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Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand

Patrick Galloway,

Greg Lofrano (Illustrator)

3.32 · Rating details · 59 ratings · 3 reviews

Asian Extreme cinema is hot, and this book lays it out in all its gory glory. Patrick Galloway, who last looked at samurai movies in his well-received Stray Dogs and Lone Wolves, now takes on Asian masters of suspense, exploitation, the supernatural, and bone-chilling, blood-curdling fear and evil. The films featured here are pan-Asian, including Korea and Thailand, and re ...more

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Paperback, 211 pages

Published November 1st 2006 by Stone Bridge Press

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Jul 02, 2007 Erika rated it really liked it

The review I gave it on Amazon:

Overall, as someone who enjoys "dark cinema" from Asia, I found this book very enjoyable, not only to learn about new titles that I may enjoy, but also to explore another person's perspective on films that I have already seen. Galloway definitely displays a genuine passion for the subject matter, as well as a profound knowledge of many aspects of Asian art and cinema. In addition to sitting back and enjoying the movies, he has clearly done a good deal of research o The review I gave it on Amazon:

Overall, as someone who enjoys "dark cinema" from Asia, I found this book very enjoyable, not only to learn about new titles that I may enjoy, but also to explore another person's perspective on films that I have already seen. Galloway definitely displays a genuine passion for the subject matter, as well as a profound knowledge of many aspects of Asian art and cinema. In addition to sitting back and enjoying the movies, he has clearly done a good deal of research on them.

However, I do take issue with the way in which some of the narrative veers towards the festishistic 'exotification' of Asia. Female cinemaphiles in particular will probably be put off by Galloway's repeated transformation into a dirty old Wan Chai cheek-toucher, unprofessionally slavering over the assets of various Asian actresses rather than over their performances.

I was also disappointed by an entry describing a Hong Kong cannibalism flick: Galloway mentions how Western audiences might not find cannibalism in Hong Kong such a stretch to imagine. However, rather than attributing such attitudes to racism and xenophobia, he shrugs it off by rationalizing along the lines of 'the Chinese eat a lot of weird food anyways,' implying that because the Chinese occasionally enjoy snake soup, it's only logical that they would break the universally held taboo against eating human flesh. I found this magnificently ignorant.

If you are a person who hates even the slightest hint of a spoiler, then this book is definitely not for you. Understandably, it's very difficult to write a movie review without revealing some of the plot, and Galloway is often put in the difficult position of writing about a movie that simply cannot be described or explored without tearing the gift wrapping of the film just a little bit. Ultimately, this book is best as a companion piece, and readers may wish to do as I did and skip the entries for the films they haven't yet seen, while revisiting and gaining new perspective on films they have already enjoyed.
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Dec 10, 2019 Jon rated it did not like it

Shelves: criticism, filmstudies, horror-gothic, slcpl

cool story bro ur book of “criticism” sux

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Jul 24, 2013 Alexander Case rated it it was ok

Shelves: film, nonfiction

Unfortunately, I've come to the conclusion that Asian horror - at least the kind Patrick Galloway likes to recommend, is not my cup of tea. The majority of the stuff he's recommending in this book focuses less on the atmospheric and terrifying, and more on the gross-out and disgusting - basically stuff that's closer to saw then The Ring, and with more rape. This was somewhat disappointing, as his book about Samurai films was pretty darn good. ...more

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