Product Description
There is no cinema with such effect as that of the hallucinatory horror of Italian horror films. From Riccardo Freda’s I Vampiri in 1956 to Il Cartaio in 2004 (The Card Player), this work recounts the origins of the genre, celebrates ten auteurs who have contributed to Italian horror, mentions the many who have made noteworthy films, and discusses the influential genres associated with Italian horror.

The directors discussed in detail are Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Mario Bava, Ruggero Deodata, Lucio Fulci, Umberto Lenzi, Antonia Margheriti, Aristide Massaccesi, Bruno Mattei, and Michele Soavi. Each section includes a short biography, a detailed account of the subject’s career, discussion of influences both literary and cinematic, commentary on the films, with plots and production details, and an exhaustive filmography. The second section lists other important directors, each with a short discussion and selected filmography. The work concludes with a chapter on the future of Italian horror and an appendix of important horror films by other directors, and is illustrated with stills, posters, and behind-the-scenes shots. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Not as good as it should be
It's not really bad, but it's nowhere near as good as one would hope or even expect with that price tag. This book is more for novices, whom I can't imagine would shell out fifty bucks for it. Those already familar with Italian horror will learn nothing new here. To make matters worst, the book is full of errors, some that even the most casual reader are likely to know to be wrong. Two examples being misidentifing one of the characters that Anna Falchi plays in Dellamorte, Dellamore (Cemetary Man)and the idenity of Asai Argento's mother. All this plus unwaranted critisim of the films themselves. At twenty bucks, it would be worth adding to any serious collection of books relating to horror films or films in general, at fifty bucks, If I could do it over again, I'd pass

an excelent travel in giallo cinema
Excelent purchase for all those who want to know a little more about the italian horror cinema. This wonderful travel begins with a panorama over the history of the gothic and horror cinema in Italy; then, it shows the 10 most important giallo directors (Argento, Fulci, the Bavas among others); later, the author Louis Paul discusses briefly about more obscure directors. And at the end of the book, there's a really vast bibliography, very useful to those who want to make a research on this subject (italian horror cinema).

Explore the Id
Because of my preference for psychological horror, I had long resisted the Italian giallo. I've since come to realize my error. It is precisely its vast psychological component that makes the giallo unique. What other art form peers so unflinchingly into the darkest recess of the human psyche? This book helped me form that appreciation. In addition to offering hundreds of plot summaries, the author discusses the films' psychological underpinnings at length; musing as to what makes them tick individually and what makes the genre tick as a whole. There is also a wealth of well-organized reference material, exhaustively researched and detailed, for those who wish to dive deep into the arcana. I turned to the book to find out which Gogol story served as the basis for Bava's "Black Sunday" (since the story's title isn't listed in the film's credits) and found the answer immediately.

On the down side, the author has a preference for the movies' Italian titles, which meant I had to frequently thumb through the book for translations. (Although longtime fans of the genre may not be bothered by this.)

Could have been much better
I agree with the previous reviewer that Louis Pauls's new book comes as a bit of a disppointment. For that price, you would expect beautiful stills on good quality paper; instead what you get is sparse black-and-white photos on poor quality paper. The author's writing style doesn't help either: his bland style coupled with a lack of critical evaluations of the works of the major directors make this book pale in comparison to other much more exciting works, like Hardy's "The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: Horror" or Schneider's "Fear Without Frontiers". I am pretty sure "giallo cinema" is much more exciting and colorful than portrayed by the author.

On the positive side, Louis Paul does cover, to my knowledge, almost every major Italian horror movie and director. He covers many more giallos than does Phil Hardy. Also the index is very comprehensive and mentions both people and movies (both the English and Italian names).

All in all: could have been better but still a valuable reference.

Italian Horror Film Directors
A much-needed study of the subject...but this ain't it.Chapters devoted to the major players (Bava, Fulci, etc.) and sections devoted to the not-so majors.He puts Freda in this category, but anybody who gave Maestro Bava his start AND made The Terror of Dr. Hitchcock is pretty important, in my opinion.And speaking of opinions....The entries are mainly ______ was born in ______, got started in ________, and then made _______.Not much critical evaluation, and some of the information is glaringly wrong:Dawn of the Dead was made in...Philadelphia???None of this would matter so much if this wasn't one of those incredibly expensive MacFarland books.For the money, there shouldn't be ANY errors!For completists -- and wealthy ones, at that -- only. ... Read more

Product Description
Der Erwerb des Buches enthält gleichzeitig die kostenlose Mitgliedschaft im Buchklub des Verlags zum Ausprobieren - dort können Sie von über einer Million Bücher ohne weitere Kosten auswählen. Das Buch besteht aus Wikipedia-Artikeln: Manderlay, Jess Franco, Die Klavierspielerin, Hellraiser - Das Tor zur Hölle, Undercover Cops, Die Geschichte der O, Quills - Macht der Besessenheit, 8mm - Acht Millimeter, The Image, 24/7 The Passion of Life, Die 120 Tage von Sodom, SICK: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist, Belle de Jour - Schöne des Tages, Der Nachtportier, Secretary, Martha, Preaching to the Perverted, Ichi the Killer, Im Reich der Sinne, Verführung: Die grausame Frau, Die flambierte Frau, Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón, Verfolgt, Romance XXX, Shortbus, Shogun's Sadism, Matador, Mango Kiss, Der Wolf hetzt die Meute, Bitter Moon, Tokio Dekadenz, 9½ Wochen, The Story of Joanna, The Fashionistas, The Notorious Bettie Page, Die Früchte der Leidenschaft, Gwendoline, Moonlight Whispers, Fessle mich!, Dirty Pictures, Domina - Die Last der Lust, Venus im Pelz, Maîtresse, Wir leben ... SM!, KinK, Personal Service, Devot, Walk All Over Me, A Woman of the World, Sinfonía erótica, Vor Einbruch der Nacht, Psychopathia Sexualis, Tokugawa - Gequälte Frauen, Hingerissen von einem ungewöhnlichen Schicksal im azurblauen Meer im August, Beyond Vanilla, Tops & Bottoms, Fireworks, Wambo, Menthe - la bienheureuse, Die Peitsche der Pandora, Wilde Nächte - Leidenschaft ohne Tabus,. Online finden Sie die kostenlose Aktualisierung der Bücher. Nicht dargestellt. Auszug: Manderlay ist ein Spielfilm des dänischen Regisseurs Lars von Trier aus dem Jahr 2005. Das Drama ist der zweite Teil von Von Triers Amerika-Trilogie, die mit Dogville (2003) begann und mit dem Film Washington abgeschlossen werden soll (der letzte Teil war eigentlich für das Jahr 2009 geplant, wurde aber noch nicht fertiggestellt). Der Film wurde von mehreren Films...http://booksllc.net/?l=de&id=948301 ... Read more

Product Description
100 pages, including covers, staple-bound; looks like a digest-sized magazine. European film star Romay is given a rare biographical treatment in this scarce publication with an introduction penned by her most famous director (and longtime companion), Jess Franco. Filmography; black-and-white illustrations of every aspect of Ms. Romay's career. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Lina Romay File: The Intimate Confessions of an Exhibitionist
Fairly hard to get hold of, as this is now an out of print book. For fans of both the actress Lina Romay and director Jess Franco, this is an invaluable little book to read - full of interesting facts and other useful information. ... Read more