The Official Splatter Movie Guide

Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: Being a huge gore fan i found this book great! I even discovered some gory movies that I didn't even know existed! The photos aren't that great, but they do help illustrate the book. Definetely worth the price!

Rating:
Summary: Schematically informative, but biased!!!
Review: I liked this book more than 'blitzkreig', but not much more. On the plus side it has some, admittedly very short, reviews on some 400 horror films, and is therefore useful as a basic reference work, but, having also read McCarty's earlier book on Splatter Movies, I cannot say I really agree with his opinions about alot of the films in question. At the risk of alienating US horror films fans, McCarty shows a clear bias towards American horror films at the expense of European horror film directors. Almost every Argento film ever made is noted as being 'incoherent', yet McCarty quite happily sings the praises of Tobe Hooper (who only made one fairly decent film, and that was overrated!) and lists the merits of such films as the Nightmare on Elm Street/Friday the 13th franchise movies. Whatever you think of the likes of Argento, Fulci et al, their films are often nastier, bloodier and considerably more stylish than the majority of lame American 'slasher' films. Indeed, where would the likes of Friday the 13th have been without Mario Bava's 'Bay of Blood' for example. McCarty has strong views on what constitutes a good horror film and who the 'giants' of the genre are. So do I, but my opinions differ considerably from those of McCarty.

Rating:
Summary: Schematically informative, but biased!!!
Review: I liked this book more than 'blitzkreig', but not much more. On the plus side it has some, admittedly very short, reviews on some 400 horror films, and is therefore useful as a basic reference work, but, having also read McCarty's earlier book on Splatter Movies, I cannot say I really agree with his opinions about alot of the films in question. At the risk of alienating US horror films fans, McCarty shows a clear bias towards American horror films at the expense of European horror film directors. Almost every Argento film ever made is noted as being 'incoherent', yet McCarty quite happily sings the praises of Tobe Hooper (who only made one fairly decent film, and that was overrated!) and lists the merits of such films as the Nightmare on Elm Street/Friday the 13th franchise movies. Whatever you think of the likes of Argento, Fulci et al, their films are often nastier, bloodier and considerably more stylish than the majority of lame American 'slasher' films. Indeed, where would the likes of Friday the 13th have been without Mario Bava's 'Bay of Blood' for example. McCarty has strong views on what constitutes a good horror film and who the 'giants' of the genre are. So do I, but my opinions differ considerably from those of McCarty.

Rating:
Summary: Gore hounds beware!
Review: Of the few sample pages I read, it seems there are many faults within this book. First of all, the reviews are short and the writing lacks descriptive quality. He spends too much time on obscure films from the 60's and 70's with little or no gore and doesn't spend enough time on the ground breaking films of the genre. He called "An American Werewolf in London" "hollow, pointless and sleazy" that in my opinion is a horrible review of a great film, and very misleading. He didn't write much on why he felt that way about the movie, and I'm sure potential viewers will be lost because of that review. What a shame. This guy's opinion isn't more important than anyone else's, and I think the book should be renamed as "A bunch of unofficial opinions, not a guide at all". Then his review of the Beyond was pretty bad too. He said Fulci was "far from original"... please! Fulci was brilliant, and the Beyond is a gore masterpiece. Who is John McCarty trying to fool? To tell you the truth, this book is a joke. Another major complaint is that there is no ratings given for the movies. Not even a 4 or 5 star rating. His comments aren't enough to go on in most cases to know what movies are worth seeing. Gorehounds beware! I recommend Chas Balun's "Gore Score 2001: The Splatter Years" if you want to hear some real reviews by someone who truly appreciates horror/splatter movies and knows all the good flicks, even foreign films I'm sure McCarty hasn't even heard of. Plus he actually uses a rating system (imagine that!) 1-5 skulls for the overall movie and 1-10 on the splatter meter for people who want to know how much blood is spilled. Chas gives it to you straight, he covers all the good stuff! Chas Balun is a fan and a critic, where McCarty seems to be just a critic, and a snob at that. The Official Splatter Movie Guide is extremely outdated (1989) leaves out monumental films, disrespects classics, and is written amateurishly. Take my advice and get
"Gore Score 2001" you'll be much better off, trust me.