BEST FILM BOOKS OF 2007

MARIO BAVA: ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK

Tim Lucas delivered his epic length (over 1000 pages), meticulously researched Mario Bava biography which is also an invaluable film reference book and history of Italian genre cinema from the silent era to the 1980s. Lavishly illustrated, a feast for the eyes and mind. To read my longer blog on this just type ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK into the search engine and page down. To find out about ordering it click on the permanent Video Watchblog link on the sidebar.

NIGHTMARE USA

From the FABPRESS site: "Running to 528 large-format pages, Nightmare USA is a veritable encyclopedia of grindhouse cinema - it's without doubt the year's most ground-breaking film book! A kaleidoscopic journey through the heyday of Horror and Exploitation Cinema in America!"

And that's exactly what Stephen Thrower has written: the last word on US Independent Exploitation cinema from 1970-1985 with over 175 films reviewed, a 20,000 plus word essay on the origins of US Exploitation, long essays on various films, filmmakers, and interviews with participants in the product of that era. Over 50 pages of lurid color adverts, stills, and hundreds of behind the scenes photos, admats, posters, make this a must for collectors and fans of exploitation movies. A fascinating, definitive and fun to read reference work.

From LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET to DON'T GO IN THE HOUSE to BLOOD FREAK to MESSIAH OF EVIL to I DRINK YOUR BLOOD, it's all here. Full credits for the films by Julian Grainger are a welcome inclusion, along with an Exploitation Independent Checklist and index. Over 500 pages with a killer cover design depicting the flamethrower meltdown of a bloody collage of images from the films. It can be ordered from http://www.fabpress.com/

And a second volume is promised!

I'm not the most objective reader since I was gratified to be a minor contributor to both of these massive tomes but I don't think anyone will be disappointed after acquiring these.


(C) Robert Monell, 2007