Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978 to 1986 [Hardcover]

Adam Rockoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2002

John Carpenter’s Halloween, released on October 25, 1978, marked the beginning of the horror film’s most colorful, controversial, and successful offshoot—the slasher film. Loved by fans and reviled by critics for its iconic psychopaths, gory special effects, brainless teenagers in peril, and more than a bit of soft-core sex, the slasher film secured its legacy as a cultural phenomenon and continues to be popular today.

This work traces the evolution of the slasher film from 1978 when it was a fledgling genre, through the early 1980s when it was one of the most profitable and prolific genres in Hollywood, on to its decline in popularity around 1986. An introduction provides a brief history of the Grand Guignol, the pre-cinema forerunner of the slasher film, films such as Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and cinematic trends that gave rise to the slasher film. Also explained are the slasher film’s characteristics, conventions, and cinematic devices, such as the "final girl," the omnipotent killer, the relationship between sex and death, the significant date or setting, and the point-of-view of the killer. The chapters that follow are devoted to the years 1978 through 1986 and analyze significant films from each year. The Toolbox Murders, When a Stranger Calls, the Friday the 13th movies, My Bloody Valentine, The Slumber Party Massacre, Psycho II, and April Fool’s Day are among those analyzed. The late 90s resurrection of slasher films, as seen in Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, is also explored, as well as the future direction of slasher films.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A surprisingly scholarly evaluation...praiseworthy" -- Classic Images

"Amazingly well-informed, engaging, and liberally illustrated...fascinating reading...recommended" -- Choice

"Excellent...fascinating...deserves a wide readership" -- Hub Stuff

About the Author

Adam Rockoff, a lifelong horror enthusiast, is a film producer. He lives in Chicago.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 223 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786412275
• ISBN-13: 978-0786412273
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,262,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining and well-written Slasher-reference, September 13, 2003

By 

JOHN DAVID FELTER (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978 to 1986 (Hardcover)

Loved this book! Lots of interesting factoids about many of the stand-out Slasher-thrillers from the 70s/80s, and plenty on the ones barely seen. Rockoff knows his stuff and shares it in what was for me a nostalgic, breezy read. As others have written, I would've preferred a longer, more extensive guide with a larger number of stills, (and color would've been nice), but all-in-all
a much needed addition to any Horror-geek's library. If you love drive-in classics like 'The Burning', 'Silent Night, Deadly Night', and 'Nightmare', pick this one up.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Commendable, but slight..., September 6, 2002

By 

Jarrett B. Graver (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978 to 1986 (Hardcover)

Rockoff clearly loves the genre and his behind-the-scenes tales on such slasher faves as "Nighmare" and "Maniac" are very interesting...I just wanted more...The book barely cracks 200 pages and leaves out a host of deserving slashers (Where's Madman?The Final Terror? Hide and Go Shriek? Rockoff mentions The Burning as having spawned the most future stars of any slasher, but the Final Terror had Joe Pantoliano, Darryl Hannah, the incomparable Adrian Zmed and Rachel Ward, not too shabby!) The book is a good appetizer, but it will leave you wanting more (especially for that price...ouch!)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than an amazing reference for fans, June 22, 2004

By 

Chris McKay (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978 to 1986 (Hardcover)

After meeting Rockoff I picked up his book. I expected it would be filled with references that fans would appreciate. What I found was so much more, as Going to Pieces is one of the more thoroughly researched books about any film genre that I have read. Rockoff's interviews are fresh and he tracked down a lot of people whose contributions have largely gone unnoticed. What's more, Rockoff's style is unpretentious and often very, very funny. I loved this book and if you want to go beyond the films and filmmakers every other book or magazine cites, then this book if for you, too.