Books published by Midnight Marquee Press, Inc.

This Blood Spattered Book will spotlight a selection of genre film writer Chris Alexander's favorite-filmed fever dreams; underrated horror, dark fantasy and cult genre pictures that aren't quite mainstream and in some cases are woefully obscure and/or unfairly maligned by many. Includes: Alice Sweet Alice, Angel Heart, Anthropophagus, Bloody Moon, A Bucket of Blood, Chosen Survivors, City of the Living Dead, The Company of Wolves, Count Dracula's Great Love, Daughters of Darkness, Demon Seed, The Devil's Nightmare, In the Folds of the Flesh, The Keep, Lair of the White worm, Land of the Minotaur The Last Man on Earth, Legend of the Werewolf, Lifeforce, The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue, Maximum Overdrive, Nomads, Nosferatu, Psychomania, Psycho III, Ravenous, /the Sentinel, The Shout, Sole Survivor Interviews with Mickey Rourke; composer Fabio Frizzi; Norman J. Warren; Roger Corman; Stephen Rea; Harry Kumel; Danielle Ouimet; composer Allesandro Allessandroni; Amanda Donohoe; writer Richard Matheson; Tobe Hooper; Mark Damon; composer John Cameron; director Michael Winner; composer Paul Zaza

When it comes to the icons of the horror/science fiction film genre, the popularly coined phrase "Mad Doctors" becomes one essential component of just what makes horror movies so fantastic. For every popular monster, behind each skulking, hulking terror, lies one or more monster makers, usually audacious men (and more frequently, women) of science who dare to dabble in God's domain. Whether these whack cases are attempting to create new life from sewing together assorted body parts of the dead, restore disfigurement to normalcy, mount an army of monsters capable of conquering the world or maintain youth and vitality and thus avoid the deteriorating rigors of old age and death, our favorite mad doctors always forge new avenues of discovery. As far as movies go, mad docs drive the world of horror cinema and often become just as charismatic as the evil fiends they create. Here at last is a celebration of the mad doctor in the movies. As movies teach us in such instances, it takes two to tango and terror from beyond often cannot come to reality without the active participation of the dreaded mad doc-the deluded mind that precipitates all the mayhem. In the world of fantastic cinema, it's such evil minds that we celebrate!

2007 IPPY BRONZE MEDAL WINNER IN PERFORMING ARTS William Fox: A Story of Early Hollywood 1915-1930 is a fascinating look at the behind-the-scenes workings of early Hollywood and the power plays that led to the downfall of one of Tinsel-Town s brilliant pioneers, William Fox, founder of Fox Films which evolved into 20th Century Fox. The story of Fox's rise and fall is an eye-opening look at the cutthroat dealings of everyone from Fox's close business associates to the telephone companies who worked together to force the founder of Fox Films out of his own company. It is a gripping story that you will not be able to put down.

Vera-Ellen should have been one of Broadway and Hollywood’s most enduring stars. She was a fine dramatic and light comedic actress, and was considered by a number of authorities to be the greatest all-around dancer of her generation. And for a brief moment in 1950, she was an American household name, as famous as Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio or General Douglas MacArthur. She could do tap, toe dancing, adagio, modern dance (formerly known as dramatic dancing), comic dancing, partnered dancing, prop dancing, Apache dancing and advanced acrobatics. She could also sing well enough to be featured on Broadway and television. Her obsessive perfectionism was legendary; nobody worked harder on a routine or accomplished it with greater attention to detail. Not only were each of her steps perfect but the transitions from step to step were flawless and remarkably beautiful to observe. Like Fred Astaire, who admired her, she had the ability to make each complex routine seem effortless, as if she were expressing herself spontaneously. Vera-Ellen's work in films such as On The Town, White Christmas, Words and Music, Three Little Words, The Belle of New York and Call Me Madame will never be forgotten by film musical fans. This much anticipated biography will not disappoint those fans.

Grab the popcorn and get ready for an action-packed read as we explore the cinematic adventures of Tarzan, the King of the Jungle, Super Spy James Bond, Wyatt Earp and the OK Corral, Hammer s Dracula and Werewolf, plus a dashing assortment of Hollywood s Western Heroes and Villains. Celluloid Adventures will tickle the fancy of action film fans everywhere.

British author Barry Atkinson chronicles his childhood adventures as an underage horror film fanatic, who, along with his best chums, schemed to sneak into X-rated horror films such as Them!, Tarantula, Rodan, Dracula, Atom Age Vampire, and many other horror and sci-fi classics. Boomer horror film fans longing for those filmic glory days of yesteryear won t want to miss this heartfelt tribute.

Actress Rosemary DeCamp writes with wit and charm of her life and work in films and television in her delightful autobiography. Fans of radio, film and television will not be able to put down this engaging work by one of Hollywood's consummate professionals.

If you are only interested in reading about old science fiction movies, then this book is not for you. For this book contains a lot of dull stuff about a man who touched the beating heart of another; stepped into the cold of outer space; witnessed the horrors of Dachau; directed some of the first TV shows; called one of the most famous opera singers of the century "father"; became a war hero; was knighted; had himself arrested for drunk driving; worked with laser beams; jumped out of airplanes; "infiltrated" an American city; broke a 400 year-old cipher; wrestled lions; had the fangs of a leopard at his throat; picked up a prostitute; learned how to kill with a pencil; rode an African elephant; sorted 50,000 beetles; stage-managed ice shows; worked with rockets and the Rockettes. A man who was a spy and counterspy, an actor, stage manager, singer, set designer. He speaks six languages; is a novelist and has been a gourmet chef; helped sail a tall ship and... and-incidentally-wrote or directed a bunch of science fiction movies that many of us have enjoyed! Several of which have become both cult movies and earned a respectable place among mainstream viewers. So perhaps you'll want to read this book after all.

Italian sword and sandal burst upon worldwide screens in 1957/8 with the release of Steve Reeves’ The Labors of Hercules/Hercules. Eight years and over 300 films later, peplum, as it was termed, died out as quickly as it had begun. Author Barry Atkinson brings this sadly neglected and misunderstood area of cinema to vivid life, exploring the genre’s origins, roots and major influences, and its myriad of offshoots encompassing swashbuckling, costume and historical dramas, among many. So welcome to a brash, exciting, colorful lost cinematic world of mythical musclemen heroes, gladiators, cavaliers, knights of old, pirates, ancient Egyptians, ancient Romans, Greek gods, Vikings, barbarians and fabulous monsters, not forgetting Robin Hood, Zorro and the Three Musketeers! Follow the amazing adventures of Hercules, Maciste, Ursus, Samson and Goliath; have the senses roused by bloody gladiatorial combat; journey to fabled lost civilizations and Hades; tremble at cataclysmic scenes of mass destruction; admire copious amounts of both male and female flesh; gape at huge armies on the march engaged in mighty battles; shudder to the sounds of ships’ cannonade; revel in evil villains and exotic queens; admire mammoth sets built by the hand of man; applaud at all those outlandish creatures; wonder how a long-forgotten classic epic like Suleiman the Conqueror can languish in the vaults; and giggle as Robin Hood takes on a gang of pirates in Italy’s version of Sherwood Forest! With the publication of this volume, it is hoped that Italian pepla cinema, and all those who took part in it, will reach the wider audience this rarely discussed genre so richly deserves.

Italian sword and sandal burst upon worldwide screens in 1957/8 with the release of Steve Reeves' The Labors of Hercules/Hercules. Eight years and over 300 films later, peplum, as it was termed, died out as quickly as it had begun. Author Barry Atkinson brings this sadly neglected and misunderstood area of cinema to vivid life, exploring the genre's origins, roots and major influences, and its myriad of offshoots encompassing swashbuckling, costume and historical dramas, among many. So welcome to a brash, exciting, colorful lost cinematic world of mythical musclemen heroes, gladiators, cavaliers, knights of old, pirates, ancient Egyptians, ancient Romans, Greek gods, Vikings, barbarians and fabulous monsters, not forgetting Robin Hood, Zorro and the Three Musketeers! Follow the amazing adventures of Hercules, Maciste, Ursus, Samson and Goliath; have the senses roused by bloody gladiatorial combat; journey to fabled lost civilizations and Hades; tremble at cataclysmic scenes of mass destruction; admire copious amounts of both male and female flesh; gape at huge armies on the march engaged in mighty battles; shudder to the sounds of ships' cannonade; revel in evil villains and exotic queens; admire mammoth sets built by the hand of man; applaud at all those outlandish creatures; wonder how a long-forgotten classic epic like Suleiman the Conqueror can languish in the vaults; and giggle as Robin Hood takes on a gang of pirates in Italy's version of Sherwood Forest! With the publication of this volume, it is hoped that Italian pepla cinema, and all those who took part in it, will reach the wider audience this rarely discussed genre so richly deserves.

Mad About Movies #9 features:TARZAN: Lord of RKO; THE WHISTLER: Mystery, Shadows and Suspense on the Cheap; FRED MacMURRAY: Hollywood's Invisible Legend; Get Your Kicks on ROUTE 66; THRILLER: Season One’s Best in Crime and Suspense; A Comparison of ONE SUNDAY AFTERNOON and THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE; plus Book and DVD Reviews

Beginning with the release of Mario Bava's THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH in 1963, Italian filmmakers developed and perfected their own peculiar brand of mystery-thriller known as the giallo. Named after the yellow (giallo in Italian) covers of the murder mysteries published by Mondadori, the giallo is awash in fetishistic imagery. For many fans, these films-popularized in the works by writer-director Dario Argento, whose name is synonymous with the genre, thanks to such films as THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE and DEEP RED-focus on stylized images of violent death: killers dressed in black stalking glamorous-looking victims through baroque architecture, literally painting the walls red with their blood. This is only one aspect of the giallo, however. With their groovy soundtracks by legendary composers like Ennio Morricone and Stelvio Cipriani and glamorous damsels-in-distress like Edwige Fenech, Rosalba Neri and Asia Argento, these films offer a heady mixture of sex, horror and suspense; at their best, they took excess to a hypnotic level. Troy Howarth, the author of THE HAUNTED WORLD OF MARIO BAVA and the co-author of the up-coming THE TOME OF TERROR series, examines the genre from its inception through its inevitable decline. Covering everything from popular fan favorites by the likes of Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento to lesser-known gems by Cesare Canevari, Massimo Dallamano and Paolo Cavara as well as the worst of the worst by the least inspired of hacks, SO DEADLY, SO PERVERSE provides an in-depth examination of a genre that has too often been marginalized in other studies of the horror film and the thriller. In addition to reviews of every giallo made between 1963 and 2013, this two-part study of the giallo-with volume two (covering 1974 onwards) coming later in the year-is also lavishly illustrated with rare and colorful stills and poster art.

British author Barry Atkinson (You’re Not Old Enough Son; Indie Horrors!) plunges us into a cinematic world dominated by the atomic bomb and presents us with a buffet of delights, from the rare to the unusual. Although the classics get a deserved mention, the author concentrates mainly on the neglected lesser titles, many not seen for decades, giving them a much-needed public airing. Readers will indulge in chapters devoted to: Key actors, companies, directors and composers! Comparisons between Japanese monster movies and their Americanized counterparts! Scarce, unseen American, British and foreign horror, sci-fi, fantasy features! Stone Age women of the “B” variety! A couple of out-and-out schlock classics! The Abominable Snowman in the 1950s! A reappraisal of much-maligned, but much-loved, guilty pleasures! Toho’s forgotten monsters! Dr. Jekyll’s evil offspring! British science fiction and noir thrillers of the ’50s! Jungle Jim! Chaney, Karloff and Lugosi in the 1950s! Best entrant in Universal’s Creature trilogy! Does colorization enhance a black-and-white favorite? How do monster special effects rate before CGI? Do Regal International’s widescreen program fillers really add up to that much? Which scenes constitute the decade’s most memorable fantasy moments? Does dialogue matter? What impact did New Age science have on the vampire and werewolf myths of old? All this and much, much more in a fresh evaluation of what most fans and critics now recognize as the pivotal decade for horror, sci-fi and fantasy.

Turner and Price turn back the curtains of obscurity and peer into Hollywood's Forgotten Horrors in this long awaited update to their original ground-breaking work. The authors do their best to expose Grim Reapers such as Ghosts, Phantoms, Jungle Manglers and Old-fashioned Murderers as they examine Cinematic Horrors from 1929 through 1937 in Forgotten Horrors: The Definitive Edition.

Price and Turner provide another addition to the Forgotten Horrors series with this look at the not-so-forgotten horror film classics of the 1930s-1950s. Karloff's treasures such as The Old Dark House, The Mask of Fu Manchu, The Black Cat, The Black Room and The Walking Dead are included. Bela Lugosi's entertaining films such as Mark of the Vampire, Human Monster, The Boogie Man Will Get You, and Black Friday are exhumed for readers' examination. Lionel Atwill, Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney, Frederic March, John Barrymore also have films included in this companion to the Forgotten Horrors series. The authors also cover some less well-known films, which, although more obscure are not forgotten. Films such as The Ancient Mariner, The Charlatan, Cross Country Cruise, Show Them No Mercy and The Spider's Web are a few examples. Horror film lovers will not want to miss this worthy addition to the world of Forgotten Horrors

Tailor Massimo "Max" Paganini is in trouble. His long-time rival Randall Pepper has been found shot dead in Max's own shop. Only Max's fingerprints are on the gun and there's evidence he arranged a meeting with Pepper. Still, Max insists he's innocent. But who could possibly believe him? Attorney Tracy Brubaker does. She's known Max since she was four years old and agrees to defend him. And she soon finds out there's a lot more to this murder than just a decades-old feud. Several of Max's own employees have secrets to hide. The FBI shows up at her office asking questions but refusing to give answers. The most disturbing element of all, however, is prospective client Charlie Betts, whose true identity puts Tracy in the cross hairs of career criminal Reginald Walters, who's gotten away with murder before. It doesn't help matters that Max isn't the most cooperative of clients, refusing to believe anyone close to him could be involved in Pepper's killing. In spite of everything, however, Tracy presses on, and gets close enough to the truth so that lives are threatened. But neither the FBI, Charlie Betts, nor Reginald Walters have ever dealt with anyone quite like Tracy. Willing to put her life on the line for Max, Tracy plans a dramatic courtroom reveal which not only exposes whodunit, but also how it was done.

Catherine "Cat" Warburton is the black sheep of a rich and powerful family, who live on the West Coast. Blonde and beautiful, Cat's interests are Soul music, guns and fast cars. When she is not hanging out at the beach, Cat goes undercover as a daring crime fighter for a highly secret private agency. The teenage sons and daughters of wealthy parents who live on the good side of the track are running amok, committing mayhem and murder. Meanwhile a horned figure presides over strange midnight ceremonies where occult rites and blood sacrifices are performed. A leading moral crusader proclaims that the Day of Judgment is at hand. The notorious heavy rock band 666 may be able to provide a clue to the goings on. In the guise of a hooker, go-go dancer and bikini wrestler, Cat goes on the road with the band. She embarks on a wild ride of blood, lust and terror that takes her from quiet suburbs, hippie colonies and Indian Reservations to barren wastelands and down the "Devil's Highway" -Route 666. Cat's lurid escapades escalate into a weird way-out Bad Trip, as the world around her goes mad. Aided and abetted by "Soul Sister" Selena and the exotic Aiko, she encounters rednecks, Hell's Angels, trigger-happy cops, medicine men, guerilla fighters, strange cults, monsters, demons, and the legion of the living dead.

Tracy Brubaker is a successful Maryland attorney who doesn't handle murder cases-that is until her former lover, the man who broke her heart, is accused of murdering his father. Even though the evidence against Brian Shane seems strong enough to prove his guilt, Tracy comes to his defense. She finds herself playing detective-a lifelong ambition since she read her first Nancy Drew book. Despite the grim circumstances, Tracy finds she is enjoying the hunt for clues as she compiles a list of other possible suspects, all of whom had a motive for wanting Brian's father dead. She also finds herself reliving the past: memories both pleasant and painful. As she gets closer to the truth-of both the murder and her feelings for Brian-another murder is committed and Tracy's life is in danger. Can she figure out-and prove-who the true killer is before she becomes the next victim?

Midnight Marquee magazine 40th Anniversary Issue, #69/70 contains articles: Sounds of Silents; Terror from 1963 and Beyond; The Spider; Things That Came: Significant Horror Movie Trends; Forum/Against 'Em: The Wicker Man; Return of the Ape Man; DVD Reviews

Issue #75 of Midnight Marquee magazine features Groundbreakers: The 13 Most Influential Horror Movies by Gary J. Svehla Lugosi vs. Karloff Eternally by Gary D. Rhodes Forum/Against Em-The Wolf Man Evelyn Moriarty Remembers Carl Laemmle, Jr. by Gregory Mank The Three Faces of Universal's Dracula by Brian Smith and over 35 pages of DVD reviews

Issue 73/74 of Midmar contains: • The Ferociously Compelling Barbara Steele in Nightmare Castle by David J. Hogan • Frank Strayer: Poverty Row’s Dark Director by Kenny Strong • Forum/Against ’Em: The Devil Commands vs. The Man Who Changed His Mind edited by Anthony Ambrogio • Black Friday: Universal’s Horror Fraud by Nathalie Yafet • Bad Moon Rising: Ginger Snaps and Dog Soldiers by Gary J. Svehla • Monster That Challenged the World... and Jaws by Jeff Miller • DVD Reviews by Gary J. Svehla

Yes, it's true-Elegant and sophiscated Ballroom dancing is back, and bigger than ever. We've seen the magazine covers, talk show appearances, huge ratings and the launching of careers. Well the time has come to answer the question. "What's behind this worldwide ballroom dance phenomenon?" One of the answers is an American dance legend named Maxine Barrat. Her story is the stuff of dreams-riveting, exotic, passionate-fracturing her back as a child; sneaking into Radio City Music Hall as a teenager; meeting the perfect partner Don Loper and dancing into the arms of Gene Kelly in her first Broadway show. A stint at the glamorous Copacabana catapulted Loper & Barrat to international fame and a role in MGM's star-studded Thousands Cheer. She reinvented herself as a nightclub singer, donated her time and talents to the war effort and continued her stellar career as a model in the world of fashion. Then a new career in the up-and-coming medium of television. Maxine's sensational life is interlaced with those of the stars she befriended, from Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers, to those with whom she danced and romanced-from admiring South American caballeros, Hollywood moguls and stars, to an affair with Gone with the Wind matinee idol Clark Gable. Maxine Barrat is a performing arts legend who holds a vital key to the American dance story. She is a real star and it's time to put Maxine Barrat back on the dance floor.

Issue 71/72 of Midnight Marquee features articles on Mad Doctor Mania; 2001's Cinematic Relativity; Homicidal; D.W.Griffith's Avenging Conscience; So Good They're Bad; 105 Years of Women in Horror; DVD Reviews

Contents include The Laughter of Silents by Steven Thornton; Lionel Atwill's Serial Adventures by Todd M. Gault; Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur by Mark Clark; Ronald Reagan and Casablanca: Debunking the Myth by Carl Schultz; Robert Lees (1912-2004) A Tribute by Jeff Miller; The DVDs are Afoot: The Sherlock Holmes Collection by Gary J. Svehla; Mad About Movies DVD Reviews

While the horror films of the silent era influenced the look of all the genre films to come, very little is written about this period in cinematic history and most fans can only name a handful of these Silent Screams. Author, screenwriter, director Steve Haberman offers a fascinating examination of these ground-breaking films including famous titles such as Metropolis, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Phantom of the Opera and not-so-famous such as The Cat and the Canary, The Magician and Haxan.

This issue, Midnight Marquee #77, offers two feature articles. One a “Forum/Against ’Em” analysis of the James Whale Universal classic The Invisible Man, with many arguing it remains the best film that Whale directed and features the best use of humor in classic horror cinema. Unfortunately, I argue that the film is the most overrated of the classic Universal canon and that its overuse of special effects and silly humor ruins what could have been the classic horror movie that many people consider it to be. And secondly, to add a contrasting 1950s touch, we feature a detailed analysis of The Deadly Mantis that makes the strong case that this generally disparaged or ignored giant bug epic is one of the finest examples of the genre. And yes, we have oodles of DVD and book reviews to fill out the remainder of the issue.

Drums of the Lost Gods is a thrilling cliffhanger, set in South America, in the turbulent 1930s. An ill-assorted band of adventurers follows a nameless river into the sacred mountains and steaming jungles of a Lost World, in search of ancient civilizations and vanished cities of gold. An uneasy alliance of mercenaries and hoodlums trades shots with river pirates and ferocious cannibals and then turns on each other, their ambitions perverted by lust and greed. Soldiers-of-fortune spar with Amazon warrior women, while hapless missionaries try to teach the natives how to play cricket. A debutante duels to the death with a gangster's moll. Warriors of antiquity wage war against a robot army from outer space!

A&C meet Frankenstein is in production and there's strange doings afoot at Universal: a phantom arsonist and an escaped Nazi scientist are on the loose and will kill to keep their secrets. Karloff and Rathbone are keeping a secret from Lugosi, and he doesn't like it one bit! Lugosi enlists the aid of Lou Costello as his Watson. They soon cross paths with wolf man Lon Chaney, Jr., monster man Glenn Strange, and mysterious beauty Lenore Auber. It isn't long before Lugosi and Costello uncover the shocking secret behind...the House of Doom.

If you are a typical movie fanboy, you will love this trivia book. To find out for sure, take the following quiz: You might be a fanboy or fangirl and like this book if you can match the following... Match the question with the answer: 1. My partner doesn t mind my Monster Obsession because... 2. Everyone should have four copies of their favorite horror film because... 3. Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff should have received 4. You should buy 2 copies of every book and magazine because... 5. Everyone knows Monster models and collectibles are... Match with the Above: A. An Academy Award B. Action figures NOT dolls C. One to be locked in my fireproof safe and one to read D. It keeps me off the streets E. Each version has a one second difference between the VHS, Laser Disc, DVD and DVD Director s Cut