Nightmare USA: The Untold Story of the Exploitation Independents

By Stephen Thrower

Book Overview

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Vast quantities of previously unpublished stills, posters, press-books, plus behind-the-scenes photographs from the filmmakers' own collections.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1903254469
• ISBN13: 9781903254462
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: FAB Press
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 6.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.8" x 10.2" x 11.6"

Customer Reviews

BOOK OF THE DECADE FOR EXPLOITATION FANS

Being somewhat obsessed with the period and films covered in this mammoth tome I can unreservedly say that reading this was a religious experience for me. The amount of research gone into this project is extraordinary and the enthusiasm author Thrower has for forgotten gems like THE CANDY SNATCHERS, DEATH BED, BOARDING HOUSE and others is truly infectious. Not since Mike Weldon's original PSYCHOTRONIC came out in the early 80s have I been this giddy about a movie book. Part 2 is announced in the back of the book which means the good times keep coming.

Excellent, astounding and fun.

Consistently thoughtful, funny, appreciative of the material but never solemn, Thrower's book gleefully mines the dross pile and finds gold on every page. There is no snootiness here, as in a great many other genre books, no sense of superiority to the material. But there's no blindness to substandard acting, low-ball production values or whacked-out results, either. Don't let the gigantic size of the tome put you off. Any given chapter is a self-contained, independent joy to read on its own, well-researched, insightful and amusing. Full disclosure: Stephen interviewed me at length for the chapter on director Irv Berwick (and quoted me accurately, too.) Highly reccommended to anyone interested in exploitation, horror, or film history in general.

Absolutely incredible shelf crushing brilliance!

When I opened the box, I had no idea how massive this book is. I've only scratched the surface of this behemoth, but I can honestly saw this has to be the most impressive, informative, and visually stunning book relating to exploitation/horror/sci-fi I've ever seen and I own close to 100 books related to genre/horror/transgressive/subversive cinema. I've always considered FAB Press and Harvey Fenton's output to be top shelf, but this is by far their greatest output. Stephen Thrower reviews/interviews and facts are truly intellectual. Just to have page after page, image after image of such obscure films, which I love, such as Last House on Dead End Street, Let's Scare Jessica to Death, Messiah of Evil, Death Bed: The Bed that Eats, The Nail Gun Massacre, The Slayer is such a delight as you won't find such details relating those mentioned films or any of the other films covered in this masterpiece. I would have paid $200 for this book and for $50 it's the best money you'll ever spend on a film book.

truly amazing and thorough wealth of info. for the true fan of this genre

To invest 50+ dollars on a film book these days with the easy access of oodles of film information on the internet, it better knock your socks off. Thrower's new book does that and more. I would rate this up there with my two dogeared Psychotronic guides by Michael Weldon, which is high praise indeed. Congrats to Stephen Thrower for what must have been a true labor of love that fans like me can appreciate..