The Dark Side Magazine ((hot)) Site

This aesthetic is intentional. It mirrors the films it covers: the scratching of celluloid, the grain of 16mm film, the decaying sets of Lucio Fulci’s Zombie .

Launched in the early 1990s by Creative Imaging, Ltd., the magazine was initially edited by Allan Bryce. It arrived with a mandate to ignore the polite sensibilities of the mainstream. Its covers were lurid, often featuring images that seemed designed to provoke the very moralists who sought to ban such imagery. Inside, the tone was unapologetic. This was a magazine written by fans, for fans, but with a critical sharpness that elevated it above mere fanzine status. the dark side magazine

To understand the significance of The Dark Side , one must understand the landscape of British media in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The UK was in the grip of the "Video Nasty" panic. Moral crusaders and tabloid newspapers had whipped the country into a frenzy, convinced that horror movies were corrupting the youth and causing societal decay. The Video Recordings Act 1984 had forced distributors to cut films to ribbons, and many titles were outright banned. This aesthetic is intentional

They spoke to the masters of the past, like Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, treating their legacy with the reverence it deserved. But It arrived with a mandate to ignore the

In the 1990s, access to filmmakers was difficult. There were no Twitter Q&As or Reddit AMAs. Getting an interview with a director required legwork, phone calls, and connections. The Dark Side excelled here, consistently landing exclusive interviews with the titans of terror.

Key regular features that readers have cherished for years include:

The Dark Side is not merely about reviewing the latest jump-scares. It treats horror as a serious, yet passionately enjoyed, art form. Issue 230: Squirming in Terror! - The Dark Side