Schlock-Optic Donald Guarisco Schlock-Optic Donald Guarisco

THE PERSONAL TAKE: JEFFREY DOLLMER

The plot of Jeffrey Dollmer is as luridly campy as the title suggests: the infamous serial killer fused his spirit with a doll before going to prison and a few decades later, it’s thrown out of a police evidence morgue and revived when a dumpster diver bleeds on it. In short order, the pint-sized psychopath sneaks his way into a modeling shoot where everyone is too involved with ambition and cattiness to know they have a murderous toy in their ranks. Cue a sizable body count and plenty of dishy dialogue.

So what does a devoted filmmaker and walking encyclopedia of horror/exploitation cinema like Mark Savage do when confronted with this kind of gig? He gets into the spirit of it.

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Schlock-U-Ments Donald Guarisco Schlock-U-Ments Donald Guarisco

THE PERSONAL TAKE: ARMIES OF THE NIGHT

Armies Of The Night offers a carefully researched and organized look at a film steeped in mystique. Ever since its release, The Warriors has been followed by a legend of inspiring gang violence and deaths in the theaters where it was shown. This book delves into that legend but that arrives in its latter stages. In fact, the book has a lot more on its mind than just correcting the record.

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Schlock-U-Ments Donald Guarisco Schlock-U-Ments Donald Guarisco

The Personal Take: THESE FISTS BREAK BRICKS

These Films Break Bricks was originally designed to be a book of kung fu film posters with a little accompanying text. You can see that element of its original conception in the finished product's lavish graphic design, which incorporates an array of mind-blowing vintage poster designs drawn from several martial arts film fans' collections. However, the two authors realized they were onto something bigger and more impressive than just another coffee table book and put their writing/researching skills to the test. The result is something better than I was hoping for.

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