A New Haunt Magazine Has Arrived!
Top Haunts is an annually published magazine that hit the the proverbial shelves last month. After reading reviews left on the Top Haunts Facebook page, I had to get my hands on a copy. Contacting the company was a breeze, as was payment and shipping to my home.
What can you expect from this publication?
After receiving my copy I was instantly drawn to the glossy cover as well as the weight of the magazine. I would venture to guess that this thing weighs as much as three to four issues of Sports Illustrated or any similar paperback magazine. "Why?" because it is simply overflowing with glossy, full-page, high-quality, color photos. Only 21 of the 79 pages contain any text whatsoever, leaving the reader with a coffee table quality album.
You can expect a huge bonus—no ads! Yes, not a single ad is to be found in this magazine, which for some, can be worth its weight in gold. Personally, I don't mind ads if they are sparse but there are those that do.
In addition, Top Haunts delivers interviews with each featured artist and haunt owner. For artists, the interviews consist of how they got started in the industry, the process of creating their masterpieces, as well as featuring where their work can be found—i.e. film, TV, etc. For haunt owners, you learn how they got their start in the industry, a description of their haunt(s), the history of the haunt location(s), what makes their haunt(s) different from the others, and what inspires them.
Featured artists include the amazingly talented Kazuhiro Tsuji and mask makers extraordinaire from Immortal Masks, but the main attraction is of the haunted variety and includes:
What this publication is not
Top haunts does not focus on insider information, tips, or how-tos. You will certainly find inspiration from the detailed photos of sets, characters, and products but in-depth information is not the focus of this magazine.
My thoughts
I was surprised to learn that Top Haunts is published in the beautiful state of Hawaii. I am reminded that our island kindred are as passionate about Halloween as we are and that Halloween is a national phenomenon, quickly going global. One of the featured haunts, "Haunted Plantation", is even located in Hawaii.
I enjoyed reading through the articles but the "eye candy" was the most fulfilling. My favorite photo features The Collector from Netherworld, sitting on his ghoulish throne (the same photo is featured here). The 13th Gate and Netherworld are near and dear to my heart and those amazing photos only made me want to revisit them even more. Of course I could not help but long to see other featured haunts that I have not had the opportunity to attend.
I would dare call this magazine a publication for haunt collectors. If you want a magazine full of photos that may bring back memories of haunts you have visited, as it did for me, drives you to visit the best haunts in the country, or simply puts you in the Halloween and haunted attraction mood then you'll find yourself picking up your copy of Top Haunts over and over again.
Top Haunts retails at $15 per copy and I feel it was well worth the price. If you would like to purchase a copy just send them an email at tophaunts@hotmail.com with your full name, shipping address, and quantity you'd like to purchase. They will then send you information on how to complete your purchase. At the time of this article my purchase was completed through PayPal but please visit their website or Facebook page to stay current on purchasing information.
I feel it necessary to note that the packaging of the magazine does not lend itself very well to handling by the postal service so you might inquire about the cost of a bubble envelope. My copy arrived gouged and bent in several places but very readable and enjoyable. When next year's issue comes out, I would indeed pay a few extra bucks to prevent damaging this attractive magazine.
A big thank you to Brian Foreman, one of the masterminds at haunTopic Radio, (the other mastermind being Mr. Darryl Plunkie of dEdmonton.com) and webmaster of scaryvisions.com for helping to promote this blog and for being my first follower. I'd also like to thank Ms. Howdy and Marrow for following along as well as all those who stop by to peruse my posts.
As always, please feel free to leave me a comment or suggestion on how to improve this blog below.
Video © 2012 Top Haunts
