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Massacred By Mother Nature - new book on natural horror films

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  • Massacred By Mother Nature - new book on natural horror films

    Saw this at the CHFB, thought it was worth posting here. Looks like a very intriguing book.




    Prepublication sale price is only $20 plus shipping (save $5.00
    over the regular cover price of $25). Book will ship around
    Monday October 22, just in time for Halloween.





    MASSACRED BY MOTHER NATURE:
    Exploring the Natural Horror Film

    by Lee Gambin

    Lee Gambin examines the extremely popular subgenre of the ecologically-themed horror film, or, the natural horror film. Since Alfred Hitchcock gave us The Birds, the natural horror film (where animals or insects cause tremendous damage to the human population) is a much-loved subgenre, but one seldom referenced. This book offers insightful critiques on numerous films such as Them!, Squirm, Orca, The Pack, The Day of the Animals, Prophecy, Tentacles and many more. Over 100 titles are discussed and Gambin thoroughly scrutinizes the social and political impact of these films, dissects fundamental stock standards of this subgenre, as well as offers informative anecdotes relating to the production of these diverse movies. He critiques specific narrative devices and offers an analysis of performance, audience appreciation and filmmaking craft.

    Chapters include:

    From Hitchcock's Flock To Girdler's Grizzly: An Introduction To The Natural Horror Film
    This introduction will explain the necessity of the eco-horror film and where it fits into the vastly diverse horror genre. Gambin discusses the relationship of the eco-horror movie in comparison to its cousins, the body horror movie and the Satanic-themed horror film.

    And A Frog Shall Lead Them: Mother Nature Attacks, Humankind Panics
    We look at the many natural horror films initiated by American International's extremely successful cult classic Frogs. Detailed examinations of films that followed include Monkey Shines, Roar, In The Shadow of Kilimanjaro, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Uncanny, etc.

    Leader of the Pack: Bite Worse Than Bark; Bad Doggies of Cinema
    From The Pack, Man's Best Friend to Dogs and Stephen King's adaptation of Cujo, this chapter offers an in depth analysis of killer canines in the natural horror film.

    Aquatic Attacks
    Oceanic horror films are explored and examined—from killer whales in Orca, to octopi in Tentacles and It Came From Beneath The Sea and sinister sewer-dwelling gators in Alligator.

    Insectellectual: The Discreet Charm of the Creepy Crawly
    Political and social commentaries are scrutinized under the microscope in the movies infested with sadistic but smart insects, including William Castle's Bug, Jeff Lieberman's Squirm and Irwin Allen's The Swarm.

    The Two Of Us Need Look No More: Human Help in the Natural Horror Film
    From rats lending a hand in Willard and Ben, to snakes helping out the likes of Jennifer and Stanley, to spiders offering support in Kiss of the Tarantula, this insightful chapter looks at human characters who use animals as an extension of their own evil-doing.

    Stock Characters of the Ecological Horror Film: Least We Forget Those Simians Called People … Haunted Loners, Left Over Cowboys, Environmental Sympathizers, Smart Sassy Sexy Professionals and Wise Indians
    Archetypal characters used consistently throughout the natural horror film are examined.

    Children of Kong, Spawn of Godzilla: The Super-Sized Animals of Hollywoodland
    From Bert I. Gordon's mammoth movie monsters in The Food of the Gods and The Empire of the Ants, to the giant killers of Attack of the Giant Leeches and Night of the Lepus, this is a detailed look at the extra large animals of the (not so) natural horror film.

    The Animal Kingdom Reigns Supreme: Conversations with Stars of the Eco-Horror Film
    Interviews and chats with stars and filmmakers on the subject of the eco-horror movie, including Dee Wallace, Joe Dante, Veronica Cartwright, Bert I. Gordon and more.

    The book is available from http://www.midmar.com
    For more information please contact Gary and Susan Svehla, Midnight Marquee Press, Inc., midmargary@aol.com


    Back Cover Blurbs:

    "A captivating journey through eco-horror flicks that will bring out the animal in you!"
    —Rebekah McKendry (Fangoria magazine)

    "Lee Gambin's tribute to the nature-gone-amok subgenre is an acute analytical study … full of heart!"
    —Jeffrey Schwarz (Automat Pictures)

    "From examining those scary pooches in Cujo and The Pack, those underwater-dwelling leviathans in Jaws and Orca and those animals that become the disciples of the truly demented in Willard and Kiss of the Tarantula, Lee Gambin's book is a sentimental journey into the world of one of the horror genre's most underrated subgenres, that of the natural threat!"
    —Matt O'Neil (Melbourne Horror Society)
    I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons.

  • #2
    Great cover art!
    Rock! Shock! Pop!

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    • #3
      Good to hear that Grizzly got some coverage. Living in "the woods", that one traumatized me more than Jaws as a child.
      Mad Dog's Music

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      • #4
        GRIZZLY scared the hell out of me! Saw it when it opened. Even read the novelisation, which in some ways was actually far more effective. I love these movies, some of them are still surprisingly disturbing. THE PACK (another I read the book of) has always been my little sleeper fav of these.
        I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons.

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        • #5
          I'm in! One of my favorite horror genres!

          Comment


          • #6
            Frogs is a fav of mine, this looks like a good read. I wonder if he covers the excellent Australian film Long Weekend that Synapse released a long time ago. A real gem.
            Randy G
            Senior Member
            Last edited by Randy G; 10-18-2012, 05:31 AM.

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