Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Fantasma Books,U.S. (1997), Edition: 2, 256 pages
Description
This book thoroughly examines 50 of the most obscure and horrible horror and science fiction movies ever made, with photographs and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Films featured include: I Was a Teenage Werewolf; It Conquered the World; Attack of the Crab Monsters; Bride of the Monster; The Amazing Colossal Man; Daughter of Dr Jekyll; Invasion of the Saucermen and Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman. Illustrated with many rare movie photographs.
User reviews
LibraryThing member smichaelwilson
Horror Holocaust is a slim collection of articles on horror films by Chas "Chunkblower" Balun, whose articles, books, and magazines in the 80s garnered him a sort of celebrity status among die-hard horror film fans.
With a writing style that almost resembled a wacky drive-time radio host, Balun
Horror Holocaust, with it's mind-blowing cover, is another of Balun's love letters to the horror genre, with articles about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Last House on the Left, I Spit on Your Grave, Re-Animator, zombie and cannibal films, and the future (good or bad) of horror/exploitation cinema. The articles discuss the history, craftsmanship, and even social commentary of horror films on a level of seriousness not often reserved for the genre at the time, but always managed to avoid boring his reading audience by smothering everything in a healthy dose of irreverence. While I don't agree with some of his stances - I reject his stance that the down ending of Last House on the Left was weak pandering to "whining liberal sentimentality" instead of a realistic portrayal of a revenge killing's emotional aftermath - and the "chunkblower" style can wear thin after awhile, Balun's articles cut right to the bone and deliver the adrenaline rush of horror fandom at it's bloodiest.
With a writing style that almost resembled a wacky drive-time radio host, Balun
Show More
tapped into the audience's raw excitement for the genre, which at the time was facing severe backlash by conservative/religious organizations and parent groups decrying horror films as worse than pornography. On the front lines of the horror counterculture, Balun pulled no punches in reviewing some of the most violent and socially unacceptable films of the 70s and 80s.Horror Holocaust, with it's mind-blowing cover, is another of Balun's love letters to the horror genre, with articles about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Last House on the Left, I Spit on Your Grave, Re-Animator, zombie and cannibal films, and the future (good or bad) of horror/exploitation cinema. The articles discuss the history, craftsmanship, and even social commentary of horror films on a level of seriousness not often reserved for the genre at the time, but always managed to avoid boring his reading audience by smothering everything in a healthy dose of irreverence. While I don't agree with some of his stances - I reject his stance that the down ending of Last House on the Left was weak pandering to "whining liberal sentimentality" instead of a realistic portrayal of a revenge killing's emotional aftermath - and the "chunkblower" style can wear thin after awhile, Balun's articles cut right to the bone and deliver the adrenaline rush of horror fandom at it's bloodiest.
Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
1888214023 / 9781888214024