Category Archives: Book News

A Pictorial History of Hammer Horror

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The time is now! You can now order your copy of the latest book from the fine folks of We Belong Dead, this time tackling all things Hammer! The book, A Pictorial History of Hammer Horror is over 450 pages, in full color, with essays on every Hammer horror title from The Mystery of Mary Celeste (1935) all the way to The Lodge (2019). Just like their previous publications, this one is packed with rare photos, posters, and lobby cards from all over the world.

The book is available in both hardcover and softcover. But if you’re ordering from here in the US, when you add in the postage, it is a bit pricy. For the hardcovers, it is £45, which is about $62, and the softcover edition is £35, which is about $45.50. Throw in $40 to $50 for postage, it does make for one expensive book. But here is the thing, I’m guessing that like a lot of their books, they go out of print rather quickly and will be a nice collector’s item, especially since is on Hammer Films. But more important than that, it is a pretty nice size book with a ton of essays about one of our favorite film studios and the films they produced. So while this might a great investment, and will be well worth the price, the real key is to read and learn more about one of our favorite British film production companies. Because at the end of the day, that is the purpose for any book, to educate and entertain. Can’t wait for my copy to arrive!

For all the information and how to order, just click HERE.

Charles Band Tells It All

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Whether or not you’re a fan of his movies, you can’t be unimpressed with his legacy, from the movies he produced back in the Empire Pictures to his Full Moon empire, he definitely had his hand in the creation of direct-to-video film production. From titles like From Beyond (1986) to the Subspecies and Puppet Master series, he has continued to put his stamp in the world of low budget film production.

Now, coming this November from Harper Collins, you will be able to read how it all started, and what Band went through, all the ups and downs, to get where he is today. Priced at $27.99 for the hardcover edition, Confessions of a Puppet Master will be released on Nov. 16th and gives us all the juicy bits from Band and co-author Adam Felber, through his 40-year career in the business, working with a wide variety of talented directors, actors, and movie magic creators, learning of all the wins and losses that he has taken over those four decades, all covered within the 320 pages.

For all the details, just click HERE.

Creepy Bitches: Essays on Horror from Women in Horror

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Now if that title doesn’t tell you exactly what this book is about …

While we haven’t read this one (yet), I know we will be adding it to our library. One of the most important things one can do as a fan of this genre is listen to other voices. Not everyone thinks the same way you do so even if someone has a difference of opinion, you still should listen to them. Might not change your own feelings but maybe it will open your eyes a bit so at least you can see and understand another point of view. Women in horror is one voice that has been struggling to be heard for years, namely because most won’t listen. So let’s fix that. One step would to simply buy this book and read some essays on the genre by female writers, from the film industry, fandom, growing up in a video store even more in depth like exploring the gender roles in The Creature from the Black Lagoon trilogy. It also covers the “therapeutic benefits of watching horror” that I know a lot of us have been preaching for years!

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Need More Horror Books?

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Of course you do. What a silly question. Here are a few that have recently come out, or will be coming out this year that you might want to add to your library.

Puppet Master Complete: A Franchise History by Nat Brehmer

For better or for worse, Full Moon’s Puppet Master series is one of the longest running straight-to-video horror series since the first one came out in 1989. Author Brehmer covers all 14 films (to date, at least!), with an in-depth exploration into each of them, including the made-for-TV crossovers, and theatrical reboots. He also covers the action figures, comic books, and the other merchandise that has been coming over the last 30+ years. It features new interviews with the people behind the franchise, as well as dozens of behind-the-scenes photos. If you’re a fan of the series, you are probably going to need this one!

This is being published by McFarland with a price tag of $39.95. No exact release date yet.

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You’ve Got Red on You

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1984 Publishing, the same company to give us Michael Gingold’s Ad Nausem, Aaron Lupton & Jeff Szpirglas’ Blood on Black Wax, and Ghoulish: The Art of Gary Pullin, now brings you the book spilling on the guts on Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead, in Clark Collis’ You’ve Got Red on You: How Shaun of the Dead Was Brought to Life.

This 424 page book will tell the how a group of friends got together and decided to make a horror/comedy/zombie film that broke records around the world. The book includes in-depth interviews with director Edgar Wright, producer Nira Park, and cast members Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Bill Nighy, Lucy Davis, and even Coldplay singer Chris Martin, as well as storyboards, rare behind-the-scenes photos, with over 70 black and white images.

Pre-order price is only $25 and I believe comes with a signed bookplate by the author, and due to ship out this October. For all the details, head over to their website HERE, and even follow them on Facebook HERE,

Another Hammer Book for the Library?

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DAMN STRAIGHT!

It doesn’t matter if I already have over 40 titles in my library that are on the famous Studio that Dripped Blood. If a new one comes out, it will be added! And with the news that it will be coming from the publishers of We Belong Dead, I know it will be another beautiful edition like all their previous titles, such as 70’s Monster Memories or A Century of Horror.

This new one, entitled A Pictorial History of Hammer Horror, will be published in July, in both hard and soft cover editions. It will be over 400 pages, in full color, with an foreward by Richard Klemensen, and afterword by Veronica Carlson, and color art by Mark Maddox. The artwork shown here is the back cover, which was done by Brux. The book will also have a 34 page art gallery from some of the best artists around the world.

For all the latest information, as far as when it will be available to order, keep checking webelongdead.co.uk. Can’t wait to get my bloody hands on this one and start digging into it faster than a drunken graverobber!

FAB Press Releases Fisher Biography

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Way back in July of 2020, we posted about FAB Press announcement that they would be publishing Tony Dalton’s authorized biography of the incredibly underrated director Terence Fisher, best known for the work he did for Hammer Films. Well now it is at the printers and should be released next month. But you still have time to pre-order it and get a signed edition! The price is £29.99 (which right now is about $42), but we all know the beautiful work that FAB puts into their books, so it will be worth every penny. Not only that, but this hardcover edition is over 500 pages, almost that many illustrations, and is the first authorized biography of the man who helped start Hammer in their reign of terror that lasted over three decades.

Starting in the business as an editor in the mid-30s, he started directing in 1948 with A Song for Tomorrow. But in 1952, he started his association with Hammer Films, directing the crime drama Man Bait. He would dabble in science fiction with titles like Four Sided Triangle and Spaceways (both 1953), but it was in 1957 when he directed Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in The Curse of Frankenstein that made the world take notice.

I can’t wait to dig into this book and if you’re a serious fan of Hammer Films, this really is a must. To get your pre-order in, just click HERE to get to FAB Press’ website.

Opinions, Opinions, and More Opinions

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There is a new book that just came out called 40s Universal Monsters: A Critical Commentary, covering all of the monster films that Universal put out during that decade. Author John T. Soister had published a similar book back in 2001 covering the Universal films of the 30s, entitled Of Gods and Monsters: A Critical Guide to Universal’s Science Fiction, Horror and Mystery Films, 1929-1939. Now, along with contributors Henry Nicolella, Harry H. Long, & Dario Lavia, they take on the ’40s, covering 66 titles from The Invisible Man Returns to Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.

But what does have to do with opinions? Hear me out. Looking through my own library, I have several books that deal with the early days of cinema. If we’re talking about the silent era, we have Silent Screams by Steve Haberman, or Wayne Kinsey’s entry in his incredible Fantastic Films of the Decades series, as well as Troy Howarth’s own series, Tome of Terror, who has covered the decade of the ’30s as well. Kinsey is already up to halfway through the ’40s with his ongoing series. But then I also have Universal Horrors by Tom Weaver, Michael and John Brunas, Soister’s aforementioned Of Gods and Monsters, Mank’s Hollywood Cauldron, Senn’s Golden Horrors, and even a few others titles. Then we move into the ’50s and beyond with multiple titles in each of those as well.

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Giant Monster Sale at McFarland Books!

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In conjunction with the release of Godzilla vs Kong, McFarland Books is having a 30% off sale on all their books dealing with Kaiju and all the other giant monster books they have, through April 30th. Just using the code KAIJU30, you can save some gigantic $$ here on some really amazing and some even essential titles for your library. Such as David Kalat’s A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series. Normally retail price is $29.95 now you can get it for just over $20. Or maybe Jason Barr’s The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters.

All you need to do is click the link HERE and start adding some titles and saving some money. If you ever wanted to do some series study of Japan’s famous monsters, this is a great place to start. There is a wide variety of titles here, even including not just Godzilla type films, but all giant monsters, such as listed in the book Apocalypse Then. Plus, I’m sure the more you read about these films, you’ll discover some titles that you’ll want to seek out to further your kaiju education!

The Real Elvira’s Biography!

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Coming this September, fans of Elvira will be able to read the real story behind those … eyes! Cassandra Peterson, the real person inside everyone’s favorite hostess with the most, has her biography coming out right before Halloween. Entitled Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark, from Hatchette Books, you’ll learn about how she left home at age 14 and by 17 was performing at the famous Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Tom Jones, as well as a chance encounter with some guy named Elvis.

You’ll read about her early career trying to make it as a singer, dancer, and actor, even joining the famed comedy improv troupe, The Groundlings, with fellow members like Paul Reubens and Phil Hartman. As well as that fateful date when she auditioned for a job at a local LA tv station as a hostess for late night screenings of classic horror films. The rest is history.

But within the 272 pages, we’ll read about how she made a career out of this loveable, funny, sexy, and always entertaining horror host, while also pulling no punches on how she got there.

Being that grew up with watching Elvira host all those movies on Thriller Video, I can’t wait to dig into this one and will definitely be adding it to my library!