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Reviews & Commentary by Adam Groves
MULTIPLE MANIACS
The second feature by John Waters, and in many respects his key film
SENSITIVE SPOTS
A little-known example of Central European science fiction, set in the far-off year 1998
RED DAWN
“Better dead than red” cinema got a memorable 1980s rethink in RED DAWN, a “what-if?” narrative about a Russian invasion of the US
THE WAR GAME
A profoundly shattering, staunchly reality-based look at the effects of a possible nuclear war on Great Britain
THE FARMER
A revenge-themed grindhouse item from 1977 that appears to have had Important Cinema aspirations
BLACK CHRISTMAS
It’s probably wrong to criticize this book overmuch, as novelizations are by nature an extremely hasty and disreputable form of literature. It’s true that occasionally a novelization will transcend its limitations, but this one doesn’t.
THE TOWN THAT TOOK A TRIP
This paperback relic, hailing from the psychedelic era, offers a fictional extrapolation on the real-life LSD contamination chronicled in THE DAY OF ST. ANTHONY’S FIRE by John G. Fuller
THE PREMISES OF OTTO GAST
An impressively wrought exercise in surreal delirium that has yet to receive its proper due
NIGHT SKIES
His name may not appear anywhere on it, but make no mistake: Mr. Steven Spielberg was the guiding force behind this late 1970s screenplay
ANAÏS NIN AT THE GRAND GUIGNOL
Yet another example of mislabeled literary horror
THE INNER MAN
In which England’s incomparable literary genius J.G. Ballard, the esteemed “Dark Prophet of the 20th Century,” gets the John Baxter treatment, meaning a less-than-flattering biographical portrait
THE INDIANA TORTURE SLAYING
This study of the notorious torture-murder of 16-year-old Sylvia Likens initially appeared within a year of the crime, having been compiled from articles written about the case by an Indianapolis Star reporter
IMPOSSIBLY FUNKY: A CASHIERS DU CINEMART COLLECTION
For true film nerds this collection is a must, as it is for just about anyone with an interest in Quentin Tarantino, Crispin Glover, DEATH GAME, GREMLINS, the novels of David Goodis and Charles Willeford and the LONE WOLF AND CUB films
ROMANCING THE VAMPIRE–FROM PAST TO PRESENT
This large format hardcover is David J. Skal’s latest vampire-themed tome, and doesn’t contain much info that his other books didn’t already cover
REX MILLER: THE COMPLETE REVELATIONS
A spirited 100-page look at the life and fiction of the late Rex Miller, one of the most distinctive horror/mystery specialists of the eighties and nineties
No-Budget Sci-Fi Cinema: Ten Good Examples
Low budget and science fiction might seem mutually exclusive terms, but I believe the following ten films prove otherwise
TV Flashback: IJON TICHY, RAUMPILOT
It’s a fact that in certain situations a low budget can be a virtue
A Trump Era Reading List
As I’m sure most of you are aware, dystopian fiction is quite hot right now
Bill Paxton: 1955-2017
This morning, on February 26, 2017, it was announced that the great Bill Paxton had died
Horror’s Most Sacred Cows…Slaughtered!
Nosferatu and Frankenstein are classics. But there’s an inescapable fact that few are willing to acknowledge: neither movie is very good.