singles out 'Clown at Midnight' from #16 as 'superb,' confirming the essay's strong contemporary reception.

Key issues in Famous Monsters of Filmland