Video Watchdog: An Encomium

It’s always difficult saying goodbye to an old friend. I recently received my copy of the “Farewell Issue” of Video Watchdog magazine. The indispensable “Perfectionist’s Guide to Fantastic Video” has been a part of my life ever since Tim and Donna Lucas began publishing it back in 1990. I remember discovering a copy at my local newsstand, flipping through it, and quickly snatching it up. A publication devoted to all those offbeat movie genres I loved, including sci-fi, horror, and fantasy, which not only took those films seriously, but also provided intelligent writing about them! I was instantly captivated, and in a sense, it was love at first sight. For the next 26 years, VW delighted, informed, amused, thrilled and intrigued me. The comprehensive features, articles and in-depth reviews taught me new things about the filmmakers I already loved, like Ray Harryhausen, Val Lewton and Mario Bava, and gave me fascinating insights regarding my beloved Universal horror films, the Roger Corman Poe cycle, Japanese kaiju movies and the James Bond series, to name a few. VW also encouraged me to check out movies by filmmakers I hadn’t yet discovered, including Jess Franco and Georges Franju. And VW guided me towards additional watching, reading (and listening) with their insightful book reviews, Douglas Winter's fabulous "Audio Watchdog" column, Ramsey Campbell's compelling "Ramsey's Rambles" and Larry Blamire's excellent "Star Turn."

Video Watchdog is quite simply, indispensable reading for film fans. Tim, Donna and their incredible roster of writers never ceased to astonish me with their perceptive and illuminating work. As time went on, and the publishing world changed due to the proliferation of the Internet, normal outlets for newspapers and magazines began to fall by the wayside. I changed from buying my copy of Video Watchdog at Barnes & Noble to becoming a loyal subscriber. The magazine continued to knock it out of the park with extraordinary pieces like the Dark Shadows roundtable in issue 169, an engrossing discussion of the classic Dan Curtis TV series (a personal favorite of mine) as well as an absorbing look at "Quentin Tarantino’s 50 Best Sequels" in issue 171. Basically, every issue and every article was essential reading for me. When Tim and Donna began publishing digital editions of VW, a marvelous magazine become even more magnificent, with added depth and features, and the invaluable ability to view issues of VW on electronic devices. But even those additional benefits couldn’t forestall the effect on traditional magazines the digital revolution had wrought. The publishing world had changed.

When Tim and Donna made their difficult decision to cease publication of Video Watchdog in 2016, I was heartbroken. I realized I would no longer be able to look forward to new issues arriving in my mailbox, and relish the remarkable writing I’d come to enjoy so much. VW has been a part of my life for so long that it was truly like losing a dear friend or family member. Not only did VW entertain and enchant me; it was one of the things that encouraged me to pursue my own writing, something I had long wanted to do. While I’m sad to lose VW, I will always be grateful for the many years of fine work and intelligent writing about the cinema of the fantastic that I’ve been able to savor in its pages. I’d also like to give a special shout out to Donna for her remarkable layouts and production on the magazine, and her awesome work in creating the digital editions of VW. If you’re already a fan of this superb publication, you don’t need me to tell you how incredible it is. If you haven’t checked out Video Watchdog, please head over to their website at http://www.videowatchdog.com, where you can purchase back issues and digitial editions, and check out Tim’s blog. I want to sincerely thank Tim, Donna and everyone who was a part of Video Watchdog over the years for all the joy you’ve given me, and I wish you all the best of luck with your future endeavors.