Horror In An Old School Vein!
Ghastly Yarns was set up as a cut and paste horror 'zine in 1998 with the intention of returning horror to it's roots of simplicity and brevity. After being strongly influenced by the DC horror comics of the 1970's as well as the pre-code comics of the 1950's, I decided to write my own stories along those lines. Story plots may not be appropriate for grade school children, yet they basic enough to be understood by the same. Plots and characters are chosen from the "meat and potatoes" of the horror genre: Vampires, werewolves, reanimated corpses that seek revenge on their killers, cars and machinery that come to life,
swamp creatures, ancient mummies that shuffle in the night, "Psycho"-style killers and twist endings (with, of course, the obligatory 'shock page' at the end!)
Another element that I always felt very strongly about was the mandatory presence of a horror host to introduce and close all tales (typically with a pun or two that are more horrible than the story itself!) One promise I can make to all old school horror fans is that you will NEVER encounter a Ghastly Yarns text story, comic or film that lacks this element.
As much as publishers and film makers love to see their works sell, I truly don't want anyone to buy something with which they will be disappointed. With that thought in mind, here are a few things Ghastly Yarns is NOT about: * Sci Fi Horror: OK, I did write a couple of tales that fit this title and released them under the heading "Ghastly Yarns Sci Fi." By and large, however, any reference to other worlds and/or 'fantasy' is minimal at best in Ghastly Yarns stories. * Series style horror. Sorry fans of "Spawn", "I ...Vampire" and similar concepts. Ghastly Yarns tales are short and sweet, told in a few pages and, quite frankly, don't contain much character development, social commentary or "Continued in next issue...!" promotions. * Abstract plots/Manga/head trip plots. If you're looking for horror that offers the viewer and/or reader a chance to 'interpret' and weigh the story, Ghastly Yarns won't be your bag. The stories are as straight forward as any of Aesop's Fables and are intended as entertainment only, not food for thought.
All that being said, I hope you'll enjoy this offering! From the Scary Side, I remain....
John Pirog.