Buy new:

$65.44

Save: $4.51 (6%)

FREE Returns

FREE delivery Tuesday, February 21. Order within 12 hrs 6 mins

In Stock.

[{"displayPrice":"$65.44","priceAmount":65.44,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"65","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"44","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"8A3oRcKgaRtZnVefW4%2FQm61egPU2jarvFIBd4AhAH7g6YZyWyuwZgugw6U2AWxiaMrw4FLay9R7UUl8LB%2F2pHnUKtHBkMDHsEqrVfKcTbV%2BIU2Y9Yj4F9F6arVa9%2Bp2t%2FyDUoz9JjmI%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"}]

$$65.44 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Gift options

Add at checkout

Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.

Read full return policy

Gift options

Add at checkout

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$60.50
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: SuperBookDeals---

Added

Not added

$60.51
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: Prime Deals, USA

Added

Not added

$65.47
& FREE Shipping. Details

Sold by: Apex_media🍏

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 9 images

Follow the Author

Stephen Thrower

NIGHTMARE USA: The Untold Story of the Exploitation Independents Hardcover – July 24, 2007

by Stephen Thrower (Author)

192 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$65.44

$60.50

$86.68

Paperback

"Please retry"

—

$254.99

Enhance your purchase

Running to 528 large-format pages, Nightmare USA is a veritable encyclopedia of grindhouse cinema - it's one of the most acclaimed genre film books ever published, and after having Sold Out three times over already, it's finally back in print!

From Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill) to Eli Roth (Hostel), the young guns of modern Hollywood just can't get enough of that exploitation film high. That's because, between 1970 and 1985, American Exploitation movies went berserk. With censorship relaxed, and the gate to excess wide open, horror offered a vibrant alternative to the mainstream of American cinema. Luridly titled wonders like The Headless Eyes, Scream Bloody Murder and Hitch Hike to Hell were everywhere, from the drive-ins of Texas to the grindhouses of New York. Massively popular around the world, American exploitation movies added immensely to the richness of the nation's cinema.

Built on five years of research, Nightmare USA explores the development of America's subterranean horror film industry, spotlighting some of the wildest films imaginable from an era unchecked by censorship or 'good taste.' Ranging from cult favourites like I Drink Your Blood to stylish mind-benders like Messiah of Evil and shockers like Don't Go in the House, Nightmare USA goes where no other in-depth study has gone before, revealing the fascinating true stories behind classics and obscurities alike. Author Stephen Thrower has explored the attics and cellars of American cinema, delved beneath the floorboards, peered between the walls, searching for the strangest, most exotic cine-lifeforms... Nightmare USA is the reader's guide to what lies beyond the mainstream of American horror, dispelling the shadows to meet the men and women behind fifteen years of screen terror: the Exploitation Independents!

This massive overview of the Horror genre's development through the 1970s and 1980s features:

In-depth EXCLUSIVE interviews with twenty-five grindhouse movie makers, many of whom are discussing their work for the first time ever in print, including David Durston (I Drink Your Blood), Robert Endelson (Fight for Your Life), Frederick Friedel (Axe), Don Jones (Schoolgirls in Chains); and Joseph Ellison (Don't Go in the House).
Over 175 individual films reviewed, with full cast and crew credits.
Vast quantities of previously unpublished stills, posters, press-books, plus behind-the-scenes photographs from the filmmakers' own collections.

Print length

528 pages
Language

English
Publisher

FAB Press
Publication date

July 24, 2007
Dimensions

10 x 1.5 x 11.5 inches
ISBN-10

1903254469
ISBN-13

978-1903254462
See all details

Frequently bought together

+
+

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Choose items to buy together.

by Stephen Thrower Hardcover
$65.44
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Feb 21
by Richard Mogg Paperback
$32.99
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Feb 22
by Annie Choi Paperback
$29.06
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Feb 22

Annie Choi
126
Paperback
4 offers from $29.06
Richard Mogg
68
Paperback
18 offers from $27.33
Michael Gingold
95
Hardcover
46 offers from $19.95
Jacob Gustafson
63
Paperback
6 offers from $12.99
Bill Landis
78
Paperback
25 offers from $13.50
Adam Newell
113
Hardcover
15 offers from $33.99

Editorial Reviews

Review

"When was the last time you read a book that opened up a whole new world of dazzling information? This truly ground-breaking labor of love is remarkable in scope, hugely entertaining and crammed with little-known facts."
-- Alan Jones, Fangoria

"One of the most fascinating and important film books in recent memory, Thrower's massive tome is not just a tribute to the joys of regional filmmaking, it's also ultimately nothing less than a secret history of American cinema."
-- Travis Crawford, Film Comment

"The best book about the blood-drenched, scream-inducing, golden era of US independent horror cinema imaginable. Buy or die!"
-- Billy Chainsaw, Bizarre

About the Author

Stephen Thrower is a musician and writer, author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci, and editor of The Eyeball Compendium, both published by FAB Press. He has also written about horror and 'off-mainstream' cinema in the following books: Shock Xpress Vol.1 (ed. Stefan Jaworzyn); The BFI Companion to Horror (ed. Kim Newman); Flesh & Blood Compendium (ed. Harvey Fenton); Ten Years of Terror (ed. Harvey Fenton & David Flint); and No Focus (eds, Chris Barber & Jack Sargeant).

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The 1970s were fertile years for American horror cinema, with movies such as The Last House on the Left (1972), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Halloween (1978) and Dawn of the Dead (1978) opening up bold new directions for screen terror. Nowadays these films are regarded as classics of the genre, but this wasn't always so; in the 1970s they were just as likely to be attacked for being crude, nasty, despicable, and unnecessarily graphic. Part of the issue was snobbery about their origins: these were not the standard products of respected major studios, with name actors and prestige technicians. Instead they belonged to a subterranean film industry, the 'exploitation' arena, where some of the wildest and most shocking films imaginable proliferated, unchecked by censorship or the dictates of 'good taste'.
Films like The Headless Eyes (Kent Bateman, 1971), I Drink Your Blood (David Durston, 1971) and Bloodsucking Freaks (Joel M. Reed, 1976) were recklessly bizarre journeys to the outer fringes of horror, and they thrived commercially thanks to a complex network of independent distributors and exhibitors. Gloriously unregulated, this network established a country-wide free-for-all where all that mattered was the hard sell. From Texas drive-ins to the grindhouses of New York, sex and violence ruled the roost, and the race was on to be more extreme, more horrific, more bizarre. With only potential profits to guide tone and content, the rulebook went out the window. Consequently, marginal or eccentric filmmakers found the exploitation industry the perfect place to explore their obsessions: as long as you made a buck, you could go as far out as you pleased! Of course the 'exploitation independents' also created some of the most hopelessly inept movies ever to run through a projector. Some are hilarious, others are dull beyond belief: what matters is that taken together, both good and bad constitute a parallel cinema where imagination and daring trump taste and respectability.
These movies added immensely to the richness of American cinema. In their oddness and imperfection, their cheapness and occasional amateurism, they provide a glimpse of a freer, less mediated film environment. Their great value was in challenging the notion that cultural power in cinema was located entirely in Hollywood, encouraging optimism and engagement in the medium at a local level. For these reasons the exploitation independents deserve our admiration.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ FAB Press (July 24, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 528 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1903254469
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1903254462
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.04 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10 x 1.5 x 11.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #271,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #195 in Video Direction & Production (Books)
- #292 in Movie Direction & Production
- #539 in Movie History & Criticism

Customer Reviews:
192 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Stephen Thrower

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5

192 global ratings

5 star		91%
4 star		6%
3 star		1%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		1%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all customer images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Mike

A History of Violence 1970-85. [Sections below]

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 22, 2008

Verified Purchase

Price:
I've talked to many people that feel the price is a bit steep and I agree the book isn't cheap. It is however 500 pages filled with interviews, pictures (everywhere), and essays. Think Arnold Schwarzenegger's The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised size wise but about horror films. I mean the book is no joke and there could be an exploitation horror film made about a serial killer who uses this heavy book as his weapon, that's how big it is. I felt the price was well worth it as a horror fan and film lover in general.

For those of you who aren't the biggest readers:
Basically, all you have to do is read section I The Exploitation Independents which is the history of American independent exploitation films during 1970-85 and goes from page 11-48. After you start reading you'll want to keep going and after that it's basically a reference book with essays and reviews, so you could read up on a particular film. What I'd do is either read up on a film I found prior to watching it or after I watched it to learn more.

THE BOOK:
Stephen Thrower appears to know film even though he made a rule to not include reviews on classics, foreign, and studio made films, he still makes tons of compare and contrast references to classics and mentions great directors such as Bergman and Fellini. I highly recommend this book to horror and film fans, my friends in everyday life not so much but I think my horror Amazon friends will love it, specifically reviewer Clint Bronson. Clint has crazy knowledge on horror and from my readings of his reviews 1970s imparticular which, after much thought, is the best decade for horror hands down. Be sure to check out Clint's reviews as well.

Section I- As I mentioned details the history of the exploitation film from 1970-85
Here is how Thrower breaks down section I and the history, this was a great read.
The roots and the Godfather of gore H.G Lewis.
Romero and the Modern Horror Pantheon
Critical Responses to Exploitation Cinema
Drive in Massacres
42nd Street Monsters
Serial Killers
Psycho-Killer, Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Slashers- J'adore
When Blood Is Not Enough
Torture
R ape
It Came from the Stars/Swamp/Bushes/Caves
Things That Go Bump in the Night - One of my favorite avenues of horror being the ghost story. Thrower is honest in this area saying a bigger budget with good acting helps this area of horror.
Art of Perversity-Horror and Incoherence
Decline-Carpenter, Hooper, Romero, Craven
Hollywood Trash

Section II
Essays on Films and Filmmakers
This goes from 73-373 and like I said at this point it's a reference book. You can skip around read films that interest you and as you see others go back to the book and read up.

Section III
Reviews
118 Additional reviews. These are done in a shorter format then the essays above.

Section IV
Appendices and Index
Including an exploitation independent checklist Horror, 1970-85
A Bibliography
Index

I actually learned about this book in a non horror magazine Film Comment which gave it very high praise as well.

If anyone wants to know if a particular director or film they like is talked about in the book feel free to ask.

39 people found this helpful

Helpful

SciFi-Kaiju-Guy @ TeePublic

Exhaustively-researched book exposing the 70'-80's independent American cinema scene is a shelf-straining, must buy.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 26, 2016

Verified Purchase

If you're an aficionado of exploitation films, low budget cinema or obscure oddball movies then this MASSIVE book needs to be on your bookshelf or coffee table. You are certain to be the envy of all your grindhouse movie-loving friends. NIGHTMARE USA will probably stand as THE definitive work on the independent low budget movie scene between 1970-1985 for many, many years (if not decades) to come. This is one HUGE book which will certainly test the structural integrity of lesser bookshelves! While not quite as thick & heavy as Bill Warren's equally outstanding KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES; 21st CENTURY EDITION, I must say that NIGHTMARE USA comes pretty damn close. And like Warren's book, which is perhaps the penultimate reference piece covering the plethora of sci-fi & horror films from the 50's & 60's, NIGHTMARE is an equally expansive effort from tirelessly obsessed researcher & writer Stephan Thrower.

I accidentally learned of NIGHTMARE USA while watching a fascinating "Making of" featurette included on the recent AXE/KIDNAPPED COED Blu-ray release. So glad I did. As a movie fanatic, NIGHTMARE is a thoroughly engrossing, highly educational and downright fascinatingly fun read which intricately recounts the eclectic cornucopia of independent filmmakers created during the tumultuous period between 1970-1985, when these studio system outsiders reached their creative zenith giving us an impressive output of all manner of grindhouse & exploitation fare. By coincidence, several of the offbeat flicks covered in this book I happened to already own in one format or other so it was a rewarding, eye-opening experience to pour through the wealth of obscure details behind these oddball films which I have enjoyed for so many years. (It was one of the prime motivators for my buying this book.) Knowing more about the trials, tribulations, triumphs & tragedies that these independent directors & producers went through in order to bring their uncommon creations to the screen makes me enjoy & appreciate them all the more now.

If this subject matter is near and dear to you then by all means buy it without hesitation. You won't be disappointed. And if someone you know or love enjoys oddball films from this time period then this incredible book would certainly make a cherished gift that would quickly become a well-thumbed "go-to" bible for their movie-loving hobby. NIGHTMARE USA is not a cheap book, but the quality of the product itself (the paper, binding, sturdy cover, crisp clean printing & photo reproduction clarity) is every bit the equal to the intensive, expansive, exhaustive treasure trove of information contained within. Whether you buy it in hardcover or softcover, you'll absolutely get your money's worth. I enthusiastically give Mr. Stephan Thrower's staggeringly impressive reference work NIGHTMARE USA a full 5 STARS!

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Matthew S

wow

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 19, 2020

Verified Purchase

No, this is not a book about the Trump years in America. It's a 530-page (!) exploration of independent exploitation cinema, mostly focusing on the horror genre (and a little bit about porn). This isn't a book -- it's a TOME. TOME, TOME TOME TOME TOMMMMMMME. It has gorgeous art -- rare alternate covers of VHS tapes and PAL format, etc. -- so it's the kind of coffee table book you'd find at a twisted person's house. I've read AD NAUSEUM, SLEAZOID EXPRESS, and SUBURBAN GRINDHOUSE, so I thought I was pretty dang familiar with most horror that's out there, but this book surprised me with even more obscure stuff. How did I not know that Phantasm (1978) was originally called THE NEVER DEAD?! I learnt that from this book. This is not just a book, or a tome, this is a bible of independent exploitation cinema. If you buy it, look for the Golden Girls title screen they slip in as a joke.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

AGAD

For lovers of the American nightmare

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 20, 2017

Verified Purchase

I've just recently started to look at this book, and my immediate impression is that it certainly is a very detailed and comprehensive review of the American exploitation horror film output, during the 15 year period between 1970 - 1985. What is more impressive is that the author is an English person and not an American. I've already read up upon some interesting film titles and have immediately followed these up from watching them on You Tube such as......'Don't Go In the House', Julie Darling & Don't Answer the Phone.' The author also touches on some sexploitation films in this study with references to titles such as 'Sex Wish' (probably a play on what was big in the mainstream cinema at the time i.e. 'Death Wish.') as well as the infamous 'I Spit On Your Grave' and the low budget hard core feature 'Baby Rosemary.
My only negative is that a couple of Chapters have comprehensively been devoted to some really 'Z grade' films and perhaps at the expense of more-deserving films that the average person might be familiar with.

One person found this helpful

G. Meldrum

All Of Which Are American Dreams...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 30, 2010

Verified Purchase

A stupendously detailed beast of a tome, Stephen Thrower's `Nightmare USA' is an utterly indispensable read, especially for any lover of the gory glory that emanates, radioactive glow-fashion, from the American cinematic underground of the 70s and early 80s. In this weighty volume, Thrower first creates and explains the context of the era, exploring precisely why America from 1970-1985 proved to be such a fertile climate for low-budget exploitation films. He goes on to chronicle the various trends and themes that pervaded the genre, before getting to the guts of the book - around 300 pages covering 23 different directors and their work, sometimes an in-depth look at a single worthy film, other times an examination of their whole oeuvre. These fascinating chapters are followed by over a hundred pages of reviews, which, if you're anything like me, may end up as a virtual shopping list for the lover of nasty obscurities.

So what makes this such a superb piece of work? Well, there's the scale and scope of it. A proposed second volume is apparently on the way, which indicates just how much fascinating, previously untouched information Thrower has unearthed. In fact, Thrower himself admits that even he was taken unawares by just how much material he was capable of mining from his beloved topic. And what material! Even in regard to films that have never crossed your path (and I defy even the most illuminated of underground cognoscenti to read this and not encounter a film previously unheard of), Thrower's enthusiastic, savvy, delightfully opinionated writing will spark fascination and possibly obsession for the films he lovingly looks over. In fact, Thrower's writing and approach to the exploitation underground in general is characterised by both intelligence and jaw-dropping dedication. 5 years in the making, the amount of painstaking research the man has undertaken has to be seen to be believed. Lengthy interviews abound, and from an aesthetic point of view, the book is filled to the brim with wonderful, lurid images both from the films themselves and associated advertising material such as posters and lobby-cards. Not simply a feast for the mind, this book is very importantly a feast for the eye too.

What is particularly refreshing about `Nightmare USA' is seeing films like these discussed with a level of insight and analysis which they deserve. Thrower is keen not simply to wallow in the sometimes morbid worlds he discusses, but to present his own insight into what he feels the films are trying to say, or are saying without trying to! But his analysis, while intellectual and often highly psychological, is not the stuff of dry academia - Thrower feels too much personal connection to the films he discusses for that, allowing him to strike a neat balance between passion and erudition.

Some personal highlights include chapters on `The Child', `Death Bed', `Messiah of Evil' and `The Strangeness' (complete with its perverse looking monster, now gracing a Code Red DVD near you!) For me, however, one the most interesting sections concerns Robert Endelson's ultra-controversial study of prejudice, `Fight For Your Life', a film which, at the time of writing I haven't seen, and I'm still not sure if I want to, but to which Thrower devotes a fascinating chapter, exploring the film's notoriety in a measured manner.

Further reading? Well, the Thrower-edited Eyeball Compendium is well worth a look, a fine compilation of articles from Thrower's influential magazine. Then there's `Beyond Terror' for Thrower's enraptured take on the Italian master, Lucio Fulci. But overall, `Nightmare USA' is a godsend to anyone willing to get grimy on a trip to the uncharted depths of American cinema - trust me, once you're in, you won't want to emerge, and if you do, you'll never be the same!

9 people found this helpful

Engstrom Mikael

You need this one.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 27, 2016

Verified Purchase

Mr Thrower is indeed an exceptional writer. He could probably write about the Eurovision song contest and make it interesting. Seriously. He's that good.
The only downside is that you'll end up ordering a lot of films you did not even know about before reading this book. On the other hand you'll most likely be all the happier for it.
The writer strikes a balance between the scholarly, the personal and the deeply funny like nobody else.
Insightful, critical, full of interesting facts and a l w a y s entertaining.
Makes the wait for Murderous Passions 2 slightly more bearable.
Just get it. You won't regret it.

Simon Martin

A passionate and strangely moving horror study.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

This is a fantastic book, one of my all time favourites. Beautifully written and designed, it is a love letter to the forgotten and obscure. Thrower has a compassion and empathy that ultimately makes this book incredibly moving . The men and women who made these often unfairly derided films step out of the shadows and are given respect and attention. The word passion is overused these days but Thrower has it in spades. I can't wait for Volume 2.

ian j.

The best movie book ever

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 30, 2021

Verified Purchase

This has enough information to last you a lifetime ...

See all reviews

Buy new: $65.44

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

NIGHTMARE USA: The Untold Story of the Exploitation Independents Hardcover – July 24, 2007

Enhance your purchase

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Product details

Videos

About the author

Stephen Thrower

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

$65.44