DON CASALI
VW has been a very important part of my life since discovering issue #4 in a cinema specialty store in Harvard Square many years ago. It was amazing to find writing of such high quality re- garding unknown aspects of my favorite films. Finally “The Tele- phone” sequence of BLACK SAB- BATH made sense! Tim, you turned FIRE WALK WITH ME from a major disappointment to one of my favorite films. I would never have given it a second chance until I read your brilliant essay. Your writing has the rare ability to make me totally reassess a movie and (more often than not) change my opinion... or at least let me understand why you feel the way you do. That’s not always easy to communicate, and you do it time and again. I didn’t even know there were Russian fantasy films until you guys came along! Oh, and I actually enjoy Franco films now! My God, so much to be grateful for, way too much to mention. I have not subscribed to any other print magazine in years, just VW. I am going to miss that white mailer in my mailbox. As a slightly tired 57-year-old, receiv- ing a new WATCHDOG always makes me feel like a kid again. Best wishes and much affection to you both. Time to put on my Blu-ray of BLACK SUNDAY... and cry a little.
JOHN STEVENSON
I came to the US in 1991 from Britain and was turned on to VW almost straight away by friends who thought I would like it. After buying the first few issues on newsstands in San Francisco, I became a subscriber and now have every print issue in mint con- dition in VW binders. VW has been as much a part of my American adventure as becoming a US
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citizen. Over the past 25+ years, I have had the occasional con- versations with you both, usually with Donna about renewing my sub. Every phone call was lovely, friendly, helpful, courteous and my affection for the magazine was always deepened by these short, chatty calls. These were great people, people who cared about what they did and made me feel welcome and valued as someone who loved what they were creat- ing, my feelings would tell me af- ter each call. I have never met either of you in person, but this is how I feel about you today 26 years after I first read VW. I would not presume to call you friends, but I respect you intensely for your passion, dedication and pro- fessionalism and love you for making me happy so many, many times over the last quarter century. You guys brought me joy and wonder, and for those of us who felt that tingle of excitement 183 times over the years (plus special editions and reprints) when we held a shiny new copy in our hands, there is no way we can ever repay you, or thank you or communicate to you ex- actly how important, special, treasured or loved you and VIDEO WATCHDOG were and are to us.
ANTHONY THORNE
I have 99% of the run. Pursu- ing new career training, so no longer have time to read even the mags I’d like to, but this maga- zine and its writers and outlook are a permanent part of my DNA. The ongoing stream of attentive, genre friendly Blu-ray releases from Arrow, Synapse, Severin, Powerhouse and several other international labels all reflect the guiding mission that VW signaled from the front, back when no one else was even thinking it could be done or would be possible, that
the richest, darkest and most obscure corners of genre cinema deserved to be preserved and celebrated and recognized as achievements in their own right. This is the end of an era, but it must be recognized that VW out- lined a bold mission, shaped the industry, inspired hundreds of other fans to pursue work as crit- ics, archivists and restorationists, and helped pull the work of count- less genre filmmakers into the HD era. The horror genre of today would be different if VW hadn’t made its mark, and its influence will reverberate for many years to come.
BILL EIS
I’ve been amazed and de- lighted every time I opened my mailbox and saw that orange (or white) envelope waiting for me. That envelope in the mailbox was a promise that you never broke, a guarantee that I’d find some- thing new to search for, or a rea- son to re-evaluate something I’d previously discarded. You speak my language, and take me deeper into this crazy world I’m obsessed with, a world that still garners more eye-rolling and glassy stares than celebration. Yes, I say, I know it’s a really bad movie by most standards, but what else is it? You’d never know the trials you’ve been going through by the quality of the magazine. Please always remember what a bad-ass move it is to go with something like a Philo Vance cover amid a sea of magazine covers with BB- 8 rolling all over the place. Thank you both, and your whole staff of writers, designers, the whole crew.
MEREDITH USHER
Your magazine was an exquis- ite jewel of aesthetic design whose contribution to film appreciation
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