SGM Issue Five features the 84th edition pf "Suburban Grindhouse Memories", a look at films celebrating their 50th anniversaries, The Resurrection of Frank by Jamie Chimino, Interview with NYC horror film host Horror Boobs, Loads of film, disc, book, and zine reviews. Cover by Dave K. Grab your copy here: SGM Issue Five
WRETCH by Eric LaRocca (to be released 3/24/26 by Saga Press / 288 pages)
Depressed and grieving over the death of his husband, Simeon begins attending meetings with an unusual support group. The group doesn’t accept him, but one member points him in the direction of a mysterious figure known as Porcelain Khaw. It seems Khaw has the ability to let people spend one last time with their deceased partner, and of course there is a price to pay.
As Simeon attempts to get additional meetings with Khaw, he is interrupted by his ex-wife, who continually tries to get him to spend time with their son. Despite their divorce, she’s still there for him when he needs her, even as his life goes on a haunting, downward spiral.
This is yet another dark study of grief, suffering, and loss, which ends with a clever twist and a terrifying personal transformation. LaRocca continues to deliver some of the best horror in the business, always managing to dig under the reader’s skin while taking them to some truly dark and disturbing places.
CATHEDRAL OF THE DROWNED by Nathan Ballingrud (to be released 10/21/25 by Tor Nightfire / 144 pages)
This second novella in Ballingrud’s Lunar Gothic Trilogy picks up right after the bizarre events of CRYPT OF THE MOON SPIDER, as Dr. Cull joins forces with a brutal woman gangster named Maggie. She brings some intense violence to this surreal take on monsters, the mob, and the strangest substance in the universe.
Taking place between one of Jupiter’s moons, Earth’s moon, and Brooklyn in the early 1920s, we follow characters from the first novella albeit in altered forms, which adds to the series’ overall weirdness. Charlie/Grub’s dual personality is highlighted, which comes to a head in the thrilling, brilliantly written (and lengthy) sixth chapter. The Irish vs. Sicilian mob story briefly pulls readers back into reality, but things here are never fully what they seem.
There are a lot of things happening here, so new comers are urged to read the first installment before venturing into this trippy, grotesque, multi-genre series. The finale here is as horrifying as it gets, yet oddly beautiful, and the descriptions of alien-like creatures will fuel nightmares.
The final chapter can’t get here fast enough.
COCKFIGHT: A FABLE OF FAILURE by Kier-La Janisse (2025 Fab Press / 296 pages)
For her latest deep dive into cinematic obscurity, Janisse (HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN) not only spent time with director Monte Hellman, but also several years attending a brutal (now illegal) sport in person, bringing COCKFIGHT: A FABLE OF FAILURE to a whole new level of monographic ingenuity.
After an early 2000s viewing, COCKFIGHTER (1974) sunk its spurs into the author and set her on a mission to dissect this controversial and (initially) poorly received film (the director himself is not even a fan). Before I finished reading the first chapter, a look at the 1962 novel by Charles Willeford which the film is based on, I was inspired to get a copy. After scoring a 1974 movie tie-in edition, I went back into COCKFIGHT and was continually amazed at the level of research and exposition on display in each chapter. From personal experiences to the strangest mined-nugget of detail, Janisse leaves nothing unturned in her quest to bring not only the film, but the meaning of the sport itself into understanding.
With a great look at star Warren Oates as well as the women of the film, an interview with the legendary Roger Corman (and others from the cast and crew), details about its release, premiere, and legacy, COCKFIGHT once again displays Janisse’s skill in creating interest (and importance) around a film most may have never heard of. You get the feeling this book doubles as the author’s own sparring match with the reader in getting them to want to watch (or reassess) this now cult-status 70s gem. I know I’ll be revisiting the film as soon as I finish Willeford’s novel.
Fab Press has presented this work in its second edition (the first was a limited run in 2024 from the author’s own press) on high quality glossy paper, full of eye-catching graphics (my only gripe are the footnotes, which are so small I’ll bet those with perfect vision will need to squint). Even if you’ve never seen (or heard of) COCKFIGHTER, this book is must reading for those interested in film commentary of the highest order.
(Available from FAB PRESS now and on Amazon July, 2025)
WATCHING EVIL DEAD: UNEARTHING THE RADIANT ARTIST WITHIN by Josh Malerman (to be released 9/16/25 by Del Rey / 224 pages)
I’ve only read one novel by Malerman (INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE), and as a horror fiction fan for close to 50 years, it was one of the few horror novels that managed to scare me. I became an instant fan, and when I heard he had a non fiction book coming dedicated to Sam Raimi’s EVIL DEAD, I was all in.
When Malerman discovered his girlfriend had never seen EVIL DEAD, he went on a mission to share it with her. This book is an account of the night they watched the film with another couple, as Josh gives us a history of his life on the road as a musician who had always found time to write. After finally selling his debut novel BIRD BOX, Malerman faced the fears all artists face, and his chronicles of it here are at times funny, often deeply heartfelt, and ultimately, ridiculously inspiring. This also doubles as one man’s love letter to his fiancé, who (thankfully) ended up being an EVIL DEAD fan, too.
WATCHING EVIL DEAD is a quick, fun time. During the book, the author asks, a few times, “What were people thinking watching this when first released?” I’ll tell you: we were *enthralled.* I’m betting most readers of this book will be, too.
The 4th issue of SUBURBAN GRINDHOUSE MAGAZINE is out now, full of contributions from your favorite new and classic film commentators, plus loads of surprises. Grab a copy here: SG4
Also available at FORBIDDEN PLANET in NYC…