Category Archives: Book News

Splintered Visions: The Films of Lucio Fulci

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splinteredvisionsSince we just posted our review of Troy Howarth’s earlier book, so what better time then to make mention that his newest book is now out and ready for you to order your copy for your own collection. There are two different versions of the book, so depending on your taste and how much money you want to spend, it is up to you to decide. There will be the standard edition, where the photos will all be in black in white. But there is also a full color version, which will show off the glorious color from the stills, posters, and everything else. Obviously, I would recommend that version.

But in a rare case, it will actually be cheaper to order the book directly from the publisher than getting it from Amazon! I know that seems impossible, but check it out. For the standard black and white edition, you can get it from Amazon for $27. But if you go to Midnight Marquee, this normally $30 price tag has a special sale price of only $18! For those who really want all the glorious color photos, then instead of paying $67.50 on Amazon, you can get these from Midnight Marquee for only $45, which is $25 off their normal price of $70. So show these small press publishers that they matter and take the time and effort and order directly from them instead of going through Amazon. Everybody wins here!

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When is a Book a Piece of Art?

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books 002Let’s face it…I spend a lot of money on books. With over 800 titles in my personal library, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t look upon my bookshelves and admire the beauty laid out upon the shelves. Like with any library, there many titles that I could easily pull out and get lost for an hour just paging through them, reading bits and pieces, taking in the glorious photos and illustrations. I’ve always considered that to be one of the joys of having a book collection. It’s like an open doorway to who knows where.

Most of the titles I have in my library are just standard reference books, filled with the knowledge that I know the author(s) spent a lot of time doing research and planning, even before they actually started putting pen to paper…or fingers to keyboard. I give a lot of credit to most authors that take the time and effort to go through all this work. I say “most authors” because I’ve run across a few other the years that need to double check some of their facts. But that is for another rant.

But there are some titles out there where the authors and publishers have gone far beyond being just a collection of opinions, facts, and photos, making it truly a work of art. Editions that can suck you in, even if it is just admiring the craftsmanship put into the book. From the design to the layout, it is an incredible journey you take once you pull it off your shelf. This physical medium is still a very important one, and one where I feel some of the beauty and charm of an actual book would be lost in the digital format. Especially the ones that seem to go above and beyond just publishing a book. They really do create a piece of art.

So I wanted to take a moment of your time to cover a few titles that I think fit into this category. I will say that some of these titles were a bit pricy when they first came out, and some go for even a higher price now. But there were a few of these that were pretty reasonably priced and are still accessible. Sure, they can still be a bit expensive, but we are talking about art here, right? And usually, at least in my experience, these kind of books never lose their value, In fact, the value tends to rise over the years. So if when you’re trying to justify the cost, think of it of an investment…that you can actually learn something from!

Thank you to the publishers for taking the time, the chance, the effort, and the money to put out such incredible books.

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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.