Behind the Couch

Head over to Paracinema.net to check out the latest instalment of Audiodrome: Music in Film . This month I’ve been listening to Paul Giovanni’s inspired score for Robin Hardy’s folk-horror masterpiece, The Wicker Man . Heavily informed by paganism and indigenous music, Giovanni’s meticulously researched soundtrack combines adaptations of traditional folk pieces, poems and authentic-sounding original compositions. Why not pick up the latest issue of Paracinema while you’re there? Amongst its lurid delights are articles such as Panic in Detroit: RoboCop and Reagan’s America by Andreas Stoehr; Blood on the Rubber Chicken: Horror Parodies of the Early ’80s by Mike White; and Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures from Hell by Todd Garbarini. All great stuff, written by hardcore fans of genre films for hardcore fans of genre films.

Exquisite Terror is a brand-spanking-new and independently produced periodical; the intention of which is to take a more academic, analytical approach to the genre of horror. Issue 2 is now available to pre-order. Amongst the various delights waiting within its pages are Dalliances with the Dead , by an occultist; Upper-class dining with a difference ; by popular demand, the analysis of both classic book and film; and, one of my own articles, an examination of the relationship between fairy tale and horror film. This issue boasts beautiful illustrations by artist Paul Talbot. Check out more of his work here . Pre-order yourself a veritable bargain at £2.45 plus £1 P&P within the UK* Make haste and save a generous 150 pennies from the cover price, to ensue once the mice have delivered. *For international sales, please contact info@exquisiteterror.com prior to order

1990 Dir. Frank Henenlotter When his fiancée is decapitated in a freak remote control lawnmower accident, medical student Jeffrey Franken sets out to build her a new body made up of Manhattan prostitutes and zap her back into life... These broads are tough cookies though, and the only way Jeffrey can get his hands on a dead one is by using his latest invention, Supercrack; a lethal cocktail of drugs designed to make the user explode. Yup. You read that right. Explode. In case that synopsis leaves you in any doubt, Frankenhooker is a sleazy, trash-fest of splashy splatter effects, ludicrous body-horror, gratuitous nudity and cartoonish violence. In other words, it’s a damn good time. Prior to Frankenhooker , Henenlotter was responsible for such cheap and cheerful grot-fests as Basket Case 1 and 2 , and Brain Damage ; scuzzy, low-budget exploitation flicks boasting freakish, strangely sympathetic characters engaging in all manner of seedy doings on the fringes of society. High