Alan JonesFrightFest Guide to Exploitation Movies (The Dark Heart of Cinema, 1)

This starts with an Z to Z of exploitation that covers individual movies and genres such as giallo, blaxploitation, WIP, cannibalism, supercars, cults and naturism. The movie section is chronological, starting with Africa Speaks (1930) and ending with Tenement (1985) and there is a handy index with cross referenced titles. Some of the more obscure movies covered are Two in a Sleeping Bag (1956), I Spit on Your Grave (1959) (Nope, not the better known 1978 one), The Dead One (1960), Living Venus (1961), Highway Pick-Up (1963),The Mad Executioners (1963), The Thrill Seekers (1963), Artist's Studio Secrets (1964), Uncle Tom's Cabin (1965), Girl on a Chain Gang (1966), A Colt is My Passport (1967), Brand of Shame (1968), KItten in the Cage(1968), The Office Party (1968), Suburban Pagans (1968), Watch the Birdie...Die! (1968), You (1968), The House Near the Prado (1969), House of the Red Dragon (1969), The Scavengers (1969), Africa Erotica (1970), The Psycho Lover (1970), Six Women (1971), Stigma (1972), Voodoo Heartbeat (1972), The Chaperone (1973), Shanghai Lil and the Sun Luck Kid (1973), Vice Squad Women (1973), Solomon King (1974), Mondo Magic (1974), and The Scaremaker (1982). A few of the better known movies are Streets of Fire (1984) and The Manitou (1978). Some of the entries refer to movies that do not have their own entries, a few are The Awakening of Annie (1974) and Love in the Pacific (1970). Lots of pics with excellent repro and the index comes in handy as the author sometimes lists movies under obscure alternate titles, one example is Solomon King which is under a different title. Now, the title and the cover promises horror, and while there are a number of horror movies covered, many of the movies with entries fall under the broad umbrella genre label of exploitation and there are a variety of genres covered. Lots of pics with great repro, including the kind that you would expect for exploitation films.

I read a lot of magazines from around the world, if you are familiar with UK's Q, Uncut or Mojo, expect the same depth, quality, knowledge and entertainment factor.A book written by a professional auteur.The intro piece is fantastic.The posters and lobby cards reproduced are impressive.

Excellent book on the subject. Very informative.

FrightFest co-founder Alan Jones shows us that trash cinema's four ingredients -- crime, sex, action, and/or horror -- can be combined in unlimited ways, and that the results will almost always grab an audience's attention. Hucksters, their ad campaigns, and the subject matter may excite or disgust potential viewers (they often do both), but raising strong feelings about these films is the whole point. A bored or indifferent customer is no customer at all.After a quick A-Z of exploitation genres, figureheads, and clichés (cannibalism, mad doctors, women in prisons, souped-up cars, etc.), Jones gets down to business with a chronological list of 200 trash cinema milestones, lavishly illustrated with movie posters and film stills. Already familiar with RE-ANIMATOR (1985), MICROWAVE MASSACRE (1983), and I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978)? How about THE ZEBRA KILLER (1974), in which a white racist goes on a murder spree after disguising himself with shoe polish and an Afro wig? CRIES OF ECSTASY, BLOWS OF DEATH (1973) is postapocalyptic martial arts sexploitation, deploying hypersexual karate chicks against bikers in gas masks. Speaking of bikers, THE PINK ANGELS (1971) is pure camp about "beefy transvestites on a road trip to a drag queen ball."But why stop there? BLACK SHAMPOO (1976) features a studly black hairdresser who sexually satisfies his female customers AND takes down the Mob. ANGEL, ANGEL, DOWN WE GO (1969) concerns a decadent, Jim Morrison-type singer (with Lou Rawls and Roddy McDowell in his band) who sexually corrupts men and women in his race to the bottom. 'GATOR BAIT (1972) is DELIVERANCE with Playboy Playmate Claudia Jennings dishing out lethal Cajun-style justice; BRIDES OF BLOOD (1968) -- riffed by Cinematic Titanic as DANGER ON TIKI ISLAND -- has young Filipino women being sacrificed to a remarkably unconvincing jungle monster, and A COLT IS MY PASSPORT (1967) finds chubby-cheeked hitman Joe Shishido betrayed by his bosses and targeted for death by two formerly rival crime gangs.True, I wish Jones had spotlighted more kung fu movies than just AMERICAN NINJA (1985) and SHANGHAI LIL & THE SUN LUCK KID (1973), but one can't have everything. No one watching these trashy movies, or reading this entertaining book about them, will be bored.

If you are into this kind of films, this book would be an absolute joy for you

Excellent product!

Incredible is my first impression of this book.Every page is absolutely perfect. The photos are plentiful and colorful on a glossy white paper.So far this is the best looking and reading book i have on this subject.A purchase you will not regret.

One of the best little books I’ve come across for posters of b movies etc . Pick it up if you appreciate art work of the movies . It’s brilliantly illustrated

An in-depth study? Forget about it. This is a superficial, albeit knowledgeable, and glossy book to give as present for the open-minded movie buff in your life. Reading the introduction, it seems to me that in an attempt to cram as much in as possible, Jones often equates 'exploitation' with 'genre' which, while there is a considerable overlap, isn't quite the same thing. That said, in the main text, while I'd argue over the exploitation label on some of his choices (Re-animator), it's mostly pretty accurate. And there are lots of lurid posters, artwork, and stills from the many films he covers. This is a fun book and a good introduction to the subject but no more than that. Still, you could do worse.