Making Zines: Re-Reading European Trash Cinema (1988–98)

Antonio Lázaro-Reboll

doi:10.7227/fs.0007

Abstract

Discussion of the horror film fanzine culture of the 1980s and early 1990s has been dominated by an emphasis on questions around the politics of taste, considerations of subcultural capital and cultism in fan writing, and processes of cultural distinction and the circulation of forms of capital. Sconce‘s concept of paracinema has come to shape the conceptual approach to fanzines. The aim of this article is to refocus attention on other areas of fanzine production, providing a more nuanced and richer historicisation of these publications and the ways they contributed to the circulation, reception and consumption of European horror film. Focusing on the fanzine European Trash Cinema (1988–98) I propose a return to the actual cultural object – the printed zine – examining the networks of producers converging around, and writing about, Eurohorror films and related European trash cinematic forms, as well as the contents within the publication itself.

Highlights

Discussion of the horror ilm fanzine culture of the 1980s and early 1990s has been dominated by an emphasis on questions around the politics of taste, considerations of subcultural capital and cultism in fan writing, and processes of cultural distinction and the circulation of forms of capital
Sconce’s concept of ‘paracinema’ has come to shape the conceptual approach to fanzines. he aim of this article is to refocus attention on other areas of fanzine production, providing a more nuanced and richer historicisation of these publications and the ways they contributed to the circulation, reception and consumption of European horror ilm
Focusing on the fanzine European Trash Cinema I propose a return to the actual cultural object – the printed zine – examining the networks of producers converging around, and writing about, Euro horror ilms and related European trash cinematic forms, as well as the contents within the publication itself

Summary

Introduction

Since the publication of David Sanjek’s ‘Fan Notes: the Horror Film Fanzine’ in 1990,1 which provided a valuable initial mapping of ‘connoisseurs of the bad ilm, trash and gore’[2] and conferred upon fanzine editors and writers the titles of ‘an alternative brand of ilm criticism, a school with its own set of values and virtues’,3 discussion of the horror ilm fanzine culture of the 1980s and the early 1990s has been largely dominated by an emphasis on questions around the politics of taste,[4] considerations of subcultural capital and cultism in fan writing,[5] and processes of cultural distinction and the circulation of forms of capital, namely (sub)cultural capital.[6].

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Results

Conclusion