William Schoell

Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography explores the life and career of one of Hollywood's great dames. She was a leading film personality for more than fifty years, from her beginnings as a dancer in silent films of the 1920s, to her portrayals of working-class shop girls in the Depression thirties, to her Oscar-winning performances in classic films such as Mildred Pierce. Crawford's legacy has become somewhat tarnished in the wake of her daughter Christina's memoir, Mommie Dearest, which turned her into a national joke. Today, many picture Crawford only as a wire hanger-wielding shrew rather than the personification of Hollywood glamour. This new biography of Crawford sets the record straight, going beyond the gossip to find the truth about the legendary actress. The authors knew Crawford well and conducted scores of interviews with her and many of her friends and co-stars, including Frank Capra, George Cukor, Nicholas Ray, and Sidney Greenstreet. Far from a whitewash - Crawford was indeed a colorful and difficult character - Joan Crawford corrects many lies and tells the story of one of Hollywood's most influential stars, complete with on-set anecdotes and other movie lore.Through extensive interviews, in-depth analysis, and evaluation of her films and performances - both successes and failures - Lawrence J. Quirk and William Schoell present Crawford's story as both an appreciation and a reevaluation of her extraordinary life and career. Filled with new interviews, Joan Crawford tells the behind-the-scenes story of the Hollywood icon. Lawrence J. Quirk is the author of many books on film, including Bob Hope: The Road Well-Traveled. William Schoell is the author of several entertainment-related books, including Martini Man: The Life of Dean Martin.

Science fiction and fantasy comics present colorful if disparate visions of the future, from bleak, post-apocalyptic nightmare scenarios, to prophetic explorations of technical advances, to startling stories of space colonization. Concentrating on the 1940s to 1980s, this book presents a critical analysis of the genre, examining everything from hokey, even chauvinistic tales of virile adventurers and their space "babes" to more thought-provoking tales of the clash of alien cultures and frightening, ironic looks at the joys and pitfalls of outer space travel. This volume scrutinizes the output of many different publishers: DC Comics with their long-running Strange Adventures and Tales of the Unexpected, among others, series that specialized in gimmicky covers geared to attract and pull in the juvenile reader; EC comics with its more adult, occasionally controversial tales in Weird Science and Weird Fantasies; Marvel Comics, who populated its various series with many monsters and grotesque alien creatures; Charlton with its numerous fantasy magazines; American Comics Group, a publisher that contrasted humor and whimsy with more sobering stories in its Forbidden Worlds and Adventures into the Unknown, along with comics from Dell, Gold Key, Avon, Fiction House, and many others. The most notable stories, writers and artists are highlighted.

William Schoell's third novel returns to print, meticulously restored and revised by the author for the first time since its original publication They had gathered for a weekend on notorious Lammerty Island, a harsh outcropping of rock off the coast of Maine with an unsavory reputation for repeated violence and bloodshed. But none of the assembled guests believed rumors of an evil psychic force emanating from the accumulated atrocities of the past and awaiting the summons of an uncanny power...Until they happened upon the mysterious book with a cast of characters exactly mirroring their group, and a plot that foretold their deaths by appalling and supernatural means. They were all doomed-unless they could unmask and destroy the evil genius calling up the hellish apparitions that emerged...Late At Night.This Special Edition features a brand-new introduction by William Schoell.

Originally published in 1986 as Bride of Satan and now published under the author's intended and preferred title, William Schoell and Encyclopocalypse Publications have meticulously restored and revised Vicious for the first time since its original publication THE EVIL: It was an obscene evil that could not be quenched with blood or sated with the flesh of its defiled victims.THE TERROR: It wormed its way into the human brain, devouring the mind, controlling the body and turning its prey into savage creatures lusting for destruction.THE METAMORPHOSIS: Its only outward sign was the grotesque metamorphosis of its victim's hand into a gnarled, four-fingered claw-a claw whose razor-sharp nails dealt death with the precision of a stiletto.THE SEARCH: It was unconquerable in its mindless violence, supreme in its viciousness, and as elusive as a foul wind. Only reporters Dorothy Hunter and James Radley even guessed at its existence. They had to find it before it grew stronger...before it grew hungrier...before it found them.This Special Edition features a brand-new introduction by William Schoell.

William Schoell's sixth novel returns to print, meticulously restored and revised by the author for the first time since its original publication He is Hell-Born.Fear of war gripped the heart of young naval recruit Steven Russell. It gnawed at his innards, screamed at him from every New York newspaper, blasted at him from the radio. Poet, dreamer, visionary... he saw a future of blood and bombs... spattered bodies... severed limbs. No stranger to the occult, he took the ultimate survival measure: Steven Russell sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for the promise that he would live through World War II. Kissing his bride goodbye, he sailed off with a knowing smile... but the Devil had the last laugh.He is Arisen.For over forty years, Marjorie Russell has pined for her husband who fell in the thundering attack on Pearl Harbor. Yet now, in haunting dreams, she can hear his voice... distant, eerie, beckoning. But Steven went down to the sea in death... or did he?And he will not be stopped.Marjorie Russell is searching for the truth. And a numbing nightmare of diabolical terror is just beginning.This Special Edition features a brand-new introduction by William Schoell.

William Schoell's eighth novel returns to print, meticulously restored and revised by the author for the first time since its original publication They called it "porodyne."A bizarre by-product of bio-engineering, porodyne has been found-quite accidentally-to have some very special properties. Properties that could render cosmetic surgery obsolete. Properties that could turn Barrows Industries into a billion-dollar gold mine.The changes porodyne makes in human skin are permanent. It could mean new life for burn victims, people scarred by accidents, old folk yearning to be young again, models who insist on being more beautiful...But the miracles it promises its first human test subjects rely on one all-important-and totally unpredictable-element: their desire to become beautiful. And if beauty results from beautiful thoughts-what unnatural horrors must await those consumed by evil?This Special Edition features a brand-new introduction by William Schoell.

William Schoell's fifth novel returns to print, meticulously restored and revised by the author for the first time since its original publication It appeared mysteriously, at night, and destroyed the town with amazing swiftness. Houses were flattened, the bodies of men, women, and children were crushed and mangled, hundreds were missing, vanished without a trace. No one knew what had happened or why.Years later, the sole survivor of the holocaust, Tom Bartlett, began to suffer blinding visions-visions of a huge creature unparalleled in size, intelligence, and evil. He was frightened, but something was calling him back to the ruins of his boyhood home. He was the only man alive who had even guessed at the creature's existence, and he knew he must find it before it struck again. What he didn't know was that while he was searching for the beast, it was searching for him...This Special Edition features a brand-new introduction by William Schoell.

William Schoell's second novel returns to print, meticulously restored and revised by the author for the first time since its original publication Deep beneath the city streets lurks a creature hideous beyond description, powerful beyond imagining, a creature so dangerous that it can destroy its victims by the virulence of its thoughts. The emanations of its computer-like brain invade every sanctuary, searching for those it would destroy. It is remorseless, cunning and inhuman. The pitiful human weaklings it has chosen as prey shudder with terror and disgust, but there is no escape from the ultimate torture that is far worse than death, unless...This Special Edition features a brand-new introduction by William Schoell.

Originally published in 1984 as Spawn of Hell and now published under the author's intended and preferred title, William Schoell and Encyclopocalypse Publications have meticulously restored and revised his debut for the first time since its original publication Such a peaceful little town......Or so it appears when David Hammond and Anna Braddon arrive in Milbourne, Connecticut where the horribly mutated body of Anna's brother has been discovered. Nobody knows what caused Jeffrey's death, or the mysterious disappearance of other townspeople over a period of time. Only one local man has the courage to seek the truth, and in a subterranean cavern beneath Milbourne's quiet streets, he has come face to face with a horror beyond description. But he can never share his dreadful knowledge, for the sight has driven him insane...It is David who finally stumbles onto the true nature of the evil creatures, and despite his fear, he knows it is up to him to destroy the things himself, as well as the bizarre conspiracy against mankind of which they form a hideous part.This Special Edition features a brand-new introduction by William Schoell.

A novel of unprecedented terror by William Schoell, meticulously restored and revised by the author for the first time since its original publication Photographer Eddie Drake had expected a challenge when he joined the archaeological expedition to the lost city of El Lobo, but he was unprepared for the bizarre terrors that lurked beneath the Mexican mesa.The deeper the party descended into the ruins, the more unbelievably horrifying it became. Huge slug-like monsters with a hunger for flesh left trails of slime and blood through the hellish labyrinth, but the greatest terror was yet to come, as the men realized with growing panic that the cavern walls were actually composed of living flesh...This Special Edition features a brand-new introduction by William Schoell.

One of our most passionate and gifted actors, Al Pacino has been riveting audiences for decades with performances in everything from The Godfather to Angels in America to Danny Collins. He has also appeared on the stage, tackling such difficult roles as Richard III, King Herod and Shylock, along with parts in contemporary dramas like Glengarry Glen Ross. Pacino has also directed two documentaries and two feature films. Aspects of Pacino's private life and film choices can be controversial. Often accused of a lack of subtlety or of "chewing the scenery," his mesmeric intensity galvanizes fans and divides critics, as do his Shakespearean interpretations. In its completely revised second edition, this book critically reevaluates his many onscreen and onstage roles. Pacino is an actor who cannot be ignored.

From the Golden Age of the 1940s, through the Silver Age of the '60s, up until the early '80s--the end of the Bronze Age. Included are the earliest series, like American Comics Group's Adventures into the Unknown and Prize Comics' Frankenstein, and the controversial and gory comics of the '40s, such as EC's infamous and influential Tales from the Crypt. The resurgence of monster-horror titles during the '60s is explored, along with the return of horror anthologies like Dell Comics' Ghost Stories and Charlton's Ghostly Tales from the Haunted House. The explosion of horror titles following the relaxation of the comics code in the '70s is fully documented with chapters on Marvel's prodigious output--The Tomb of Dracula, Werewolf by Night and others--DC's anthologies--Witching Hour and Ghosts--and titles such as Swamp Thing, as well as the notable contributions of firms like Gold Key and Atlas. This book examines how horror comics exploited everyday terrors, and often reflected societal attitudes toward women and people who were different.

This work offers a critical, colorful and informative examination of different types of monster movies, spanning the silent period to today. Chapter One focuses on dragons, dinosaurs, and other scaly giants from films like 1953's The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, an impressive stop-motion production that ushered in a new era of atomic-spawned monster films. Chapter Two examines "big bug" flicks, beginning with 1954's giant ant-infested Them! Chapter Three focuses on ordinary animals grown to improbable proportions through scientific or sinister experimentation, such as the huge octopus in 1955's It Came from Beneath the Sea. Chapters Four, Five, and Six look at films in which nature goes berserk, and otherwise innocuous animals flock, swarm, hop or run about on a menacingly massive scale, including 1963's The Birds and 1972's Frogs. Finally, Chapter Seven focuses on films featuring beasts that defy easy definition, such as 1958's The Blob and Fiend Without a Face.

Documents the career and contributions of the popular film actor and director, describing his breakout performance in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, his activist role in support of endangered species conservation, and his relationships with Hollywood contemporaries.

In the late 1500s in Florence, aristocrats of the Renaissance renovated classical Greek dramas into dramatic musicals and gave birth to the first operas. After centuries of transformation, the opera is still appreciated as a historically dynamic paradigm of the fine arts. Composers of the twentieth century have worked hard to fashion a voice distinct from the romantic composers of the nineteenth century and the traditions that preceded them, and this volume explores the extent of their success. Beginning with a thorough introduction to the history of operatic forms and transformation, this book presents a comprehensive discussion of twentieth century opera. Giving ear to many composers and many styles--romantic and modern and assorted variations--the discussion includes such globally renowned composers as Strauss, Puccini, Prokofiev and Mascagni, as well as the esoteric works of less famous composers. Spanning as it does from Puccini's Tosca and Charpentier's Louise to Heggie's Dead Man Walking and Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles, twentieth century operatic form has something for every taste. The discussion is therefore structured chronologically and directed at exploring this complex diversity and ingenuity of twentieth-century styles. Examples from across the globe and firsthand commentary from contemporary operatic professionals complement the discussion. Concluding chapters comment upon the operatic presence in the twenty-first century and the future of operatic forms.