Mark Chorvinsky
Encyclopedia
Mark Chorvinsky was a stage magician, entrepreneur, filmmaker and writer, but he was best known as the founder, editor and publisher of Strange Magazine and the strangemag.com website.
He was born in 1954 to Irma and Milton Chorvinsky.
His entire life had been devoted to the strange, anomalous, and unusual. His interests were wide-ranging, and included studies of the historical Merlin
, stage magic, fantastic movies, cinematic special effects, and the entire fortean
field. He was one of the leading investigators of strange phenomena, and often marshaled the resources of a network of friends and associates all over the world.
Chorvinsky researched and wrote about a broad array of fortean topics, from phantom dogs and the alien qualities of Venus Flytrap
s, to sightings of the grim reaper, the Loch Ness Monster
and mysterious blobs.
Chorvinsky was known for his in-depth, and sometimes controversial, investigations. Examples include his discovery of the facts behind the continuing enigma of the often-remembered but impossible-to-find Thunderbird Photo, his analyses of the methods of the Cornish wizard "Doc" Shiels, and his investigation of Ray Wallace's connection to Bigfoot
, as well as John Chambers
' possible fabrication of the monster suit in the case.
Many of Chorvinsky's findings caused him to be branded a "debunker" by much of the strange phenomena community. Evidence that his investigations uncovered all too often led, in Chorvinsky's view, not to the proof of the existence of some marvelous creature, but instead to telltale signs of the work of some trickster or other interested party.
He claimed to gain no pleasure in writing articles that seemed to undermine some people's cherished belief systems, but would say that he was a skeptic in the true sense of the word — open-minded, determined to defend neither a belief system that said a phenomenon must be true nor one that said it must be false — and that his only interest was to get to the bottom of the mysteries he investigated.
Chorvinsky was involved in more than just strange phenomena. After working as a professional stage magician during his youth, in 1978 he founded the store Dream Wizards which, especially in its early years, was a center for people interested in stage magic and many aspects of the unusual, including film. There, Chorvinsky mentored many people. Using the expertise of those he had assembled, he founded Chorvinsky Studios, a special effects house in Kensington, Maryland, which provided effects for the feature film The Passing (1983), as well as Chorvinsky's own fantasy short subject Strange Tangents (1983), which was featured at a number of film festivals including Cannes. A planned science fantasy feature, Creatures of Darkness, was in preproduction for a number of years during the 1980s.
A television special that was both broadcast by satellite and sold as a video was produced in the 1990s. Entitled Strange World, it transposed Strange Magazine to a new medium, and included features and short news reports.
Chorvinsky wrote and published articles on a number of far-reaching subjects in such publications as Strange Magazine, UFO, INFO Journal, and Fate. He was a Contributing Editor of the latter magazine for many years.
Chorvinsky was diagnosed with cancer
in 2004, which took his life the following year on July 16, 2005.
He was born in 1954 to Irma and Milton Chorvinsky.
His entire life had been devoted to the strange, anomalous, and unusual. His interests were wide-ranging, and included studies of the historical Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
, stage magic, fantastic movies, cinematic special effects, and the entire fortean
Fortean
Fortean refers to:*Charles Fort's ideas and philosophy and the people and things inspired by it*Fortean Society, formed by New York's literati led by Theodore Dreiser, Booth Tarkington, Ben Hecht...
field. He was one of the leading investigators of strange phenomena, and often marshaled the resources of a network of friends and associates all over the world.
Chorvinsky researched and wrote about a broad array of fortean topics, from phantom dogs and the alien qualities of Venus Flytrap
Venus Flytrap
The Venus Flytrap , Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces...
s, to sightings of the grim reaper, the Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
and mysterious blobs.
Chorvinsky was known for his in-depth, and sometimes controversial, investigations. Examples include his discovery of the facts behind the continuing enigma of the often-remembered but impossible-to-find Thunderbird Photo, his analyses of the methods of the Cornish wizard "Doc" Shiels, and his investigation of Ray Wallace's connection to Bigfoot
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...
, as well as John Chambers
John Chambers (make-up artist)
John Chambers was a famous make-up artist who became a veteran in both television and film.-Biography:...
' possible fabrication of the monster suit in the case.
Many of Chorvinsky's findings caused him to be branded a "debunker" by much of the strange phenomena community. Evidence that his investigations uncovered all too often led, in Chorvinsky's view, not to the proof of the existence of some marvelous creature, but instead to telltale signs of the work of some trickster or other interested party.
He claimed to gain no pleasure in writing articles that seemed to undermine some people's cherished belief systems, but would say that he was a skeptic in the true sense of the word — open-minded, determined to defend neither a belief system that said a phenomenon must be true nor one that said it must be false — and that his only interest was to get to the bottom of the mysteries he investigated.
Chorvinsky was involved in more than just strange phenomena. After working as a professional stage magician during his youth, in 1978 he founded the store Dream Wizards which, especially in its early years, was a center for people interested in stage magic and many aspects of the unusual, including film. There, Chorvinsky mentored many people. Using the expertise of those he had assembled, he founded Chorvinsky Studios, a special effects house in Kensington, Maryland, which provided effects for the feature film The Passing (1983), as well as Chorvinsky's own fantasy short subject Strange Tangents (1983), which was featured at a number of film festivals including Cannes. A planned science fantasy feature, Creatures of Darkness, was in preproduction for a number of years during the 1980s.
A television special that was both broadcast by satellite and sold as a video was produced in the 1990s. Entitled Strange World, it transposed Strange Magazine to a new medium, and included features and short news reports.
Chorvinsky wrote and published articles on a number of far-reaching subjects in such publications as Strange Magazine, UFO, INFO Journal, and Fate. He was a Contributing Editor of the latter magazine for many years.
Chorvinsky was diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 2004, which took his life the following year on July 16, 2005.