Castle of Frankenstein was a fantasy film magazine, distributed by Kable News and published in New Jersey from 1962 to 1975 by Calvin Thomas Beck's Gothic Castle Publishing Company. The first three issues were edited by Larry Ivie and Ken Beale. From 1963 and into the early 1970s, the magazine was edited by the writer-artist Bhob Stewart. Although promoted and sold as a "monster magazine," the readers were aware that Castle of Frankenstein, at the time, was the only nationally distributed magazine devoted to a legitimate and serious coverage of B movies.

Calvin Beck entered the monster magazine arena in 1959 with the one-shot, Journal of Frankenstein, which had only a small circulation. As an experiment, Beck printed part of the run on slick paper. After a hiatus and a title change, Beck returned with the debut issue of Castle of Frankenstein in 1962. In addition to the central focus on classic and current horror films, Castle of Frankenstein also devoted pages to fanzine reviews, book reviews and fantasy art, including work by Wally Wood and Weird Tales illustrators Hannes Bok and Matt Fox. Wallace Wally Wood (June 17, 1927–November 2, 1981), best known for his work in EC Comics and Mad magazine, was an imaginative writer-illustrator who freelanced to a wide variety of markets. ...

Inspired by the ratings and reviews of films in Cahiers du Cinema, Stewart introduced a similar rating system with the "Comic Book Council," the first critical coverage of comic books to appear in a national magazine. Commentary and ratings of underground comics were juxtaposed with reviews of mainstream comics. Another key feature was the "Frankenstein Movieguide," an attempt to document all fantastic films seen on television with short "mini-reviews" written by Joe Dante and Stewart. Joe Dante (born November 28, 1946 in Morristown , New Jersey) is an American film director and producer, who is noted for his vision in twisted humor. ...

Color photos were used on the covers of issues 8 through 14. The other issues displayed cover paintings by Robert Adragna, Marcus Boas, Frank Brunner, Maelo Cintron, Larry Ivie, Russ Jones, Ken Kelly, Los Angeles painter Bill Maher and Lee Wanagiel. Interior art included graphic stories by Brunner, Bernie Wrightson and the team of Marv Wolfman and Len Wein, plus the first published comics page by Marvel artist-writer-editor Larry Hama. American comic book artist, particularly known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1970s. ... Swamp Thing, created by Bernie Wrightson. ... Marv Wolfman is an American comic book writer. ... Len Wein (June 12, 1948 - ) is an American comic book writer and editor. ... Larry Hama Larry Hama (June 7, 1949 - ) is a Japanese American writer, artist, and musician who has worked in the entertainment industry since the 1970s. ...

Castle of Frankenstein also carried an original comic strip, Baron von Bungle, by Richard Bojarski, which gave a humorous twist to the world depicted in Universal horror films. The magazine had a run of 25 issues, plus one annual (the 1967 "Fearbook"), and the final issue was published in 1975. The title was revived in 1999 by publisher Dennis Druktenis. Beck cancelled his magazine not because of poor sales but because he wanted to devote his energy to writing books.

Beck's paperback anthology, The Frankenstein Reader (Ballantine Books, 1962) included stories by E.F. Benson, Ambrose Bierce, Robert W. Chambers, Ralph Adams Cram, Charles Dickens, Amelia B. Edwards, Katharine Fullerton Gerould, Richard Middleton, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, Robert Louis Stevenson and H.G. Wells. Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (born June 24, 1842, Meigs County, Ohio, USA – date of death uncertain, possibly December 1913 or early 1914, presumably in Mexico) was an American satirist, and critic, short story writer, editor and journalist. ... Charles Dickens used his rich imagination, sense of humour and detailed memories, particularly of his childhood, to enliven his fiction. ...

In 1975, Beck wrote Heroes of the Horrors (Macmillan), illustrated biographies of the six leading horror film stars (Lon Chaney, Sr., Lon Chaney, Jr., Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi, Vincent Price). The book reworked much information previously unearthed for Castle of Frankenstein articles. Bhob Stewart and Beck then collaborated on a companion book, Scream Queens: Heroines of the Horrors (Macmillan, 1978), illustrated biographical profiles of 29 fantasy film actresses and directors. The book included one article by the actor Barry Brown, plus research by Drew Simels, author of the TV movie entries in early editions of Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide series. With articles on Alice Guy-Blache, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Veronica Lake, Elsa Lanchester, Agnes Moorehead, Mary Philbin, Barbara Steele, Vampira, Fay Wray and others, Scream Queens: Heroines of the Horrors also incorporated much material from the Castle of Frankenstein files of manuscripts and still photographs. Lon Chaney in The Phantom of the Opera Lon Chaney, Sr. ... Bela Lugosi as Dracula United States stamp Béla Lugosi was the stage name of actor Béla Ferenc DezsÅ‘ Blaskó (October 20, 1882–August 16, 1956). ... Leonard Maltin (born December 18, 1950 in New York City) is a well-known and influential American film critic. ... (Redirected from Alice Guy Blach ) Alice Guy-Blach (July 1, 1873–March 24, 1968) was a pioneer filmmaker who was the first female director in the motion picture industry and is considered to be the first ever director of a fiction film. ... This article is about Bette Davis the actress; there is also singer named Betty Davis. ... Elsa Lanchester and Boris Karloff in The Bride of Frankenstein Elsa Lanchester (October 28, 1902–December 26, 1986), was a British-born American character actress, perhaps best-known as the long-suffering wife of Charles Laughton. ... Actress Maila Nurmi (born December 21, 1921) portrayed Vampira in many shows, and starred in Ed Woods Plan 9 From Outer Space. ... Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian-American actress, who was born Vina Fay Wray on a ranch near Cardston, Alberta, Canada. ...

External link

• Castle of Frankenstein Cover Gallery