To paraphrase Rolling Stone, "What a wacky and weird and wonderful trip it’s been."

If anyone had suggested, even in fun, that HORROR-WOOD would be published well on to nine years on the World Weird Web and achieve 100 issues, old Renfield would have suggested in turn that the person making the suggestion check in at Doc Seward’s sanitarium (bring your own flies).

As has been mentioned on other occasions here, originally HORROR-WOOD started out as a promotion Web page for the Monster Bash. It evolved into a Web periodical because old Renfield had an idea in his gnarly noggin about getting folks to actually read what was on his Web page to begin with.

Old Renfield had seen other such "gateway" pages and concluded they were largely ineffective because they had no real content on them—so why would folks linger at ‘em at all, rather than surf on? So a couple of articles about classic horror films were added. This was in October 1997. Then, as November 1997 loomed, old Renfield decided that repeat visitors would stop coming back unless the content were changed, so a November issue was created. By December 1997, the third such issue was, ummm, issued. Then, in January 1998, old Renfield committed to bringing out a new issue of HORROR-WOOD as long as there was interest.

And there was interest. Initially, thousands of hits to the HORROR-WOOD site monthly became tens of thousands of hits, and eventually well over 100,000 hits was achieved. Folks made it known that they appreciated a monthly Web magazine, or Webzine, dedicated only to the classic and classic cult horror and monster films. HORROR-WOOD was deliberately designed to mimic the great Famous Monsters Of Filmland and Castle Of Frankenstein fan magazines, and many Monster Boomers seemed to appreciate this. (Indeed, old Renfield has been criticized for maintaining such a simple site and not jazzing it up with Flash and other Web pyrotechnics, criticism quite ironic since Renfield served for years as a senior Web developer for the U.S. Air Force.)

Of course, old Renfield kept the site simple because the writing was the thing, and what writers this little Webzine has been blessed with! Ranging from professional writers to very gifted non-pros, to fans who have a thing or two to say about their favorite movie genre, our scabby scribblers have plumbed the depths of the classic and cult classic horror film and hunted the monsters that haunted them as kiddies…and have done a lot to advance the knowledge and, most of all, the fun, of vintage scary flicks. To make no "bones" about it…HORROR-WOOD is merely the "skeleton" upon which the tasty "flesh" is the writing. And to everyone who has taken the time to contribute an article and/or a review to this little Webzine over the years, salute!

One point worth making...in nearly all our articles and reviews, we managed to avoid politics.  This was deliberate.  After suffering through so many classic horror books and articles that seemed more inclined to express the writer's political view than discuss the flick, we felt it was time to give politics the old heave-ho from classic horror, at least in the way we cover it.  We're kind of proud of that.  

In terms of Web time, HORROR-WOOD has been around practically forever. Old Renfield has been told by folks who should know that HORROR-WOOD is the longest running regularly published Web periodical on the Web, period. We’re proud of that, too, and a little bit awed by it, to be truthful. That impresses even John-John, even though he prefers Rob Zombie any day of the week. And it’s all because of the readers… that is, you, friend reader. So, in a way, this 100^th issue achievement is a salute to you. Salute!