The Official Splatter Movie Guide (Paperback)

by John McCarty (Author) "O'Bannon (who wrote the story with Ronald Schusett) lifts the wildest elements from a whole range of B movies, from It!..." (more)
Key Phrases: splatter movie, gore effects, meat movie, Hollywood Book, Dario Argento, New World Pictures (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
John McCarty writes about splatter movies with some authority, being the man who coined the term. Splatter was born in 1963 with Herschell Gordon Lewis's Blood Feast, and, as McCarty predicted in his 1984 study Splatter Movies: Breaking the Last Taboo of the Screen, it has outgrown the confines of the horror world and influenced practically every other film genre.

With The Official Splatter Movie Guide, McCarty (with a team of knowledgeable colleagues) set out to produce a reference book that would "give readers a broad view of the many different routes the genre has taken since its debut." The result is a collection of more than 400 reviews, encompassing the obviously splattery (e.g., the slasher films of the 1980s) as well as mainstream movies with significant splatter elements (e.g., Raiders of the Lost Ark). Each review gives basic cast and production information and a brief plot summary, with comments on notable gore sequences, as well as trivia and related credits. The films do not receive individual quality ratings, but the reviewers comment freely on their merits (or lack thereof) in an informal but literate style. There are also several dozen pages of unusual black-and-white stills and posters.

Readers should be aware that coverage of European movies is limited and of Asian ones nearly nonexistent. Despite this limitation, however, the Guide is an indispensable source for both aficionados and relative newcomers to the genre, ranging as it does from the classics to the obscurities. It's also just plain fun to read.

McCarty went on to produce the equally impressive Official Splatter Movie Guide, Volume II in 1992. --Mary V. Burke

Product Description
This new book is a dream come true for splatter aficionados: a film-by-film guide to more than four hundred masterworks of blood and gore, arranged in a handy alphabetical format. 16 pages of photos.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (August 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312029586
• ISBN-13: 978-0312029586
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,260,611 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Schematically informative, but biased!!!, April 4, 2002

By	D. R. Clarke - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I liked this book more than 'blitzkreig', but not much more. On the plus side it has some, admittedly very short, reviews on some 400 horror films, and is therefore useful as a basic reference work, but, having also read McCarty's earlier book on Splatter Movies, I cannot say I really agree with his opinions about alot of the films in question. At the risk of alienating US horror films fans, McCarty shows a clear bias towards American horror films at the expense of European horror film directors. Almost every Argento film ever made is noted as being 'incoherent', yet McCarty quite happily sings the praises of Tobe Hooper (who only made one fairly decent film, and that was overrated!) and lists the merits of such films as the Nightmare on Elm Street/Friday the 13th franchise movies. Whatever you think of the likes of Argento, Fulci et al, their films are often nastier, bloodier and considerably more stylish than the majority of lame American 'slasher' films. Indeed, where would the likes of Friday the 13th have been without Mario Bava's 'Bay of Blood' for example. McCarty has strong views on what constitutes a good horror film and who the 'giants' of the genre are. So do I, but my opinions differ considerably from those of McCarty.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Gore hounds beware!, January 28, 2002

By	web surfer - See all my reviews

Of the few sample pages I read, it seems there are many faults within this book. First of all, the reviews are short and the writing lacks descriptive quality. He spends too much time on obscure films from the 60's and 70's with little or no gore and doesn't spend enough time on the ground breaking films of the genre. He called "An American Werewolf in London" "hollow, pointless and sleazy" that in my opinion is a horrible review of a great film, and very misleading. He didn't write much on why he felt that way about the movie, and I'm sure potential viewers will be lost because of that review. What a shame. This guy's opinion isn't more important than anyone else's, and I think the book should be renamed as "A bunch of unofficial opinions, not a guide at all". Then his review of the Beyond was pretty bad too. He said Fulci was "far from original"... please! Fulci was brilliant, and the Beyond is a gore masterpiece. Who is John McCarty trying to fool? To tell you the truth, this book is a joke. Another major complaint is that there is no ratings given for the movies. Not even a 4 or 5 star rating. His comments aren't enough to go on in most cases to know what movies are worth seeing. Gorehounds beware! I recommend Chas Balun's "Gore Score 2001: The Splatter Years" if you want to hear some real reviews by someone who truly appreciates horror/splatter movies and knows all the good flicks, even foreign films I'm sure McCarty hasn't even heard of. Plus he actually uses a rating system (imagine that!) 1-5 skulls for the overall movie and 1-10 on the splatter meter for people who want to know how much blood is spilled. Chas gives it to you straight, he covers all the good stuff! Chas Balun is a fan and a critic, where McCarty seems to be just a critic, and a snob at that. The Official Splatter Movie Guide is extremely outdated (1989) leaves out monumental films, disrespects classics, and is written amateurishly. Take my advice and get
"Gore Score 2001" you'll be much better off, trust me.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's The Splatter With You?, June 9, 2008

By	C. Dunn "THE Bart" (New Albany, IN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Okay, people seem to be giving less than fair reviews of this book. I have this one as well as the second one and they are both VERY GOOD review guides to have. I find both volumes to be very informative and a nice "slice" (yes, pun intended) of horror cinema.