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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
beyond terror indeed,
By
This review is from: Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci (Paperback)
I can't believe this got so many good reviews. I'm a fan of Fulci and bought it, looking for background on the movies, and, hopefully, some biographical details on the man. Instead, I found a pseudo-analytical prose, filled with things such as this, written about Lizard in a Woman's Skin: «The expected viewer is, of course, the heterosexual male. The appeal of the lesbian fetish for such men is twofold. Firstly, they can observe the gyrations of female flesh without having to cope with the sight of another man's big [...] and hairy [...] pumping away.» It's beautiful, isn't it? And insightful too. I only have one question: «Such men» would like some background on the film, the reviews it got at the time, maybe the opinions of Jean Sorel or Florinda Bolkan. Facts. Something. Not this colourful synopsis. There is absolutely no background on the movie. Only this analytical babble about the origins of lesbianism, for some 3 pages. And the whole book is like that. Beyond Terror, indeed.David Warbeck, for some reason, instead of a limited B movie actor must be a neglected Al Pacino or something, according to the author. Quote: «Warbeck occupied a special position in the hearts of cult film devotees...» I'm a cult film devotee and frankly I don't know what the author sees in Warbeck. We get a «detailed analysis» on The Beyond, and this is the general tone: «Arthur exudes painful shyness, slight retardation and sweaty sexual repression as he explains, with a voice like Peter Lorre, that he's been instructed by Martha to clean the chimneys.» Sometimes we get glimpses of true philosophy: «It's in the nature of the modern horror film to depict hopeless situations, where all turns as badly as we'd anticipated when we bought our ticket, or paid our rental fee.» I'm quoting here. As usual, filming locations, background and opinions are superficial or non-existent. You'd better get the Anchor Bay dvd and look at the wonderful extras. Throughout the book, Stephen Thrower only quotes Fulci a handful of times. He's too interested in himself and his theories and especially in this prose: «Spiders munch weirdly on human lips and devour a man's tongue, a plethora of eyeballs are ejected from their sockets in a variety of unexpected ways, a huge bottle of acid turns a woman's face into a microscopic sea of red froth...» Thrower even says that a corpse «floats like a turd». It's incredible: A book of more than 300 pages is supported by an ego that simply can't follow the basic premises of a book of this kind. For instance, The New York Ripper is one of my favourite Fulci films. There's more information on the Internet about this movie, than in 15 pages of Thrower's prose. It's quite a feat! I didn't buy the book to hear the author's ramblings and pet theories. I bought it to know how the New York Ripper was made, how do the actors see that particular film now, things like that. The «analysis» does not even include the budget. Thrower says it was filmed in Gotham, New York. Other sources claim that only the exteriors were, and not just in Gotham. Thrower just rambles on and on. Why didn't he spoke with Cinzia de Ponti, Paolo Malco, Andrew Painter, Jack Hedley? Anyone? Thrower wrote a thesis on Fulci's films, sold it as a different thing, but a thesis - even as bad as this one - needs facts, not just colourful opinions. On the visual side the book is great, although there are way too many pictures of severed heads and gore, etc. The eye splinter scene shows up at least 4 times throughout. Of course, Thrower interprets the scene as some phallic thing with psychosomatic roots somewhere in the... I mean... who was Olga Karlatos (the actress in the scene)? Reactions from other filmmakers? The cuts these movies got? Nada, nothing. Just babble. The author is alone in his room (and his world) writing. And unfortunately his ideas are not interesting. Do yourself a favour and search the web. You'll find more about these films. If it weren't for the pictures, and some filmographies, this book would be a complete waste of time (and money) for Fulci fans. PS: Mimsy Farmer is "wooden", he says. What's this supposed to mean?? Have you ever seen Mimsy Farmer? She is a talented actress, and as a woman, she is not "wooden" at all!
5.0 out of 5 stars
A knockout, obsessive study of the maestro of horror...,
By
This review is from: Beyond Terror Hb (Paperback)
BEYOND TERROR, the detailed study of Lucio Fulci's films from veteran UK cult film publishers FAB Press, really is outstanding, and it deserved the numerous great reviews it received from most quarters upon its original publication. As a longtime admirer of Stephen Thrower's wit and insight, I feel that Dave's review truly doesn't do the book justice. (Thrower was the editor of the seminal UK Eurocult fanzine EYEBALL, which lasted for only four issues but which probably affected all who read it, and his thoughts on obscure European horror cinema have been welcome ever since). I could be wrong but I think I missed the part where Thrower discusses the eyeball spearing scene from ZOMBIE as being 'phallic with psychosomatic roots', as BEYOND TERROR really isn't that sort of volume. I also disagree with Dave's assertion that the most interesting thing a critic could say about THE NEW YORK RIPPER is where it was shot and how cold the actors felt on the day when Fulci filmed it. Are these really the most interesting lines of discussion for such a controversial and affecting movie? For my part, I was amazed by Thrower's lengthy and gripping analysis of the film.I'm aware that the above comments probably sound like one of those "He's wrong, really he is!" rants that pop up every so often in support of other products that receive poor reviews, so please don't just take my word for it. If you find Thrower's more recent (and widely acclaimed) NIGHTMARE USA in a shop somewhere, sit down and read it and check out his writing style. I find it way more engaging than Dave's excerpts suggest. (Thrower is also, deliberately, a very funny writer at times. Is this a case of US residents not getting the British sense of humor?) BEYOND TERROR is apparently getting an expanded reprint within the near future from the original publishers. If and when it does, I'd recommend that people sit down and read the lengthy NEW YORK RIPPER chapter in its entirety. There are few more articulate defenses of the horror genre in print. Thrower is also reportedly finishing a long work on the films of Jess Franco (SADOMANIA), and the selections of his writing on that topic that I've read online have been just dandy. "A thesis - even as bad as this one - needs facts, not just colorful opinions" As a longtime, quite happy owner of BEYOND TERROR, I personally don't think that Thrower's achievement is 'bad' at all, and there's more than enough food for thought about Fulci's movies present in the volume if anyone bothers to read it carefully. I don't doubt that reviewer Dave didn't care for the book and I'm not intending to have a go at him personally - anyone that likes the garish and in-your-face NEW YORK RIPPER is ahead of the pack and gets a sincere nod of approval from me - but I've followed the Eurocult fan scene enough to recall that many, many people enjoyed BEYOND TERROR upon its original publication and said as much in forums and in print. Thrower's lengthy book passed with flying colors as far as I'm concerned, and anyone with the slightest interest should at least give it a chance. The book didn't become hard to get and out-of-print just because of the numerous pretty pictures. I believe that most people who bought it likely read it, enjoyed it and made a decision to hang onto it as the text, which Thrower spent a long while working on, is one of the most entertaining and impassioned discussions of a Eurocult director's work you'll ever read. Checking Dave's review again, he does note "I can't believe this got so many good reviews", which confirms my assertion that there are numerous others out there - not just me - who thought the book was pretty special. That may tell you something. "I didn't buy the book to hear the author's ramblings and pet theories. I bought it to know how the New York Ripper was made" I'd argue that not every book has to be a making-of, and if you buy a near 500 page book written by a single author and expect not to encounter that same author's opinions in detail and at length, I'm not sure what to really say in response. Actually, I can say this much. I've read BEYOND TERROR more than once, and enjoyed it each time. It's worth mentioning that a factual book with numerous lengthy interviews about Fulci and his films (which sounds like exactly the sort of book Dave wished BEYOND TERROR had actually been) was in preparation at one point, but now seems to be in limbo, possibly the same sad, haunted limbo that David Warbeck and Catriona MacColl glimpsed though pale eyes at the end of THE BEYOND. It was provisionally titled LUCIO FULCI REMEMBERED and would be nice to see in print for real someday.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond and back,
By
This review is from: Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci (Paperback)
I have been a fan of Lucio Fulci for over ten years and now along with the various dvd releases we have an outstanding book devoted to him and his films. It is a book that I am proud to own and I would suggest that one should pick this book up at once and "face the sea of darkness..."
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