Pocket Essentials
4 total works
Vampire Films. the Pocket Essential Guide.
by Colin Odell and Michelle Le Blanc
A flash of lightning. A rumble of thunder. The sinister silhouette of an indistinct figure. A bestial howl echoes across the misty moors. A skeletal hand reaches, slowly, deliberately around your door. Meanwhile there are unholy stirrings in the graveyard and disappearances from the local morgue. A scream pierces the chill air as a madman cackles, the blood dripping from his old rusty axe...
Horror is one of cinema's most disreputable genres. Frequently dismissed or reviled by critics, the horror film nevertheless provides a way of confronting our fears in a safe environment. Often subject to more cuts at the hands of the censor than a serial killer's razor, the horror film is also a benchmark, a sign of what's considered acceptable for the public to view and what the state will allow its citizens to see. But for the most part horror films are about entertainment, consistently profitable, eminently enjoyable. So what makes this genre so detested and why do people pay to be scared?
The Kamera Book of Horror Films will take you on a journey into the realm of fear. From horror cinema's beginnings in the late 19th century to the latest splatter films, from the chills of the ghost film to the terror of the living dead there's more than enough to keep you awake at night. There's a whole world of terror to explore - Spanish werewolves, Chinese vampires, Italian zombies, demons from Britain, killers in America, evil spirits in Japan. This book offers a guide to key films, directors and movements. Amongst the many discussed are the popular Dracula, Frankenstein, Scream, Halloween, The Sixth Sense, Ringu and Evil Dead, and the more unusual The Living Dead Girl, Rouge, Les Yeux sans Visage, Nang Nak and Black Cat.
So join us on a gruesome and terrifying journey into the world of horror but don't dawdle, the last in line is always the first to get picked off...
The Ultimate Action Hero. For twenty years one man has dominated action cinema worldwide. He is adored by more fans than Stallone, Schwartzenegger or Willis and yet until recently was virtually ignored by America and the UK. All that has changed now. Welcome to the world of Jackie Chan, martial artist, comedian and stuntman.
Most people associate Jackie Chan with the recent smash hit films Rush Hour and Rumble in the Bronx but there is a lot more of him to see. Jackie learnt his trade from the harsh world of Peking Opera School and began to appear in films as a child. He slowly progressed from minor roles to becoming a head stuntman and eventually lead actor in a number of kung fu movies in the 1970s. It was only when he began to direct his own films that the real Jackie Chan film was born.
If you have never seen a Jackie Chan film before, you are in for one wild ride. They are a unique blend of visual comedy, incredible stunts and electrifying fights. What makes them so special is that Jackie performs all of his own stunts, no matter how crazy, no matter how dangerous. And they are dangerous. In the course of his career Jackie has broken nearly every bone in his body and come within a hair's breadth of death...No one will insure him.
In this book we'll be taking a look at the world's most popular action hero -
See! Jackie skateboard through rush hour traffic. Against the flow...
See! Jackie fall from a tall building. Handcuffed...
See! Jackie drive through a town. Literally through the town...
See! Jackie run down the side of a building. While it is falling down...
See! Jackie leap from the top of a car park.. Onto a balcony across the road...
You'll laugh. You'll gasp. You'll wince. You've never seen anyone like Jackie Chan.
Of all the directors active in commercial American film-making John Carpenter remains the industry's most consistent storyteller. His films, like Halloween, The Thing, Escape From New York and Assault On Precinct 13, spark enthusiasm in those who know them and his name alone will draw people into the cinemas.
Ultimately John Carpenter's reputation is built on his ability to tell a story and tell it well. He excites, thrills and scares audiences the world over. He has set trends and influenced many other directors in the Science Fiction and Horror fields. In the Pocket Essential John Carpenter you can discover his films, his scripts and his music and as well as an introductory essay, each of John Carpenter's films is reviewed and analysed. Not only that, but there's a handy reference section too.