Deep Red Magazine

Deep Red

Editor	Chas. Balun
Categories	Horror
Frequency	Quarterly
First issue	1986
Company	FantaCo Enterprises Inc. Blackest Heart Media
Country	United States
Language	English
Website	Official site

Deep Red is US film magazine specializing in the genres of horror, slasher, splatter and exploitation films. In a recent interview, it was revealed that the magazine does not take its name from the English title for the Dario Argento giallo Profondo Rosso.

Publication

A little known fact, Deep Red started life in 1986 as a 20-page fanzine co-founded by Chris Amouroux and Chas. Balun. This premiere issue (often referred to as Deep Red issue 0) had a one-time print run of 600 copies. The cover features the Stuart Gordon film Re-Animator.

Deep Red as it is known today began regular publication in 1987 under the banner of FantaCo Enterprises Inc. Issue no. 1 featured a December 1987 publishing date and the cover is adorned with a still from Lucio Fulci's The Beyond.

The magazine saw two re-launches via Blackest Heart Media. Volume 2 debuted in 1997, with Lucio Fulci's The Beyond again displayed on the cover. A 15th Anniversary issue appeared in the fall of 2002 featuring the graphic impalement from Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust on the cover.

Direction

Deep Red was intended as an alternative to competitors such as Fangoria and Famous Monsters of Filmland. The magazine mainly focuses on low-budget and foreign horror genre fare that saw minimal exposure in the more mainstream publications. In addition, the magazine highlights up and coming special effects artists.

The magazine became known for its irreverent, no holds barred style of criticism. Films were rated with a dual rating system of The Gore Score and Skull rating system. The Gore Score estimated the amount of gore in the film on a scale of 0 (Mary Poppins, Dumbo, Terms of Endearment) to 10 (Bloodsucking Freaks, The Evil Dead, The Gates of Hell). The Skull rating system assessed the film's overall quality from 4 skulls ("hard core horror") down to a dog ("bow-wow"), a rating that places a film in the "Video Dog House."