JOHN MCCARTY

Now it can be toldhere are the true stories of fifteen fearless filmmakers who defied the systemand won! This incredible book documents the real stories of Hollywoods true giants, the pioneers and crazed visionaries, the cinematic sorcerers without any scruples: magnificent men like Sam Katzman, Jim Wynorski, Fred Olen Ray, Jess Franco, and Edward D. Wood, Jr.

With the idea for the book coming to him in a dream, John McCartys review of self-dubbed "psychofilms" covers movies released between 1915 and 1992. From Trilby to Basic Instinct, A LITTLE MAD SOMETIMES discusses various implementations of the screen psycho throughout the years. Among the screen psychos featured here are Mr. Hyde, Norman Bates, and Michael Myers, as well as real-life psychos including Jack the Ripper, Ed Gein, and Charles Manson.

Meet Martin Koll, the young CEO of a successful tech company that has just landed a multimillion-dollar client.Life is good. Until it isnt.When Koll falls under suspicion of murder, all the evidence seems against him. Fortunately he has an airtight alibi until suddenly he doesnt. As the police gather evidence for an arrest, it falls on Koll to clear himself to find out who has set him up, and why?Time is running out.***"A combo of classic noir and modern-day mystery, Alibi is fast-paced with not a wasted word. Martin Koll is a great lead character unflappable, he aint! His alarming adventure is a totally engaging ride like being on a roller coaster and not being able to remove your clenched hands from the grab bar!" - Audrey E. Kupferberg, co-author of Angela Lansbury, Matthau: A Life, and Meet the Mertzes"McCartys protagonist, an "everyman" Philip Marlowe, casts the reader in the role of gumshoe in this modern day homage to classic detective fiction and films noir. The story unfolds in gritty black & white at a fast clip I loved the Evelyn characters back story and her long suffering mother. A pleasure to read." - Frank Laloggia, writer-director of Lady in White and Fear No Evil"This gritty, grimy, rain-drenched odyssey of New York cranks into high gear from the first page and barely gives the reader a chance to draw breath. Told in a rollercoaster first-person narrative by a murder suspect turned reluctant detective, Alibi is a gripping modern noir that balances hard-boiled sleuthing with a palpable air of paranoia and desperation. Cops, dames and an unstoppable avenging hero populate this bleak landscape a milieu that John McCarty embraces with a tip of the fedora to Dashiell Hammett whilst simultaneously crafting a wholly plausible evolution of the genre." - Tony Earnshaw, author of An Actor and a Rare One - Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes

Combining both volumes of the original print editions, The Official Splatter Movie Guide, Volumes I & II is a dream come true for splatter aficionados: a film-by-film guide to more than eight hundred masterworks of blood and gore. Each listing contains the films movie studio, date of release, running time, director, producer, writer, and actors, along with a synopsis and review of the film.

John McCarty began his writing career as a film reviewer and interviewer for such cinema-oriented periodicals and "fanzines" as Cinefantastique, Take One, Film Heritage, Filmakers Newsletter, Todays Filmmaker, Fangoria, Starlog, Filmfax and many others before he turned to writing books about his favorite subject since grade school the movies. In Cinemusings, he has drawn from this output of more than 50 years to take us on a personal journey with him of the films and filmmakers he has come to cherish over a lifetime of obsessive movie-watching. They include favorite essays, reviews, profiles and interviews selected from these magazines (many of which are no longer in existence) and from several of his long out of print books (Splatter Movies, The Modern Horror Film, and Thrillers). They cover subjects here and abroad that span the history of cinema itself from directors Alfred Hitchcock to Paul Morrissey, Fritz Lang to Frank LaLoggia, Charles Laughton to David Cronenberg, Sam Peckinpah to George A. Romero; and films ranging from The 39 Steps, Double Indemnity, and Heavenly Creatures to Orders to Kill, The Fly, The Wild Bunch, and much, much more.

An excellent survey into the career of John Huston, the actor, screenwriter & director with an informative, entertaining text. Hustons screenwriting credits feature many mega-hits such as "The Maltese Falcon"; "Sergeant York"; "High Sierra"; "The Killers"; "Jezebel"; "Murders in the Rue Morgue" among the few. But, he is best known for directing "The Maltese Falcon"; "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre"; "Key Largo"; "The Asphalt Jungle"; "The African Queen" among a few. A fascinating look at his long creative career. A must-read for any Classic Movie fan.

The suspenseful tale of a vengeful criminal long believed dead, set against the backdrop of turbulent post-World War 1 France and Roaring Twenties Hollywood, where Universals super-production of a horror classic starring Lon Chaney is being sabotaged at every turn.________"Gets right down to business from the first page and rapidly develops into an inventive re-invention of The Phantom of the Opera. A mix of the real and the unreal, tied together with a magic thread, this is a must for lovers of both the classic story and silent Hollywood." - David McGillivray, actor, producer, playwright, screenwriter and film critic"This gripping fiction blends seamlessly with Hollywood fact in the 1920s as a tense murder melodrama centers around a psychopath long thought dead and the French inspector nemesis on his trail with vivid bit parts for a feisty entertainment reporter, an innocent ingenue, and the "man of a thousand faces" himself: Lon Chaney Sr. A thoroughly enjoyable read." - Elias Savada, co-author of Dark Carnival: The Secret World of Tod Browning, "Hollywoods Master of the Macabre""Masquerade is a wonderful thriller that transports you from Paris, France to Hollywood during the glory days of silent film. Only a movieland insider like John McCarty could convincingly introduce us to stars like Lon Chaney while maintaining an iron grip of unrelenting suspense. I couldnt turn the pages fast enough, while loving every one of them!" - Joseph A. Citro, author of The Gore, Shadow Child, and Lake Monsters

Pocket Essentials is a dynamic series of books that are concise, lively, and easy to read. Packed with facts as well as expert opinions, each book has all the key information you need to know about such popular topics as film, television, cult fiction, history, and more. An informed history of the company that put British horror on the map with such controversial thrillers as The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula, this book takes an in-depth look at every film, from the cult favorites to the underrated gems. With in-depth profiles of the creative talent behind the Hammer style, plus a complete Hammer filmography and checklist of the best Hammer websites, this book is the ideal starting point for anyone interested in Hammer or the horror genre.