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The Psychotronic Video Guide
How to know a Psychotronic Movie:
These films can commonly be identified by their use of exploitation elements and their interest in humanity's lower common demoninators.
They occur throughout the world, but are particuarly common at midnight movie festivals and in video stores' cult sections, they are especially frequent at that beloved and dying institution, the drive-in.
Their packaging is commonly deceptive. They almost always appear on videocassette.
Among their kind are biker films, sci-fi series, quickie biopics, gimmick films, teen sex comedies, blaxploitation films, stalkers, slashers, snoozers, shrudderers, and anything starring Lynda Blair, david Carradine, Shannon Tweed or Drew Barrymore.
And they're all here in the Psychotronic Video Guide.
From Abby to Zontar, this book covers more than nine thousand amazing movies from the turn of the century right up to today's golden age of video, all described with Michael Weldon's dry wit. More than 450 rare and wonderful illustrations round out the book, making it a treasure trove of cinematic lore and essential for every fan of filmdom's finest offerings.
These films can commonly be identified by their use of exploitation elements and their interest in humanity's lower common demoninators.
They occur throughout the world, but are particuarly common at midnight movie festivals and in video stores' cult sections, they are especially frequent at that beloved and dying institution, the drive-in.
Their packaging is commonly deceptive. They almost always appear on videocassette.
Among their kind are biker films, sci-fi series, quickie biopics, gimmick films, teen sex comedies, blaxploitation films, stalkers, slashers, snoozers, shrudderers, and anything starring Lynda Blair, david Carradine, Shannon Tweed or Drew Barrymore.
And they're all here in the Psychotronic Video Guide.
From Abby to Zontar, this book covers more than nine thousand amazing movies from the turn of the century right up to today's golden age of video, all described with Michael Weldon's dry wit. More than 450 rare and wonderful illustrations round out the book, making it a treasure trove of cinematic lore and essential for every fan of filmdom's finest offerings.
672 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 13, 2010
This is the companion volume to . Written about 15 year later, it reflects changes in the media expectations of the audience ("film" is now "video" in the title) and also the maturity and erudition of its author. Where Weldon was limited in 1982, like the rest of us, to late-night TV and the blossoming Cable market, for his weird-film fixes, by 1997, almost everything was out on video or laserdisk. This expanded his knowledge of the early adult market (although tame compared to porn, still too racy for most television) and some of the more obscure materials from the early days. But, as he rightly observes in his introduction, the video revolution also led to an explosion in exploitation genres, and new markets for the unusual, unorthodox, and untrained filmmaker. The guide follows the same format as the older Encyclopedia, occasionally referring the reader back to reviews there in cases of multiple titles for the same film (an annoyingly common practice). On a few rare occasions, longer, more detailed reviews are offered of movies that had been given short shrift in the Encyclopedia (two examples are "Abby" and "Portrait in Terror"). These reviews, where they occur, are vast improvements, which recognize underrated gems. In general, I think the tone and consistency have improved, reflecting both Weldon's greater maturity and the greater control he had as a single author with no collaborators this time out. The index remains unfortunately useless, as it refers readers to page numbers rather than movie titles, and I would have preferred a more consistent systematization of the data provided for each film (there's almost always a director and screenwriter, but cinematographers and composers are few and far between), but with the availability of imdb, that's a minor quibble. The real meat of the book is Weldon's informed and entertaining viewpoint on the world of Psychotronic media, and that's here in all its glory.
July 3, 2008
Essential reading
June 27, 2011
This tome, and the previous volume, were invaluable research materials in the days before the Internet (and the imdb!). Sadly, there are a lot of factual errors, and it's obvious the author rated/reviewed a lot of these flicks based more on their reputation rather than on his first-hand knowledge of them. Still, it's worth having on the shelf.
January 28, 2008
This book is very much like video guides by Roger Ebert and Leonard Maltin, but the focus is on more extreme Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Horror. It's always fun too look up your favorite movies in books like these. It's a big book, so be prepared to renew if you find it at the library.
April 22, 2008
Weldon's second book in a proposed trilogy on 'psychotronic' movies (his term). This one mostly covers the years since the first book (1983-1996), and is crammed with stills and information. A must.
January 1, 2017
Like any good sequel, it is not as good as the original PSYCHOTRONIC title (which has the benefit of being a life-changing title for me), but this one is still essential reading.
September 15, 2007
A cult film fan's bible. It is/was the go-to source for esoteric movie watching.
December 19, 2020
Excellent follow-up to the original!
March 17, 2014
This one picks up where the original "Psychotronic Encyclopedia" left off (the first covered the drive-in era up to '82,'83)and covers the vhs era,which was my youth,and I found myself astonished by how many of them I'd already seen (and a bit embarrassed to be reminded of some. My favorite reviews are often the ones where Weldon is describing a movie so outlandish,outrageous or ridiculous that halfway through you think "This CAN'T be a real movie...he's making it up as he goes along." He actually takes a moment during one to assure us that he doesn't make this stuff up. The funny thing is,there are people who think of B-movies as just laughable trash and a waste of time,while at the same time shelling out money to see megabudget Hollywood fare that is just as trashy but far less original...
July 6, 2007
This is the best film guide I have ever read. Thorough doesn't even begin to describe it. Weldon takes these movies seriously, and never even really makes much fun of the worst of the lot. Closer in spirit to Halliwell than Joe Bob, which is a rarity when it comes to cult film reviews. If you have even a passing interest in horror, sci-fi, or under-the-radar movies in general, this book is an absolute necessity. I take a look at it almost every day.
January 29, 2011
If you're into cult, weird or so-called "psyhcotronic" films, there is no finer guide in existence at this time. The books seem to be out of print, but dig around and find yourself a copy. You're likely to find a trove of films you've never heard of that are begging to be watched. Weldon is probably the top writer on the subject, and the books aren't up to date, but they're still invaluable for film buffs.
January 6, 2008
I refer to this book all the time, I would be lost without it.
February 3, 2008
Essential to understanding the American zeitgeist. An incredible source book to the neuroses of the 20th century.
July 29, 2008
Much of this may seem superseded by the internet. However, Michael Weldon and his Psychotronic franchise were always the best way in to finding those dusty gems.
October 23, 2008
The mother of all incredibly great movie review books. Without this great read, I never would have know about such great films as Dolemite, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and Switchblade Sisters.
November 26, 2011
This was an important part of my cultural education.
August 18, 2013
Essential!
April 22, 2012
Great informational book. I use it all the time. Helped me broaden my horizens and understand all the genres of movies.
September 8, 2012
Great sequel to the first Psychotronic. More films and more reviews.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
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