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Hand-Held Hell: The Outbreak of Homemade Horror
Graveface Publishing presents Justin Burning's debut book, HAND-HELD HELL, a morbidly curious look at 44 outrageous works of underground cinematic horror created during and inspired by the technological, cultural, and historical circumstances of the home-spun horror era, including in-depth interviews with 22 audacious filmmakers like Mark Polonia (Splatter Farm), Nathan Schiff (The Long Island Cannibal Massacre), Tim Ritter (Truth or Dare? A Critical Madness), Donald Farmer (Cannibal Hookers), Fred Vogel (August Underground), Brian Paulin (Bone Sickness), and Scott Schirmer (Found). The 376-page, full-color trade paperback is an irreverent tribute to gonzo DIY horror filmmaking.
376 pages, Paperback
Published October 24, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 10, 2023
Just to be upfront: I was a beta reader for the author on this book.
The finished product ended up absolutely gorgeous. I mean, just look at that cover by Chad Keith. Sometimes these film books can be a little unwieldy size-wise, but this has a good balance of being big enough to take advantage of having color photos on nearly every page and thick enough at 300+ pages to feel sturdy. Really nice paper quality, too, like noticeably so.
In addition to covering the history of the VHS boom and bust, as well as some of the socio-political context these films were born in, its highlight is the assortment of 44 DIY horror films from 1980 to 2020 (from the silly to the sick) and 22 in-depth interviews with some of the filmmakers.
Burning approaches it all with a fun but honest voice and obvious love and appreciation for these off-the-beaten-path movies. Recommended for any fan of indy low-budget-but-big-on-ideas genre film and filmmaking.
The finished product ended up absolutely gorgeous. I mean, just look at that cover by Chad Keith. Sometimes these film books can be a little unwieldy size-wise, but this has a good balance of being big enough to take advantage of having color photos on nearly every page and thick enough at 300+ pages to feel sturdy. Really nice paper quality, too, like noticeably so.
In addition to covering the history of the VHS boom and bust, as well as some of the socio-political context these films were born in, its highlight is the assortment of 44 DIY horror films from 1980 to 2020 (from the silly to the sick) and 22 in-depth interviews with some of the filmmakers.
Burning approaches it all with a fun but honest voice and obvious love and appreciation for these off-the-beaten-path movies. Recommended for any fan of indy low-budget-but-big-on-ideas genre film and filmmaking.
November 10, 2023
An excellent guide to the most underground DIY horror. Perfect for anyone looking for deep cuts and thoroughly entertaining commentary and interviews. Top notch stuff!
November 10, 2023
Justin Burning has gathered together a serious slice of nostalgia for me, who grew up in that golden age of splatter, haunting mom and pop video stores looking for horror, and finding some of the craziest flicks ever... do yourselves a favor and order this book! The research that went into it is by itself something to behold...reminiscent of Chas Balun, a loveletter to some of the greatest vhs horror you've probably never heard of
April 10, 2024
A true letter to gonzo horror fans everywhere. The heart of this book is the reminder that the best low budget films come from a place of love and passion shared between the filmmakers and the audiences that embrace them.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews