Holiday Shopping Ideas

With Axe-mas right around the corner, I’m sure everyone is starting to compile their own wish list or thinking about what to get others. I’m going to give a few suggestions to help not only find a great gift, but to also help increase the knowledge for the person receiving it, as well as maybe showing support for those out there that are putting their blood, sweat, tears, and talent into their work. We need to show our support for them, to let them know what they are doing is worth it.

For those out there that are looking for the special gift for the horror obsessed fan in their life, or to add it to your own personal list, let me start with a shameless plug and humbly suggest picking up a copy of my book, Discover the Horror? While it is available on Amazon, if you order it directly from me, you’ll get it personally signed to you, or whoever you request. How cool would it be to surprise your special someone with a personalized autograph copy? You can read what some people have thought about it on Amazon or some of the reviews I’ve posted on the link to the right.

But…this isn’t just about my book, but the countless titles out there that would make wonderful gifts to any horror fan. Here are some examples.

So Deadly, So Perverse Volume 3 Now Available

The third and final volume in Troy Howarth’s must-own series on the giallo film is now out! So Deadly, So Perverse: Volume 3 – Giallo Inspired World Cinema continues Howarth’s quest to inform the world of all things giallo! This volume shows the influence of this Italian sub-genre that were felt around the world from Japan to England to definitely the US and their slasher films.

With an introduction by filmmaker Dante Tomaselli and published by Midnight Marquee, if this is half as good as the first two volumes, then it needs to be in everyone’s library. 

You can order this from Amazon right now, but the price is a bit steep at $60. But if you wait a little bit, you’ll be able to order it directly from Midnight Marquee for $40, which is much more reasonable. It may drop down in price on Amazon, but not sure if or when. Or, if you’re heading out to Monster Bash in a couple of weeks, you can pick up your copy right from Troy himself! I know that is what I’m going to do!

Book Review: So Deadly, So Perverse – Volume 1: 1963-1973

So Deadly, So Perverse – Volume 1: 1963-1973
By Troy Howarth
Published by Midnight Marquee, 2015. 233 pages.

Italian giallo films are something that most horror fans are somewhat familiar with. I mean, it’s pretty hard to be a horror fan and not have some familiarity with directors like Dario Argento and Mario Bava, and their work in the dark, mysterious, and violent thriller sub-genre called giallos. Even if you might not be a fan of them, you at least know about them. If you are a fan of this strange sub-genre, then you know there is a serious amount of ground to cover. That is where Troy Howarth’s book comes in as handy as black leather gloves and a bottle of J&B.

One of the things I loved most about this book was the history lesson. Sure, I’ve been a horror fan most of my life, but this book just shows you that there is always room to learn more. Even before we get to the actual reviews, we get several chapters of a history lesson that I think should be required reading for any horror fan that has an interests in Italian films, as well as those interested in giallos. With a ton of information, writer Roberto Curti gives us a great history lesson on when and where this giallo genre actually started, and from where they came from. There was a lot of information that I wasn’t even aware of.

So Deadly….Volume 2 Coming Soon….

You may wonder why I’m always talking about horror reference books. Is it because that I’m an avid collector of them and hope that my passion for them rub off on you? Or maybe because I feel the need to keep covering this kind of material because not too many other sites out there do? Or maybe just because I still think that these kind of books are a great way to learn more about this genre that we love so much. Maybe it is all of them.

Now that we’ve finished the Karloff book, it is time to move onto something a little different. Our next book that we’ll be diving into is Troy Howarth’s So Deadly, So Perverse Volume 1 1963-1973, which was published by Midnight Marquee eariler this year. Can’t wait to read into this and start adding some giallo titles to my already overflowing list of movies that I want to watch or re-watch. But once we’re done, we’ll have our review up shortly there after.