Magazine Review: The Dark Side – Issue 162

The Dark Side
Issue 162
Editor: Allan Bryce
Ghoulish Publishing

Ahh, the delights of the Dark Side hitting UK shelves every two months continue, and once again the question must be raised as to why it isn’t monthly. Mind you, having to wait for new issues generates excitement rather than impatience, and harkens back to an era when you could be hyped up about a film for a long, long time before it hits screens and not have the whole thing spoiled by trailers, film sites and social media. In keeping with that idea,

The Dark Side continues to showcase a heck of a lot of retro material, but maybe after all of my complaints in the past that the magazine needs to include a few more recent movies, I think it’s sinking in as to exactly why the hunger for the retro features is so strong.

Without having to rely solely on news about newer films, The Dark Side offers material of a quality and depth which you really can’t find online. Issue 162 is a bonanza for diehard horror fans. Interviews include An American Werewolf In London/Poltergeist makeup maestro Craig Reardon, distributor Sam Sherman remembering Paul Naschy, exploitation guru Pee Walker, Lone Fleming and Jack Taylor.

There are features on Universal’s early Frankenstein movies, the genre releases of 1932 (as part of the ongoing ‘Year For Fear’ series of feature articles) and more. In addition, the Post Mortem letters pages are as entertaining as ever, and the regular reviews and columns are every bit as engrossing as we have come to expect from this fine magazine.

The Dark Side has figured out pretty much exactly what its audience wants and expects from each issue and continues to deliver the goods in big bloody spades. It still lacks a few things I think would make it perfect, such as a VHS curiosities column, but there’s always plenty to enjoy when you turn to The Dark Side.