The Films of Larry Buchanan
By Rob Craig
Published by McFarland & Company, 2007. 271 pages.

While the films of Larry Buchanan might be an acquired taste, he is probably my favorite of the low (or no) budget filmmakers. And hearing stories about his films and the making of them are sometimes more entertaining then the movies themselves.

Author Craig does an amazing job dissecting Buchanan’s film, giving us a ton of information about the films, the people who worked on them, and Buchanan himself. The only problem is that I think Craig has looked at the films at little too close and started to see things and meanings that I don’t necessarily believe are there. Now granted, with any film study, there are those who see deeper into the pictures than others can. That is not to say they are right or wrong, but for me I think if you stare and examine anything long enough, you will find whatever it is you might be looking for. As much as I love and enjoy Buchanan and his films, I don’t think some of these deeper messages that Craig points out were really there or at least never consciously intended to be there. Again, this is just MY opinion.

But all that aside, if you are a fan of Buchanan’s work, then I would highly recommend this book. Craig obviously did a lot of research, giving us a very well thought out and critical look at each of Buchanan’s films. From his early work for the drive-in market, to his Azalea pictures for AIP, Craig covers them all. Unfortunately, the other problem with this book is the price. The paperback version from McFarland retails at about $40, which in my opinion way too expensive for a paperback book. Honestly, even if it was in a hardcover edition, that price would be too high. So if you can find it cheap enough, or have the money to splurge, I would recommend adding it to your collection of reference books. I think it will give you a much better look into the world of Larry Buchanan and his films.