Poor John Carpenter’s The Fog is slapped with “ transparent characters” and “ telegraphed scares” (I bet McCarty’s dictionary is well thumbed.) Carpenter fares better with Prince of Darkness and Halloween (of course, nobody dare criticize that one, it’s royalty like Dawn of the Dead). I have no idea who reviewed what, so for arguments sake, it’s all Mr. Yes, he applauds the effects of Aliens, Predator and An American Werewolf in London, but then Predator is “ unsuspenseful”, American Werewolf… is “ hollow, pointless…” and courtesy of Aliens, he started looking at his watch!

He has a bone to pick with bigger budget movies though and drags the reader down. He has to find faults! “ I’ve tried to have fun…” says the man himself. Fair enough, the man does, but he’s so bloody unhappy and picky. “ McCarty knows what he’s talking about.” quotes Fangoria on the back of V olume One. John (and three other buddies) cover literally hundreds of movies in bite size paragraphs, accompanied by a good selection of black and white gory photographs, from well-known blockbusters, to low grubby lesser mortals. So John had really a free hand to write for a hungry audience which were living off Fangoria and Gorezone (not mentioning various small press fanzines which were hard to obtain).

The Official Splatter Movie Guide Volume 1 of this duo emerged in the late ‘80s and, if we’re honest, there wasn’t much about then which was similar other than Chas Balun’s legendary paperbacks, and LA Morse’s Video Trash & Treasures series. Guides, things about directors, one about psychopaths in films… on and on. John McCarty has written a multitude of books about the horror genre. The Gateway Meat & Shorts with Sick on Cinema 52 An Interview with Devin Swank of Sanguisugabogg 51 Interview with Rob Jabbaz Director of The Sadness 50 Extreme Essentials: Murder-Set-Pieces w/ Ryan Logsdon and Chris Severed 49 50 Years of Last House on the Left: An Interview with Marc Sheffler 48 Uncle Sleazo’s Toxic and Terrifying TV Hour with Lucky Cerruti 46 Let’s Stop at the Morgue with Lucky Cerruti 45 Interview with Jonathan Doe from Putrid Productions on Erotic Grotesque Nonsense and more 1 Interview with James Bell of Very Fine Crap Videos

Morbidhorror Podcast Severed Cinema Presents: Morbidhorror Podcast with your host Brandon Terry.

Rewinding the Video Tape: Memories of the Video Store.

They Whisper in the Shadows: A Whisper Tickling Your Ear III.

My Day of Violence with Darren Ward and Beyond Fury.

Whispering in the Darkness: A Whisper Tickling Your Ear II.

Creepy’s Clingfilmed Capsules: Mini Reviews Part 2.Creepy’s Clingfilmed Capsules: Mini Reviews Part 1.

Flesh Eaters by L.A. Morse