Chas. Balun R.I.P.
Source: Ryan Rotten, Managing Editor
December 30, 2009
One more to add to our
2009 obituary.
Fangoria reports Chas. Balun passed away on December 18 at the age of 61. He was battling cancer.
Chas. (Charlie) was a multi-hyphenate in the horror biz. An artist, a journalist and a fiction writer, he contributed to the likes of "Fangoria" and "Gorezone" magazines as well as the t-shirt company Rotten Cotton. His books on genre films enlightened readers, steering us clear from the detritus that polluted the horror landscape and pointing us to the meaty, more satisfying entries that, more often than not, shed the red, so to speak.
"Horror Holocaust," "Beyond Horror Holocaust," "The Gore Score," and "More Gore Score" featured his acerbic wit and scathing criticism. The man told it like it is and we loved him for it.
Chas. was a cool cat; I grew up reading his articles and, later, got to know him when I first met the man at a horror convention here in Los Angeles. We didn't see eye to eye on some films, however, we shared a mutual love for Lucio Fulci's
Zombie. I got quite a thrill when he e-mailed me enthusiastically one day in response to my review of "Beyond Horror Holocaust" when it was first published. Someone I looked up to as a writer was telling me he was a fan of my work.
A bold voice in horror has been taken from us and he will be missed.
Comments
Posted by: Jon on December 30, 2009 at 18:35:55
This is truly sad to hear. I first met Chas. when I was 11 years old at a Fango convention in San Jose. He gave me a free copy of Deep Red and autographed it. Talk about warping the mind of a child... I haven't been the same since. With no hyperbole, it was probably one of the 10 most formative experiences of my life in retrospect.
Posted by: Steven Millan on December 30, 2009 at 22:19:41
His passing not only made today a very sad day,but also made us fans all sad in knowing that Chas. won't be there in accompanying us all onto both the New Year and the New Decade. :( :(
Posted by: Mikey on January 2, 2010 at 04:26:24
quote from Ryan Rotten:
"Someone I looked up to as a writer was telling me he was a fan of my work."
story ain't about you ***got.
R.I.P. Chas
Posted by: Chris on January 2, 2010 at 15:52:08
Show some respect Mikey!
Posted by: Mikey on January 2, 2010 at 16:24:29
I can't respect a a thinly veiled attempt to garner fame hidden in an obituary.
are you a moron?
don't answer that.
Posted by: Chris on January 2, 2010 at 19:04:52
'Are you a moron?'
I guess the problem with a comments section is that any fool can mouth off for the whole world to read. If this death has affected the writer in a personal way and he feels that person had an influence on his writing then he has every right to say so. If you have issues with the content on this site there are plenty of others you could go on.
And why resort to homophobia to get your point across? Is this the most intelligent way you can express yourself?
As I previously stated, try showing some respect as someone has died and others would like to pay their tributes.
Posted by: Winchester on January 2, 2010 at 21:25:16
Mikey gets the d-bag award. Grow a pair pal and realize this isn't just an obit but a eulogy - which allows the writer to personalize the piece.
Go do something with your life.
RIP Chas.
Posted by: Mikey on January 3, 2010 at 05:32:59
cool story bro
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