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Reviews & Commentary by Adam Groves
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
Arguably the most interesting of William Friedkin’s pre-FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) films
BORDELLO OF BLOOD
The second, and last, TALES FROM THE CRYPT big screen spinoff
THE BUTCHER BOY
The brief acting career of the late Sinéad O’Connor reached its apex in this rancid little film from Ireland’s Neil Jordan
SLITHIS
Certainly the only monster movie ever made whose critter emerges from the canals of Venice Beach, CA
TRANS-EUROP-EXPRESS
The second feature directed by France’s late Alain-Robbe Grillet was this 1967 lark that took the Euro crime thriller model for quite a ride
EXPLORING DARK FICTION #5: A PRIMER TO HAN SONG
A particularly fine entry in the Eric J. Guignard edited EXPLORING DARK FICTION anthology series
SEVEN DAYS
Hugely popular in his native land, Senecal deserves to be better known in ours—although SEVEN DAYS probably isn’t the best place to start
THE VAMPIRES OF ALFAMA
A most interesting and unprecedented addition to vampire lore from the French filmmaker and sometime novelist Pierre Kast
THE COFFIN THINGS
Michael Avallone (1924-99) was one of the most prolific hacks of the latter half of the Twentieth Century, and this is one of his better novels.
MANIAC
One of the sickest surprises of December 2020 was the release of this graphic novel, which breaks new ground in splatterific excess
IRON MAN–THE CINEMA OF SHINYA TSUKAMOTO
Japan’s Shinya Tsukamoto is one of the world’s most vital living filmmakers, and this exhaustive study of his life and films is an essential reference, ideal both for Tsukamoto fanatics like myself and those new to the filmmaker’s work
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
A “Monster Memory” of THE BLACK HOLE
I remember very little of the 70s or its movies, but for one isolated example: THE BLACK HOLE, a pivotal film in my life
GEORGE A. ROMERO: 1940-2017
That George A. Romero, who died on July 16, 2017, was one of the most important horror moviemakers of his generation, and indeed of all time, goes without saying
Comic-Con Questions and Claims
Comic-Con, held in July of every year, invariably captures the interest of every media outlet in the land, and it is, quite simply, the premiere event of its kind
On HIGH SCHOOL FROM HELL
Why should you care about HIGH SCHOOL FROM HELL, a semi-autobiographical novel by an ex-high school English teacher?
FOREIGN NOVELS IN TRANSLATION: MY TWELVE MOST WANTED
I’ve been called a snob about translated novels, but in fact my preference for such books is quite basic and, I believe, well-reasoned