"The first serious examination of Buchanan's body of work, addresses themes such as the end of suburbia, the rebel outsider, the oppressive establishment, the curse of fame, and creatures of destruction. Information on some of the unfinished, unreleased, deliberately destroyed projects is offered, as well. Photographs illustrating nearly all the films are included"--Provided by publisher.

During the second half of the 20th century, landmark works of the horror film genre were as much the product of enterprising regional filmmakers as of the major studios. From backwoods Utah to the Louisiana bayous to the outer boroughs of New York, independent, regional films like Night of the Living Dead, Last House on the Left, I Spit on Your Grave, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Evil Dead stood at the vanguard of horror cinema. This overview of regionally produced horror and science fiction films includes interviews with 13 directors and producers who operated far from mainstream Hollywood, along with a state-by-state listing of regionally produced genre films made between 1958 and 1990. Highlighting some of the most influential horror films of the past 50 years, this work celebrates not only regional filmmaking, but also a cultural regionalism that is in danger of vanishing.

It Came from Hunger! Tales of a Cinema Schlockmeister By Larry Buchanan Mars Needs Women, Zontar; the Thing from Venus, It's Alive!, The Naked Witch, Swamp Creature, Mistress of the Apes-these are just a few of the movies that self-described "schlockmeister" Larry Buchanan created over a lifelong career as a guerrilla "B"-filmmaker. Fiercely independent, Buchanan would embark on a production with such pathetically inadequate funding it resulted in painfully unintended, yet highly entertaining camp. Buchanan left behind a slate of poorly made films, many of which have become cult classics for being so-bad-they're-good. As a result, he is credited with single-handedly inventing his own genre; the "good/bad" movie. "It Came From Hunger!" is an essential read for aspiring filmmakers, dreamers, and those who admire whimsical pursuits bordering on the quixotic. This heartfelt, honest and surprisingly sincere autobiography is filled with stories that take us on the arduous yet inspiring journey from Buchanan's humble beginnings in a Texas orphanage to film director on the soundstages of Hollywood. A rich and engaging read, "It Came From Hunger!" is testament to the magic inherent in confronting seemingly insurmountable odds in pursuit of a dream, a life-affirming sojourn of human experience and perseverance that extends far beyond the realm of the film industry. When Larry Buchanan passed away in 2004, the New York Times paid homage with a lengthy obituary that summarized his work thusly: "One quality united Mr. Buchanan's diverse output: It was not so much that his films were bad; they were deeply, dazzlingly, unrepentantly bad. His work called to mind a famous line from H.L. Mencken, who, describing President Warren G. Harding's prose, said, 'It is so bad that a sort of grandeur creeps into it.'" In a 1997 interview, Buchanan summed up a career where the majority of the films he created ended up on "worst" lists, with a self-effacing, unapologetic reflection; "I don't know that I bring any great command of the art to my pictures, but I love what I'm doing, and I believe that shows through in the least of my pictures. We certainly weren't trying to make anybody laugh. We meant to entertain, perhaps to provoke, to enlighten, and certainly to defy the customary formulas." When asked why he made some of the films he did, Buchanan responded; "It came from hunger!"

Taboo breakers and trendsetters, shameless hucksters and famous directors. Exploitation filmmaking has seen it all. Fred Olen Ray made his first movie for $298. In 1936 Marijuana-Weed with Roots in Hell showed drug use and nudity on screen in an effort to "educate the public." Kroger Babb, the man behind Mom and Dad, spliced color medical footage of a baby's birth into his black and white "classic." Russ Meyer, John Waters, Andy Milligan, Doris Wishman, and many others are covered. "Classic" films such as The Immoral Mr. Teas, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Nude on the Moon are examined. Production techniques and innovations are also discussed.

The United States, the only country to have dropped the bomb, and Japan, the only one to have suffered its devastation, understandably portray the nuclear threat differently on film. American science fiction movies of the 1950s and 1960s generally proclaim that it is possible to put the nuclear genie back in the bottle. Japanese films of the same period assert that once freed the nuclear genie can never again be imprisoned. This book examines genre films from the two countries released between 1951 and 1967--including Godzilla (1954), The Mysterians (1957), The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), On the Beach (1959), The Last War (1961) and Dr. Strangelove (1964)--to show the view from both sides of the Pacific.

"An invaluable collection for anyone researching or teaching cult cinema ... The Cult Film Reader is an authoritative text that should be of value to any student or researcher interested in challenging and transgressive cinema that pushes the boundaries of conventional cinema and film studies." Science Fiction Film and Television "A really impressive and comprehensive collection of the key writings in the field. The editors have done a terrific job in drawing together the various traditions and providing a clear sense of this rich and rewarding scholarly terrain. This collection is as wild and diverse as the films that it covers. Fascinating." Mark Jancovich, Professor of Film and Television Studies, University of East Anglia, UK "It's about time the lunatic fans and loyal theorists of cult movies were treated to a book they can call their own. The effort and knowledge contained in The Cult Film Reader will satisfy even the most ravenous zombie's desire for detail and insight. This book will gnaw, scratch and infect you just like the cult films themselves." Brett Sullivan, Director of Ginger Snaps Unleashed and The Chair "The Cult Film Reader is a great film text book and a fun read." John Landis, Director of The Blues Brothers, An American Werewolf in London and Michael Jackson's Thriller "Excellent overview of the subject, and a comprehensive collection of significant scholarship in the field of cult film. Very impressive and long overdue." Steven Rawle, York St John University, UK Whether defined by horror, kung-fu, sci-fi, sexploitation, kitsch musical or ‘weird world cinema’, cult movies and their global followings are emerging as a distinct subject of film and media theory, dedicated to dissecting the world’s unruliest images. This book is the world’s first reader on cult film. It brings together key works in the field on the structure, form, status, and reception of cult cinema traditions. Including work from key established scholars in the field such as Umberto Eco, Janet Staiger, Jeffrey Sconce, Henry Jenkins, and Barry Keith Grant, as well as new perspectives on the gradually developing canon of cult cinema, the book not only presents an overview of ways in which cult cinema can be approached, it also re-assesses the methods used to study the cult text and its audiences. With editors’ introductions to the volume and to each section, the book is divided into four clear thematic areas of study – The Conceptions of Cult; Cult Case Studies; National and International Cults; and Cult Consumption – to provide an accessible overview of the topic. It also contains an extensive bibliography for further related readings. Written in a lively and accessible style, The Cult Film Reader dissects some of biggest trends, icons, auteurs and periods of global cult film production. Films discussed include Casablanca, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Eraserhead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Showgirls and Ginger Snaps. Essays by: Jinsoo An; Jane Arthurs; Bruce Austin; Martin Barker; Walter Benjamin; Harry Benshoff; Pierre Bourdieu; Noel Carroll; Steve Chibnall; Umberto Eco; Nezih Erdogan; Welch Everman; John Fiske; Barry Keith Grant ; Joan Hawkins; Gary Hentzi; Matt Hills; Ramaswami Harindranath; J.Hoberman; Leon Hunt; I.Q. Hunter; Mark Jancovich; Henry Jenkins; Anne Jerslev; Siegfried Kracauer; Gina Marchetti; Tom Mes; Gary Needham; Sheila J. Nayar; Annalee Newitz; Lawrence O’Toole; Harry Allan Potamkin; Jonathan Rosenbaum; Andrew Ross; David Sanjek; Eric Schaefer; Steven Jay Schneider; Jeffrey Sconce; Janet Staiger; J.P. Telotte; Parker Tyler; Jean Vigo; Harmony Wu

In 1965 producers Joseph E. Levine and Bill Sargent were racing to get their problem-laden biopics of Jean Harlow (both titled Harlow) into theaters first. Levine's film starred Carroll Baker in a big-budget, color production. Sargent's movie starred Carol Lynley in a quickie, black and white production shot in a new process called Electronovision. In the press the two producers conducted one of the nastiest feuds Hollywood had ever witnessed, nearly culminating in fisticuffs at the 1965 Academy Awards ceremony. In recounting the making of the two films, this book (expanded from the original self-published edition) touches on Jean Harlow's life, the failed attempts to make a Harlow biopic in the 1950s, and the reviled, bestselling 1964 biography. It details the aftermath of each movie's release, from scathing reviews to disappointing box office returns to the several lawsuits. Newly discussed are the portrayals of Jean Harlow on stage shortly after the Levine and Sargent films, and the making of the 1977 film Hughes and Harlow: Angels in Hell starring Lindsay Bloom as Jean Harlow. The book is generously illustrated and includes interviews with people associated with all three films, including Carol Lynley and Lindsay Bloom.