There are over fifty Chan films and an additional three Spanish language Chan films. This guide reviews the forty-four extant Chan films. Entries, alphabetically arranged, include a unique annotated cast list, a comparative rating system, production information, analysis and plot synopsis, a performance critique, and a collection of Chan sayings, which vary from film to film. An introduction discusses the history and literary origins of the Chan films and the formulaic devices common to the films.

Film scholars and fans of the Charlie Chan films will appreciate the extensive information each review provides. Each film is given a star rating, and several appendices provide additional information such as the lost films of Charlie Chan, actors who played Chan, and Chan on television.

The influence of science fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft is widely felt in modern literature; authors from Robert E. Howard to Stephen King can claim him as their ancestor. But cinema too has seen Lovecraft's impact, and author Charles Mitchell offers here a comprehensive guide to the dozens of films that are representative of this influence. Mitchell studies the films in detail, analyzing the major Lovecraft elements and examining the fidelity of the films to the original works. Amateur films as well as television productions and foreign cinema, are included in Mitchell's scrutiny, revealing the challenge of transcribing Lovecraft to the screen, while at the same time suggesting the potential of Lovecraft's work for future, quality screen adaptations.

In addition to plot summaries, entries for each film include annotated cast lists, critiques of actors' performances, the degree of fidelity to Lovecraft, and representative quotes from each film. This thorough work will be of interest to students of cinema as well as modern literature.

This examination and comprehensive assessment of apocalyptic film studies fifty films that illustrate the variety, range and different categories of the genre. Apocalyptic films are those that depict, on screen as part of the story, an event threatening the extinction of mankind. A brief overview identifies seven major categories of apocalyptic films: the religious or supernatural, celestial collision, solar or orbital disruption, nuclear war and radioactive fallout, germ warfare or pestilence, alien device or invasion, and scientific miscalculation. Alphabetically arranged entries rate the films and provide production information, an annotated cast listing, a synopsis of the film, a critique, and representative quotes.

Film scholars and those with a special interest in apocalyptic cinema will appreciate the overview and detailed analysis of the films. Appendices provide additional examples of apocalyptic movies excluded from the main text, a sampling of post-apocalyptic cinema which is distinct from the apocalyptic genre and examples of apocalyptic television. Illustrations are included.

This book features twenty heroines who portrayed imperiled women in science fiction, horror, film noir and mystery movies from the 1930s to the 1960s. Some - like Sandy Descher, who confronted the giant ants of ""Them!"" - were only girls when they faced their screen perils. Others - such as Mary Murphy, who played opposite Marlon Brando in ""The Wild One"" - were leading ladies in other film genres. Yet others - such as June Wilkinson, considered by many as ""Playboy""'s greatest model - came from outside the acting world. In this book, each interview is preceded by an introduction. Besides the three above, the interviewees are Ramsay Ames, Claudia Barrett, Jean Byron, Linda Christian, Faith Domergue, Amanda Duff, Evangelina Elizondo, Margaret Field, Mimi Gibson, Marilyn Harris, Kitty de Hoyos, Donna Martel, Joyce Meadows, Noreen Nash, Cynthia Patrick, Paula Raymond and Joan Taylor. Among the films they starred in are ""The Mummy's Ghost"", ""Robot Monster"", ""Tarzan and the Mermaids"", ""This Island Earth"", ""It Came from Beneath the Sea"", ""Where Danger Lives"", ""The Man from Planet X"", ""The Monster That Challenged the World"", ""Frankenstein"", ""The Brain from Planet Arous"", ""Phantom from Space"", ""The Mole People"", ""The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms"" and ""Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers"". Some interviews were previously published in a different form in fan magazines.