Horror films have been around for more than 100 years, and they continue to make a large impact on popular culture as they reflect their contemporary zeitgeist. Between the mid–1950s and mid–1980s, drive-in theaters were at their peak of popularity, and each decade brought forward new challenges and themes.
This book explores 60 B horror films, divided into 12 fun and uniquely-themed categories. Chapters discuss how the Atomic Age, the Vietnam War, the women’s liberation movement and other current events and social issues affected these films. Films covered include Willard, The Fly, Santa Sangre and many more.

Scott Drebit is the senior columnist for the Daily Dead website, a leading publisher of online horror news and reviews. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Scott Drebit
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: ca. 60 photos (all in color), index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9195-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5038-8
Imprint: McFarland

• “Scott Drebit has seen his share of horror films and he’s been writing about them for years. Now he’s updated his musings into book form, analyzing so-called Golden Age horrors from the ’50s through the ’80s in the form of mini-festivals of related genre titles, many familiar, some obscure. It’s a handy guide to what’s out there and what you may have missed. His insights are concise, witty and always intensely personal—like having a conversation with a like-minded Monster Kid. He even has a kind word for Plan 9 from Outer Space! A Cut Below is A Cut Above.”—Joe Dante, director (Piranha, Gremlins, Matinee)

• “Willard was one of the best experiences of my life except for the final shot they saved till the last day when they smeared me with peanut butter and dumped 300 rats on me. Ah…the days before CGI! I LOVE this book! Such memories of a lost era.”—Bruce Davison, actor (Willard, X-Men, The Lords of Salem)

• “A Cut Below is a love letter to a genre once considered a guilty pleasure, now graduated into the mainstream. Scott Drebit sure knows his stuff. His essay on my friend and mentor George Romero and his classic film, Creepshow, is bloody damn accurate. I should know. I was there!”—John Harrison, writer/director (Tales From the Darkside: The Movie, Book of Blood, Dune)

• “Whether you’re a lifelong horror cinephile or are just starting your journey into the genre, Scott Drebit’s A Cut Below is required reading that will have you looking at these films in a different light and programming some all-night horror movie marathons of your own!”—Jonathan James, founder and editor-in-chief, Daily Dead

• “Scott Drebit has painstakingly curated every chop, cudgel, gnash and slash for an entire year’s worth of terror in this all-encompassing look at horror movie classics. Dim the lights, pop some popcorn, and crack open A Cut Below…Your next nightmare is waiting.”—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of (Ghost Eaters and The Remaking)

• “A Cut Below is an A+ guide to Hollywood’s B movie genre. Scott Drebit’s unique, personal and always entertaining take on horror movies is laced with lovingly snarky asides as he dives head first into the gore and and the cheese that made me fall in love with these movies in the first place. With wit and wisdom, A Cut Below is a fun and unapologetic homage to the critters, slashers and zombies that still make us squeal with delight in the darkness. Time to dust off the VHS machine in the garage and catch up on the best of the B.”—Josh Stolberg, screenwriter (Saw X, Piranha 3D, Sorority Row)