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Incredibly Strange Films
This classic guide to little-known films neglected by the film-criticism establishment features interviews with Herschell Gordon Lewis, Russ Meyer, Ray Dennis Steckler, Ted V. Mikels, Larry Cohen, and others who dared to make independent feature films their way, without bowing to a committee or focus group. This is an oblique how-to manual, covering everything from financing, distribution, lighting, camerawork and acting, to publicity, marketing and screenwriting. Would-be filmmakers as well as scholars will find much inspiration and enlightenment in this volume, which has been used in college film classes. In-depth interviews focus on philosophy, while anecdotes entertain as well as illuminate theory. Lists of recommended films, an A-Z directory, and quotations are also included.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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919 people want to read
About the author
V. Vale
45Ìýbooks110ÌýfollowersJapanese-American writer and publisher. He also played keyboards for the later famous power trio Blue Cheer.
In 1977 he started to publish the punk fanzine "Search and destroy" In 1980, he began publication of RE/Search, a tabloid format zine focusing on various counterculture and underground topics.
RE/Search later became always a format for books, of which Vale is a regular contributor.
In 1977 he started to publish the punk fanzine "Search and destroy" In 1980, he began publication of RE/Search, a tabloid format zine focusing on various counterculture and underground topics.
RE/Search later became always a format for books, of which Vale is a regular contributor.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 3, 2021
Fascinating, in-depth, and lovingly crafted. An invaluable resource for those interested in exactly what the title describes. I started diving into a lot of b-movie and fringe films about 3 decades ago after I broke away from Christianity, so I've seen a decent smattering of the films discussed in this book, however the sheer number that I have not seen is rather daunting. Back in the 90 when I first starting visiting places like I Love Video and Vulcan Video I was overwhelmed (in a good way) with the wealth of access to obscure films. In the last 10-15 years or so, those stores have slowly died out, with the final location of Vulcan Video having been killed off by rising rent and then Covid. And now there is nothing left for physical rentals, as far as I know. I had hopes early on with Netflix, et al. that there would be an increase in the availability of obscure, trashy films, and early on there did seem to be a trend in that direction, but it has reversed. Netflix's selections have substantially reduced over the last 10 years, and I've noticed that all the digital streaming sites tend have the same availability for obscurities. I don't know if this is due to copyright laws, problems with obtaining prints from which to digitize, or just plain negligence (probably all that and more). Which means I am unlikely to be able to see the majority of the movies in this book.
The interviews take up roughly 2/3 of this book, and they contain the most interesting aspects. It is fascinating reading about the difficulties of working under such minimal budgets, and the kind of creativity that resulted. As with most producers of art, a lot of these guys (and they are mostly guys, but check out the interview with Doris Wishman, a name I was not previously familiar with) are kind of assholes, but then it takes a a fairly aggressive personality to produce content like this in the face of so much adversity.
The authors of this book clearly love these films, sometimes to a fault. Occasionally it seemed that they were so eager to defend some of these films that they felt the need to disparage anything even vaguely mainstream, and questioning the idea of good vs. bad acting. There is nothing wrong with questioning that, but pretending that the clumsy acting in some of these films is somehow a virtue is not necessary to defend the enjoyment of watching them for what they are. Take for example the vigorous defense of Blood Feast, which contains some of the most excruciatingly bad acting ever committed to film. The lead villain was utterly wooden, goggling the camera with his bulging eyes, and shuffling around like he was having a stroke. Yes, it has it's place historically as the first gore film, and I have watched it, and it is absolutely worth watching with caveats in mind, but its core fault is that is dreadfully boring despite all the hilariously primitive gore.
Another that thing that stood out for me was how Larry Cohen felt it necessary to insult John Carpenter's The Thing, one of my very favorite SF monster movies. I have seen several of Cohen's films: The Stuff, It's Alive, and Q: The Winged Serpent for example, and every single one of them got 2 out of 5 stars from me because they are all pretty bad. Pretending that these films are somehow more valid artistically than The Thing because of budgetary differences and a Hollywood connection is, to put it bluntly, fucking stupid. None of that means I'm not gonna try watching a couple more Larry Cohen films, because I do get some kind of perverse enjoyment out of watching these low-budget films.
Of course this review is pretty much irrelevant. Anyone who likes these kinds of films is going to enjoy the hell out of this book, pretty much guaranteed.
The interviews take up roughly 2/3 of this book, and they contain the most interesting aspects. It is fascinating reading about the difficulties of working under such minimal budgets, and the kind of creativity that resulted. As with most producers of art, a lot of these guys (and they are mostly guys, but check out the interview with Doris Wishman, a name I was not previously familiar with) are kind of assholes, but then it takes a a fairly aggressive personality to produce content like this in the face of so much adversity.
The authors of this book clearly love these films, sometimes to a fault. Occasionally it seemed that they were so eager to defend some of these films that they felt the need to disparage anything even vaguely mainstream, and questioning the idea of good vs. bad acting. There is nothing wrong with questioning that, but pretending that the clumsy acting in some of these films is somehow a virtue is not necessary to defend the enjoyment of watching them for what they are. Take for example the vigorous defense of Blood Feast, which contains some of the most excruciatingly bad acting ever committed to film. The lead villain was utterly wooden, goggling the camera with his bulging eyes, and shuffling around like he was having a stroke. Yes, it has it's place historically as the first gore film, and I have watched it, and it is absolutely worth watching with caveats in mind, but its core fault is that is dreadfully boring despite all the hilariously primitive gore.
Another that thing that stood out for me was how Larry Cohen felt it necessary to insult John Carpenter's The Thing, one of my very favorite SF monster movies. I have seen several of Cohen's films: The Stuff, It's Alive, and Q: The Winged Serpent for example, and every single one of them got 2 out of 5 stars from me because they are all pretty bad. Pretending that these films are somehow more valid artistically than The Thing because of budgetary differences and a Hollywood connection is, to put it bluntly, fucking stupid. None of that means I'm not gonna try watching a couple more Larry Cohen films, because I do get some kind of perverse enjoyment out of watching these low-budget films.
Of course this review is pretty much irrelevant. Anyone who likes these kinds of films is going to enjoy the hell out of this book, pretty much guaranteed.
September 10, 2020
Unsure if I've ever seen a headline and byline as threatening as 'MONDO MOVIES' by 'BOYD RICE'.
January 26, 2008
All of this is sort of accepted now, but when Vale put this edition out - B-Movies were not that well respected outside the few film nerds who were crazy for these type of films. And we are talking about Ed Wood, Russ Meyer, Doris Wiseman and so forth. Sort of an underground film scene lurking under the Hollywood Sign.
Vale is really good at looking at a culture and presenting it to a larger crowd. He's a great publisher in that sense - and this book is really essential study and introduction to American bizarrio i.e. wonderful films and their filmmakers.
Vale is really good at looking at a culture and presenting it to a larger crowd. He's a great publisher in that sense - and this book is really essential study and introduction to American bizarrio i.e. wonderful films and their filmmakers.
February 9, 2019
I keep this on the same bookshelf containing- The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film; Sleazoid Express; Heartbreak and Vine by Woody Haut; Film Noir by Silver and Ward; The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir by Hirsch; and Of Mice And Magic by Leonard Maltin.
For fans of obscure cinema -a must-have!
For fans of obscure cinema -a must-have!
January 27, 2010
In the early years of my adulthood, and relatively early in the video revolution, this book gave me a "reading list" of must-see films, and also contextualized them with the stories of the filmmakers that had made them. Unlike the more child-friendly independent sci fi and horror side of the psychotronic spectrum, this book introduced me to the adult side of exploitation, including Russ Meyer, Ted V. Mikels, and Joe Sarno. I had already seen several of the films of Larry Cohen and "Basket Case" by Frank Henenlotter, both of whom are also interviewed, so I had some familiarity with the material herein, but there was a whole world of film I hadn't known before seeing this. In addition to the interviews with filmmakers, essays on genres and specific films, and filmographic listings, _ISF_ contains wonderful, lurid stills and poster reproductions that fired my imagination and desire to watch every film listed in the book's index.
I'm not entirely there, yet, but I'm a lot closer now. People who wonder where my offbeat film erudition originates would do well to begin with Incredibly Strange Films.
I'm not entirely there, yet, but I'm a lot closer now. People who wonder where my offbeat film erudition originates would do well to begin with Incredibly Strange Films.
December 21, 2018
One of the most influential books of all time in setting me off on the trail of movies I love most to this day.
September 18, 2022
Re/Search #10: Incredibly Strange Films is an indispensable tome for fans of films bizarre, twisted, outré, perverse, sleazy, sadistic, deranged, cheesy, unorthodox, and odd. In a word: strange. Incredibly strange. Featuring numerous essays about and interviews with such (sub)genre heavy-hitters as Ted V. Mikels, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Edward D Wood, Jr., et al, along with a comprehensive index and a section of genres such as Biker, Horror, Beach, etc., this book will be the psychotronic video fan's constant companion as they lurk in their shag-carpeted basement theatre, sweatily clutching the remote and licking their lips as their red-veined eyes goggle at the latest video nasty flickering across that lurid screen.
March 23, 2018
the interviews are where it's at. especially herschell gordon lewis. the genre run-downs would've blown my mind at a younger age, but there are now entire books devoted to the various subgenres presented that are both more in-depth and factually correct.
still a fantastic introduction to strange movies outside the mainstream.
still a fantastic introduction to strange movies outside the mainstream.
December 21, 2018
Grab this one first out of the mountain of Cult Film tomes.
April 2, 2023
Definitely interesting!
December 4, 2018
6.6/10
Re/Search’s guide to little-known films neglected by Hollywood’s establishment provides a spotlight to avant-garde creators in a unique format that easy to navigate and flip through. The problem is it spends too much time with too few provocateurs of the silver screen and too few explanations on how the magic was made and to what effect.
Re/Search’s guide to little-known films neglected by Hollywood’s establishment provides a spotlight to avant-garde creators in a unique format that easy to navigate and flip through. The problem is it spends too much time with too few provocateurs of the silver screen and too few explanations on how the magic was made and to what effect.
March 10, 2010
This is an absolute must-read for hardcore fans of B movies and exploitation films of all types. Amazing, in-depth interviews with Frank Henenlotter, Russ Meyer, H.G. Lewis, David Friedman, Doris Wishman, Larry Cohen, Ray Dennis Steckler, etc. etc.-- the list is pretty staggering. If you think you've seen it all, think again! I finished this book with a decent list of stuff to search out that I'd never heard of before!
August 16, 2007
Before the age of the DVD, the Criterion Collection, etc. this was the only tome i knew of that cared about those lost, trashy films and their makers. Still an important document of who/what/when and first person interviews.
March 5, 2017
still one of the quintessential guides to psychotronic film this has been read, re-read and dipped into many times over the last 25 years and helped guide me through the outer reaches of cinema. essential!
April 23, 2008
This is a wonderful review of the most eclectic, seedy, surreal and weird films around. It's a nice primer for those who have grown bored of Hollywood and are looking for some Strange.
November 16, 2011
Nuts and bolts filmmaking stuff by some of the weirdest filmmakers of the 20th Century. I liked it weird back then.
July 13, 2015
Sublime, levelheaded research from Re/Search ... one of their best, and Boyd Rice's contributions are without parallel.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
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