When 'Unrated' issue one arrived here I must admit that I had never heard of the bulk of movies and filmmakers that are contained within. Now admittedly that some casual buyers perhaps would scan the cover of such a publication and give it a miss due to exactly this reason but that would be a regrettable loss on their side. What in fact makes 'Unrated' magazine so special is the fact that it does take the very daring option of standing proud and championing the more diverse film makers out there, covering the movies that you'll never see screening at your local multiplex cinema.
Are you one of those folk that John McNaughton's 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' was the last word on the Henry Lee Lucas story? Then think again and discover the delights of Mark Blair's 'Confessions of a Serial Killer' which is covered here in detail. Do you like the idea of having movies un-nerving and challenging your viewing boundaries? Then there's some excellent coverage here for cutting edge gems as 'Clean Shaven', 'Chasing Sleep' and 'Gringo' (aka 'Story of a Junkie'). Schizophrenics, junkies, monster babies - you should be getting the idea where we're heading here? The bizarre, dysfunctional and extreme are the order of the day here and perhaps they don't come any more extreme than the films of one Joe Christ who chats about his 8mm twisted shorts and his plans for the future (of which hopefully will be a DVD collection of his work).
Although I did mention that the majority of the film makers included here won't be familiar to most readers there are some familiar titles that should ring a bell, the work of 'Fantasia' faves Mitch Davis and Karim Hussain's Infliction Films are covered in detail adding to the frustration that no one yet has picked up both 'Divided into Zero' and 'Subconscious Cruelty' for unrated/uncut DVD releases? 'Boy Meets Girl' is also covered here with director Ray Brady discussing the understandable frustration of the films handling by the BBFC with a fascinating breakdown of the diary of the films eight year battle to get a uncut home video release.
Another familiar name adding to the contributions here is old school genre critic Kim Newman who delivers amusingly (and very refreshing) reviews of both Something Weird's 'Black Cat' double feature DVD and Jess Franco's 'Lust for Frankenstein' - any reviewer that opens with "Jesus Franco hasn't made a film worth watching for thirty years, and certainly isn't about to start now" deserves to be applauded though I must admit after reading Newman's comments I actually do want to see this movie! Go figure?
'Unrated' magazine is not only a gorgeous glossy high end genre magazine but is a refreshingly original one with an admirable stance towards new diverse film makers. Admittedly the cover price of £5.95 (but only £4.95 direct from their website) may seem somewhat steep but this is perfect reading for folk that want to get the inside step of what the real underground horror scene is all about. Forget all those trashy harmless mainstream multiplex horrors, rediscover what the title 'horror movie' is actually all about. Sterling work by editor/writer Carl T Ford and hopefully this will be the beginning of a long running publication - do your part by picking up a copy now!
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