ROMAN
Roman Polanski is one of the world’s greatest and most notorious filmmakers. His stated intent in writing this autobiography was to clear his name, yet it left me with more questions than I had going in
THE MAKING OF HITCHCOCK’S THE BIRDS
This book is most certainly, as a cover blurb proclaims, “The Definitive Production History of THE BIRDS”
MAKING FRIDAY THE 13th
The first of two thick books on the FRIDAY THE 13th film series. I haven’t read the 2006 coffee table hardcover CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES, but can’t imagine it’s much better than David Grove’s MAKING FRIDAY THE 13th
THE STRANGE GENIUS OF DAVID LINDSAY
This slim three author compilation was the first-ever study of the English fantasist David Lindsay, author of the immortal VOYAGE TO ARCTURUS, THE HAUNTED WOMAN and several other eccentric novels
STAY OUT OF THE SHOWER
Those wanting an overview of the “shocker” movies that followed Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO could certainly do worse than read this book
THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF ALEJANDRO JODOROWSKY
One of several autobiographical volumes written by the Chilean-born, Paris-based writer/filmmaker/spiritual guru Alejandro Jodorowsky
SHOCK VALUE
The subtitle says it all: “How A Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood, and Invented Modern Horror”
SCREEN VIOLENCE
Violence in cinema was a hot issue back in 1996, as evinced in this British anthology of passionate essays on the subject
SCREAMS AND NIGHTMARES: THE FILMS OF WES CRAVEN
Fans of Wes Craven can rejoice, as this hardcover overview of his life and films is about as good as can be expected, despite being over two decades out of date
HORROR PANEGYRIC
A well-written overview of the Savoy published Lord Horror novels, HORROR PANEGYRIC deserves credit simply for the fact that it’s currently the only existing book-lengthy study of these important works