Perry Rhodan Cover Gallery

I really need to get back to this series.

 

Cover Gallery for Ray Bradbury's The Halloween Tree

 

Book Review - Giallo Meltdown 2

Much like the first Giallo Meltdown book, Giallo Meltdown 2 is a breezy, funny trip through a lengthy viewing binge of European giallo films. With these books author Richard Glenn Schmidt is not trying to write a carefully researched examination of these movies. His goal is to present an almost stream of consciousness series of reactions to the films as they play out over several weeks. Structured like a peek at diary entries complete with ruminations on accompanying meals and unexpected delays in the forward motion of the project these books are a giggle inducing joy. It’s as if the reader is sitting on the couch next to Richard as he marathons through a pile of unwatched movies in his collection. This is as close as you’re likely to get to sharing the couch with an enthusiastic fan of the genre who enjoys nearly every entry, even if some of them are confusing or overly bizarre.

There are several reasons to check this new book out. First, both Giallo Meltdown books serve as an informative listing of possible future viewing with Richard giving you an enticing thumbnail sketch of each movie. If you want to concentrate on the most erotic efforts the genre has to offer you can make a search list as you read along. If you enjoy stories in which the solution somehow negates the entire reason for the mystery, you can jot them down. The same can be done for the less common tropes of the genre such as flashbacks that explain things in a confusing way or poorly filmed uses of vehicular homicide or pointless animal deaths. And I am pleased to report that there are nearly no spoilers offered in the book’s arch descriptions of the murder plots. The accounts of each film’s story touch on just enough details to entice the curious and amuse me.

Another reason I enjoyed this new collection of genre observations is that Richard actually spends some time breaking out a listing of Spanish gialli, a personal point of pleasure. There are many examples beyond the classic Paul Naschy effort BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL (1974) so this book does a deep dive into several of the most obscure and even manages to create my current favorite chapter title in a movie related book – The Blood in Spain Falls Mainly From the Vein. Brilliant! Digging into the genre efforts from Spain points readers to both (very) obscure Naschy films and the long list of entertaining Hispanic related murder mysteries that lurk in mostly unexplored corners. I’ve been pushing for the genre cinema of Spain to get more attention for about a decade and I welcome any help.

And the book gets bonus points for its hysterical description of one of my favorite over-the-top  American giallo entries, Richard Rush’s COLOR OF NIGHT (1994). I’m a huge fan of Rush’s other films (check out THE STUNT MAN someday) but this thriller is one of the most unintentionally funny movies I have ever encountered and it was a joy to read the details of someone else’s first full viewing. I wish I had made notes back when I originally caught this years ago but I doubt my rattled thoughts would have been as amusing. I can almost recommend the entire book just for this section. My only qualification is that, unlike the author, I will certainly again watch this overstuffed psycho erotic sexual ball pit one day. Watching a talented filmmaker go this far off the rails is almost required repeat viewing.

As you can tell, I think this sequel Giallo Meltdown book is worth your time. It’s a light, fun read that serves well to point even long-time genre loving fans to new viewing possibilities. A lot of the rarer titles will be difficult to access but the descriptions here will only fuel your curiosity and desire to seek them out. 

The book can be purchased through Amazon in either paperback or ebook HERE. 

 

Classics Illustrated Comic Book Covers

 

Video - The Christmas Thingy by F. Paul Wilson and Alan M. Clark

Read by Harley Jane Kozak, this is a wonderful little tale of the holiday season that illustrates the joy of friendship and the power of realizing that almost anything can happen. It's a heartwarming story for all ages perfect to slip into your December viewing. Enjoy! 

 

Revisit - Farewell to the Master by Harry Bates

About 14 years ago I finally read the story that THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) was adapted from and typed up my thoughts. Recently my mind has returned to that classic film so here is a newly condensed version of my musings.

The story, published in 1930 as ‘Farewell to the Master’ by Harry Bates, is a darned good science fiction tale and I was pretty surprised by the changes made in the filmed version. The story takes place in an unspecified future not too different from the 20th century. The main character is a photojournalist named Chris Sutherland who relates how four months previous an object appeared in Washington, DC and from its interior came two beings. One was an eight-foot-tall metal robot and the other a man named Klaatu. This is where the film departs from the tale for the first time in several ways. First- the name of the robot is Gnut in the story but Gort in the film. I guess having someone say something that would have to be pronounced ending in NUT was deemed silly and I’d have to agree. Also, the robot is made of a greenish metal (as is the ship/object) and looks like a large man- not the featureless automaton of the movie.

Minutes after coming out and speaking to the gathered crowd Klaatu is shot down as in the film but here it isn’t a trigger-happy soldier but a raving religious fanatic babbling about the visitors being sent by Satan. You just know that wasn’t going to make it onto screen in 1951! And to even further bend the brain of anyone who has seen the film, Klaatu dies! Actually dies and is buried by the horrified people of Earth who fear possible retribution from either Gnut or wherever the aliens come from.

Gnut remains motionless and silent after Klaatu’s death and in the intervening time laboratories and a museum are built around the metal creature and the ship. Both objects prove impervious to the investigations of frustrated human scientists. But on a visit to the museum Sutherland notices that Gnut’s foot has moved from where it was just days earlier and makes plans to watch the robot that night after everyone is gone.

The story continues on from there in a very satisfactory and even touching way that I think is best left discovered by curious readers. I recommend the story which still stands up as an excellent SF serving as a warning about our flawed vision of the world around us. 

Book Review - German Popular Cinema and the Rialto Krimi Phenomenon by Nicholas Schlegel

Author and cinema academic Nicholas G. Schlegel has published his second book and it is just as welcome as his first, Sex, Sadism, Spain and Cinema. That book insightfully discussed the dark exploitation films of Spain’s Golden Age of Horror with an eye for what set them apart from similar movies produced in Europe. This new books digs into another sadly neglected subset of popular European film – the ‘krimi’. It is a fascinating topic and one worthy of much attention. Schlegel points out how few English language works exist that are focused on this years-long cycle and seems to have chosen this subject out of a sense of filling this odd gap. Hopefully this new work will spur more writers (and curious cinema thrill seekers) to pay attention to this fascinating genre. I was pleased to learn in his introduction that his journey of discovery mirrored my own in many ways, reminding me that any attention brought to underappreciated areas of film can create new fans.

German Popular Cinema and the Rialto Krimi Phenomenon: Dark Eyes of London is as meticulous and well researched as one could hope for and as good as I expected. It is structured smartly to introduce neophytes to the subject through a discussion of the history of post World War II German cinema and the precursor films that lead to this type of thriller. This earlier period of German cinema was completely unknown to me and it was educational to have its evolution laid out in such a succinct and interesting fashion. He delineates the various factors that led to the birth of the ‘krimi’ subgenre, explaining the influences and peculiar requirements of the times, many of which were unique to Germany. The author does an excellent job of pointing out the threads that lead from one type of film to the next with our destination seeming to be nearly inevitable. Clearly, the need for escapist entertainment is always a driving force in the business but having some of the other influences laid bare is fascinating.

Of course, there have always been crime films but rarely has there been an odder combination of elements merging to create a fresh variation like this. No matter how many examples of them a film fan may have encountered over the years, a krimi will stand out in some way. Either a viewer will be amused by the bizarre style of humor incorporated into the film’s story or be surprised at the way violence is sometimes used to shock. Maybe the strange tone of the film will draw attention to itself or the creepier elements will make the entire affair feel more like a horror movie than a crime thriller. It is in examining these odder elements of the genre where Schlegel’s book does its most interesting and insightful work and luckily that is the bulk of the page count. For over 130 pages of the text the book goes chronologically through the entire run of thirty-two Rialto krimis giving both a brief plot synopsis and background information on each. Folded into these entries Schlegel has included an analysis of the film in question and makes note of how it fits into the slowly evolving format of the series. He let’s his favorites be known but has much to say about every film that comes under his gaze. This helps to make this new book invaluable for both long time fans and those newly curious about this underseen thriller form.

Without overstating the matter, German Popular Cinema and the Rialto Krimi Phenomenon could be one of the most important new works on genre films in a decade or more. For me, it is a necessary addition to my reference library and a book that I know will serve to answer dozens of questions as I continue to explore these fun thrillers. I highly recommend this book to the newly curious and to the fan already enamored of the genre. There is much food for thought within its pages.

Cover Art for 'Who Goes There' by John W. Campbell

I've been facinated for years with this story and various artist's interpretations of the alien creature. Still waiting for an animated version. 

(Kinda joking. But not really.)  

 

Jerry Cornelius Paperback Covers

I've been very much in a Cornelius mindset lately with a podcast brewing on the subject. 

Dr. Cushing's Chamber of Horrors by Stephen D. Sullivan - Out on August 30th!

About the Book: The monsters aren’t only in the museum! Despite a lifetime of traveling with their father to collect strange artifacts, twins Topaz and Opal Cushing have never fully believed in monsters or the supernatural. Oh, sure, they share an eerie psychic connection, and their tarot card readings often come true, but… Werewolves? Vampires? Living mummies? None of those could be real. Those legends are just for rubes. Right? Since the girls’ father has been away, though, strange things have been happening in the family’s little exhibit—and in the waxworks studio that shares their dilapidated Victorian mansion on the outskirts of London. Now, the twins’ dreams of a fun, romantic summer season are turning into a nightmare, and the monsters are running... Dr. Cushing’s Chamber of Horrors! Print Length: 437 pages Publisher: Walkabout Publishing (August 30, 2020) Publication Date: August 30, 2020 Language: English ASIN: B08F13XKQG ISBN-13: 979-8668896547 Pre-Order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08F13XKQG

About the Author: Stephen D. Sullivan has over sixty published titles to his name and helped create more comics and games than he can either list or remember. A Scribe award-winner for “Best Novel Adaptation, 2016” with his book Manos: The Hands of Fate, Sullivan lives with his wife in a small town in Wisconsin. You can contact him via Twitter, Facebook, Patreon, or on his website: www.stephendsullivan.com

Alternative 'Little Golden Books'

There's nothing like twisting a childhood classic to bizarre ends. 

This ain't The Poky Little Puppy!