I'm not going to sit here and lie, acting like I've personally, well rather "directly," been influenced by this man. He's a pillar to those who grew up alongside the horror genre, the lucky-as-hell folk who rode their bikes across statelines to catch midnight showings of
Night of the Living Dead at drive-ins (oh, how I envy thee). But I certainly, undoubtedly, wholeheartedly respect the ever-holy shit out of
Forrest J. Ackerman (1916-2008) and all that he did. I've seen those
Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine covers throughout my entire horror-loving life, and have many times wished I could get my mitts on the entire catalog. Being part of the younger horror faithful, I wasn't even a fetal thought in my momma's eye when Ackerman was running things, but I surely sit here, wondering what it would've been like to do a profile on the man during his heyday. Or, simply read his creation in its regular print rotation.
He's also credited with coining the term "sci-fi," which is pretty monumental in and of itself, huh?
So, this is my R.I.P. to a man whose work has indirectly, second-and-even-third-handedly inspired and motivated yours truly.....Mr. Forrest J. Ackerman.
Los Angeles Times' obit of the man....A hand-written eulogy for Ackerman, from Peter Jackson, director of your beloved Lord of the Rings trilogyGlenn Kenny's, a renowned film critic I have the utmost respect for, tribute, complete with a shot from 1935's Werewolf of London, a gem of a flick I had dubbed on VHS as a kid and viewed repeatedly....kinda cool to think I was on the same wavelength as Ackerman and his followers even when I was in grade school
"Special 300 page zombie issue," eh? I need that in my life. Right now.
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