{"product_id":"book-bgzv","title":"Shock Value","description":"Much has been written about the storied New Hollywood of the 1970s, but while Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Copola were making their first classic movies, a parallel universe of directors gave birth to the modern horror film—aggressive, raw, and utterly original. Based on unprecedented access to the genre's major players, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e critic Jason Zinoman's \u003ci\u003eShock Value\u003c\/i\u003e delivers the first definitive account of horror's golden age.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy the late 1960s, horror was stuck in the past, confined mostly to drive-in theaters and exploitation houses and shunned by critics. \u003ci\u003eShock Value\u003c\/i\u003e tells the unlikely story of how the much-disparaged horror film became an ambitious art form while also conquering the multiplex. Directors such as Wes Craven, Roman Polanski, John Carpenter, and Brian De Palma—counterculture types operating largely outside Hollywood—revolutionized the genre, exploding taboos and bringing a gritty aesthetic, confrontational style, and political edge to horror. Zinoman recounts how these directors produced such classics as \u003ci\u003eRosemary's Baby\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCarrie\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eHalloween\u003c\/i\u003e, creating a template for horror that has been imitated relentlessly but whose originality has rarely been matched.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis new kind of film dispensed with the old vampires and werewolves and instead assaulted audiences with portraits of serial killers, the dark side of suburbia, and a brand of nihilistic violence that had never been seen before. \u003ci\u003eShock Value\u003c\/i\u003e tells the improbable stories behind the making of these movies, which were often directed by obsessive and insecure young men working on shoestring budgets, were funded by sketchy investors, and featured porn stars. But once \u003ci\u003eThe Exorcist\u003c\/i\u003e became the highest grossing film in America, Hollywood took notice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe classic horror films of the 1970s have now spawned a billion-dollar industry, but they have also penetrated deep into the American consciousness. Quite literally, Zinoman reveals, these movies have taught us what to be afraid of. Drawing on interviews with hundreds of the most important artists in horror, \u003ci\u003eShock Value\u003c\/i\u003e is an enthralling and personality-driven account of an overlooked but hugely influential golden age in American film.","brand":"Tantor","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49392307994928,"sku":"BDbgzv","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":49392308027696,"sku":"ZEbgzv","price":45.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio MP3-CD","offer_id":49392308257072,"sku":"ZMbgzv","price":45.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD [40]","offer_id":49392308322608,"sku":"40bgzv","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/bgzv-Square-cover.jpg?v=1778997590","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-bgzv","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}