I’m a firm believer in supporting your friends and their endeavours. I also feel it’s important to support homegrown talent whenever possible.

And lucky me, I get to kill two birds with one stone here.

Jim Burrell’s HOLLYWOOD NORTH: The Extraordinary History and Art of Canadian Genre Cinema is the fourth volume in The Rue Morgue Library, and if you have any interest in Canada’s cinematic horror history, you should start freeing up some space on your bookshelf or coffee table. Like, now.

One of Rue Morgue’s longtime contributors, Burrell has compiled an extensive look at Canadian horror cinema, and profiles on some of the most prominent artists working in the field. This includes a look at such CanCon classics as Black Christmas, The Changeling, Prom Night, The Gate, Rituals, My Bloody Valentine, Pin, Ginger Snaps, Curtains… and the list goes on.

Alongside profiles of Canuxploitation’s multitude of offerings, HOLLYWOOD NORTH  features interviews with established luminaries such as David Cronenberg, Peter Medak (director, The Changeling) and Lawrence Dane (Rituals). There are also profiles on the “new blood” carrying the genre forward into the future, including Astron-6 (The Editor), Brandon Cronenberg (Antiviral) and Jen & Sylvia Soska (American Mary).

From a fan perspective, it’s a thrill to see the spotlight shining brightly on our home and native land’s place on the map. The past few years have seen a newfound appreciation for the country’s horror output, as well as an influx of new talent and films that are cementing our reputation as vanguards in the field. It’s a good time to be Canadian.

From a personal point of view? Jim Burrell is one of the hardest-working journalists I know, horror-based or otherwise. I have gotten to know Jim quite well, during my time in the trenches with Rue Morgue, and he’s one of the good ones, folks. With his encyclopedic knowledge and dedication to his craft, Jim has been putting his heart and soul into this passion project for some time now, so seeing this all nice and official-like, bound and ready to read, does my heart good.

To help celebrate the launch of HOLLYWOOD NORTH, Rue Morgue and The Royal Cinema will be presenting a special Cinemacabre screening of the cult classic Canadian slasher, PROM NIGHT. As well as appearances by star Mary Beth Rubens and composers Paul Zaza & Carl Zittrer, you can get yourself a copy of HorrorWood North from the merch table, signed by the author.

 Can’t make it to the event? Not to worry. HOLLYWOOD NORTH is now available for sale right here, along with the other volumes in The Rue Morgue Library.

So go out and get this.
Do it for your country.
Do it for horror.
Do it for Jim.

See you next week.