Description:
In this followup to The Official Splatter Movie Guide of 1989, John McCarty and his dauntless team of splatter scholars have assembled another 400-odd reviews of the messiest movies ever made. As in the first volume, the films represent every manifestation of the splatter aesthetic, from the abjectly trashy (The Corpse Grinders) to the best of Hollywood (The Silence of the Lambs), including horror, sci-fi, action, thrillers, documentaries, and even a few comedies; McCarty's foreword includes some perceptive remarks on the genre-crossing properties of graphic gore. This volume also boasts some 24 pages of stills (not all of them well chosen) and arresting cover art. Once again, English-language movies predominate: European splatter is represented chiefly by the major Italian directors, and only one Asian entry appears. This volume improves on its predecessor in a couple of ways. First, there are several appendices, including an index of directors and one called "Carnographic Pleasures," which groups films in categories such as "Simply Putrid," "Yuppies Get Slaughtered," and "You Think Your Family's Dysfunctional?"--a valuable aid in planning video theme evenings. Also, the reviews themselves are more extensive; the writers clearly decided to indulge themselves this time, and their remarks often have decidedly more entertainment value than the films. This is not to say that the book exists primarily as an excuse to lambaste cheesy movies, but McCarty and company do not spare the vitriol when it's called for. Informative, intelligent, and amusing, this volume and its companion make a valuable resource for any viewer with a taste for the grisly. --Mary V. Burke
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