Category Archives: Book News

New Hammer Book Series from Peveril Publishing

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curse_of_werewolf_poster_07We had recently received our copy of the first volume of Peveril Publishing’s book series, The Fantastic Films of the Decades and was just blown away by it. The layout is fantastic and am amazed at how much stuff they covered for a decade of silent films. Of course, this is just the first of nine volumes, so there is much more greatness to come, not to mention the chuck out of my bank account this is going to take. But if the rest of the editions are as good as this first one, it will be a well worth investment.

But the fine folks at Peveril didn’t seem to be content with working on this book series, and figured they also need to create something similar for Hammer fans. They have just announced a new 8 volume book series called the Hammer Film Scrapbook Series. Each one of the volumes will cover a particular theme, such as one on their Dracaul films, one on their Frankenstein films, and so on. Below is the complete list:

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Revised Price Book Now From Hemlock

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merchant of menanceBack in 2003, Vincent Price: The Art of Fear by Denis Meikle was published. But now, over a decade later, a new expanded and revised edition is coming out from Hemlock Books, under the title Merchant of Menace: The Life and Films of Vincent Price. This new version is almost 400 pages and contains well over 300 illustrations, with 8 pages in color.

This book is a celebration of not just Price’s work but his life as well. It covers all of his films with a lot of information about them. If you’re a fan of Price, then I’m sure you’ll need to add this volumen in your collection, even if you already own the Price of Fear title. I know I will be. Besides, Hemlock always puts out some nice editions.

This is available in both softcover and hardcover editions. For more information, head over to Hemlock Book’s website HERE.

So Deadly….Volume 2 Coming Soon….

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So Deadly So Perverse vol 2You may wonder why I’m always talking about horror reference books. Is it because that I’m an avid collector of them and hope that my passion for them rub off on you? Or maybe because I feel the need to keep covering this kind of material because not too many other sites out there do? Or maybe just because I still think that these kind of books are a great way to learn more about this genre that we love so much. Maybe it is all of them.

Now that we’ve finished the Karloff book, it is time to move onto something a little different. Our next book that we’ll be diving into is Troy Howarth’s So Deadly, So Perverse Volume 1 1963-1973, which was published by Midnight Marquee eariler this year. Can’t wait to read into this and start adding some giallo titles to my already overflowing list of movies that I want to watch or re-watch. But once we’re done, we’ll have our review up shortly there after.

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Now Available for Ordering: Fantastic Films of the Decades Vol. 1

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Fantastic Films of the Decades vol 1While it is a bit pricy, every title I’ve gotten from Peveril Publishing has not only been well worth the money, but these are great investments since they will only go up in price. Remember, they are only publishing 500 copies of these so if you miss out, you’ll be paying much more on the secondary market later. They are hardcover editions, filled with plenty of incredible illustrations. Of course, you realize that once you buy the first volume, you’ll have to get them all! I’ve already committed myself to that quest, because I know these will be a valuable edition to my reference library.

Of course, the other great thing about this edition is that it covers the decate of silent films, one that I think most fans tend to ignore unless it is one of the more famous ones. There are some amazing films from this decade, some with more style and impact than some of the films made today.

Head over to their website HERE to order your copy now. Don’t miss out!

Got Gothic?

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englishgothic-revisedIf you’re a fan of British horror and have a few reference books around on said genre, then you just might have one by author Jonathan Rigby. I know I have a few of his titles proudly in my library. He’s one of the guys from across the pond that really knows his stuff. Back in 2005, Rigby wrote a book called English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema, which covered the British horror film from pretty much the beginning of film to the current era (at that time…more on that in a bit). Filled with tons of photos, the book covered different eras of the genre, like the early works of Todd Slaughter, moving onward to of course Hammer Films, but many others as well. Certain films are highlighted with cast & crew info, and some quotes about the film, either a review or from someone involved in the film.

In 2007, Rigby put out another edition in what seems to be a series, called American Gothic: Sixty Years of Horror Cinema. It pretty much followed the same format as the previous book, except this one covers films from the states, and has an insert of some color pages, mainly showing poster art. For some reason though, this out-of-print title goes for over $50 on the market. Not sure why, other than maybe it was a small number of books published. But again, worth it if you can find one.

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Jaws 2: The Making of the Hollywood Sequel

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Jaws 2I had first seen Jaws around 1977 and it seriously changed my life. Not only did it terrify me, I haven’t been in the water since. But it also brought forth a fear of what might be waiting in the water for me that has stayed with me to this day. The following year when Jaws 2 came out, even though the first one had scared the living crap out of me, I knew I had to go see it. Now we all know that it was nowhere near the masterpiece the first one was…not even close. But for me, because it was about an underwater terror lurking below the surface of the water, just waiting for a person to come floating by, it once again terrorized my 13 year old brain.

Now, thanks to authors Louis R. Pisano and Michael A. Smith, we are going to learn much more about this sequel, one that probably doesn’t get the credit it deserves since it will always live in shadow of the original. Pisano and Smith follow the ups and downs of this movie, as the director is replaced, battles with the cast and crew, and all the other things that me wonder how people stay in the business! Filled with stories from the original cast and crew, with hundreds of rare behind-the-scenes photos that were taken by the cast and crew during production. This will be published by BearManor Media in both hardcover and softcover editions, although no date has been announced yet.

If you want to get a taste of some info on the Jaws series, check out the latest issues of Horrorhound (#53) where Michael A. Smith wrote the retrospective on the films. It’s a great read. You can also check their Facebook page for the book HERE.

Check out all the details at BearManor Media’s website HERE.

Fantastic Films of the Decades…or Why I Will Need a Part Time Job!

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Fantastic Films of the Decades vol 1The fine folks at Peveril Publishing are about to unleash the first book in their massive 9 volume set called Fantastic Films of the Decades. Volume 1 will be about the Silent Era, written by Wayne Kinsey. If you have any of Kinsey’s Hammer books or magazines, then you know how amazing this book is going to be. And I for one, can’t wait to add this title, as well as the following volumes to my collection. Which is why I’m probably going to need a part-time job!

Peveril Publishing has only been around a relatively short time, but have put out some amazing titles, such as one of their last releases, The Hammer Legacy. Yes, it was a bit pricy, especially getting it shipped from the UK, but well worth every penny/pound! They haven’t posted what the price is going to be on this volume but hope it is reasonable for us in the states, which I’m sure it will be.

Each volume will be a hardcover edition, full color and limited to only 500 signed editions. I’m sure it will sell out rather quickly, just like their Hammer Legacy book, so don’t wait too long. They are not taking pre-orders just yet, but head over to their website and sign up for their newsletter that way you can be notified when they are taking orders. You can get to their website by clicking HERE.

The rest of the 9 volume series will consist of the following:

Fantastic Films of the 30’s
Fantastic Films of the 40’s
Fantastic Films of the 50’s vol 1 (1950-56)
Fantastic Films of the 50’s vol 2 (1957-59)
Fantastic Films of the 60’s vol 1 (1960-64)
Fantastic Films of the 60’s vol 2 (1965-69)
Fantastic Films of the 70’s vol 1 (1970-74)
Fantastic Films of the 70’s vol 2 (1975-79)

Oh yeah…don’t forget…Print is Dead!

laughing

Got Wood?

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cinematicadventuresofedwoodComing this summer from our good friends at BearManor Media, authors Andrew J. Rausch & Charles E. Pratt Jr. tell us the story about Ed Wood Jr., one of the most iconic figures in the cult movie history, in their book entitled The Cinematic Misadventures of Ed Wood. In the book, they have 10 different interivews with people that knew and worked with Wood and/or his films. With close to 300 pages and 42 chapters, it seems like we might be able to learn a little more into the life of this very strange man, who made even stranger movies.

You can pre-order the book at BearManor Media’s website by clicking HERE.

Beyond Terror: Revised Edition Coming Soon!

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beyondterrorIf you were a die-hard fan of Lucio Fulci’s work as well as a collector of books on his work, then Stephen Thrower’s 1999 tome Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci was a must have.  But the problem was that finding a copy of it, even the softcover version, wasn’t that easy, at least not without paying $100+ for a copy. But now that all changed because FAB Press is releasing a revised edition later on this year.

According to FAB’s website, Thrower has written “10,000 words of all new writing, plus major revisions to the look of the book made possible through the availability of a mass of new color illustrations.” This hardcover edition is 348 pages, over 800 illustrations with 200 in color. The price is $69.95. I’m sure the shipping from the UK might be a bit pricy so you might be looking close to $100 anyway. But again, it’s not going to get any cheaper.

They don’t have a set release date just yet other than “Autumn 2015”, but I’d start saving your pennies now!

Click HERE to get all the information.