Book Reviews: Take A Look Inside KIM NEWMAN’S VIDEO DUNGEON

Movies In Focus has been reading Kim Newman’s work for almost 30 years. His reviews in Empire Magazine have gone on to achieve a similar cult status to the films he critiques and his writing is filled with a humour and intelligence which puts most other film reviewers to shame. To say that Newman knows his subject is an understatement for the ages.

Newman’s long-running Empire column, the Video Dungeon takes a look at cult releases and B-movies, delivering a look at films which are often overlooked by lesser reviewing mortals. Newman’s column has now been collected in a handy volume from Titan books and it’s a must for those who appreciate film releases which are a little weirder film. This is perfect for those who enjoyed the reviews first time around or those who are only discovering Newman’s acerbic writing.

Newman in a connoisseur of schlock and he knows how to attack the many titles in this hefty volume, yet he also knows how to spot a diamond amongst the rough. He understands the good in the bad and the bad in the terrible.

Readers might know some of the films mentioned, but it’s doubtful that you’ll have see them all. Books like Video Dungeon have fallen by the wayside in recent years because of sites like Wikipedia and IMDB, but you can’t beat pulling a volume like this off a shelf and flicking through it, discovering and learning about the obscure and grotesque.