Delirium

This 1998 volume presents an expanded revision of the second issue of the magazine Delirium, covering Italian exploitation films produced between 1975 and 79 in a year-by-year, A-Z format.

Some films receive full write-ups, others only capsule reviews. Cast and credit information for each, along with details of alternative titles, video and (occasionally) soundtrack releases.

The bulk of the reviews have been written by Adrian Luther Smith, who also edits the volume, though a number of other noteworthy genre stalwarts have contributed on their specialist areas – Stephen Thrower on Lucio Fulci, David Flint on porno etc.

For the most part the entries, while too brief to go into great detail, are pitched just right, combining a fan's appreciation for trash cinema with the recognition that there is, to paraphrase John Waters, good bad taste and bad bad taste. In other words, don't expect a Nazisploitation piece to be dismissed outright just because its distasteful nor a gushing endorsement of every such film just because its 'transgressive' in some way.

Most pages contain one or two illustrations – stills, poster and video art. Unfortunately these are often too small and inadequately labelled – to be of real value.

Fans of specific genres like the gialli and zombie/cannibal film will likely be better served by books that concentrate on those genres and take a longer time frame, such as Luther Smith's later volume Blood and Black Lace and Jay Slater's Eaten Alive. But those who have already exhausted these comparatively famous genres and want to explore new, less charted areas such as sexploitation, nazisploitation and Star Wars rip offs will find Delirium a valuable field guide.

All told, it's a shame the Delirium project seems to have stalled: A full set of volumes like this, covering the entrire period from 1956 onward would have really helped chart the ebb and flow of the peplum, giallo, spaghetti, mondo, cop actioner, post-apocalypse and fantasy genres year-to-year, providing an invaluable resource for fans and scholars alike.