First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium

Everything You Need to Know About the Upcoming Pledge Manager Survey
2 months ago – Fri, May 08, 2026 at 12:30:10 PM

Hello again to our wonderful community!

Today is the day: the campaign for First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium has come to an end. What an awe-inspiring ride this has been, and we can never say thank you enough to everyone who backed the project, shared it, or showed their support in any other way.

Now we move onto the next phase of the campaign – fulfilling the orders that have come in and making sure all of you get a chance to provide your input and, depending on your reward tier, add your name to the book! We have decided to partner with the folks over at BackerKit to handle our post-campaign pledge manager, which means that you’ll soon be getting an email that connects you to BackerKit. That’s where you will vote on certain things (like which FANGORIA magazine covers are in the top 100, selecting the most legendary characters in horror history, and deciding who deserves to be inducted into the Compendium’s Horror Hall of Fame), provide us with your mailing address so we know where to send your rewards, and give us a way to send download codes once digital items become available. In other words, the place where all the biggest Fango fans will be hanging out... when they’re not on Fangoria.com that is.

We’re preparing to send out our BackerKit survey beginning next week. If this is your first time backing a project on Kickstarter or using BackerKit for a campaign, we know you may need a little help in figuring out how this all works, and we wanted to be as clear as possible on what to expect and answer any questions you may have.

Let’s start with timing. As we said above, we plan to start sending out surveys next week, beginning on Wednesday, with a randomly assigned 5% of backers at each pledge level getting the first batch, per BackerKit policy. This "Smoke Test," as they call it, is to verify we have everything set up properly and, if there’s any kind of issue, it’s better to catch it when only a handful of people are responding, rather than trying to address problems with thousands of backers all at once!

After we’ve confirmed all is good with this first batch of backers, we’ll start sending out surveys to the remainder of you. 

If you don’t get the survey on Wednesday, please know that it is coming, and it’s coming soon. We’ll post a quick note here when the survey has gone out to everyone.

We’ve mentioned this a few times in previous updates, but just to reiterate: The BackerKit survey will automatically go to the email associated with the Kickstarter account you used to back the campaign – the same one where you should be receiving this update right now. If you haven’t received the survey by Monday, May 18th, when you (and we) expect you will, please leave a comment on the page or email us directly at [email protected] and we’ll investigate to make sure you get it. Please check your spam folder just in case.

As far as what is in the actual survey, you should find filling it out to be quite simple.

First, you’ll confirm your general location – your country and state or province, as necessary. Then, if applicable to your pledge tier, you’ll get a few short questions to answer based upon the tier you supported. This includes things like what name you’d like to appear in the book (plus a backup name if you’re worried about someone sharing your first choice), and a contact email if one is required for your rewards.

Next, if you purchased any add-ons through Kickstarter, you’ll see a list allowing you to confirm they look correct. On the next screen, you’ll have a chance to modify your order by including other add-ons that weren’t originally part of your initial pledge. Some of these will be familiar from the Kickstarter campaign, but you’ll also find a few surprises! We’ve added a few new rewards in response to backer feedback, too. There’s obviously no obligation to add on anything to your order, but you may find a few things that you simply can’t live without!

If your add-on selections require any additional information you’ll fill out a few more basic questions to provide those details.

Next, you’ll enter your shipping address. For those backers who may be moving between now and when the book delivers, don’t worry. You’ll be able to return to BackerKit and update your address (as well as other aspects of your order) until we lock everything closer to the ship date (and we’ll give you some advance notice before that happens).

As the final step, if you have any outstanding balance as a result of new add-ons, you’ll need to provide your credit card information to BackerKit. Please note, however, that you will not be charged until we collect funds, closer to shipping.

And if you don’t have any outstanding balance, all you need to do is click to confirm, and you’re all done!

We’re excited to start the BackerKit process with you and take this important next step in getting the book and rewards into your hands! Thanks again to all who have shown their enthusiasm for FANGORIA and the campaign – it is appreciated more than you can ever know!

All Good Things...
3 months ago – Fri, May 01, 2026 at 12:32:22 PM

Six months ago we announced First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium and gave fans the opportunity to help participate in a project designed to preserve the history of horror and celebrate FANGORIA magazine. Your response was overwhelming, lifting the book past its funding goal in just over an hour and eventually carrying the project all the way to #12 on Kickstarter’s list of most funded books on the platform. This couldn’t have happened without our backers, and your enthusiasm for what we set out to do was matched only by our excitement in getting to work on such an important project. We can’t say “thank you” enough, so allow us this chance to once again extend our gratitude to each and every person who has supported FANGORIA and this campaign. 

While Fango fans continue to find the project (more than 1,000 new backers in the last month!), we’ve decided it’s time to officially end new pledges so we can lock orders, launch our Pledge Manager (more on that below), and finish up all of the exciting rewards that you helped make a reality. 

May 8, 2026, will be the last day that new orders are accepted, and there will be no way to purchase a copy of the special Kickstarter edition of the book or receive any of the other rewards and stretch goals that have been unlocked. If you have considered supporting First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium, now is our “last call” to be a part of this special campaign.

Where We’re At, Where We’re Going

We’d like to give backers a quick recap on the book as well as all the amazing upgrades and special stretch goals you will receive, based on your reward tier, for supporting this project. We also have new updates on the final roster of composers for The Music of FANGORIA Album, additional details on FANGORIA Comics, and some early information on the Pledge Manager and when we’ll be setting that up so you can provide your vote on the special articles that are being included in the book.

Book Updates

We’ve been hard at work since the day this project funded to make sure that all of the rewards you’ll be receiving are the best they can be, starting, of course, with the Compendium book itself. We’re pleased to report that Meredith and her editorial and design teams are wrapping up pages at a quick clip. The sections we’ve seen so far are equally entertaining and informative, and dripping with the nostalgia of 40+ years of horror history that only FANGORIA could deliver. All is on track for the book to be uploaded to the printer on the scheduled date. 

All Stretch Goals Reached

Crossing the $1 million threshold in backer support not only affirmed how incredibly passionate FANGORIA fans are for all things horror, it also helped unlock a dozen special Stretch Goals that will make your book even better and allow us to deliver some extra goodies that we know you’ll love. Below you’ll find a list of the items that are now being produced for supporters of First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium who backed the project at the digital and physical tiers:

• Increased book size to 9” x 12” to provide even more content per page!
• Red ribbon to hold your place in the book
• 48 Additional Pages to celebrate the top horror films, characters, and a Horror Hall-of-Fame as nominated by the editors of FANGORIA and chosen by you, the backers.
• Crimson red metallic gilded pages on every book 

Additionally, physical backers will also receive the following items with their other rewards: 

• Physical bookmarks featuring 9 different FANGORIA covers
• Physical 15-month Calendar highlighted with selected FANGORIA covers and special dates to remember
• Physical edition of issue #0 of FANGORIA Comics 

Lastly, the following digital upgrades will go to all backers of both the physical and digital reward tiers:

• Access to the FANGORIA Vault with additional behind-the-scenes information, images and materials from the magazine and the projects it covered
• Access to 27 digital issues of GOREZONE, the FANGORIA companion magazine, via the Digital Archive 
• A digital download of The Music of FANGORIA album featuring original music from top horror composers created just for this campaign
• Access to a digital edition of issue #0 of FANGORIA Comics

The Final De-Composers

One of the highlights of the campaign was working with many talented composers responsible for soundtracks to some of the biggest and most beloved horror films of all time. Our final roster of “de-composers” includes:

• Harry Manfredini (Friday the 13th)
• Joseph LoDuca (Evil Dead)
• John Harrison (Creepshow)
• Richard Band (Puppet Master)
• Charles Bernstein (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
• John Massari (Killer Klowns from Outer Space)
• Brian Satterwhite (Cell)
• Christopher Cozzi (The Ties That Bind)
• Ignacio Rosado (the next generation)

We’re so excited to have these amazing talents contribute to our Magazine Soundtrack and the work they’ve delivered has been amazing. Also, those who were lucky enough to be in the first group of De-Composer Edition backers, as well as anyone who backed the Leather Edition of the book, will receive a copy of the Album signed by Harry Manfredini himself! 

FANGORIA Comics

We’re thrilled to announce Issue #0 of FANGORIA Comics. We partnered with Panick! Entertainment to create a brilliant, brand-new horror anthology comic with some of the biggest names in the biz. We’re announcing the rest of the contributors NEXT WEEK so be on the lookout for that, but we have already announced the amazing Tony Fleecs (Feral) as one of our anthology talents.

Pledge Manager Coming Soon

Longtime Kickstarter users know that once the campaign ends the next phase of the project is the Pledge Manager. This is where you will be able to provide us with important information like where to ship your physical rewards or vote on the bonus sections that will be included in the book. It’s also the way we’ll provide you with certain content like the codes you’ll need to access the Digital Archive when that goes live.

We will be sending you a more detailed introduction to how the Pledge Manager works and how your unique profile will be set up and how to access it in an update that you’ll receive on May 8th. We are currently targeting May 11th to activate the Pledge Manager and will be adding backers to the system throughout that week (just to make sure everything is running smoothly and everyone is getting onboarded without issue). We’ll have the details of how that will work and when, specifically, you’ll be added to the Pledge Manager in another update going out on May 8th so stay tuned.

That’s it for this update! Remember, if you or someone you know would still like to back First in Fright, the clock is ticking towards Noon PST on May 8th as the final chance to be a part of horror history and support The FANGORIA Compendium project on Kickstarter! Thanks again to everyone for their excitement and encouragement, and we’re looking forward to the next update.

FANGORIA Comics Anthology Confirmed, Featuring an Original Story by Tony Fleecs (STRAY DOGS, FERAL) and Other Horror Icons
4 months ago – Fri, Mar 27, 2026 at 10:30:49 AM

Final Stretch Goal Unlocked! Physical Backers to receive special Kickstarter exclusive variant of FANGORIA Comics Issue 0!

Thanks to all 10,000+ absolutely sensational backers that have supported the campaign for First In Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium, we have reached the ONE MILLION DOLLAR stretch goal. Just between us, if we're being totally candid here... this is bonkers?! We're overwhelmed, we're ecstatic, we're pretty much levitating, y'all. The FANGORIA readership is made up of the most first-rate fans in the entire world, and we will never stop counting our lucky stars to have your support. We'll never stop endeavoring to earn it, either.

We're laying out the book as we speak and we'll have some really fun spreads to show you soon. Everything is moving along right on schedule, and we think you're going to truly love the Compendium. We already love it ourselves. And we have so many more updates in store as we wrap up the campaign – be on the lookout for another newsy missive next week!

But today we want to talk about the first issue of the FANGORIA horror anthology comic that ALL backers will receive (physical or digital copy, depending on your tier level) now that we've reached this massive stretch goal. For the anthology, we're thrilled and honored to partner with PANICK Entertainment, one of the biggest names in genre comics! This Kickstarter exclusive issue will showcase five tales of terror by five giants in the industry. And for the very first artist we wanted to announce, we just knew it had to be Tony Fleecs, of Stray Dogs and Feral (which he calls “The Crazies with cats.”). I mean, one look at this brilliant Feral Fango riff, and the collaboration was a no-brainer. 

Tony will be joined by four other horror comic icons that we'll be announcing in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for that, and for plenty more information and exciting details about First In Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium. We're bubbling over here – lots more very, very soon.

A Sneak Peek Inside the FANGORIA Vault
5 months ago – Fri, Feb 13, 2026 at 05:13:39 PM

As the team continues to work towards the launch of the FANGORIA Compendium in July, we wanted to give backers a sneak peek at some of the work that's already underway. The following update comes with some behind-the-scenes treasures that the Fango team found during a recent dip into the Vault, including content that will be featured in the Compendium project when it drops later this year...

I imagine more of you would like a glimpse behind the scenes of the FANGORIA Compendium project. Assembling the book has far more moving parts than it might appear on the surface, and part of that is because Meredith Borders makes it looks so effortless, and the rest is because we’ve been too busy figuring out how to cover 47 years of the world’s greatest horror magazine in one book. It’s a daunting task that comes with lofty standards we are all committed to upholding, because we love the history of this beloved entity and we know you do, too.

I’m Kimberly Leszak, by the way. Many of our subscribers will recognize me as the brand’s community and content manager who moderates our private Discord and Facebook groups, but I also oversee our socials, serve as an assistant to our marketing director Sabrina Sieck, partner with Angel Melanson on our website strategy, and sometimes they even let me out on good behavior to write for the magazine. Our Editor-in-Chief Phil Nobile Jr. called me “the high priestess of horror” on my birthday post last year, and while Nobile is generous with a compliment to his friends (I mean, I just like saying it), I take it very seriously that my nerdy obsession with the genre is given any recognition at all.

That’s why I’m here to tell you about the Fango Vault – that legendary place where nearly 50 years of press kits, studio correspondences, and various candid set photos are tucked away for safe-keeping. Last month, our publishers let Phil, our Creative Director Jason Kauzlarich, and me loose inside the walls to find our readers the best of what the vault has to offer. I don’t think any of us anticipated the labor ahead of us, but we made the best of it – and we’re bringing it to you, not just for the Compendium, but for our socials, our newsletter The Terror Teletype, and for future magazine issues to come.

The vault currently resides in Atlanta, GA, but it’s gotten around. It once lived in Jersey City, meandered its way southwest to Dallas, TX, and now finally rests in Atlanta. It doesn’t just house FANGORIA history – STARLOG and GOREZONE live there, too. While the majority of the space is taken up by the massive back catalog of STARLOG and its extensive archives, FANGORIA’s relics are filed and indexed through 65 separate containers of press kits and other memorabilia. (Did you know boxes of media are extremely heavy? I do! Ask me how I know.) Jason, Phil, our publisher Abhi Goel, and I set out organizing, processing, and digitally archiving over 1000 titles across 65 boxes – after we safely set aside STARLOG in an accessible manner.

The one thing you know as a fan of the genre is that the lore will entice you. You’d get me into an unmarked van with a box that said “behind the scenes of Jack Hill’s Spider Baby” on it in Sharpie. The files of my favorite films called to me while I was hustling through the projects at hand. The Gate. Popcorn. Return of the Living Dead III. Near Dark. I didn’t have to suffer long as part of my job that week was to bring these things back to you as much as I could. You know that casino game where you stand in a booth full of fans and try to grab as many dollars as you can? That’s how it felt trying to figure out what to look at first. I wanted to give our Compendium backers a first look at the loot and give you a taste of where we’re going with the visual side of things.

Jason, Phil, and I spent nine days curating key spreads of the book as well as pulling some rare, and possibly never-before-seen images that just never made it to the pages of the mag. It feels like discovering a new dinosaur to say “I found this photo of Angus Scrimm and a dog from the set of Phantasm III,” but the coolest thing is having a whole crowd of people to be excited about my Caninus Angusscrimmosaurus and that, dear readers, makes all the difference.

A Toast to Our Backers (and Other Updates)...
7 months ago – Tue, Dec 30, 2025 at 12:05:36 PM

As we move into the new year we’re back with a quick update on First In Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium and the latest rewards that our community has successfully backed into existence (as well as future goals). 

Before we get to those items, we once again wanted to toast everyone who has helped us make First In Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium the second most funded non-fiction book in Kickstarter history. Your support during the primary campaign, and now the Late Pledges phase, continues to mean so much to us, and we’re thankful and excited that, because of you, we will not only be able to bring all of you the best and most thorough hardcover book chronicling the history of horror and the legacy of FANGORIA, but also a host of other items including the digital archive, an exclusive FANGORIA calendar, some swell collectible pins, exclusive trading cards, and The Music of FANGORIA album as part of this project.

Another Stretch Goal Unlocked: We will now be adding more pages to shine a spotlight on the icons and artists to be enshrined in FANGORIA’s Horror Hall of Fame. This special section within First In Fright comes courtesy of our last stretch goal (reached earlier this month) and will include input from all of our backers and bulks up the book by another 16 pages. This hardcover history of horror now clocks in at nearly 350 pages, and our plans to use that space to chronicle the definitive story of the genre as seen through the pages of FANGORIA are coming together nicely. Expect some sneak peeks of what we have in store for all of you very soon!

Next Stop…FANGORIA Comics: Unlocking 11 of our 12 Stretch Goals has been nothing short of a nightmare come true (complimentary), but we’re not resting yet. Our final Stretch Goal was previously announced and now all of our attention is turning towards making a new line of FANGORIA horror anthology comics a reality. We’re going to work hard to make this final goal happen and anything you can do to spread the word about this campaign would be incredibly helpful to our collective cause. Remember, if we hit this Stretch Goal you’ll receive a copy of Issue 0, created exclusively for this Kickstarter project, as either a physical comic book or a digital download depending on the tier you backed (physical or digital).

Another De-Composer Joins: We’re also excited to announce the latest addition to our roster contributing to The Music of FANGORIA album. Joseph LoDuca, the composer behind the iconic scores for the original Evil Dead trilogy, and more recently the television incarnation of Chucky, will also be lending his talents to this special project alongside the music of Harry Manfredini (Friday the 13th) and John Harrison (Creepshow). Stay tuned for additional names being added to this exciting LP soon.

You Can Still Give the Gift of FANGORIA: Even though the holiday season is behind us, you can still give the gift of FANGORIA by backing this project for that special horror fan in your life! As a reminder, you will be able to set the mailing address and even pass along some of the other rewards available in certain tiers (such as the “name in the book” reward) when we send out the surveys that backers receive after the Late Pledges campaign ends. 

That’s it for this update! Once again, thank you to all who have been so helpful in making this project so successful. Wishing you a Happy New Year from everyone at FANGORIA!