''Mondo Macabro: Weird & Wonderful Cinema Around the World'' is a book by British author

Pete Tombs Pete Tombs is a British author, television and film producer, and co-founder of the American-based home video distribution company Mondo Macabro, which he established in 2002 alongside fellow co-founder Andy Starke. Tombs also co-founded the pr ...

, first published in the United Kingdom in 1997 by

Titan Books Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and co ...

. A follow-up to the 1994 book '' Immoral Tales: Sex and Horror Cinema in Europe 1956–1984'' (which Tombs co-wrote with Cathal Tohill), ''Mondo Macabro'' explores

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

s and "bizarre cinema from around the world". ''Mondo Macabro'' was published in the United States in 1998 by

St. Martin's Griffin St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building (New York City), Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the pub ...

. The book served as an inspiration for the 2001

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

TV programme of the same name, which Tombs wrote, produced and directed alongside Andy Starke; it also led to the establishment of

Mondo Macabro Mondo Macabro is an American-based home video distribution company founded in 2002 by Pete Tombs and Andy Starke. Their focus is releasing cult and exploitation films on DVD and Blu-ray and was named after Tombs' 1997 book '' Mondo Macabro: We ...

, a home video label created by the duo.

Reception

Suzi Feay of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' noted that "As well as lurid synopses, 'Mondo Macabro''has very funny picture captions". Mark Harris of the ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'' wrote: "While ''Mondo Macabro'' is wider-ranging than ''Immoral Tales'', it is not as good a read. At least half the chapters appear to have been hastily composed, many of the author's judgments halting, and the pages on

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

are frankly boring. ..But by the time Tombs arrives in Japan, he regains his stride, for the last three chapters of ''Mondo Macabro'' show the same insouciant amorality that characterized his previous project." The ''

Star Tribune The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...

''s Robert Armstrong wrote that ''Mondo Macabro'' "takes an entertaining look at the lurid and bizarre world of

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

s, from Mexico and Brazil to Indonesia and Japan. There are super-hero ripoffs, buxom skull-masked female murderers, Japanese schoolgirls on the rampage and kung-fu-fighting gorillas. The black and white photos are revealing and the eight-page color insert of posters is hilarious." In 2007,

Brother Cleve Robert Toomey (February 2, 1955 – September 9, 2022), publicly known as Brother Cleve, was an American musician, DJ, record producer, mixologist, and writer. Known as the godfather of the local bar and cocktail scenes in Boston, Massachus ...

of '' The Brooklyn Rail'' credited Tombs and ''Mondo Macabro'' as an aid to film fans in search of "something different and refreshing", writing: "Excavating offbeat film genres from Malaysia to Turkey to Mexico and beyond, Tombs' research helped stock the shelves at the more enterprising video shops around."

References

1997 non-fiction books Books about film {{film-book-stub