The fine folks from We Belong Dead have a new book out, Mods & Shockers: British Horror of the 1960s, which is available in 2 different covers. The one on the left is from Mark Armstrong and the one on the left is from Paul Watts. Edited by Eric McNaughton & Darrell Buxton, with a foreword by Ramsey Campbell, the book features articles on more than 150 movies, all from 1960s. I am honored to say that I have 2 articles in here, on The Frozen Dead and Island of Terror, both from 1966. As usual, the layout of their books is always a beautiful thing and I’m sure this one is no different. Yes, if you’re in the U.S., it will be a bit pricy, but I think that not only are they great books, but a damn good investment.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Book News
Night of the Living Dead Book
We all have those film titles that we personally think are classics of the horror genre. But George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968) truly is one of them that very few would disagree. Not only did it create a whole new sub-genre of films, but close to six decades later, the film is still a powerful tale, hitting many different triggers for the viewer. Sure, it is a zombie film, but there is so much more going on within that 90+ running time.
Coming out this December from Titan Books and author Simon Braund, we are getting Night of the Living Dead: The Official Story of the Film. This book is the “official retrospective” of the film, giving the readers a look into how a small group of independent filmmakers created one of the most influential horror films ever made. Through interviews, we get to hear from different cast members and from the production crews on how it got made. From getting investors, finding locations, to even getting a bunch of people to appear as the title creatures, all outside of the normal Hollywood system, shows the talent and devotion these people had.
Continue readingA “New” Frankenstein Book?
There is nothing I love more than coming across a new non-fiction book on Frankenstein, whether it’s on the movie, the novel, or the history, I’m always intrigued to learn more. I have plenty of volumes in my library but can always make room for one more.
But then there is nothing I hate more than coming across a “new” book that after a little digging, looks to be a previously published book, just retitled, making it look like a new book. Now if this was a book way out of print and hard to find, that’s one thing. And if that’s the case, why not just publish an updated edition? Why change the title and the look of it?
Continue readingIsland of Terror Book
Way back in 2017, I reviewed the book A Vault of Horror by Keith Topping, (click HERE for my review) which was one that I truly enjoyed. Sure, I’d seen most of the titles covered in this film guide, but it was mainly because of the format and his writing. Lots of fun information and trivia in there, the kind that makes you want to bust out the movie you just read about to watch again. Then last year, Topping put out a follow-up guide, entitled Return to the Vault of Horror, continuing in the same format. I haven’t gotten to reading it yet, but hopefully soon.
But now, Topping switches over from British horror films from the ’50s to the ’70s to science fiction and fantasy movies, even widening the years covered. The new book is called Island of Terror: A Guide to 60 Great British SF and Fantasy Movies from 1936-1984. When you put The Green Slime on the cover, I definitely am going to add this to my library! Some of the titles covered include H.G. Wells’ Things to Come, Hammer’s Four-Sided Triangle and the Quatermass films, to The Trollenberg Terror aka The Crawling Eye, The Earth Dies Screaming, Island of Terror, Scream and Scream Again, Alien, Lifeforce and many more in between.
This 598-page book will be coming out this October and can be purchased through the publisher, Telos Publishing, through their website HERE. The price is £19.99, which is about $27 here in the states.
Harker Press Unleashes a Nightmare Book
Harker Press has announced their latest book, Nightmare Autopsis: A Return to Elm Street by author Lowell Greenblatt, with introduction by Nathan Thomas Milliner. The book contains story analyses, production info and behind-the-scenes stories, and much more. Here what you’ll get:
- A foreword by Nathan Thomas Milliner
- A franchise-spanning photo gallery
- New insights from three Nightmare directors
- Extensive looks at unused sequel scripts
- Deep dives on each film’s story origins
- Long-overdue appreciations for the sequels
- A history of Freddy’s evolving iconography
- A look at how each entry influenced the next
This is obviously a must for any fans of the Nightmare on Elm Street series, but I would just throw it out there that I have read and reviewed plenty of titles from Harker Press, some on a subject that I really had little interest in, such as the Halloween sequels, but still found them very fascinating and a lot of information I didn’t know. If you’re a horror fan, don’t just walk away because it’s a book on those “Freddy movies”. Trust me.
The other great thing about Harker Press’ releases is the price. You get a decent size book at a very reasonable price. This one will be available in hardcover at $32.99, softcover at $24.99, and is 423 pages. Plenty for any Freddy fans to dig into. For more info, head over to Harker Press by clicking HERE. Or you can order your copy through Amazon by clicking HERE.
The (Latest) Definitive Guide to Horror Films
Being a collector of horror reference books, which includes several different film guides from throughout the past 30 years, I can’t help but add new ones to the collection. But as serious collectors know, you have to be a little careful before immediately picking up a new release, because you might already have an older version of the book, and sometimes the new version isn’t that much newer. Thankfully, it seems this version at least some more content added than just a few pages. But again, the rest of the book seems to be exactly the same as the last edition.
This title started back in 2006, under the title Horror: The Definitive Guide to Cinema of Fear. Then it was released again in 2010 under the title Horror! 333 Films to Scare You to Death, with a few pages of added content. Then three years later, it was released again as Horror! The Definitive Companion to the Most Terrifying Movies Ever Made, again with a few more papers of content added. Then five years later, and another 8 pages added, it was released again under the title The Definitive Guide to Horror Movies: 365 Films to Scare You to Death. And now, it is being released once again, with seemingly a bit more content, more than 30 pages added, under the same Definitive title, now with Ghostface from the Scream series on the cover.
Continue readingNew Jack Hill Book
Fans of exploitation films, especially in blacksploitation sub-genre definitely know the work of Jack Hill. The man has worked in many sub-genres, from the above mentioned, to horror, gothic, racing, sexploitation, and so many more. In the early days of his career, he was often called in to “fix” or “finish” a film that had issues, such as The Terror (1963) or Blood Bath (1966). He also worked with Karloff on his last four films, or at least the parts with aged actor that were filmed in the states. Afterwards, the rest of the film was finished in Mexico.
The shame is that unless you’re a real fan of the genre, most people don’t realize the impact Hill had on the films we love. Thanks to editor Anthony Taylor, Headpress Books, and a great selection of authors, they are putting together a collection of essays on the works of this unheralded master of cinema.
Continue readingAnimals Attacks!
The fine folks at We Belong Dead have a brand-new book out covering all those pesky and nasty animals, insects, and all those other beasties that revolt against us humans in Animals Attacks! now available through their website that you can get to by clicking HERE. Like all of their titles, these are beautiful volumes, filled with amazing images from stills to movie posters and so much more. Not to mention a wide array of talented writers giving us their thoughts on these movies. Yes, for full disclosure, I have 3 essays in this volume myself. But I know I would have been buying this latest volume even if I didn’t. Yes, they are also a bit pricy, especially when you get them shipped over here to the states. But because of their quality, and that you can just order them through Amazon, they are well worth the investment, both to your library, as well as your continued learning about the different films in the genre.
This book covers everything from the fun ’50s era of the big bug films, such as Tarantula (1955) to the major blockbusters like Jaws (1975), to even the modern-day cheesy CGI titles flooding the market. A lot to be covered here, and a lot to learn about, as well as maybe adding a few movies to your “need-to-watch” list.
Continue readingHitchcock and Herrmann Book
Composer Bernard Herrmann worked with Alfred Hitchcock on some of his most well-known scores, such as Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and of course, Psycho (1960). They would work on 8 films together, creating some of the finest in cinematic history. Now, author Steven C. Smith gives us a book that delves into that relationship in his new book Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores that Changed Cinema, due out this fall. Smith spent over four decades doing research, from unpublished documents, new interviews, giving us readers a look inside the collaboration between Hitchcock and Herrmann.
When you have to strong-willed characters like these two, you know there are going to clashes. But they still were able to work together for some time and helped create some amazing films and film scores. This 312-page hardcover book is being published by Oxford University Press and can be pre-ordered now, with a cost of $39.99.
Making of the Descent Book
Back in 2002, Neil Marshal did something that not many directors could do. And that was getting a film to premiere on the Sci-Fi Channel that was actually a damn good movie! That film was Dog Soldiers. And then, in 2005, he broke another rule by making a movie about spelunking . . . and making it damn good as well! That film was The Descent, which is about a group of women out on a cave exploring vacation that end up not only getting stuck underground but then come across something else living down there.
In 2022, author Janine Pipe gave us Sausages: The Making of Dog Soldiers, but now she is back giving us another book on Marshall’s second feature film, The Descent, this time with Marshall working alongside Pipe. The title is simply called The Making of The Descent and is the definitive book that contains extensive interviews with the cast and crew, with plenty of photographs and illustrations, Marshall’s notes and memories of the film, and much more.
This 176-page hardcover edition will be available in August, being published by Telos Publishing, priced at £34.99, or about $47. For a film that director Guillermo del Toro calls a “bona fide top-tier horror film”, I’m sure this book with be more than worthy of any film fan’s library.
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