Customer Reviews

Videohound's Cult Flicks and Trash Pics

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love books on Cult and Trash films. So, naturally, I bought VideoHound's Cult Flicks & Trash Pics. After perusing through it for a while, I thought that the book was good but it's woefully incomplete, padded and many reviews are filled with mistakes. The package is great and the inclusion of movie quotes is a great idea but those things aren't enough to compensate for the bad aspects of this hefty book.

The first obvious mistake is that it's incomplete. For example, there are only 6 William Castle movies listed in the book, such as I SAW WHAT YOU DID or HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, but it doesn't have HOMICIDAL, Mr SARDONICUS or PROJECT X. A lot of Russ Meyer films are listed but UP! is not. Also, there's a lot of obscure but well-known B-movies that are missing from the book. Titles like TERROR IN THE JUNGLE, SILENT NIGHT BLOODY NIGHT, THE BOOGEYMAN or even VISITING HOURS aren't listed. A major point of these types of Cult movie guides is to list the extremely obscure titles, titles that would never be listed in standard movie guides, so we can track them down with the provided information. And the fact that a wide range of titles that have a cult following, from big studio oddities like XANADU to low-budget obscurities like HORROR HIGH are missing from the bunch makes the book look seriously incomplete.

Second, many of the review I've checked from my first reading contain errors. The review for BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE says that the movie starts with a murder. It doesn't start with a murder but an attempted murder. If you know the movie, this is a significant detail to the story-line. The review for another Dario Argento film, SUSPIRIA, states that Udo Kier plays the blind man when in fact Udo plays a psychiatrist in a brief role. These mistakes are so obvious that I wonder if they actually saw the movies.

In another example of errorneous information, this time about the technical aspect of the film, the book says that ILSA SHE-WOLF OF THE SS is only 45 minutes long. Huh? The book points out that ILSA is available on DVD, which it is (distributed by Anchor Bay) but the version of ILSA on the DVD is 96 minutes long, not 45 minutes.

And third mistake, the 800+ pages book is remarkably padded. 40% of the book is just filled with a series of indexes. That's something like 300+ pages just for indexes. I could have used more reviews of missing titles than having such a voluminous index.

Still, the guide is good and some reviews are well written, even if I don't agree with all of them. It makes for a great starting point for those who are new to Cult movies. But if you want remarkable guides on B-movies and trash films, buy the two Psychotronic guides by Michael Weldon, which are much better and more complete than this and don't contain as many errors.

If your taste in movies run in the vein of the type that crop up during midnight showings at the theater, then this is the book for you. Whether you use it simply as a reference, or, as I did, read it from cover-to-cover, it is witty and interesting. Of course, until there is a revised edition, there will be some more recent offerings that don't show up in here, and I have trouble giving it the full five stars for leaving out "Big Trouble in Little China", but there are plent of entries here. If the movies here fit your tastes, I would venture that you'd be hard-pressed to find your favorites missing. You should take the time to read the sidebars that are interspersed throughout the book, as you will find tidbits of interesting information in them. There are no anime' enties here, curse the luck, but maybe Videohound will put out an anime' guide.

Videohound, who are known for making books about films, release this book about cult films. Given, I am a cult film aficiato (clearly shown by the on-purpose misspelling), I can tell you that several entries are missing ("Star Worms II", "The First Turn-On", "Meet The Feebles", "Full Metal Jacket") and even some directors aren't even mentioned (Jim Larsen etc.).

But the biggest flaw about this publication is that the movies aren't reviewed in there complete uncut version. They even only reviewed Sgt. Kabukiman in it's PG-13 format !

Overall, it's a good read and a must for those new to the cult world. Just remember, never trust anyone who gets paid to review movies.

About 5 years ago, I stumbled upon the first edition of this 'Cult Bible' at a local booksellers and quickly snatched it up. At the time I was just getting into strange and bizarre cinema. I soon found this book to be a great resource in finding out about which film to see next.

Enter 2002, and the newly expanded and 'revised' edition of this fine bible. I found it one day at work and started thumbing through it. Although I was happy to see some more recent films added like: Memento and Happiness, I was a bit disappointed that none of the old reviews had been re-written or updated aside from the DVD availability.

I was also a bit peeved that there were some really important cult films missing still. I totally understand that you can't put *every* cult film in this book, but there were a few such as: Boggy Creek, Powaaqatsi & Nadja. Personaly gripes aside, this is a wonderful read if you are at all interested in obscure, strange or cult cinema. It is one of those books that you'll throw on your coffee table and when friends come over they'll pick it up and you'll have to shout at them before they put it back.

as trash. I, for one, enjoy a movie just as much if it's bizarre and offbeat, as I do the classics. If you too have an affinity for midnite sleaze (which you obviously do or you wouldn't have looked up this book) then this is a must for your shelf. It doesn't purpose to cover them all, but as a primer for good "pics" to watch late at night, it excels.

This book is a great and well made guide to the world of trash movies. Unlike the Psychotronic Guide, this book has a rating system and informative and interesting sidebars. The only problem is that it is not quite long enough and, consequently, many films that are truly trashy and noteworthy are left out. However, this doesn't significantly hurt a fun-filled little book that is one of the most dog-eared in my library.

...I guess it just depends on who you ask. This is a great introduction for the novice (me). I've always been fascinated by these films, but I don't consider myself an expert in any way. Some experts have found fault with this aspects of this guide, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and most of the information found within was new to me. It's a hefty volume, yet it is also easy to navigate. I like the layout, although the indexes do take up an inordinate amount of space. Other features beside movie reviews include "The Hound Salutes "venerable artists such as Ed Wood, Mamie Van Doren, Roger Corman, and even Frankenstein. Younger cult heroes like Quentin Tarantino and Tim Burton likewise appear. The only thing zanier than some of these movies are the titles, drive-in movie classics. (p.452) So, if you're intrigued by titles such as "Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death," pick up this book.
The forward comes from Bruce Campbell, a cult favorite as well as a favorite of my children. (film buffs all)

What a great book. The perfect guide for anyone looking for that odd or out-of-the-mainstream rental when everyone else is lining up for that same old Top Twenty. Well-written, funny, informative. It's a terrific companion at the film store. Actually, I keep it in my car's glove box so it's always available.

This is an essential for any movie geek or individual with an insatiable love for B,cult, and independant pictures.
Along with these reviews, the hound also contains a tribute on each new letter of the alphabet to certain movie heroes and icons such Bela Lugosi, Quinten Tarantino, and many many more. The book also has an introduction by the King Of The B's, BRUCE CAMPELL!
Highly recommended

Videohound's Cult Flicks and Trash Pics is a book that I consult often. Not only is it informative, but it's very entertaining reading as well. This is a book that any cult movie lover should own. If the names Roger Corman, Lloyd Kaufman, Ray Dennis Steckler, David Lynch, Frank Henenlotter, Jack Hill, Herschel Gordon Lewis, Dario Argento, Paul Bartel, Russ Meyer, Terry Gilliam, Alex Cox, Edward D. Wood, Ken Russell, George Romero and John Waters mean anything to you then you need this book. In addition to reviews of hundreds and hundreds of cult films, the book has lengthy bios of many of the above filmmakers as well as actors and other important cult figures. Plus there are tons of photos, there's a big specific category index to help you find exactly what you're looking for and indexes for actors, directors and writers. One of my favorite features is that nearly every page features a quote from one of the movies featured in the book. This is a great book though it's far from complete. Lots of movie geeks will be able to look through the book and point out any number of movies that were left out. However, for every movie you know of that's not in the book there are probably five that you've never heard of. I recommend Cult Flicks and Trash Pics very highly.