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In the dark underbelly of 1970s cinema, an unlikely group of directors rewrote the rules of horror, breathing new life into the genre and captivating audiences like never before

Much has been written about the storied New Hollywood of the 1970s, but while Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorcese were producing their first classic movies, a parallel universe of directors gave birth to the modern horror film. Shock Value tells the unlikely story of how directors like Wes Craven, Roman Polanski, and John Carpenter revolutionized the genre, plumbing their deepest anxieties to bring a gritty realism and political edge to their craft. From Rosemary’s Baby to Halloween, the films they unleashed on the world created a template for horror that has been relentlessly imitated but rarely matched. Based on unprecedented access to the genre’s major players, this is an enormously entertaining account of a hugely influential golden age in American film.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004IYJEN8
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books (July 7, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 7, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1890 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 292 pages
Reviewer: Wayne M. Malin
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fun, fast and always interesting
Review: An overview of horror movies from "Night of the Living Dead" (1968) and covering most of the main horror movies from the 1960s and 70s. He discusses "Rosemary's Baby", "Carrie", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Last House on the Left", "Halloween" and the directors and writers behind them. This is well-written, VERY entertaining and (at 238 pages)short. Some of the stories I knew but Zinoman tells them in such an entertaining fashion I didn't mind reading them again. What's very interesting is how it chronicles the directors early lives to see what influenced them. It also gets into their fights and accusations against each other. I LOVED reading this.HOWEVER I do have a few minor complaints. He complains about the end of the movie "Psycho" saying we didn't need an explanation. I disagree. He also complains about Hitchcock keeping it in. Hitchcock didn't write "Psycho"--Robert Bloch did. Blame him. I also disagree with his views on "Carrie". While I don't disagree that it's an important movie calling it operatic is a little bit ridiculous. I think that chapter was a little weak. And also, Stephen KIng DOESN'T like the character of Carrie and it comes through loud and clear in the book. Zinoman seems to think he does. Still, these are small complaints. The rest of the book is just great! One last complaint--it was too short! I wanted it to keep going. I'd love to see what Zinoman thinks of the "Scream" films (which he mentions only in passing) and the "Friday the 13th" series (which he doesn't mention at all!). Basically this is a must-read for all horror fans--and all NON-horror fans!

Reviewer: John Kelvie
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fine writer, excellent subject matter but not enough depth
Review: First of all, I will say if you like horror films, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. There is too little written on the subject, and given that, I was delighted to find this book, and overall it did not disappoint.Mr. Zinoman is a good writer, and within the areas that he chooses to focus, he has done a good deal of research and provides the reader with interesting insights.My main complaint would be that there was not enough. The book covers the initial films of Craven, Carpenter, De Palma, Friedkin, Polanski, Romero and Hooper to a good deal of depth. But he ignores much, if not all, of the later works of these artists. I would have liked to have heard much more about how these directors evolved. In some cases, like Hooper or Romero, where there careers sort of flamed out (I know Romero fans won't agree, but how many zombie moves can one man make?), but many of them remained vital for many years. I was especially disappointed that there was not more coverage of Body Double and the Thing. These are two of the finest thriller/horror movies ever made IMO, and were fairly solidly within the time period covered by the book, yet were basically left out for some reason (I'm guessing time limitations, as the whole book though well done does feel a bit rushed). Maybe part two.That aside, I did thoroughly enjoy reading this. Hopefully there will be more like it!

Reviewer: Cody Ussery
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Essential Reading for Every Fan of Horror Cinema
Review: This is a fantastic account of the best decade in Horror cinema. This riveting tale lays the foundation with incredibly interesting stories of how Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" inspired new filmmakers to not only pay homage, but also to rail against this classic film's explanatory ending. It then moves forward with fascinating accounts of how "Rosemary's Baby", "Night of the Living Dead", "The Exorcist", "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Carrie", "Halloween", "Alien", and many other classics of horror were made. It details the beginnings of some of the genre's biggest names, such as Roman Polanski, George A. Romero, John Carpenter, Dan O'Bannon, William Friedkin, Brian De Palma, Tobe Hooper, and others. There are great stories within the overall narrative about William Castle wanting to direct "Rosemary's Baby", William Peter Blatty disagreeing with the ending of "The Exorcist", how a married man's crush and the mob were involved with "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", the falling out between John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon after making "Dark Star" together and their separate rises to fame, Brian De Palma's fascination with voyeurism, and many many more. The only possible complaint I could have about this book is that it is far too short! Once I finished it, I instantly wanted more. This is a great read for any fan of Horror cinema, and it's certainly one of my favorite books that has come out this year.

Reviewer: fivesidedpolygon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Zinoman Understands Horror
Review: Jason Zinoman's Shock Value: (tedious explanatory subtitle) is a fun and illuminating read for those interested in independent or cult film of the 1970's, but moreover is required reading for fans of the horror genre. If you're like me, a film fanatic with a thing for late-twentieth century horror, fantasy, and sci-fi, who tries to temper his obsession with a pragmatic bias towards watching the "best" and leaving the "rest", then you will find Shock Value an indispensable help. Not only is it a film guide for that pivotal point in horror film history, but it clocks all the various indices you would expect from a well-written history; from the funny insider anecdotes, to the ever-changing American psychological landscape, to the collateral social and political unrest of the Vietnam era followed by the neo-50's of the Reagan era. It retraces the genre's steps from the drive-in monster movies Hollywood churned out in the 1950's all the way to the ultra-brutal "New Horror" of today, illustrating how certain key auteurs connected those dots one film at a time... and how we as the film-going public played both cat and mouse in shaping those supply and demand impulses. This is a cool book. I hope Mr. Zinoman is a permanent fixture in the worlds of both film studies and film fanaticism - he seems equally comfortable in both.

Reviewer: EditorMaster
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Un livre qui fait un tour complet drs films et créateurs marquants des années 1970.

Reviewer: M. Crossman
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I took a chance and bought this book due to my love of horror films from the 1970's.This book charts the course of the horror film from Psycho and Rosemary's Baby and how it influenced more modern horror movies made by the likes of Cunningham, Toby Hooper, Wes Craven, John Carpenter, George A Romero, Brian De Palma and others.The author has a fine easy style of writing and I finished the book inside a few hours despite it being of 270 pages long. Anyone who has enjoyed books such as "Easy Rider, Raging Bull" but has a fondness for horror movies should enjoy this book immensely.

Reviewer: Jason J Lindemulder
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Very inciteful. Unexpectedly awakened me to a sense of the political world of the 60s and 70s.

Reviewer: Mr. M. G. Blake
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This s a superbly written and researched book about the 1970's great horror movie brats. I have quoted from it in my forthcoming book 'Writing the Horror Movie' (Bloomsbury, July 2013) and that is the finest honour I can bestow on a book which was an absolute delight from start to finish. It is full of insider info, interesting tit bits and all manner of astute analysis - placing all the director(s) works in context. Essential reading for any horror fan.

Reviewer: Jen
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Great condition.