Customer Reviews

The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film (Stated First Edition)

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It's scary to think 16 long years have gone by since this landmark was published. Michael Weldon's book -still the crown jewel of B movie books- remains a colossal work for the same reasons it towered over ALL competitors back in '83: he's crazy enough, and loves these movies enough, to do the job RIGHT. When the world of genre and grindhouse movies was more reliant on oral history than on a few sketchy reference works, he scaled an Everest of obscure trash art to reclaim the form away from the snickering contempt of the Medved Bros (who, till then, had made the most impact in this specialized publishing subgenre with their GOLDEN TURKEY books), giving it back to people who, for good or ill, were similarly exposed to these amazing movies at a very young age and were impacted forever by them. The followup VIDEO GUIDE is equally essential, but just can't engender that same powerful affection those of us who bought this baby hot off the presses in 83 feel for this one. And contrary to what you might read, the black + white graphics are stunning and work PERFECTLY here. Most of the pix are old AP wire photos related to various outrageous studio promo campaigns that you won't find in any other film book. Tremendous artifacts of a time we won't see again. Buy this book and wallow again in the intense dopey pleasure of being a 14-year-old movie nut who's especially susceptible to lurid advertising!

This mind-boggling encyclopedia grew out of Michael Weldon's handmade, xeroxed "Psychotronic" zine in the early '80s, a weekly program guide to low-grade and forgotten movies airing on TV in New York. The term 'psychotronic,' lifted from the 1980 B-movie "The Psychotronic Man," is used by Weldon to describe not only the world of odd horror and sci-fi flicks, but cult and exploitation films of all kinds. From the flying saucer movies of the 1950's to the James Bond series to the glut of disaster epics from the 1970's, they're all covered with obsessive consistency. Before this wonderful resource came along, it was nearly impossible for the average viewer to find any serious information on a majority of these films. At the time, these movies were scoffed at by critics and ignored in reputable film guides. For better or worse, their legacy has been preserved in Weldon's book. It was published in 1983, prior to the cable TV boom and the rise of video cassette rentals, so most of Weldon's info came from the original movie press kits, old newspaper ads and articles, and by watching the films themselves on late-night movie marathons on TV. The individual entries are brief but informative, detailing the directors, writers, and producers involved, notable cast members and cameos, the year of release, the studio that released it, and any other titles the movie was released under. Entertaining trivia and production notes are often included along with a succinct plot description. The book is filled with an indispensable array of archival press photos, vintage movie ads, and B&W stills, and a handy index that helps you locate the entries with your favorite people (be they Bela Lugosi, Roger Corman, or even Nancy Sinatra). More than a decade later, Weldon returned with the equally-impressive "Psychotronic Video Guide to Film," addressing the new independent and straight-to-video markets, as well as any films that came out since 1983 or were left out of this one. Whether you're a casual viewer or a dedicated film buff, this fantastic book is strongly recommended.

I am the first to confess that not everyone spends their time wondering if they might like to watch Untamed Women tonight, or have an Ed Wood film festival, but I am one of them. Call me crazy (ahem!), but I like really bad old movies, especially the ones that try to scare/pander you. Perhaps I yearn for the time when showing a bit of cleavage was considered racy. So I nose around the discount rack looking for such gems as Mermaids of Tiburon or The Earth Dies Screaming. I come across a copy of Demonoid. Should I buy it or not? Comes the rescue the Psychotronic guide which safely guides me through these murky dark waters. It and its companion Video guide are essential for those who share my idea of fun, with reviews of 6000 screen gems, such as Curse at Cactus Creek and Robot Monster.

Perhaps my only objection is that the guide makes no pretense at being authoritative. For example, When a Stranger Calls is reivewed (favorably), but its sequel, When a Stranger Calls back, does not appear at all (and is arguably the better movie). There is also a smattering of "legitimate" film, such as Pursuit of the Graf Spee, and Polyester. No matter, all the films reviewed are, at the least, quirky, and there is a pretty good chance, at any rate, that the film you seek is reviewed. If not, you will have great fun just looking for it.

My only grief is that the concordance is limited to an index. After all, what more important thing could there be than a filmography of Barbara Steele, the geratest actress that ever lived?

These things aside, I recommend this without hesitation. There are other books listing gore/sleeze/exploitation films, but you will find none better.

Beware of this book! It's hard to resist spending hours on end flipping back and forth through Weldon's amazing lexicon of trash, cult, exploitation, and just plain wierd films. Even if you're not a bad-movie junkie, you'll enjoy Weldon's tongue-in-cheek reviews of these cinematic oddities. Vampires, teens, zombies, bikers, mutants, psychopaths, space-vixen, and other B-movie fixtures abound, and the Psychotronic Encyclopedia guides you through them all with humor and more than a little insight into this bizarre cultural phenomenon. Tons of rare production photos, film stills, and movie poster images help make this book an indispensable addition to any film lover's library.

Originally bought this little gem back in 1983 when it first came out. If you have a thirst for the bizarre and unique, this is the book for you. Even someone not a fan of the Grade Z or cult category of film will appreciate the blunt, amusing descriptions given by Michael about these irreverent mostly outlandish movies. Lot's of photos of rarely seen promotional photos and posters makes it even more enticing. Only complaint, I wish it were produced in a hardcover version and had some color photographs.

Absolutely indespensible guide to cult, sci-fi, horror and every other offbeat film genre written by people that understand subculture. Never ceases to amaze with the rare titles the Psychotronic folk somehow managed to track down and review years before we mere mortals knew these films existed. I refer to my copy at least once a week which should indicate how valuable a resource book this is to me.

This tome makes one yearn for the good old days, long gone, of the drive-in movie of the 60's and 70's now replaced by video bins. B movie makers of those days- their names are legion - made an honest attempt to entertain their audiences with meagre resources and often more meagre talent(unlike exploitation film makers of today, whose direct to video releases are lazy and witless). Weldon chronicles this glorious time in a very generous compendium, chocked full of wonderful black and white stills and capsule reviews of the inane and the obscure, thw wild and the wonderful, the unbelievable and the unforgettable. A feast for the fan of offbeat cinema.

Anyone who is a fan of "B" or Cult movies needs this excellent reference on both subjects. Lots of great movie posters to see, honest reviews and little known facts in here. We are lucky it has been reprinted as it was not available for several years.

Our culture started embracing trash cinema in the early 80s, when the Medved brothers conceived The Golden Turkey Awards: The Worst Achievements in Hollywood History, but the wise-ass brothers didn't love the trash, they mocked it. Nevertheless, they put a spotlight on trash cinema that would be expanded upon in the years to follow, and with much greater affection, by influences as far-ranging as Frank Henenlotter Mau Mau Sex Sex [VHS], Quentin Tarantino Grindhouse (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]& Fangoria [Fangoria's 101 Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen: A Celebration of the World's Most Unheralded Fright Flicks].
The tidal wave of love for trash cinema that first began in the 1980s produced nothing greater than this book, a compendium of 3,000 movies that you must see but probably didn't...on first acquiring this volume, you'll be spending hours compiling a Netflix list until, exhausted, you retire to bed with the book hardly dented.
The book's editor and main author, Michael Weldon, published and edited a fine journal of trash culture, Psychotronic Video Number Twelve, Spring 1992 which is sorely missed; and one of the contributing reviewers here is "Uncle Bob" Martin, the first editor of Fangoria, and a co-writer of two modern-day trash cinema classics [Basket Case 3: The Progeny Frankenhooker]

YOU NEED THIS BOOK!

A former friend, now estranged, gave me a brand new copy of this book for my birthday back in 1983, I think. It started me on a life-long obsession with these often hard-to-find movies (not nearly as hard nowadays); a habit that was was accelerated by the release of other books like "Incredibly Strange Films" (which came out in 1987 and had a lot of racier movies that Weldon didn't include in his book).

Anyway, it's not perfect and Weldon didn't write all the blurbs (like John Stanley did for his Creature Features guide), but the ads that Weldon reprinted from newspapers are the real treasure in this volume. Lots of lurid B & W photo spreads and choice stills from certain movie shoots; great stuff. But I have to agree with Joe Bob Briggs; if you're looking for a book that will point out the classics and near-classics to watch, John Stanley's book is a much better bet (and cheaper, too).