Customer Reviews

Shock Festival

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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This book is for anyone who has ever dreamed of making their own movies, coming up with crazy plots ideas, crazy ideas for posters, etc. This is a book for those who enjoy the sleazy grindhouse movies of the 70s through the 80s: Horror, SF, exploitation, blaxploitation, action, and everything in between.

This book is for anyone who can appreciate creativity that is clearly a result of a labor of love.

Basically this is a book filled with faux histories and reviews of movies that never existed by should have. It's so detailed and realistic that if someone who is unfamiliar with the genres were to start reading, they probably would have no idea that the movies were nonexistent. That's how well written it is.

The book is filled with BEAUTIFUL retro-artwork. You remember all the cool movies posters of the 70s-80s? Well, you get tons of pictures that look just like that and they're so effective that you will start to get pissed off over the fact that there is no movie behind the poster.

You also get covers of faux novelizations of those books which will also make you sad that you cannot go on Amazon and order those books.

If you like exploitation/horror/grindhouse movies...I recommend snatching this book up before it goes out of print. You'll kick yourself for not ordering this, I kid you not.

I guess the downside of this book is that those people who do NOT like tongue-in-cheek false histories will not enjoy it. But that's not the fault of the book but rather a matter of taste.

However, I'd say my only criticism is that it's not longer! Don't get me wrong.. This is a hefty hardcover book that's about 350 pages so it's worth every penny. But this book is so good that no matter what, you don't want it to end.

Like I said, this seems like a true labor of love. It is evident that there was so much time and effort put into this book that you will start snubbing your nose at other books that cover the same topic (grindhouse/horror/exploitation films) even though they are covering real movies.

That being said, this is a truly BEAUTIFUL book that deserves to have a permanent spot on your coffee table.

In my 27 years of life I have never felt the need to review a product here or anywhere else. That changed when I received this book as a gift four days ago. Since then I have been marveling at the great grindhouse artwork and the equaly great stories of making these movies. I want to urge people to read from start to finish and not skip around so you will have the full effect of these characters lives in the movies. Thank you Stephen Romano for the best present of my life.

The only negative some of the pages came unglued from the spine very quickly.

For anyone who is deeply interested in grindhouse/horror/exploitation/cult cinema from the 60's/70's/80's, this book is a must-have. All the proper accolades have already been articulated in previous reviews, but you will be blown away at the amount of detail and work that went into this--it's extraordinary.

For the full experience, also pick up the Shock Festival DVD/CD set. You get a ton of trailers that inspired the pseudo-flicks in Shock Festival, as well as original trailers based on some of Shock Festival's movies, created by moviemaking fans of the book. Lots of TV spots and an audio CD of radio commercials round out the fun. An amazing collection, and a great companion to the book.

It's a real affirmation to know others out there share the same bizarre passion for this era of filmmaking that I do. I grew up in the 80's, and although I never saw most of those movies at the theater/drive-in, they were easily identifiable by their oversized VHS boxes at the local video store. If the box was big, something jaw-dropping was inside. I feel sorry for anyone growing up today that doesn't have a chance to experience that sort of organic, warped serendipity.

Finally, if you haven't seen the 42nd Street trailer compilations (1-5) they're also a must view. #5 is entirely compiled by the folks at the Alamo Drafthouse, and Stephen Romano edited a documentary about the Drafthouse for the DVD extras. You can also catch the Alamo gang featured prominently in the Troll 2 documentary "Best Worst Movie."

As a graphic designer and illustrator, I'd recommend this book as a creative kick in the pants to any creative-types out there. The retro-style movie poster artwork in this book makes you wish the films advertised were the real deal and not just pulled from the fevered imagination of the authors. Put this hardback, full color eye candy on your coffee table and it will make any cult-movie fan or artist drool with envy.

You need this book in your life so bad that you may not even realize it. My hat is off and my glass is raised to Stephen Romano for producing one of the most original works of any medium I've seen in a good while. Well written, even better illustrated, Shock Festival is Z-movie fun from start to finish.

Really loved the book. It was a great read on a long flight. The art work is all mind blowing and keeps on attacking you from ever single page. Really enjoyed the book, if you are a fan of this kind of stuff its a must read.

This will be on top of my coffee table for years and years to come...

Ever since I first read "The Golden Turkey Awards" in the late '70s,I have followed the fascinating history of low-budget cinema,my desire to learn more fueled by various books,movies,TV shows and other media I have encountered,the latest being the 2007 film "Grindhouse".
Author Stephen Romano,with an assist from many talented individuals,has created a fictional history of several such movies,as well as the bizarre auteurs who managed to create them,despite living existances of seemingly non-stop depravity and addiction;All this is aided with visuals of some wonderfully lurid posters,as well as other media,all distressed by the world of bottom-feeder cinema that is the backdrop for the incredibly,sickly tantalizing world of "Shock Festival".

Shock Festival is a fascinating,in-depth look at a bundle of B- movies,low -rent 70's shockers and out-and out sleaze films. Be forewarned though,all of these movies,stills,actors,and actresses are all fake. I bought the book thinking it would be similar to Stephen Thrower's book on real B-movies. This book has engrossing visuals and painstakingly perfect reproductions of posters, they all look real,but none of these movies ever existed.