FANGORIA Is Thankful For YOU
8 months ago
– Thu, Nov 27, 2025 at 05:50:18 AM
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has backed First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium and made this project so successful to date. You’ve shown up for us in a huge way, and this feels like a fitting day to tell you how thankful we all are.
Now that the primary campaign has ended, we wanted to give everyone who is a part of the FANGORIA community here on Kickstarter a quick update about where we’ve been and what comes next.
What our community has accomplished:
The response to First In Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium has been nothing short of astounding! Currently, thanks to your support, the project now ranks as the 4th most funded non-fiction book of all time on Kickstarter (out of more than 12,000!), and has made it all the way up into the top 25 books of all kinds (out of 70,000+) on the platform. Absolutely amazing!
In the first 30 days of the campaign your support has not only funded the project (in just over an hour, mind you), but you’ve also made it possible for us to unlock nearly all of the Stretch Goals that we set for ourselves. In addition to your selected rewards, you’ll also receive the following items based on whether you backed a digital or physical tier.
All backers will now also receive:
- Digital access to rare images and other content from the FANGORIA Vault curated specifically for this project
- Digital access to 27 issues of FANGORIA’s companion publication GOREZONE
- Access to a digital download of The Music of FANGORIA album filled with original music from leading horror composers
Physical backers will now also receive:
- A bigger version of the physical book now measuring 9” x 12”
- A set of exclusive FANGORIA cover bookmarks
- Red metallic gilded page edges
- An exclusive 15-month printed calendar highlighting special dates in horror history
Additionally, backers who are receiving a printed or digital version of First In Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium will be getting (at least) two additional special features spotlighting the top horror films of all time as well as our favorite killers, creatures, and creepy spirits – increasing the overall page count to over 330 pages!
So what happens next?
With the conclusion of the primary campaign, you’ll see the pledge you made charged to the credit card used. Please feel free to reach out to us directly at [email protected] if you encounter any issues or have any questions regarding the billing process.
Also, to make First In Fright available to as many horror fans as possible, and to provide additional time to realize our last two Stretch Goals for all backers, we’ve decided to open up Late Pledges for this project. For those who have already pledged and been charged, you don’t have to do anything!
For those finding the project after the primary campaign has ended, you’ll be able to back most of the same rewards, but some will have a slightly higher price point in respect to those who got in early and showed support during the initial 30 days of the campaign.
The Kickstarter page will continue to track pledges and offer future updates and, if we’re able to reach the final two Stretch Goals during the Late Pledges phase, those will unlock in the same way our other Stretch Goals did. Late Pledges will give us additional time to unlock those final goals for you and, if enough of our community spreads the word about First In Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium, we’re confident we can reach both of these remaining Goals.
The Final Stretch Goal Reveal:
Although we’re closing in on the next Stretch Goal, which will add 16 more pages to the book to accommodate a special feature highlighting FANGORIA’s Horror Hall of Fame, we also wanted to reveal the final Stretch Goal and how you can play a part in making it a reality! If we’re able to reach $1 million during the Late Pledges phase of the campaign, we’ll reward all physical backers of First In Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium with a very special companion project: a printed copy of Issue 0 of a new FANGORIA Comic Book Anthology series that will be exclusive to Kickstarter. All backers will also receive a digital copy of the comic. If unlocked, this will be the first in a planned ongoing series that will feature original stories by some of horror’s most notable authors and illustrated by top comic book artists.
Turning towards the book and archive:
Work has already begun on realizing the vision for First In Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium thanks to your phenomenal support. Fango Senior Editor Meredith Borders has assembled a brilliant team of horror historians and FANGORIA contributors to make the book the best it can be, and you can read more about their progress and see a sneak peek HERE. In addition to a special foreword by horror icon John Carpenter, we’ll tell the comprehensive history of the genre through the pages of FANGORIA while sharing memories from dozens of directors, writers, actors, and effects wizards who have spent decades bringing your nightmares to life! We’ll be sharing updates regularly with you, our backers, throughout the editorial process to give you an insider’s look at the book as it comes together. We can’t wait to show you what more we’ve got planned!
For the archive, we’ve already started work on a web-based viewer that will allow you to search the entire library of original FANGORIA back issues and read specific articles or entire issues in their original print layout on both desktop and mobile. Or, if you prefer, you’ll be able to read each article in a special text reader in a more traditional web-based environment. Scanning these past issues in high-resolution with meticulous cleanup on each page has begun and we’ll include additional content from the FANGORIA Vault as well as the 27 bonus issues of GOREZONE that you already unlocked as Stretch Goals.
Giving the gift of horror:
Many backers have asked us if it is possible to gift some or all of their rewards to friends and family, and the answer is an enthusiastic YES! To make giving the gift of horror to the biggest fans in your life a little easier, we’ve created a special gift certificate that you can share or print out to let the recipient know that, thanks to your gift, they’re not only supporting an important project in horror history conservation, but they’ll also receive some amazing rewards in their name. You can download and save the certificate by right-clicking on the image below.
In closing, we’d like to thank, once more, everyone who has shown their support of FANGORIA and embraced the First In Fright project, and we look forward to continuing this journey with all of you as we head towards the publishing of the book and digital archive next year.
Another Goal Unlocked and A Bonus for Original De-Composer Backers
8 months ago
– Wed, Nov 26, 2025 at 02:14:12 PM
We’re back with some important updates for all backers of First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium.
Another Stretch Goal is Reached: Thanks to your incredible support, the latest stretch goal has been unlocked! This means that all backers of First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium will receive a digital download of The Music of FANGORIA Album being produced exclusively for the campaign. Everyone who has pledged to this project will receive the digital download featuring original music inspired by FANGORIA magazine, created by notable horror film composers.
Speaking of The Music of FANGORIA Album: We have a special update for everyone who is backing one of the original reward tiers that included the soundtrack to your favorite horror magazine (this group includes all 250 backers of the primary De-Composer reward tier as well as everyone in the Leather Edition and VIP Launch Party tiers). Thanks to iconic composer Harry Manfredini, known to FANGORIA readers for his many classic horror film scores including the original Friday the 13th, people in these tiers will be getting their vinyl album cover signed by Harry himself! These signed versions will include the special blood-red colored LP created exclusively for this Kickstarter project and will be randomly numbered from the total quantity that are produced.
And the Next Stretch Goal is Announced: With the support of our fans, we’re thrilled to share that the next project goal will be expanding the page count of the book once more, with another 16-page addition (bringing the book up to 352 pages overflowing with gory goodness) that highlights FANGORIA’s Horror Hall of Fame, as selected by the editors of the magazine and including categories that you’ll get to vote on to help shape this special section. Help us honor the artists who have made extraordinary contributions to the genre and celebrate the legacy of these icons while giving them the due they deserve.
Finally, a request: As the First in Fright campaign ticks down we wanted to once again thank everyone who has already lent their support to this worthy endeavor and to also humbly ask that you spread the word to anyone and everyone you know who is a fan of horror and FANGORIA. We want to keep pushing until the very end so we can make this project the very best it can be – and with your support we know that we’ll reach that goal.
Another Stretch Goal Reached, New Contributors Revealed
8 months ago
– Mon, Nov 24, 2025 at 09:06:27 AM
As we head into the final week of the campaign, we’re ecstatic to report that you’ve made First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium the fifth most funded non-fiction book in Kickstarter history (out of more than 12,000 projects)! Thank you again to all of our backers for your amazing outpouring of support. We quite literally could not have done it without you!
Stretch Goals: We’re also thrilled to announce that the next Stretch Goal has been reached! All backers of a physical edition of First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium will now receive a printed 15-month calendar as part of our Kickstarter campaign. Every month of this calendar will include reproductions of best-loved FANGORIA covers and highlight important dates in the history of horror as chosen by the FANGORIA editorial team. This exclusive 8.5” x 11” calendar highlights all of your favorite FANGORIA artwork and will span from October 2026 through December 2027.
And now we get to reveal the campaign’s next Stretch Goal: digital access to The Music of FANGORIA, featuring exclusive tracks from the limited-edition vinyl album reward. This download will be available to ALL supporters of the campaign, no matter what level reward tier you backed. If you want this FREE digital access to brand-new music by some of the greatest composers working in horror, made specifically for THIS campaign, make sure you spread the word and share our Kickstarter page with all of your horror-loving friends and fam!
New Contributors: As we begin work on First in Fright, our roster of horror luminaries and scholars who will be contributing to the book’s insights continues to grow. Among the additional talent who will be lending their voices to The FANGORIA Compendium are Ashley Laurence (Hellraiser franchise), Larry Fessenden (Habit, Depraved, Blackout), Corin Hardy (The Nun, The Hallow, Whistle), Toby Poser and John Adams (Hellbender, Mother of Flies, The Deeper You Dig), Josh Ruben (Heart Eyes, Werewolves Within, Scare Me), and FX artist Trey Lindsay (Hell Hole, Blood Shine, Black-Eyed Susan). Journalists and critics who will be collaborating within the Compendium’s pages include Sean Abley (Queer Horror: A Film Guide), BJ Colangelo (Sleepaway Camp), Brian W. Collins (Horror Movie A Day), Amelia Emberwing (IGN, FANGORIA), Richard Newby (We Make Monsters Here), and Eric Vespe (The Kingcast).
As we wrap up this campaign and continue to work on making the book and archive the absolute best they can be for our backers, we pledge to keep you all in the loop on our progress – AND we will continue to reveal some very special surprises we have in store, so be ready for that. As always, we welcome your input so we can ensure that First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium is everything you want it to be and more.
Stay tuned…
New Backers, New Goal, New VIP Tickets…
8 months ago
– Tue, Nov 11, 2025 at 02:40:17 PM
Welcome to our latest update, Fango fans!
Everyone at FANGORIA continues to be blown away by the amazing feedback and support we’ve received for First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium. The enthusiasm that our 3,800+ backers (so far!) have shown has been incredible. Thank you to everyone who has already backed or is considering this project. Your support means the world to all of us at FANGORIA, and we can’t wait to start showing you more of what we have in store for horror fans.
We have more good news on a number of fronts that we wanted to pass along in today’s update:
New Goal Unlocked: You’ve gone and done it again – thanks to your efforts, we’ve reached yet another Stretch Goal, unlocking access to even MORE horror scholarship as part of this comprehensive project! We’re beyond thrilled to announce that GOREZONE will now join FANGORIA in the Digital Archive, giving all backers (even those who haven’t yet backed a reward tier that includes the archive) the ability to access 27 classic issues of FANGORIA’s sister-magazine, originally published from 1988 to 1994. All backers will now receive a code to unlock their level of Digital Archive access when the book ships, and everyone will find 27 digital issues of GOREZONE packed with behind-the-scenes info and additional splatter-filled coverage waiting.
Next Goal Revealed: We’re also thrilled to announce the next Stretch Goal: an exclusive 15-month calendar highlighted with classic FANGORIA covers throughout, printed just for our backers! This exclusive calendar (spanning October 2026 to December 2027) will be included with all physical orders of First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium. This calendar will include important dates in the history of horror… but only if the next Stretch Goal is met. So be sure to let every horror fan in your life know what backers like you have scared up and we’ll push this one over the top!
Slasher Edition and De-Composer Edition Restock: Thanks to the overwhelming response this campaign has already received, several reward tiers have already sold out. As more fans of FANGORIA continue to find this project, we’ve received requests asking if we plan to add more copies to these sold-out tiers. While we originally didn’t intend to restock, we do think it’s fair to those who are just discovering First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium so that they also get a chance to back one of the larger bundles.
To accommodate those who would like to back the numbered Slasher Edition or the signed De-Composer Edition of the book, we’ll be restocking both tiers and making them available until they sell out or the campaign ends. The cost for both restocks will be the same as it was for the original rewards that previously sold out and the contents will be exactly the same. Once these additional copies are gone, however, they will be gone for good and we will not be making any more available or restocking again. Those who backed the original Slasher and De-Composer Editions will be guaranteed that their copy will be one of the randomly numbered copies from the original sets of 500 and 250 respectively, while those backing the restocked version will be numbered from the second group.
In addition to making more of these rewards available for new backers, you can also upgrade to either reward if you already purchased a different tier and would like to upgrade to one of the restocked editions. To do this, simply go to “Manage Your Pledge” then “Change Your Pledge” then adjust your selected reward and confirm your purchase. More information on how to do this can be found on Kickstarter here: https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005126814-How-can-I-change-my-pledge-amount-or-reward-selection
VIP Launch Party Tickets: Many have also inquired about the VIP Launch Party tickets that sold out the first day of the campaign, and if we’ll be making additional invitations to this special event available. We’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be making another 10 slots available to back this reward using a special lottery system. If you would like to be eligible to upgrade your existing reward tier, simply send an email from your email address of choice to [email protected] and we will randomly select from ten existing backers and will send you a direct link to complete the reward upgrade to the VIP Launch Party invitation. Everyone selected must be able to complete the upgrade within 24 hours of when we send the link or your spot will be provided to another randomly selected existing backer until all 10 of the additional invitations are reserved.
Please feel free to reach out to us by leaving a comment or sending a message via Kickstarter or through our support email at [email protected] and someone from our team will respond as soon as possible.
