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Ad Nauseam: Newsprint Nightmares from the 1980s
Growing up in the 1980s, Michael Gingold became obsessed with horror movies, and his love of the genre led him to become a Fangoria writer and editor for nearly 30 years, as well as a Rue Morgue contributor. But before all that, he took his scissors to local newspapers, collecting countless ads for horror movies, big and small.
Ad Nauseam: Newsprint Nightmares from the 1980s is a year-by-year deep dive into the Gingold archive, with more than 450 ads! Within these pages you'll see rare alternate art for Gremlins, Child's Play, The Blob remake, and the Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street franchises. You'll also revel in oddities including Psycho from Texas, Dracula Blows His Cool, Blood Hook, Zombie Island Massacre, and many more.
Gingold provides personal recollections and commentary, and unearths vintage reviews to reveal what critics of the time were saying about these films. He also interviews the men behind legendary exploitation distributor Aquarius Releasing to learn how they built buzz for shockers like Make Them Die Slowly and Doctor Butcher M.D.
Steel yourselves, genre junkies Ad Nauseam is an unmatched journey into the wild world of 1980s horror movies!
Ad Nauseam: Newsprint Nightmares from the 1980s is a year-by-year deep dive into the Gingold archive, with more than 450 ads! Within these pages you'll see rare alternate art for Gremlins, Child's Play, The Blob remake, and the Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street franchises. You'll also revel in oddities including Psycho from Texas, Dracula Blows His Cool, Blood Hook, Zombie Island Massacre, and many more.
Gingold provides personal recollections and commentary, and unearths vintage reviews to reveal what critics of the time were saying about these films. He also interviews the men behind legendary exploitation distributor Aquarius Releasing to learn how they built buzz for shockers like Make Them Die Slowly and Doctor Butcher M.D.
Steel yourselves, genre junkies Ad Nauseam is an unmatched journey into the wild world of 1980s horror movies!
- GenresNonfictionHorrorFilm
248 pages, Hardcover
Published October 9, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 26, 2019
With 'Ad Nauseam : Newsprint Nightmares from the 1980's', author Michael Gingold takes the reader on a horrifyingly fun stroll down memory lane for those of us in the Generation X column, and for the younger generations, a walk into a simpler time to discover the ads that weren't always on our phones. There was no Fandango, no waiting a year for a movie to hit store shelves, basically-when there was no internet. Shocking, I know! What Gingold does is throw the reader back to a different time when we had to wait until the newspaper- actual print- landed on our doorsteps to find out which new movie is hitting the big screen that weekend and where. Us horror junkies, lusting over the ads for next great “scary” film, and eagerly anticipating when it will be coming to a theater near us in a few months. But Michael Gingold went a step farther when he was a kid, a genius move that pays off on the laziness and convenience of present day. He meticulously cut out more than 450 ads of Horror films throughout the 1980's. And in Ad Nauseam, it's a wondrous flashback to the posters that you might have walked by faster in the video store- due to the creepiness when you were younger, and then the ones you couldn't wait for, popping up with a date that certain film will hit shelves. Gingold, I would guess, has almost every single one and it's truly a blast from the past when paging through his archive. It's made clear almost immediately that Michael Gingold is a true fan and dare I say connoisseur of the horror genre-the good, the bad, and the ugly. All will be found with no prejudice inside this time warp back for Generation X. His dedication to the genre is proven by the amount of ads and the span of sub genres that Gingold kept for all of these years.
Michael Gingold started his hobby/obsession in a decade when slasher films became king of the box office. 'Friday the 13th', 'A Nightmare on Elm Street', and 'Halloween' were just the start of what would become huge franchises- some continuing 40 years later. But Gingold shows us the beginning of these greats, before anyone knew the unknown girl who played Laurie Strode in Halloween, an unknown actress at the time, but soon would be crowned “The Scream Queen”, and comes back to fight her nemesis, 40 years later on film. These movies started the term “final girl”, and we see them in these ads- bloody, terrified, screaming, as “the monster” lurks behind. We see all these classics in their infancy, their birth. But there are plenty, even as an 80's horror loving kid, didn't know about, but Gingold did. Flipping through the pages my knowledge and curiosity grew with all of these unknown films, films I never knew about until I cracked open Michael Gingold's vault. 'Psycho from Texas', 'Dracula Blows His Cool', 'Blood Hook', 'Zombie Island Massacre', I can go on and on! Just from the names alone, you can understand why some have never been heard of, but some piqued my curiosity enough for me to talk to my handy dandy friend 'Alexa' and ask her to look them up for me on my 'Smart TV'. Some she found, some she didn't. The ones she did, I watched in horror and disbelief, other's, I laughed my ass off at the ridiculousness of the entire premise, but had a blast all the same! I encourage any self- respecting horror fan to try out a few of these films that have barely seen the light of day and give them a try. Go in with low expectations and you'll be entertained one way or another.
Michael Gingold provides personal commentary, recollections, and snippets of what reviewers at that time were saying about some of the films mentioned. I would have loved to have had more commentary by Gingold on his thoughts on some of the lesser known films. But even he is human and probably hasn't seen ALL of the movies he's collected ads for over time.
There are also rare alternative art he's found for movies such as Gremlins and Child's Play. I swear, this guy didn't miss a thing! As you page through, you will also find ads for classics such as 'Day of the Dead' by the master of zombies himself- George A. Romero, and a picture of a disturbing young Drew Barrymore starring in the film adaptation of Stephen King's novel 'Fire Starter'. I found these amonst other movies that I'd never heard of, but definitely wanted to see such as, 'The Black Cat', 'Make Them Die Slowly', and 'The Phantom of Terror'. All of these, alongside a handful of popular and not so popular films that tried their hand at cranking up the scares with 3D versions- a trend that continues to die out to this day.
Ad Nauseam: Newsprint Nightmares from the 1980's, is chalked full of nostalgia that almost anyone can appreciate- horror lover or not! Michael Gingold's dedication, passion, and all out love for the Horror genre clearly comes through, not just with the ads, but with his fantastic commentary that excites the reader even more for the creepy ads that are just a flip of the page away. He took me back to when I was little and not allowed to watch these types of movies yet, but still figured out a way to anyway! From sneaking a peak at the Horror section in the video store, to the then “disturbing” cardboard cut outs at the theater that made me cringe with fear and excitement at the same time as I walked past. There was a hint of a terrifying wistfulness that followed me throughout this book, to the time when I could actually be scared by a film. A beautiful, gory, fabulous walk down a horrifying memory lane!
Michael Gingold started his hobby/obsession in a decade when slasher films became king of the box office. 'Friday the 13th', 'A Nightmare on Elm Street', and 'Halloween' were just the start of what would become huge franchises- some continuing 40 years later. But Gingold shows us the beginning of these greats, before anyone knew the unknown girl who played Laurie Strode in Halloween, an unknown actress at the time, but soon would be crowned “The Scream Queen”, and comes back to fight her nemesis, 40 years later on film. These movies started the term “final girl”, and we see them in these ads- bloody, terrified, screaming, as “the monster” lurks behind. We see all these classics in their infancy, their birth. But there are plenty, even as an 80's horror loving kid, didn't know about, but Gingold did. Flipping through the pages my knowledge and curiosity grew with all of these unknown films, films I never knew about until I cracked open Michael Gingold's vault. 'Psycho from Texas', 'Dracula Blows His Cool', 'Blood Hook', 'Zombie Island Massacre', I can go on and on! Just from the names alone, you can understand why some have never been heard of, but some piqued my curiosity enough for me to talk to my handy dandy friend 'Alexa' and ask her to look them up for me on my 'Smart TV'. Some she found, some she didn't. The ones she did, I watched in horror and disbelief, other's, I laughed my ass off at the ridiculousness of the entire premise, but had a blast all the same! I encourage any self- respecting horror fan to try out a few of these films that have barely seen the light of day and give them a try. Go in with low expectations and you'll be entertained one way or another.
Michael Gingold provides personal commentary, recollections, and snippets of what reviewers at that time were saying about some of the films mentioned. I would have loved to have had more commentary by Gingold on his thoughts on some of the lesser known films. But even he is human and probably hasn't seen ALL of the movies he's collected ads for over time.
There are also rare alternative art he's found for movies such as Gremlins and Child's Play. I swear, this guy didn't miss a thing! As you page through, you will also find ads for classics such as 'Day of the Dead' by the master of zombies himself- George A. Romero, and a picture of a disturbing young Drew Barrymore starring in the film adaptation of Stephen King's novel 'Fire Starter'. I found these amonst other movies that I'd never heard of, but definitely wanted to see such as, 'The Black Cat', 'Make Them Die Slowly', and 'The Phantom of Terror'. All of these, alongside a handful of popular and not so popular films that tried their hand at cranking up the scares with 3D versions- a trend that continues to die out to this day.
Ad Nauseam: Newsprint Nightmares from the 1980's, is chalked full of nostalgia that almost anyone can appreciate- horror lover or not! Michael Gingold's dedication, passion, and all out love for the Horror genre clearly comes through, not just with the ads, but with his fantastic commentary that excites the reader even more for the creepy ads that are just a flip of the page away. He took me back to when I was little and not allowed to watch these types of movies yet, but still figured out a way to anyway! From sneaking a peak at the Horror section in the video store, to the then “disturbing” cardboard cut outs at the theater that made me cringe with fear and excitement at the same time as I walked past. There was a hint of a terrifying wistfulness that followed me throughout this book, to the time when I could actually be scared by a film. A beautiful, gory, fabulous walk down a horrifying memory lane!
November 21, 2018
Just opening the first page of AD NAUSEAM: NEWSPRINT NIGHTMARES FROM THE 1980s brought back so many memories. I can remember grabbing the Friday newspaper, jumping on my bed and heading right to the last 3 pages that held the movie ads. A few snips later and those choice horror movie adverts would be scotch taped to my wall in all their black and white glory.
What a time the the 80s were for horror fans. So many movies hit the big screen and a break-neck pace. It seemed that every week a new scare was fighting for your hard earned money.
Michel Gingold has taken his love of horror movies and his past habit of collecting newspaper ads and turned it into a very entertaining and informative book that any child of the 80s should have sitting on their bookshelf.
Paging through the book, you will come across movies you know (Evil Dead, The Thing, Hellraiser
Halloween II and so many more) and those that you may never have heard of before (Silent Madness, Deathbed, The Doctor and the Devils). Not only has the author given us a look at the classic clippings, he has included his thoughts on some of the films and snippets of movie reviews from that time period.
These ads were the only way a lot of people knew what movies were coming out, and our first look at what horrors they might contain. In the early 80s we didn't have the internet to bombard us with information. We had the newspaper, Fangoria magazine and Fanzines. It was a wonderful world of print.
The book itself is a beautifully done hardcover with very clear reproductions of the ads on a nice glossy page. 1984 Publishing and Rue Morgue did a wonderful job in producing a quality book filled with information and nostalgia.
So many memories contained in these pages. If you are younger, this is a great way to peer into the past, the pre-internet days, when you had to get your hand dirty with newsprint to see what wonders were playing in the theater.
For an extra treat I would recommend searching out some of Michael Gingold's fanzine Scareaphanalia.
I believe he published somewhere around 100 issues. Good fanzines are now a thing of the past, but these issues hold up and are still great reads for any horror fan.
What a time the the 80s were for horror fans. So many movies hit the big screen and a break-neck pace. It seemed that every week a new scare was fighting for your hard earned money.
Michel Gingold has taken his love of horror movies and his past habit of collecting newspaper ads and turned it into a very entertaining and informative book that any child of the 80s should have sitting on their bookshelf.
Paging through the book, you will come across movies you know (Evil Dead, The Thing, Hellraiser
Halloween II and so many more) and those that you may never have heard of before (Silent Madness, Deathbed, The Doctor and the Devils). Not only has the author given us a look at the classic clippings, he has included his thoughts on some of the films and snippets of movie reviews from that time period.
These ads were the only way a lot of people knew what movies were coming out, and our first look at what horrors they might contain. In the early 80s we didn't have the internet to bombard us with information. We had the newspaper, Fangoria magazine and Fanzines. It was a wonderful world of print.
The book itself is a beautifully done hardcover with very clear reproductions of the ads on a nice glossy page. 1984 Publishing and Rue Morgue did a wonderful job in producing a quality book filled with information and nostalgia.
So many memories contained in these pages. If you are younger, this is a great way to peer into the past, the pre-internet days, when you had to get your hand dirty with newsprint to see what wonders were playing in the theater.
For an extra treat I would recommend searching out some of Michael Gingold's fanzine Scareaphanalia.
I believe he published somewhere around 100 issues. Good fanzines are now a thing of the past, but these issues hold up and are still great reads for any horror fan.
December 10, 2020
Ad Nauseum by longtime Fangoria writer Michael Gingold and released by 1984prods & ruemorgue, is one of my favourite horror hardcover books from recent years. Containing all the horror film newspaper ads he collected as a kid, it is an amazing 80’s horror time capsule, with nearly eveyone’s favourite films represented as well as some (mostly) dismissive critics reviews from the time.
I can totally relate to Gingold’s obsessive collecting of film ads as I used to do this as a kid as well. It pretty much began with E.T. in 1982 which was the first film I saw at a cinema, so I cut out every picture, review or article I could and stuck it in a scrapbook. From then on, every film I saw was documented - The Dark Crystal, Return of the Jedi, Krull, Labyrinth, Indiana Jones, The Goonies etc.
Once I got into R-Rated horror and action films in the late 80’s I collected those ads as well, sometimes blowing them up on the school photocopier to make Black & White posters of Nightmare 4 & Fright Night Part 2.
Every time I pick up this book I can totally lose myself in these gorgeous black & white mementos, not only as a nostalgiac bit of time travel but also as an aid in my continual search for the unseen gems from that era and a great reference book in general. I still need to get his followup book on ‘90’s horror and also Ad Astra, his book on the sci fi films from the era.
I can totally relate to Gingold’s obsessive collecting of film ads as I used to do this as a kid as well. It pretty much began with E.T. in 1982 which was the first film I saw at a cinema, so I cut out every picture, review or article I could and stuck it in a scrapbook. From then on, every film I saw was documented - The Dark Crystal, Return of the Jedi, Krull, Labyrinth, Indiana Jones, The Goonies etc.
Once I got into R-Rated horror and action films in the late 80’s I collected those ads as well, sometimes blowing them up on the school photocopier to make Black & White posters of Nightmare 4 & Fright Night Part 2.
Every time I pick up this book I can totally lose myself in these gorgeous black & white mementos, not only as a nostalgiac bit of time travel but also as an aid in my continual search for the unseen gems from that era and a great reference book in general. I still need to get his followup book on ‘90’s horror and also Ad Astra, his book on the sci fi films from the era.
May 5, 2019
Longtime horror journalist Michael Gingold is responsible for this, possibly the greatest coffee table book a genre fan could hope to own. "Ad Nauseum" consists of over 200 glossy pages of (mostly) NY area horror movie ads from the 80s. The book is divided by year, with ten chapters and an epilogue, with Gingold speaking with a couple of key distributors and folks involved in creating the newsprint artwork for some of the wildest movies ever made.
Some pages are strictly ads, but many others also include snippets of reviews, accompanied with a brief summary by Gingold: what the movie is, how it was released, and its reception by fans and critics on original release.
The book finishes with a brief bio of Gingold. Check it out. He's been writing about horror for a long time and knows what he's talking about. God bless him for keeping these newspaper clippings all these years; makes for a great addition to any horror fan's collection.
Some pages are strictly ads, but many others also include snippets of reviews, accompanied with a brief summary by Gingold: what the movie is, how it was released, and its reception by fans and critics on original release.
The book finishes with a brief bio of Gingold. Check it out. He's been writing about horror for a long time and knows what he's talking about. God bless him for keeping these newspaper clippings all these years; makes for a great addition to any horror fan's collection.
September 15, 2018
It's hard to review books like this. You will get a blast of nostalgia with tons of ad photos and some vintage reviews. However, there is little text to truly document this important era.
March 3, 2019
All those great horror movies from growing up in the 80’s, this collection of newsprint ads is a nostalgic romp through that era. Not much meat in the text, but it’s fun to reminisce over all the flicks I vividly remember trying to scam my way into when I was under 17.
In an age where there was no internet or streaming services, the poster art and newspaper ads along with TV ads were all we had to generate interest in these movies. So a freaky teaser ad could do wonders for the box office, even if it meant the poster had nothing or little to do with actual events in the movie. But that glorious art and blurbs made you want to get to the theater that very opening weekend.
Not sure what to do with this book once I finished as....now what? It’s a pretty sturdy hardback, so maybe more of a coffee table book than anything else, sparking discussion when friends come over. Still, great fun to recall all those wonderful movies.
3.75 out of 5 stars.
In an age where there was no internet or streaming services, the poster art and newspaper ads along with TV ads were all we had to generate interest in these movies. So a freaky teaser ad could do wonders for the box office, even if it meant the poster had nothing or little to do with actual events in the movie. But that glorious art and blurbs made you want to get to the theater that very opening weekend.
Not sure what to do with this book once I finished as....now what? It’s a pretty sturdy hardback, so maybe more of a coffee table book than anything else, sparking discussion when friends come over. Still, great fun to recall all those wonderful movies.
3.75 out of 5 stars.
March 16, 2019
Pure nostalgia-driven joy jumping into this wayback machine of a book. I saw many of these flicks not in the theatre, but as video rentals when I was a teenager. Seeing these movie posters brought back some happy memories.
Sure the book isn't perfect; more commentary would have been good, for instance. But for sheer enjoyment I'm giving it five stars.
I bought this book at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens in February 2019.
Sure the book isn't perfect; more commentary would have been good, for instance. But for sheer enjoyment I'm giving it five stars.
I bought this book at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens in February 2019.
September 26, 2021
Fun coffee-table type book of newspaper adverts from the wild and woolly days of '80s horror. I loved the factoids and stories behind the retitlings and reissues, especially of the marginal/regional pics. The stuff on the fringes of the industry. As the years wear on, things get more and more corporate with the Freddy Kreuger and HELLRAISER type releases. A really breezy book, easy to flip through and a must for vintage horror buffs.
January 16, 2024
Three hundred pages of newspaper ads of old horror movies?! Nothing more up my alley. Had a lot of fun with this, looking at the changes in graphic design style and advertising over time. Nerdy ol' me knew the good majority of the flicks here, but lots that even I had never heard of (Sword of Heaven? Retribution? ...welcome to the Letterboxd watchlist). Book's beautiful and reading old reviews of the films was fun as well.
Thanks for the gift, August!
Thanks for the gift, August!
January 27, 2019
Took me back to my youth.
March 10, 2019
A treasure for fans of 80's horror, and a nostalgic reminder of the lost art of the newspaper film ad.
August 24, 2020
slice of fried gold
January 6, 2024
This was fun. Seeing old print ads from before some of these films were the cult classics that they are. And the original reviews was amusing. Definitely a niche sort of book but very well done.
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