See no Evil was a great find. I first heard of it from a review in Empire, and sought it out afterwards. I was 13, and totally looking forward to dipping into it on Christmas day (yes, that would be ma highlight. Screw the chocolates, and the family-togetherness). Imagine my disappointment when my Mum reported that dearest Dad had flicked through the pages, and then put it down in disgust; "We can't give this to our darling daughter; there's naked women in this . . . and a certain degree of violence."Heh. No shit. It was the best book ever. Well, in all honesty, my outlook wasn't quite like that; I was interested in banned film and video controversy, particularly in relation to the notorious Video Nasties, which I was too young to have known about. This book was a goldmine, opening my eyes to a plethora of films that I had to get my hands on including: The Beyond, The Evil Dead, The Last House on the Left, Shogun Assassin, Zombie Flesh Eaters, Dead and Buried, Cannibal Holocaust and Tenebrae.
See no Evil gives a history of the subsequent Video Nasties and the Video Recordings act 1984, which followed. Giving a detailed synopsis of the films on the list -- including such utter shite as Don't Go in the Woods . . . Alone! (1980), which is one of those rare films that makes you wanna gouge out your eyeballs with a rusty knife. Got your doubts? Go Here.
Next on the list is the Eyeball Compendium, a fantastic book from FAB press. It contains articles from Eyeball magazine 1989 - 2002. With interviews, reviews and other features, it's definitely worth checking out their website, and eBay as some of their books are now out of print.
Again, stemming from my interest in video nasties, is this simple, but informative pictorial reference to 70s 80s exploitation film. Ignoring the ghastly content of the 'nasties' in question, Shock! Horror! Astounding Artwork from the Video Nasty Era examines the censorship surrounding the films themselves, and raises interesting arguments. Also has an extremely handy note regarding DVD availability in the UK.
Nightmare USA: The Untold Story of the Exploit Independents is a detailed encyclopedia of trash/horror/exploitation cinema. Packed within it's 528 LARGE pages, is a variety of interviews, essays and reviews. Scoot over to the FAB Press website to have a more detailed look. It's a must have for anyone interested in Grindhouse cinema.
Note: I don't actually own this. But I'd really, really like to. If any of my FANTASTIC friends are reading this, I'd just like to point out that my birthday is coming up. It's £40.00, (£25.00 on Amazon!) and you can probably pick it up from any good retailer. I asked a friend to buy me it last year, and she was all like; "I'm no' spendin' forty quid on a bloody book!" Ha, good times . . .
5 comments:
Nightmare USA is a great read. For a horror fan, it's one of those books you keep going back to. Indeed, it's like an encyclopedia.
Haven't heard of see no evil,but it looks interesting . . . don't know much about video nasties:S
Anna
Yeah, i've seen Nightmare USA in the shops so many times now, and I'm so tempted to get it. I totally want it in my collection, like pronto. I may even sneak away tomorrow and make a new purchase? ;)
See no Evil is grand if you're interested in Video Nasties, specifically if you haven't had the opportunity to watch many -- I do know the original VHS can go for hundreds of pounds. Best bet is DVD -- they're selling a "Box of the Banned" boxset and a second one at a reasonable price. If you're picky, you can get them cheaper individually for about £5-£10 on the Vipco label. Saying that, Box of the Banned does have a good documentary; "Ban the sadist videos", which is very informative. So, yes, I'd go for the boxset, if you're interested in the 1984 recording act.
Some cool books, hopefully I'll pick some up when the Uni funds come home ;)
Wow, Cool. A friend of mine also wants the Nightmare USA book.
She's like a total book freak, Constantly reading. She's still cool though ;)
Great job Voodoun! ;)
Damn. Anna, just looked out my Box of the banned collection -- just wanted to point out that, bar a couple of the films, the rest are still cut, rather obviously too.
Not as good as I previously thought it to be!
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