Peveril To Unleash the Seven Golden Vampires!

Coming in November of this year, Peveril Publishing will release their next book in their always amazing volumes on Hammer Films. This one tackles the 1973 film The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (amongst many other titles!), that was a co-production between Hammer and Hong Kong’s famous Shaw Brothers Studios. While this might not be a favorite of most Hammer fans (myself included), the history of this film is just as important because it is the last appearance of Peter Cushing as Van Helsing for the studio! But even besides that, no matter what the title, keeping the history alive and available to fans is always important, because the more you know about the actual production, both positive and negative, it will help you appreciate the film much more. 

Peveril has always published beautiful looking books, and this one looks to be no different. It includes both Cushing’s and director Roy Ward Baker’s annotated scripts, showing all the notes they wrote down during the production. Just seeing all the notes that Cushing made, even for this lesser production, still shows how much of a perfectionist he was when creating a character, or even returning to one. The book even shows the water color paintings of suggestions for his character’s costume. Continue reading

Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: The Art of Darkness

Back in May, I posted about an upcoming book on the artwork from the TV show Night Gallery. This one one of the most important shows in my childhood. Where most were anxious to see The Twilight Zone, I was more interested in the darker tales brought through the Gallery. I mentioned there was an upcoming book that would feature all the artwork from the series in a new coffee table book. Now is the time to place your order! Continue reading

Discover the Horror … on eBay

I came across this the other day and found it pretty amusing. Here is a seller listing copies of my book for $34.95. I guess I should feel honored that someone thinks the book is worth almost twice as much as it was when it was first published. But instead I find it both sad and funny, because not only is it still available on Amazon for $20, you could also ordered it directly from me, and I’d even sign it for you, free of charge!

DtH on ebay

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Giallo Canvas: Art, Excess and Horror Cinema

giallo canvasHere’s another volume for the library of giallo fans. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas has just released the cover of her newest book, The Giallo Canvas: Art Excess and Horror Cinema, which sounds to be much different look at this popular sub-genre of films. While most books on this sub-genre covers everything from the production and making of, sexual subtexts, and a huge focus on style, this title “explores an overlooked yet prevalent element in some of the best known gialli – an obsession with art and artists in creative production, with a particular focus on painting.” Sounds like a very interesting read, that is for sure. Plus, I love that this is something new to consider about these films, focusing on the art used in these movies. The author will be exploring art that is used by some of the masters of Italian giallo cinema, such as Mario and Lamberto Bava, Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Sergio Martino, Umberto Lenzi, and Michele Soavi. 

This will be publised by McFarland, but there is no release date as of yet. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted.

1000 Women in Horror

1000 Women in HorrorBack in Feb. of 2018, we posted a mention about this upcoming book. Well, now it is officially out and can be ordered! In this 600 page book, the author gives us a “love letter to both the stars and often-invisible women who have made the genre what it is today. From Classical Hollywood to alt-Nollywood, mumblegore to J-horror, this book offers a tiny global snapshot of the vast number of women who have worked in the creation of dark and spooky movies for well over a century, both behind and in front of the camera, and in films both widely known and comparatively obscure.”

The book covers over 700 feature films that were either directed by or co-directed by women, and also interviews with a ton of women who have been contributing to the genre over the years. In other words, this is a must for all horror fans because part of the learning about the genre is learning about those within it and the struggles and challenges they have. 

This is available in both paperback and hardcover editions, which I would recommend going through Amazon since you can save on the shipping charges that way. The book might seem a bit pricey, $44 for paperback and $54 for hardcover, but at 600 pages, I think that is more than a fair price. So order your copy now!

Halloween Favorites

Fright FavoritesHorror scholar David J. Skal has a new book coming out this fall, just in time for Halloween, entitled Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond. Presented by Turner Classic Movies, Skal takes on 31 films ranging from the silent era, hitting a few titles from each decade through the ’80s, and a few beyond that. Most of these everyone will agree are classics, with a few comedies listed in the later day titles. The description in Amazon says they are “family-friendly” but not sure The Exorcist (1973) and The Thing (1982) are ones I would be screening for 8-year old Timmy! Continue reading

Terence Fisher: Master of Gothic Cinema

Terence Fisher Master of Gothic CinemaWhile there are a few books previously on Terence Fisher, from authors like Peter Hutchings, Paul Leggett, and Wheeler Winston Dixon, I think it is still not enough coverage on this director, who’s name should be right up there with the likes of Romero, Carpenter, Cronenberg, Bava, Argento, and the rest of the horror elite. Now hopefully with this new book by Tony Dalton, Terence Fisher: Master of Gothic Cinema, that will make the change.

Dalton has had full cooperation from Fisher’s family, making this a fully authorized biography of Mr. Fisher. Long before he started cranking out tales of Frankenstein and Dracula (and so much more) for Hammer Films, he had been working in film for quite some time, starting as a clapper boy and eventually moving into the editing department. Maybe now we can learn even more about this talented man and how he help change the face of horror.

FAB Press is taking pre-orders for a special signed hardcover edition of this book, for only £29.99 (approx. $37.50). The regular price is £39.99. Plus, by pre-ordering it is the only way to get the signed hardcover edition. A paperback edition will be released at a later day. This 480 page book, filled with 250 illustrations, won’t be published until next year, but I’m sure this limited edition hardcover edition won’t last long. 

For more information, just click HERE.

The Making of Aliens Book

Making of AliensJust when you think there couldn’t be another book released about the Alien series, this Sept. we will have another one to add to the library! Following up with his The Making of Alien book from last year, this year we get The Making of Aliens, once again from Titan Books.

Priced at $60 and 300 pages, this volume tells “the complete story of how Cameron and Hurd, together with their immensely talented cast and crew, brought heroine Ellen Ripley back to the big screen—and upped the stakes by introducing a whole army of aliens for her to face.”

It will features interviews with the cast and crew, filled with tons of photos, illustrations, and concept art, and so much more. There is a reason this film is still loved and worshiped today, so this will be a nice look back at one of our favorites.

Night Gallery Art Book Coming Soon!

Rod Serling's Night Gallery

For those fans out there like me, that grew up watching Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, we all wondered at some point in our fandom, “I wonder whatever happened to those paintings?” Now, not only will those questions be answered, but soon you’ll be able to page through a single book and view every one of those incredible and memorable pieces of art. Continue reading

Untold Horror – The Real Stuff of Hollywood Nightmares

Untold HorrorBeing horror movie fans, unless you’re on the inside of the business, I don’t think we really know of the real horror that lies inside working in the Hollywood system. We see what is finally released, but what about all the ones that never made it to the greenlight and are now lost in oblivion? Well now we’ll have a chance to learn about a few of those, from the filmmakers that were there involved.

Coming this November, Dave Alexander, the former editor-in-chief of Rue Morgue magazine, gives us Untold Horror, a collection of interviews from directors, screenwriters, and producers like Guillermo del Toro, George Romero, Takashi Miike, and many more, that tell the tales of developmental hell they’ve been involved with in their careers. From the unmade Re-Animator sequels, to all the different remakes and sequels that never made it to the screen, such as the Halloween franchise. The book will feature art, scripts, and other production notes from films that never made it to the final product. 

Coming from Dark Horse Books in November, with a price tag of $39.99, this looks like a must for any fan of horror films that love to see behind the curtains of Hollywood. I’m sure there are going to be more than a few stories of films that us fans would have loved to see happen but didn’t. Stay tuned for more details when they become available.