Jump to Content

Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Cinefantastique magazine records
1759  
View entire collection guide What's This?
Search this collection
Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Acquisition Information
  • Collection Scope and Content Summary
  • Biography
  • Arrangement of the Collection
  • Indexing terms

  • Descriptive Summary

    Abstract: Cinefantastique was a horror, fantasy, and science fiction film magazine published and edited by Frederick S. Clarke that began as a mimeographed fanzine in 1967 and developed into a glossy, offset printed quarterly in the 1970s. The Cinefantastique magazine records were preserved in part by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
    Collector: Cinefantastique
    Dates: 1951-2004
    Dates: 1979-2000
    Collection number: 1759
    Collection Size: 63 linear ft. of papers 16 linear ft. of photos 178 item(s) of artworks
    Repository: Margaret Herrick Library. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
    Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

    Access

    Available by appointment only.

    Publication Rights

    Property rights to the physical object belong to the Margaret Herrick Library. Researchers are responsible for obtaining all necessary rights, licenses, or permissions from the appropriate companies or individuals before quoting from or publishing materials obtained from the library.

    Preferred Citation

    Cinefantastique magazine records, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

    Acquisition Information

    Gift of CFQ Media, 2008

    Collection Scope and Content Summary

    The manuscript series of the Cinefantastique magazine records span the years 1951-2004 (bulk 1979-2000) and encompass 63 linear feet. The collection primarily consists of material related to the publication of Cinefantastique, including correspondence between editor Frederick S. Clarke and his staff, article manuscripts, scripts, and research for articles in the form of presskits and other publicity. Included is 1.5 linear feet of material related to one of Frederick S. Clarke’s other periodicals, "Femme Fatales," a men's magazine focused on film and television actresses. This subseries includes correspondence, drafts of articles on actresses, and publicity materials.
    The graphic arts series of the Cinefantastique magazine records spans the years 1981-1996 and encompasses 178 artworks. The collection primarily consists of illustrations used in the magazine.

    Biography

    Cinefantastique was a magazine dedicated to horror, fantasy, and science fiction film and television. Founded by Frederick S. Clarke while a student at University of Illinois, Chicago, the magazine began as a mimeographed fanzine and was later relaunched in 1970 as a critical review magazine. In its early years, Cinefantastique gained acclaim for its retrospectives on older films and filmmakers along with coverage of both high and low budget genre films. As the years progressed, the magazine shifted its focus to current films, publishing in-depth set reports by correspondents all over the world along with interviews with both cast and crew, often giving special focus to effects technicians. The technical nature and thoroughness of Cinefantastique's articles separated it from fan magazines such as Famous Monsters of Filmland and Starlog. However, Clarke's dedication to revealing details of the production process sometimes got the magazine in trouble with studios and filmmakers.
    In addition to serving as editor-in-chief of Cinefantastique, Clarke launched the magazines Imagi-Movies, Visions, AnimeFantastique, and Femme Fatales. All were short-lived except Femme Fatales, a men's magazine featuring pinups and interviews with actresses. The disillusion of Imagi-movies in 1995 allowed Clarke to dedicate more funds to Cinefantastique and the magazine shifted from bi-monthly publication to monthly publication. After Clarke's death in 2000, staff writer Dan Persons took over as editor-in-chief. However, in 2003 the magazine was sold to former Cinefantastique writer Mark Altman, who changed the name to CFQ. The magazine ceased print publication in 2006. In 2007, former Cinefantastique writer Steve Biodrowski started Cinefantastique Online, which is still in operation today.

    Arrangement of the Collection

    1. Production files, subseries A-B as follows: A. Produced; B. Unproduced; 2. Television files; 3. Other media files; 4. Subject files; 5. Other papers, subseries A-C as follows: A. Production files; B. Other media files; C. Subject files; 6. Oversize; 7. Graphic Arts

    Indexing terms

    Periodicals
    Special effects