Video Watchdog

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The cover of Video Watchdog's first issue

Video Watchdog is a monthly, digest size film magazine started in 1990 by publisher/editor Tim Lucas and his wife Donna Lucas.

Although devoted chiefly to the horror, science fiction, and fantasy genres, the magazine frequently delves beyond these strictures into art film, Hong Kong action cinema, spaghetti western, exploitation films, anime, and general mainstream cinema. Video Watchdog features thoughtful, intelligent film criticism and extensively researched articles. It is generally considered to be the most serious and important genre film publication of its kind since the heyday of Cinefantastique, a magazine that Lucas has acknowledged as a major influence. In addition to Lucas himself, Video Watchdog's list of regular contributors includes such noted genre authorities as Ramsey Campbell, Kim Newman, Joe Dante, Douglas E. Winter, Stephen R. Bissette, and John Charles.

Originally a black-and-white publication, Video Watchdog added full colour covers with its 13th issue, and celebrated its 100th issue in 2003 by adopting a permanent, full-color format. The magazine's attractive design and art direction are the work of co-publisher Donna Lucas. Los Angeles-based artist Charlie Largent has been responsible for most of the cover art since 2002, beginning with #84. To date, two Video Watchdog Special Editions have also been published (perfect-bound with expanded page counts and advertising content), as well as two Video Watchdog Signature Editions, the latter featuring unique covers individually signed by child stars Donnie Dunagan and Ann Carter.

The magazine's website includes a complete index of films reviewed over its long history, as well as special "Round Table" film discussions, free article samples, and a link to Lucas's voluminous "Video WatchBlog" (launched in October 2005).

As a company, Video Watchdog has also published two books written by editor Lucas. The first was The Video Watchdog Book, a collection of Watchdog-themed articles, essays and lists that originated in other magazines (including Film Comment and Fangoria), released in September 1992. Mario Bava All the Colors of the Dark followed in September 2007, a sumptuously illustrated, twelve-pound, critical biography of Italian director and cinematographer Mario Bava. It has been nominated for a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award as Best Book of 2007, and it was announced on the Saturn Awards website in February 2008 that, in recognition of the decades of research and writing that went into this project, Tim Lucas would receive a Saturn Award for Special Achievement in June.