Videohound's Complete Guide to Cult Flicks and Trash Pics

by Videohound

Mongrel Video: The Masterpieces, the Misfits, and the Misunderstood

VideoHound decided it was about time the alternative film fanatics among you god your due. So he sent his mixed-breed half-brother underground with just one directive -- "Remember, when it comes to these fans, no movie is too tasteless."

Well, that old mutt made VideoHound proud, bringing home a mondo haul of 1,100 bizarre but brilliant flicks -- the crème de la cult, horror, sci-fi, trash, Troma, 3-D and midnight movies.

Look at what the dog dragged in...

VideoHound's Complete Guide to Cult Flicks and Trash Pics is an amazing display of divine inspiration and depravity. Open 'er up anywhere and you'll experience the best directors like William Castle, John Waters, Ed Wood, Al Adamson, Russ Meyer, Roger Corman, and David Lynch . . .the gifted performances of such actors as Divine, Linda Blair, Boris Karloff, Mamie Van Doren, and Dick Miller . . . and the thrillingly poignant characterizations of Godzilla, Frankenstein, and the Gila Monster.

Keep on flipping and you'll learn about the Lasting Legends of the Local Horror Host, the ten best gimmicks used in cult and trash films, tips on doing "Odorama", and oh so much more.

Genres: Film, Reference, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Horror, Cult Classics, History

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

By and large, the VideoHound movie books are pretty good. The reviews are amusing without being irritating, plots are breezily recounted, and their opinions are often refreshingly against the grain. Through them I've discovered many fun films. So far this volume remains my favorite. One problem with this series: far too many indexes. I'd rather they leave that sort of thing to the Internet Movie Database, and fill those pages with more reviews. Otherwise, this is reference at its most readable.

[Phillip Lozano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Snarky but lightweight and bland, with an off-putting, dismissive mainstream sensibility. Far too many staggering errors and omissions to be taken as authoritative. 300 pages of indexes but no room for William Castle's complete oeuvre? This is a problem with all of the Videohound series. For cinema dilettantes only.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have searched but never found the perfect movie guide book. It seems that books like this are dying off now that we have online databases and blog spots that do the job for free. This series is accessible and I agree with the reviews much more often than I do with Leonard Maltin. I used to refer to this one when looking for DVDs to buy. If only Robin Bougie would write one of these. It would be the greatest movie review book ever.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Focused a lot on horror movies which aren't my cup of tea but it fun guide to a lot of classic films. It rated True Stories by David Byrne way to low but gave a good score to UHF by Weird Al so it's ok

[Bree · Rating 2 out of 5]

I browsed through this one night to see if I was familar with some of the movies. I had seen some growing up when the 80's made really bad midnight movies. There were some I didn't think belonged in there at all and some I thought would be in there but were not. Short plot retellings, listing of cast, awards, year, format are all given as well as Videohound's score.

[Bryce Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invaluable, can't count the number of times it saved my bacon. When I'm running late for a deadline and have no idea what film to write about I often just flip through the book and then put my finger down at random.

[Jackie "the Librarian" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's where you'll find the best trashy movies! An essential purchase for fans of Japanese monster movies and homicidal baby flicks.
Oddly enough, my favorite movie, It's a Wonderful Life is included. I never thought of Jimmy Stewart as being on the fringe.

[Amie O'connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never knew so many weird and twisted movies existed. There are several I plan to see.

[Pewterbreath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strangely this book feels dated, however, if you're looking for a guide to cult films before 1995, there is no better guide even if the internet makes this book essentially unnecessary.

[Isabella Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Bible