Norman J Warren-Gentlemen Of Terror — Norman J Warren-Gentlemen Of Terror(Book)
In March 2021 we lost one of the great British horror directors Norman J Warren. During the mid-70s to early 1980s, he helmed a series of films that darted in and out of the chilling, camp, and horrifying- be it emotional or physical. His films utilized both classic horror tropes and more violent/ sexualized content, in line with the time they were created. He was an all-around talented filmmaker who created approachable, and populous work that both shocked and entertained. Norman J Warren-Gentlemen Of Terror is a beautiful and glossy picture/ text-filled celebration of his output.
The book is an A4 hardback edition, it has a page count of one hundred and seventy-six pages. It features a great visual mix of full-colour poster artwork from around the world, behind-the-scenes stills, and related photos. This is added to by texts that mix together plot rundowns, production information, exclusive interviews with Warren & others involved with the films making, write-ups about censorship issues, reviews of the films from when they originally appeared, and general summing ups.
The book opens with a two-page write-up about Warren by respected genre journalist Alan Jones. Here in a very honest piece, he details his initial distaste/ indifference for the director's work, moving on to eventual respect and admiration for Warren- as the pair often met and chatted at British horror conventions. Next, we have a five-page introduction to the director and his work by the books co-authors Dr Adam Lock and Dr Adrian Smith- this also features pictures of Mr Warren at various horror conventions/ meeting fans, and it paints him as a hard-working, but down to earth filmmaker who always had time for those who enjoyed his output.
The book's next hundred and thirty pages focus on the films themselves- with a chapter for each, so in total, he directed nine films- most of these fell into the horror genre, but a few darted into other genres. So, the films covered start with sexploitation Her Private Hell (1967), and sex comedy Loving Feeling (1968). Moving on to a trio of horror films Satan’s Slave (1976), Prey (1977), and Terror (1978). There’s Sci-fi Sex comedy Outer Touch (1979), sci-fi horror Inseminoid (1980), cheap Bond clone Gunpower (1986), and ghostly slasher Bloody New Year (1987). Each chapter features a great selection of poster art- from all around the world, stills, and texts.
The last twenty or so pages of the book take in an afterword from Xixi Sun, who Mr Warren help with/ script advised on her film horror/ drama Susu (2018). Details of un-filmed projects, and write-ups about each of the book's collaborators.
As a big fan of Mr Warren's horror work, I found Norman J Warren-Gentlemen Of Terror a true joy. But I can also see it appealing to those who have an interest in 70s and 80’s genre films- as it really is a great blend of visual and text side of things. There is no highbrow/ dry film academia here, and like Warren's work, the book remains appealing to all and any film fan. To buy the book directly from the publishes drop by here