RUE MORGUE Issue 197 Nov/Dec 2020

Weirdos, I can’t think of a year I’ve ever been happier to bring to a close. That’s not to say things are looking all rosy for 2021 – I imagine the healing we require will hurt twice as badly as the wounds we’ve suffered – but if ever there was a need for a checkpoint, be it literal or figurative, it’s now. I assume most of you know that Rue Morgue is a Canadian magazine – you can’t hear us pronounce the word “about” but you’ve likely noticed our spelling of words like “colour,” or the patriotic presence of the Canadian government logo on the bottom right of this page. Short of that stuff though, Canadian culture is largely indistinguishable from that of our American neighbours (there’s that Canuck spelling again!)…

PLEASE SEND YASMINA a hearty hello. Love when she pops up on Rue Morgue TV. Engaging, funny, insightful, and a pleasure to watch and learn from. Seems like a gal after my heart. In all my horror-loving years, I somehow never knew there were Xtro sequels. This is being remedied as I type. Xtro 2 is all queued up and ready, and part 3 will be right behind. As always, top-notch work/reporting from the Rue Crew. Thank you all for being you. CHRIS – ADDRESS WITHHELD COLD, DARK, RAINY Saturday; perfect comfy sweater weather and perfect atmosphere to read @RueMorgue’s Halloween issue that came in the mail on Friday. @FANCHONDEE, VIA INSTAGRAM AS A DEAF COLLEGE professor who teaches a class on Deaf Representations in the Media, and as a lifelong horror fan, ever…

Genre legend Bill “Chop Top” Moseley was once a journalist, writing for such magazines as Omni, National Lampoon and Psychology Today. A 2005 meta-analysis of statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that sudden cardiac deaths in the U.S. were more likely to occur on Mondays, regardless of people’s age or gender. The word “Dalek” from Doctor Who became so familiar to British audiences that it was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. In 897 CE, the body of Pope Formosus was unearthed to stand trial in a courtroom presided over by then current Pope Stephen VI. After being found guilty, the corpse’s fingers, once used for papal blessings, were chopped off. The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973) is the final Hammer film in which both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing…

What should be inscribed on 2020’s tombstone? “Don’t worry; there’s still six feet between us.” @NICJPROCTOR, VIA TWITTER “Gone, and best forgotten.” @THERESETAYLOR12, VIA TWITTER “Never Shall We Speak of It Again.” MATTHEW BESSON, VIA FACEBOOK “Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them?” @70SHORRORMOVIES, VIA INSTAGRAM “A Walt Disney Production.” @JEREMIAH_KNOX, VIA INSTAGRAM “Do not resuscitate.” @TERRIBLEPEOPLETERRIBLETHINGS, VIA INSTAGRAM “Here lies common sense, once plentiful, now rendered asunder.” JOHN BOWLES, VIA FACEBOOK FINAL WORDS AS CAPTIONED BY YOU ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA “I FELL FOR HER FRANKENHOOK, LINE AND SINKER!” THIS MONTH’S CAPTION CONTEST WINNER IS @EGGOKC, VIA INSTAGRAM Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for a chance to have your Final Words!…

The goat-headed deity Baphomet has become interchangeable with Satan in today’s consciousness, having popped up as the demonic foe in Dungeons and Dragons, the final boss in the Doom video game franchise, and the big bad in such contemporary fare as Deathgasm, Satanic Panic, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Historically, however, the figure of Baphomet was conceived as a force for good as much as evil, with an origin story that spans ancient mysticism and the Knights Templar, right up to modern counterculture. The first known mention of Baphomet comes from Anselm of Ribemont in 1098, who used the name in a letter sent during the Crusades. It’s thought that the name Baphomet may have been a bastardized version of Mahomet, or Muhammad, with some theories claiming that during The…

XIA LOCATION: Victoria, Australia INSTAGRAM: @xia_tattoo Australia is known for its spooky wildlife, and Victoria-based tattoo artist Xia draws inspiration from the bats, flying foxes, and other misunderstood critters for her high-contrast, neo-traditional artwork. With a focus on techniques that promote long-term healing, her tattoos depict the beauty and darkness that dwell in our subconscious. “During the pandemic lockdowns, I have been having some scary nightmares that somehow made great sources of inspiration and became really fun art pieces,” she explains. “Some of my customers have told me about nightmares and unexplainable experiences – I love to draw them too!”…