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Title: Rather pointless
Review: I wanted to like this book, really I did. Big props to McFarland for even comissioning a second study of the slasher genre after their good, if distressingly slim, Going to Pieces. The problem here is the lack of a critical commentary. After a brief overview of slasher film history and conventions, the majority of the book consists of long, boring plot synopses (spoilers and twist endings included) followed by one or two lines of lame "production notes" and the author's overall opinion of the film's worth. For $65, I was hoping for much more than rote recitation of slasher film plots. Where are the intriguing behind-the-scenes stories from Adam Rockoff's "Going to Pieces"? Where is the kind of excellent, in-depth analysis found in another McFarland book, John Kenneth Muir's eminently worthwhile "Horror Films of the 1970s"? Pretty much a washout, I'm granting an extra star for good intentions. The slasher genre still yearns for a comprehensive study...let this be the clarion call!
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