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Rue Morgue Cinema: Founder Rod Gudino
By: Elaine Lamkin
When Rue Morgue editor-in-chief Rod Gudino recently announced he is leaving the magazine he founded eight years ago to concentrate on the newly formed Rue-Morgue Cinema, many fans of the Canadian-based horror magazine must have been concerned. Not only is Rue Morgue one of the best horror magazines on the market today but its influence has spread to encompass many sidelines. A bi-annual horror convention, The Festival of Fear, The Rue Morgue House of Horror – a converted funeral home for all events macabre - the weekly Rue Morgue Radio program and the monthly CineMacabre Movie Night events. As Gudino states in his press release regarding his decision to leave, “Film has been a goal right from the very beginning, but it’s a big step and I wanted to make sure everything was taken care of before I allowed myself to go in that direction. I hope to bring a new vision to the genre with the same quality and attention to detail that has made the magazine a leading name in the industry.” We wish him all the best.
BD: Congratulations on your new job with Rue-Morgue Cinema but at the same time, it must be sad for you as well as all the fans of Rue Morgue (which includes me) to see the end of The Gudino Era? For those perhaps not in the know about your history with Rue Morgue, would you mind giving a brief overview of how you came to work for the magazine and eventually became its Editor-in-Chief?
 RG: I founded the magazine in October of 1997, back then I was doing the design and layout, the editing and even most of the writing under a variety of pseudonyms. Of course I had help from a few friends, mainly Mary-Beth Hollyer who helped me in the editorial process, but really it was as DIY as you could get. It grew from there, took on a proper staff with some key people (Marco Pecota and Jody Infurnari among them) who helped me take it to the next level. But really it’s been a labor of love that somehow grew exponentially to become a multi-media entity. Having said that, I’ve always had the idea – even right from the beginning - of leaving the magazine to pursue film.
BD: Also, for the record, what is The Rod Gudino Story? Have you always been a horror fan? Film is obviously very important to you – did you study film at university? How about a quick bio of yourself?
RG: I’ve always been interested in horror ever since I was a little kid growing up in Playas de Tijuana, Mexico. I graduated from University of Toronto in 1996 with a degree in Literary Studies and Philosophy and that informed a big part of what Rue Morgue became, specifically existentialist philosophy which I saw then (and still see) as being a major influence in 20th century popular culture. After I graduated I spent some time in the music business where I was the news and music editor for RPM magazine (a weekly industry trade publication) and I learned a lot about the entertainment biz while there. I guess I’ve been a critic in some form or another for the past sixteen years, so I look forward to being on the other side - part of the reason I will be shooting a short in the New Year as my first project.
BD: I understand your Managing Editor, Jovanka Vukovic, will become Editor-in-Chief, once you have left. How long has she known she was being groomed for this position and will readers see many changes under her leadership?
RG: I have been grooming Jovanka for the position for the past two years, ever since I first hired her. I doubt that readers will see a significant change; Jovanka does not have a background in journalism which means she will essentially do things in an unorthodox way – just like I’ve been doing for the past eight years.
BD: For you, what has a typical day at Rue Morgue been like?
RG: A lot of work! But I guess when you love what you do it doesn’t seem like work.
BD: In the eight years you have guided Rue Morgue, what changes – for good or for bad – have you seen transpire in the horror industry? Do you have any predictions for the future of horror from your current standpoint?
RG: The change for good is that the industry has slowly come to terms with the idea that horror is adaptable to different media, not just film. Games, toys, music, comics, art and fashion have embraced the term “horror” and that has been a huge step in the right direction. But with the surge in interest there has also been a decline in quality, and you still have the minority producing what I would consider to be innovative and interesting. But overall I would say we are in an upswing.
BD: What sort of initial plans do you have for Rue Morgue Cinema? And how long before fans can look for your first production?
RG: I am still in the early planning stages so I can’t really say much but a short film will probably be circulating festivals in summer 2006 with a full- blown feature following in 2007.
BD: You must have met every horror icon alive during your tenure at Rue Morgue – do you have any anecdotes you can share and name names? How about unpleasant encounters with horror filmmakers – and you don’t need to name any names unless you just want to.
RG: Hmm, that’s a tough one. I remember having lunch with John Carpenter and his wife Sandy King way back in the day; having a heart to heart with Dario Argento and later being asked by his daughter Asia what he meant; getting a cold call by Poison Ivy (from The Cramps) saying she loved the mag; spending time with Clive Barker at his home in the Hollywood hills; having Alejandro Jodorowsky read me my tarot; partying with Joe Coleman and Whitney Ward in Toronto; listening to Ray Bradbury tell me his stories, talking to Lamberto Bava about his father Mario; discussing all kinds of things with H.G. Lewis who is still as sharp as a whip, and David Freedman who has more stories than Red Fisher. And on and on….
BD: Rue Morgue is also very good about keeping up with horror literature. Who have been some of your favorite authors over the years?
RG: Really it’s been down to Jack Ketchum and Mark Z. Danielewski and really I mean specifically the books “The Girl Next Door” and “House of Leaves”. But there is a lot of great literature out there and my only regret is that I wasn’t able to do it justice. Hopefully Jovanka will do a better job in this area than me.
BD: Can you name eight films, each representing one year of your leadership at Rue Morgue, that you thought was the best horror movie of that year?RG: 1997 – Lost Highway
1998 – Aftermath
1999 – The Blair Witch Project
2000 – The Exorcist: Director’s Cut
2001 – The Devil’s Backbone
2002 – Battle Royale
2003 – May
2004 – Haute Tension
2005 – The Manson FamilyBD: There has been a lot of controversy about all of the remakes of classic horror movies, and most not doing well at the box office, as well as so many horror movies being rated PG-13 lately. Would you care to comment on these issues?
 RG: Definitely the trend to remake everything in sight is limited by the fact that cash is motivating the trend. In other words, most of the films being remade have no artistic reason for being remade. Having said that, Cronenberg proved with “The Fly” what Carpenter did with “The Thing” – that a remake can surpass the source material, even if that material is considered classic. Making movies PG is just another stipulation that has proved to be a limitation. 2005 was a bad year for the horror film, and PG remakes were a big reason for that.
BD: Do you see any new directors just starting out that have really impressed you?
RG: Lucky McGee (“May”), James Wan (“Saw”) and Fabrice Du Welz (“Calvaire”) are three who come to mind.
BD: The issue of “violence for violence’s sake” is another “controversy” that has been getting some press lately, for movies like “The Devil’s Rejects” and “Murder-Set-Pieces” to “Chaos” where it seems as though the films are just excuses to offend the audience as much as possible, in some people’s opinions. Do you have any thoughts on that?
RG: Yes generally I would say that although some of the movies you mentioned are effective, ultimately these types of films are compromised by their obsessive focus on violence over all things. Violence is an element not just of horror movies but virtually all drama – past and present. As such it has to be handled deftly and intelligently, otherwise you end up boring the audience. And unfortunately, I think that is true for many of these movies. But I see no controversy in that, other than the usual shit the censors go on about.
BD: Do you have any opinion on the sheer number of fan-run horror websites currently on the Internet? Are there any that you turn to for information when you are working?
RG: I learned early on that I couldn’t trust fan sites or even most websites because much of what is being reported is entirely unofficial and in many cases inaccurate. To be able to be taken seriously by the industry I could not rely on hearsay which is essentially what the internet has become. Having said that, there is no quicker source for potential leads than the net – because no one can ignore the speed at which information is proliferated there. So I check up on fan sites every once in a while – there are some really cool ones out there.
BD: What have you been proudest of as Editor of Rue Morgue? And what do you wish you had done differently?
 RG: My proudest moment is now, being able to leave it all behind knowing that I have turned Rue Morgue into more than a magazine – it’s a radio show, a major genre festival, a monthly film night and a record label. Never once did I sell my soul or compromise my vision… and I still own everything. I wonder how many other people in my position can truly say that.
BD: What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into the horror journalism business nowadays? And what was the best advice anyone ever gave you about being a horror journalist?
RG: I would say to all horror journalists that their job is not to promote horror but to assess it; if they have a good handle on that maybe they will leave their mark as journalists. Otherwise they are just writing press releases. I don’t really remember being given any advice; I kept such a low profile personally for so long that by the time the industry noticed me and Rue Morgue, they were asking me for advice.
BD: What are some of your all-time favorite horror films? And what are some of your favorite horror novels?
RG: Films: Black Sunday, Halloween, The Exorcist, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, The Haunting (1963), Irreversible, Ichi The Killer, Onibaba, The Seventh Seal, Riki Oh: The Story of Ricky, Santa Sangre, The Devil’s Backbone, Cutting Moments, Lost Highway, Kairo, Deliverance, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (‘74). Novels: Picnic At Hanging Rock, House of Leaves, The Girl Next Door, Ghost Story, Pet Sematary.
BD: Is there anything I haven’t asked you that you would like to add?
RG: I think you’ve pretty much covered it…!
BD: What is one thing no one knows about Rod Gudino but you think they should know?
RG: My favourite movie of all time is probably Amadeus.
December 2005
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