First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium

Update on the Digital Archive
11 days ago – Thu, Oct 15, 2026 at 02:19:51 PM

Hello backers,

We have read every comment on Update #25 and the project page. Right up front: We got this wrong, both in what we decided and in how we told you. Here is the whole picture and what we are going to do about it.

What actually happened

The Digital Archive was designed so that we could update it if necessary. A PDF, once it is on your drive, cannot be updated. FANGORIA is on its fifth owner in 47 years, and there is no master list of the 600-plus people who wrote for Volume 1. Finishing our conversations with past contributors took longer than we planned, and we wanted a window during which the archive could still be adjusted before it went out in a form that cannot be changed. The publishers made the call to hold off on the PDF downloads for that reason.

Announcing it in one sentence in the middle of a shipping update, two days before the archive opened to all backers, was a mistake. You should have heard it from us in its own update, with an explanation. We apologize for this.

What we are going to do

You will get the PDFs. Every backer whose pledge includes the Digital Archive will be able to download all issues of FANGORIA Volume 1 and GOREZONE as PDFs, by April 2027. This gives us an additional six months to work with the remaining writers. Our desire is to ensure nothing is excluded, but to also honor the wishes of past contributors.

The archive opens to everyone on Friday, October 16. On day one you will find all issues of FANGORIA and GOREZONE, readable page by page exactly as printed. Search functionality is live for issues 1-120 and is processing approximately 15-20 issues a day; the whole run will be searchable by end of October. We are telling you that now so this is not a surprise.

Offline reading before then. In the interim, we are going to explore whether a solution to offer offline reading is viable - on your phone, tablet or laptop, so a flight or a dead zone does not lock you out.

The eleven articles. In Update #22, we said no writer’s work had been left out. Between then and Update #25, one contributor asked that eleven articles across nine issues be held back, and we honored that. The conversation with that writer is ongoing, and those pages may be restored again.

Why the book PDF has never been in question. The Fangoria Compendium is a brand-new work with all newly commissioned articles. The PDF will be released on October 26 as promised. The digital archive carries the work of hundreds of past contributors, which is why we wanted a little more time to work with the writers during this window.

If you do not want to wait, we will refund you. If you backed the Digital Archive or the Digital Bundle, or added the archive to a book pledge, and are not on board with the above plan, email [email protected] with your backer number and the word REFUND. We will refund the archive portion of your pledge. No questions asked.

Thank you to all who came to us with your concerns, thanks for giving us an opportunity to make it right, and please be assured we’ll continue listening going forward.

Kickstarter Update: Shipping Is Almost Here + Get Ready to Login to the FANGORIA Digital Archive!
12 days ago – Wed, Oct 14, 2026 at 02:00:12 PM

Hello FANGORIA Backers!

First and foremost, we want to thank everyone for your continued support, enthusiasm, and patience as we get closer to delivering First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium and all the rewards that you helped bring to life.

We know you are eagerly awaiting your books, and we appreciate your understanding as we've worked through the final stages of production and logistics. We're excited to share some new updates, including news about shipping, locking addresses, and the long-awaited launch of the FANGORIA Digital Archive!

THE BOOKS AND REWARDS ARE ALMOST HERE!

We're happy to report that the books and other physical rewards have left the printer and are en route, as we speak, to our fulfillment center!

Once everything arrives, our fulfillment team will begin preparing and shipping orders to backers around the world. We currently anticipate that shipping will begin on October 26, 2026. Given the volume of orders, it will take us a few days to get everything into our systems and out to all of you, but orders will start being fulfilled ASAP.

We'll share additional updates as soon as the books and rewards arrive at our fulfillment center, and again when shipments officially begin. We're doing everything we can to make this final stage as smooth and efficient as possible so we can get these incredible books into your hands!

IMPORTANT: SHIPPING ADDRESSES LOCK THIS FRIDAY!

As a reminder, all shipping addresses will be locked in BackerKit this coming Friday, October 16 at 5pm PT.

If you need to make any changes to your shipping address, please log in to BackerKit and update your information now, before that deadline passes.

Once addresses are locked, we will no longer be able to accommodate changes.

We need this time to finalize and organize thousands of individual orders, prepare shipping labels, and coordinate everything with our fulfillment partner. Completing this work in advance will allow us to hit the ground running as soon as the books and other rewards arrive.

When you can, please also take a moment to double-check your address on BackerKit by going to the link below and inputting the email used on the Kickstarter account that originally backed The FANGORIA Compendium project. Even if you don't believe anything has changed. We want to make sure your rewards reach you without unnecessary delays!

Link:  fangoria.backerkit.com

If you need any assistance please contact us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help you further.

THE FANGORIA DIGITAL ARCHIVE OPENS THIS WEEK!

We have another exciting announcement to share!

After a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes, the FANGORIA Digital Archive is almost ready to open its doors!

This interactive digital archive brings together all 344 issues of FANGORIA Volume 1, spanning more than 30 years of magazine coverage and providing backers with tens of thousands of pages of content on horror films, filmmakers, special effects, and other people and projects that helped shape the genre.

The archive offers a unique opportunity to explore the history of FANGORIA, and horror cinema itself, in a whole new way.

Because we've built this platform from the ground up, we want to make sure the experience is everything our backers deserve before opening it up to everyone.

Here's our plan:

Wednesday, October 14: We'll randomly select a group of backers to receive early access invitations. This will give us an opportunity to test the platform with real users, evaluate performance, and make sure everything is working as intended.

Friday, October 16: Assuming everything goes smoothly, our goal is to open the FANGORIA Digital Archive to all eligible backers!

Of course, with any new project, there's always the possibility that we'll encounter an unexpected issue that needs additional attention. If that happens, we'll take the time necessary to address it before expanding access and will, of course, keep you updated on our plans and what is going on.

We especially appreciate your patience with the digital archive. It was very important to us to personally address the concerns of FANGORIA writers who reached out about the archive, and we wanted to take the time to handle every message thoughtfully and to everyone's satisfaction. We feel confident we've done that, and the end result is that a very few (11 out of 6,000+) articles have been redacted from the digital archive per one writer’s request. We also regret to say that the archives are not available as downloadable PDFs. We're sorry for that change from the original plan for the archive, but in the end, it was too important to us to honor the wishes of the FANGORIA alum who helped build the magazine into what it is today. If you have any questions or concerns on this matter, please feel free to email us at [email protected].

That said, we're feeling very good about this timeline and couldn't be more excited to finally share what we've been building.

THE FANGORIA COMPENDIUM DIGITAL EDITION

Our plan is to make access available to those who signed up for the digital edition of First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium on October 26. If your pledge entitles you to receive a digital copy of the book, then your Digital Archive code will unlock it on that date and you will be able to access it within the Digital Archive reader. The book will also be available for download as a PDF from the Digital Archive on that date. 

ONE FINAL THANK YOU!

As we approach the finish line, we want to once again express our sincere gratitude to everyone who helped make First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium possible.

We recognize that getting everything completed and delivered has taken a little longer than we originally anticipated, and we sincerely apologize for the additional wait. We know how much this project means to so many of you, and we appreciate the patience and understanding you've shown throughout the process.

Our goal from the beginning has been to create something that celebrates the extraordinary legacy of FANGORIA and horror as a whole, and we're incredibly proud of what we've been able to accomplish with your support.

With the Digital Archive about to launch and the physical rewards nearly ready to ship, we're finally approaching the moment we've all been waiting for.

Thank you again for believing in this project, for helping us celebrate FANGORIA's remarkable history, and for sticking with us along the way.

We can't wait for you to see these books!

The FANGORIA Compendium Team
 

Quick Update on The FANGORIA Compendium + Digital Archive
26 days ago – Wed, Sep 30, 2026 at 08:59:52 AM

A frame from one of the many production videos we got from the printer this week! We’ll be sharing those in our next update - they’re exciting.

Hi to our backers! We have such sights to show you: production videos, vault finds, detailed shipping information and our robust Volume 1 digital archive. We’re just sewing up a few small logistical details and will be able to give definitive information on all of the above and more in another few days. 

However, we didn’t want another deadline to come and go without your hearing from us. The digital archive is 60% uploaded (213 issues and counting out of the total 344), and we’re in the final stages of quality control. We’re sorry to once again have to ask for your patience, but we’re close enough to the finish line that we really want to get these last few steps right.

Every person at FANGORIA is 100% committed to completing this campaign to your satisfaction as soon as possible. No guff: we’re almost there, and we won’t rest until we are. Fulfillment delays stink, and please know that we hear and share your frustration. Still, we’re confident once these books (and other rad perks and rewards) are in your hands, you’ll believe in the promise we made to you at the beginning of this campaign. That promise means something to us, and we’ll continue to do everything in our power to see it through.

Thank you for hanging in with us for this last stretch.

Best,

Meredith Borders

Editor, First In Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium

Senior Editor, FANGORIA Magazine

Sneak Peek: Inside The Pages Of First In Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium!
about 1 month ago – Mon, Sep 21, 2026 at 03:00:12 PM

Team FANGORIA is back from Los Angeles for the VIP Backer party celebrating First In Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium! We’re so enormously grateful to our VIP Backers for the mind-blowing support, and I’m personally thrilled to have gotten to meet so many of you and sign your books. You’re a fun crew!

While the larger shipment of books and surrounding perks is being packaged at the printer in time to begin being mailed out on October 14, and while we’re putting the final touches on the digital archive for its October 1 release date, we had a small lot of books printed in advance of this party. We can’t thank every single one of our backers enough for your patience regarding this campaign, and we’re as eager as you are to get the Compendium into your hands, because we genuinely believe you’ll be thrilled with the result. In the meantime, we thought we’d give you a look inside these pages. 

Lefthand side: Every issue of the magazine to date was recapped by a FANGORIA editor (Tony Timpone, Michael Gingold, Chris Alexander, Phil Nobile Jr. and/or myself), discussing making-of anecdotes, favorite features, films announced but never made, and much more.

Righthand side: Longtime Fango contributor Tim Ferrante opened his wealth of personal archives to us, sharing assignment sheets, layout boards, behind-the-scenes photos and other goodies. This is just one of many pages dedicated to the Tim Ferrante Files, one of my favorite parts of the book.

Lefthand side: We have quotes, memories, photos and factoids from some of the biggest names in horror and beyond throughout nearly every page of this book. Here, along with quotes from the other monster kids, director Corin Hardy shares his personal pics of juvenile FX mayhem and his hand-drawn The Blob sequel comic.

Righthand side: We honor the work of so many practical effects artists in these pages, like this beautiful tribute to Screaming Mad George written by our own Kimberly Leszak. 

Lefthand side: The great Doug Bradley shares a story of how FANGORIA’s Weekend of Horrors convention occasioned his very first visit to the United States (and many thereafter).

Righthand side: Did you know that Peter Jackson, Sean Baker, Don Coscarelli, Stephen King, Sam Raimi and Christopher Lee all wrote into Fango’s Postal Zone over the years? 

We sent SVP of Editorial Phil Nobile Jr., Community and Content Manager Kimberly Leszak, and Creative Director Jason Kauzlarich deep into FANGORIA’s physical vault to capture slides, photos, press kits and more to help illustrate the words of folks like Ernest Dickerson, John Harrison, Greg Nicotero, and Joe Bob Briggs.

And we have oral histories, BTS trivia, and never-before-seen photos from the making of the mag, Weekend of Horrors conventions, and the Chainsaw Awards, all the way from Volume 1, Issue 1 to Volume 2, Issue 32. 

–

There is so, so much more in these pages. It’s truly a compendium, a thorough and expansive journey through the building and sustaining of a half-century-old brand that means the world to every human who contributed to this book. And as with everything FANGORIA makes, only humans contributed, so we thank you again for bearing with us. Robots might’ve gotten it done faster, but I suspect a robot might lose some of the personal touch we were so proud to provide here:

More soon (we promise), 

Meredith Borders

Editor: First In Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium

The FANGORIA Compendium Production & Shipping Update
about 2 months ago – Mon, Sep 07, 2026 at 01:26:30 PM

First and foremost, we feel obligated to once again thank everyone who backed the FANGORIA Compendium. 

We know everyone is anxious to get the finished book and rewards into your hands, so we wanted to give you a detailed update on where everything stands, and most importantly, what happens next.

The good news is that we're getting very close.

THE BOOKS ARE NEARLY COMPLETE

Thank you for your incredible patience as we complete The FANGORIA Compendium. The books are printed! There was, however, an issue with the process of gilding the page edges that caused a delay. Our printer assures us that this issue has been resolved and the final step in the process after gilding the pages, the book binding, will be completed in two weeks. A small batch of advance copies has been air-freighted for this Saturday's launch event in Los Angeles, so if you see photos of finished books this weekend, those are the first ones off the line.

Here is the exact timeline for when your rewards will move through fulfillment and arrive at your door:

Digital Archive Accessible: October 1

Shipment of Physical Rewards to Fulfillment Center Complete: October 9

Begin Shipping Physical Rewards to Backers: October 14

Distribution of the Digital Edition of The FANGORIA Compendium: October 14

Backers Start Receiving Rewards: October 19

Below are important details regarding U.S. split shipments, tracking info, and a look inside the remastered digital archive.

OTHER REWARDS

We can also report that the pins, posters, issue 1 reprint, and other physical rewards have been completed and are being prepared for shipment to our fulfillment center as well. From there everything will soon be making its way to you. Once all the components arrive, the fulfillment team will begin preparing the packages to get them ready to ship to you.

A NOTE ABOUT U.S. SHIPPING

We want to also explain something about shipping so that nobody is surprised when packages begin arriving.

For our backers in the United States, the books and other qualifying printed materials will be shipped using USPS Media Mail. This method is specifically created to deliver things like books and magazines, but Media Mail has specific restrictions regarding what can be included in each package.

Some of the additional collectibles included with certain reward tiers, such as the FANGORIA pins, do not qualify for Media Mail.

As a result, some U.S. backers will receive their rewards in two separate shipments: one containing the book and qualifying printed materials, and another containing the items that cannot be included in a Media Mail shipment. Both shipments will leave our fulfillment center around the same time so everything should be received at roughly the same time but do be aware that some items may arrive a bit before or after others.

So, if your first package arrives and something from your reward tier isn't inside, don't worry! It may simply be traveling separately.

For orders being shipped outside the United States, the rewards will be consolidated into a single shipment.

TRACKING YOUR ORDER

Once fulfillment begins, every backer will receive an email containing tracking information for their shipment, or shipments, where applicable.

That tracking information will allow you to follow your package from the time it leaves our fulfillment center in California all the way until it reaches your door.

For U.S. backers receiving two packages, you will receive the appropriate tracking information for each shipment.

Again, we currently anticipate that shipments to backers will begin on or around October 19 and this tracking email will go out once the package(s) leave the fulfillment center.

THE FANGORIA DIGITAL ARCHIVE

While physical rewards move toward fulfillment, we’re putting the finishing touches on the FANGORIA Digital Archive. Spanning over 25,000 pages across 40+ years of Volume 1, this massive repository has been comprehensively restored for modern digital viewing.

Backers will receive access to the Digital Archive via a code that will be included in your BackerKit profile. We’ll be sending you a direct email with additional information on how to unlock your account at that time. In the meantime, we're excited to give you a first look with side-by-side comparisons showcasing how you can toggle seamlessly between original magazine scans and fully remastered, high-resolution pages.

Through this process, we’ve had the pleasure of reconnecting with many writers who contributed to FANGORIA over the years and helped shape its legacy. As part of assembling four decades of publication history, a handful of writers have expressed concerns about their work being included in the Digital Archive and we have reached a satisfactory agreement with most contributors that expressed a concern. We have been willing to omit the works of any writer that has asked for it to be removed. However, thus far, there have been no writers whose work has been omitted from the Digital Archive. We remain deeply grateful to every writer who has helped build FANGORIA into what it is today.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE

Finally, we want to acknowledge something directly.

We know that we've slipped on the timing we originally projected for this project, and we're sorry for the additional wait.

Our goal from the beginning has been to create something worthy of FANGORIA's extraordinary history and to guarantee that the book, archive and collection of rewards will be items that fans are proud to own and that celebrate the magazine in a way that is worthy of FANGORIA.

Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your understanding. And, most importantly, thank you for backing the FANGORIA Compendium and helping us make this project a reality.

We can't wait for you to finally see everything we've been working on.