Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978-1986 - Hardcover

Rockoff, Adam

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786412275 ISBN 13: 9780786412273

Publisher: McFarland & Co Inc, 2002

Synopsis

This work traces the evolution of the slasher film from 1978 when it was a fledgling genre, through the early 1980s when it was one of the most profitable and prolific genres in Hollywood, on to its decline in popularity around 1986. An introduction provides a brief history of the Grand Guignol, the pre-cinema forerunner of the slasher film, films such as Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and cinematic trends that gave rise to the slasher film. Also explained are the slasher film's characteristics, conventions, and cinematic devices, such as the "final girl," the omnipotent killer, the relationship between sex and death, the significant date or setting, and the point-of-view of the killer.

About this title

Review:

a surprisingly scholarly evaluation...Rockoff is no blood-in-his eye moron; he s committed to preserving the slasher s history, giving them their due...praiseworthy Classic Images; amazingly well-informed, engaging, and liberally illustrated...fascinating reading...recommended Choice; all kinds of surprises...good Cult Movies; useful...excellent...the only book of its kind offering a detailed history of the slasher genre...fascinating...belongs in every university library...deserves a wide readership Journal of Popular Culture; invaluable Cine Autopsis; informative and funny...exceedingly well-written Green Man Review; professional, witty and informative piece of film criticism...fascinating...highly recommended Hysteria; excellent...fascinating...deserves a wide readership Hub Stuff; no doubt the slasher fan will be rushing our to buy this book, which has much to offer. From detailed and engagingly written plot overviews, to interviews with leading slasher directors (including John Carpenter and Wes Craven), the volume displays a good mix of primary research and textual analysis...an exhaustively researched and enthusiastically written account that will have the slice and dice fan reaching for the bookshelf Kamera; definitive...extremely well-written and well-researched Hitch; makes old news seem fresh Fangoria; the most impressive book devoted to the slasher film to date Culture Dose; interesting The Times/Beaver Newspapers Inc.; offers some interesting trivia facts Burlington Country Times."

About the Author:

Adam Rockoff, a lifelong horror enthusiast, is a film producer. He lives in Chicago.

About this edition

• Publisher: McFarland & Co Inc
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0786412275
• ISBN 13: 9780786412273
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 223