Robert Clarke To “B” or Not to “B” – A Film Actor’s Odyssey
By Robert Clarke & Tom Weaver
Published by Midnight Marquee, 1996, 247 pages
Category Archives: Reviews: Horror Reference Book
Greatpaint and Gore: The Hammer Monsters of Roy Ashton Book Review
Greasepaint and Gore: The Hammer Monsters of Roy Ashton
Bruce Sachs and Russell Wall
Published by Tomahawk Press, 167 pages.
Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography Book Review
Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography
By Tom Johnson & Deborah Del Vecchio
Published by McFarland & Company, Inc., 1996. 410 pages.
Hammer Films: The Unsung Heroes – The Team Behind the Legend Book Review
Hammer Films: The Unsung Heroes – The Team Behind the Legend
By Wayne Kinsey
Published by Tomahawk Press, 2010. 484 pages
Can there ever bee TOO many books on Hammer Films? I think not. Especially when they are like this one. So many books have been written about the films that Hammer made or on a few of their stars. But what about all the little people, as they say?We all know that film making is a huge collaboration of many different people to make the final output look like it does. Usually that attention goes to the stars, and maybe the writers and directors, or even the special effects people. But there are other names out there that worked just as hard that usually get very little, if any, credit. All the people behind the scenes, whether it was an assistant director, in the wardrobe department, or even the ones working in continuity. These people are all part of the reason that these films are what they are. When it comes to Hammer Films, Wayne Kinsey is trying to change all of that with this book.
A History of Horror Book Review
A History of Horror
By Wheeler Winston Dixon
Published by Rutgers University Press, 2010. 247 pages
Boy…where to start with this one. Whenever someone, usually of some huge academic background, writes a book about the history of the horror genre, it seems (to me at least) that they might be a fan of the classic era of horror films. But once they get to the ’70s and move through the modern day films, they either lose their interests, basically slide their way through them, or both, usually with some negative slant as well. Now I’m not expecting anybody to love each and every horror film out there. But if you’re writing a history of the genre, then it should be based on facts, not opinions. And even more importantly…now listen up folks because here is the important part…you have to your facts right. If you’re talking about a movie, you better make sure you’ve seen the movie. If you can’t get a basic plot point right, then how is anybody going to believe a word you’re writing? Want more details? Just keep reading.
Inside Hammer: Book Review
Inside Hammer
By Jimmy Sangster
Published by Reynolds & Hearn, 2001. 160 pages.
Sangster had already written autobiography, Do You Want It Good Or Tuesday?, which was very interesting, but he felt that he didn’t cover enough about Hammer that his fans probably wanted. With this new title, Sangster sticks to really what he’s famous for, and that is working with the Studio that Dripped Blood! Sangster covers every film that he worked on with the famous studio; from his first film Dick Barton Strikes Back as a lowly assistant to his last film Fear in the Night as writer, producer and director. Here are some my favorite parts of the book:
Running Scared Book Review
Running Scared
By Phil Campbell with Brian Reynolds
Published by Peveril Publishing, 2005. 226 pages.
Every follower of this site, or anybody that has talked to me for more than 15 minutes, probably knows of my love of Paul Naschy and of Hammer Films. Okay..maybe 10 minutes. So when news of a new book coming out by Peveril Publishing that was written by someone who used to work for Hammer back in the late 60s and early 70s, I figured we’d get some good stories. Not only was I correct, but they were great stories and a wonderful insight to a different time and place in the movie industry.
The Unknown Peter Cushing Book Review
The Unknown Peter Cushing
By Michael G. McGlasson
Published by BearManor Media, 2011. 107 pages.
Could we ever have too many books on this amazingly talented actor, one that wore the title of the Gentleman of Horror with pride? I don’t think so. But the problem can be that they can often tread of the same material over and over again. I mean how different can a biography be if they are all coming from the same facts and information. But McGlasson has done something quite different here, but not necessarily a good thing. While the book looks to be about Peter Cushing, a good deal of it is actually about his ancestor’s, particularly the ones that worked in the theater, such as his grandfather Henry William Cushing. McGlasson seems to have done some extensive research in tracing back Cushing’s linage, going way back to the 1500’s, so for that we give him a lot of credit. But while this is pretty interesting stuff, only about 30 or so pages in this small book is actually about Peter Cushing himself.
Peter Cushing: A Life in Film Book Review
Peter Cushing: A Life in Film
By David Miller
Published by Titan Books, 2013. 192 pages.
Previously published in 2000 under the title The Peter Cushing Companion, this is a newly revised hardcover edition. While the text has been edited and tweaked a bit here and there, it is pretty much the same book in respect to that. But this edition is a beautiful hardcover edition that has 16 full color pages that the previous edition did not have. Sure, it would have been nice for the publishers to advertise it that way instead of making it seem like a totally new book, but none the less, it is a worthwhile book in any movie fan’s collection.
The Amazing Colossal World of Mr. B.I.G. – An Autobiographical Journy – Book Review
The Amazing Colossal World of Mr. B.I.G. – An Autobiographical Journey
By Bert I. Gordon
Published by CreateSpace Publishing, 2009. 258 pages.
Flat out, this has to be one of the worst autobiography that I’ve ever read, and one of the most disappointing ones. Let me start off by saying that I am HUGE fan of Bert I. Gordon and his films. I loved his movies when I was younger and still can find entertainment in them today. No matter how cheesy they might seem today, they are always fun to watch. So I was very excited when he told me a few years ago that he was working on writing his autobiography and that McFarland was gong to be putting it out. But it was a few years later when I see that it had finally come out, but that it was self-published. That should have been a clue, but I eagerly ordered it right away and dove right into it when it got here.
kitleyskrypt.com 