John Kenneth Muir: 12 books
This Is Spinal Tap
Music on Film Series
Language: English
Release Date: September 1, 2010
In 1984, four comedians – Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Rob Reiner, and Harry Shearer – unleashed This Is Spinal Tap, the world's first “mock-rockumentary” and a joke that has lasted into the 21st century and inspired a generation of imitations. Now, award-winning film journalist John...
by John Kenneth Muir
Language: English
Release Date: November 22, 2012
Language: English
Release Date: November 22, 2012
The seventies were a decade of groundbreaking horror films: The Exorcist, Carrie, and Halloween were three. This detailed filmography covers these and 225 more. Section One provides an introduction and a brief history of the decade. Beginning with 1970 and proceeding chronologically by year of its...
by John Kenneth Muir
Language: English
Release Date: March 2, 2005
Language: English
Release Date: March 2, 2005
The films of John Carpenter cover a tremendous range and yet all bear his clear personal stamp. From the horrifying (Halloween) to the touching (Starman) to the controversial (The Thing) to the comic (Big Trouble in Little China), his films reflect a unique approach to filmmaking and singular views...
Terror Television
American Series, 1970-1999
Language: English
Release Date: May 9, 2008
Although horror shows on television are popular in the 1990s thanks to the success of Chris Carter's The X-Files, such has not always been the case. Creators Rod Serling, Dan Curtis, William Castle, Quinn Martin, John Newland, George Romero, Stephen King, David Lynch, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, Aaron...
by John Kenneth Muir
Language: English
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Language: English
Release Date: September 15, 2015
When the space drama Battlestar Galactica debuted on ABC in 1978, it was expected to be the most popular new program of the year. Instead, it was attacked as a Star Wars rip-off and canceled after a mere 17 stories. The author acknowledges the show was full of dramatic clichés and scientific inaccuracies,...
Horror Films FAQ
All That's Left to Know About Slashers, Vampires, Zombies, Aliens and More
Language: English
Release Date: August 1, 2013
Horror Films FAQ explores a century of ghoulish and grand horror cinema, gazing at the different characters, situations, settings, and themes featured in the horror film, from final girls, monstrous bogeymen, giant monsters and vampires to the recent torture porn and found footage formats. The book...
by John Kenneth Muir
Language: English
Release Date: October 1, 2014
Language: English
Release Date: October 1, 2014
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a complete guide to over 50 years of superheroes on screen! This expanded and updated edition of the 2004 award-winning encyclopedia covers important developments in the popular genre; adds new shows such as Heroes and Zoom; includes the latest films featuring...
Purple Rain
Music on Film Series
Language: English
Release Date: March 1, 2012
In the summer of 1984, a small, low-budget film came out of nowhere and unexpectedly debuted at the number one slot at the box office, unseating reigning champion Ghostbusters and making its star, Prince, a household name. By the end of the year, the film was a multiple-award winner, a trend setter...
The X-Files FAQ
All That's Left to Know About Global Conspiracy, Aliens, Lazarus Species and Monsters of the Week
Language: English
Release Date: August 1, 2015
The X-Files FAQ explores Chris Carter's popular 1990s science-fiction TV series, which aired on Fox for nine seasons and inspired spin-offs, including feature films, TV shows, toys, novels, and comic books. The book explores the series in terms of its historical context and analyzes how many of the...
Exploring Space: 1999
An Episode Guide and Complete History of the Mid-1970s Science Fiction Television Series
Language: English
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Starring internationally renowned actors Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Barry Morse and Catherine Schell, the British–made Space: 1999 was the only truly original space adventure of the mid–1970s. Sandwiched between the demise of the original Star Trek and the opening of the Stars Wars series on...
by John Kenneth Muir
Language: English
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Language: English
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Blake’s 7, Terry Nation’s science fiction tale of cosmic freedom fighters, became a hit series in Great Britain when it premiered in 1978. Eight years later, the show quickly became a cult program in America. A dramatization of futuristic outlaw heroes who defend the innocent from both alien and...
by John Kenneth Muir
Language: English
Release Date: June 21, 2010
Language: English
Release Date: June 21, 2010
Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond made its television debut in 1959, nine months before Rod Serling’s classic The Twilight Zone, and paved the way for a generation of television programs devoted to paranormal topics such as the occult, ESP, and ghost stories. One Step Beyond was also where some of...