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I'm not sure what garnered a four star rating for me--Zinoman's actual writing or just the subject matter itself? Anything that is a comprehensive look at horror and exploitation cinema in the 1970s is right in my sweet spot, so Zinoman could have written a terrible book and chances are I would have still enjoyed it. Luckily for him, and me, the book isn't terrible! At times Zinoman goes too detail into describing scenes from films that anyone reading this is already going to know, but for the most part, SHOCK VALUE is a pretty interesting take on a subject that was screaming out [sorry] for a book on it. There are enough quirky people who directed, wrote or were involved in this genre to fill up another book on the subject. I'd read it.
Charles Champlin of the LA Times said of these early horror films: "(They) seem a singularly appropriate symbol of an age which, believing in nothing, will believe anything."
Horror is one of my great loves, and this is a great dissection of one of its glorious transitional period.
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Interesting look at how scary movies went from Dracula and the mummy to thing like Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw
If you enjoy horror movies you will enjoy this book. It is a quick entertaining read. I would recommend it to fans of the genre.
This book is AMAZING! Engaging, well-written, vastly informational and interesting. It's so rare for the horror genre to get such a intelligent treatment and analysis, and I really enjoyed the biographical aspect of each chapter's focus on a particular director or project. There are tons of great nuggets and factoids in this to pull out at future parties to impress your friends with, and I walked away with a severe hankering to revisit the old classics and check out a few under-appreciated films I've not seen yet. My hat's off to you, Mr. Zinoman. You're a man after my own (bloody, still-beating) heart.
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced