NIGHTMARE USA: The Untold Story of the Exploitation Independents

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 1970-85Here 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 PantheonCritical Responses to Exploitation CinemaDrive in Massacres42nd Street MonstersSerial KillersPsycho-Killer, Qu'est-ce que c'est?Slashers- J'adoreWhen Blood Is Not EnoughTortureR apeIt Came from the Stars/Swamp/Bushes/CavesThings 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 IncoherenceDecline-Carpenter, Hooper, Romero, CravenHollywood TrashSection IIEssays on Films and FilmmakersThis 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 IIIReviews118 Additional reviews. These are done in a shorter format then the essays above.Section IVAppendices and IndexIncluding an exploitation independent checklist Horror, 1970-85A BibliographyIndexI 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.

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!

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.

First offThe hardback version of this book is big, really big and heavy so if you don't have space for it on the book shelf - don't buy it.Joking aside , if you like the weird side of older American cinema and obscure films, this could be the book your looking for.Comprehensive chapters on various directors and their films.Mostly black and white with some great looking colour pages.No Jess Franco, but a very good (big and heavy) book documenting the wild side of US exploitation and B movies.

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.

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!

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.

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.