The Psychotronic Video Guide To Film [Paperback]

Michael J. Weldon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1996

How to know a Psychotronic Movie:

These films can commonly be identified by their use of exploitation elements and their interest in humanity's lower common demoninators.

They occur throughout the world, but are particuarly common at midnight movie festivals and in video stores' cult sections, they are especially frequent at that beloved and dying institution, the drive-in.

Their packaging is commonly deceptive. They almost always appear on videocassette.

Among their kind are biker films, sci-fi series, quickie biopics, gimmick films, teen sex comedies, blaxploitation films, stalkers, slashers, snoozers, shrudderers, and anything starring Lynda Blair, david Carradine, Shannon Tweed or Drew Barrymore.

And they're all here in the Psychotronic Video Guide.

From Abby to Zontar, this book covers more than nine thousand amazing movies from the turn of the century right up to today's golden age of video, all described with Michael Weldon's dry wit. More than 450 rare and wonderful illustrations round out the book, making it a treasure trove of cinematic lore and essential for every fan of filmdom's finest offerings.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As Michael Weldon says in the foreword to his Psychotronic Video Guide: "Unlike other movie guides, nothing is omitted because it's in bad taste." Bad taste barely begins to cover the 3000 resolutely grade-B movies (some with grade-A aspirations and budgets) and the odd TV show included here. Weldon, who invented the word "psychotronic" and compiled The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film, includes horror (there are 15 movie titles beginning with the word "zombie"), science fiction, Blaxploitation, porn, spaghetti westerns and "anything that Roger Corman had anything to do with" in his purview.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Weldon is the leading authority on films deemed to be "psychotronic," a designation he stretches to encompass horror flicks, spaghetti westerns, low-budget quickies, exploitation films of all stripes--in short, anything disdained by the critical establishment. He made his mark with The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film (1981), to which this is a genuine sequel rather than an update. There is surprisingly little overlap in coverage between the two books, which makes this one attractive whether or not you own the Encyclopedia. Some new entries--Saturday Night Fever, Beverly Hills Copare questionable, not being, one would think, psychotronic by any stretch. But most of these 3,000 movies are thoroughly deranged, from The Abductors, in which slavers kidnap three cheerleaders, to the Hong Kong martial arts fantasy Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain. An index would be nice, for although the book is enjoyable browsing, who wants to sift through hundreds of entries to locate, say, the Mamie Van Doren movies? But then, where else can you find any info on Face of the Screaming Werewolf? Gordon Flagg

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (August 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312131496
• ISBN-13: 978-0312131494
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,167,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some misunderstandings in the other reviews, June 20, 2004

By 

Ben Opie (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Psychotronic Video Guide To Film (Paperback)

I'll freely admit my admiration for Michael Weldon's work, this book, his previous, and his magazine. Even when I disagree with his assessment, he's always honest and straight-forward.

I read some other reviews complaining about the content, or lack thereof, in this book. I think there's a misundserstanding as to what this is. It is a continuation of Michael's previous book, the Psychotronic Encylcopedia. There may be references in the reviews to movies not listed here, but that's because those movies are listed in the Encyclopedia. The two books have very little common content.

I also read a complaint about inclusion of some mainstream pictures such as Basic Instinct. In defense, I would say that Michael's content covers exploitation films of all genres and budget levels, whether made for $26,000 or $26,000,000.

I also like Michael's editorial inserts in this volume, such as his favorite movies of each decade.

Both books are essential, though admittedly his first covers most of the classics. This volume, thankfully, is not only more up-to-date, but stretches back into the silent era as well.

I say...buy them both.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Weldon conquers stuffy critics once more!, July 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Psychotronic Video Guide To Film (Paperback)

First off, I recommend you get the first volume, the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FILM before getting this VIDEO GUIDE. Though this book is excellent in every way (except for the inclusion of so many action flicks), it is necessary to have both books. VIDEO GUIDE goes into newer films and neglects most of the timeless older flicks that we grew up with. Well, at least most of us, I'm only 15. The odd thing about this book is that it moves from the "outcast" section of a video store to the inner depths of "popular" categories, such as ACTION, COMEDY & DRAMA. So, get the ENCYCLOPEDIA first, then dive right into this excellent book and you will see how much more interesting and grand "psychotronic" films are than your everyday movie.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Press Play & Record, July 14, 2002

By 

W. Davidson (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Psychotronic Video Guide To Film (Paperback)

This is the companion title to the cult film bible (The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film) but with the focus that everything reviewed within is or was available on videotape. It updates the other publication and there's very little, if any, duplication of reviews. I like how they also include some more mainstream releases that have a Psychotronic bent (Silence of the Lambs etc...) which like it or not deserve a place here.

If your movie tastes gravitate to the offbeat, and you want to know whether that 3AM horror movie on TV will be worth setting a tape for, this book will steer you right. As with the companion publication, a must have in every B-Movie fan's library. I eagerly anticipate an updated publication.