I have recently started reading a BADASS novel called "Flicker" by Theordore Roszak (which I found out about in the "Book of Lists: Horror" edited by Amy Wallace, Del Howison, and Scott Bradley), which is a horror-ish novel about movies: particularly about a director who made horror movies which are somehow connected to vast evil and conspiracies lying at the heart of cinema itself going into Lovecraft territory and Knights Templar and all that. 

Then, farting around in the internet I disovered two other novels -- horror-ish novels -- which in some way had something to do with horror movies: "Crimson Orgy" by Austin Williams and "The  Horror Show" by Greg Kihn. The first apparently is about the making of a grade Z splatter flick -- something like "Blood Feast" -- which eventually devolves into a snuff movie or something like that. "The Horror Show" is somewhat akin to the Ed Wood story, being about a crap-tastic horror director hooking up with a has-been junkie ex-horror movie star who then proceed to make some more crappy movies. I promptly ordered both books.

I also read Ramsey Campbell's "Ancient Images" a few years back and it was pretty cool. The premise was that a long lost horror movie was discovered staring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, and the mystery of its supression. The premise captured me for sure. I LOVE Bela Lugosi movies (and Karloff too, of course).

This got me thinking about horror books about horror movies -- or, at least -- books that are in some way framed around "horror movies."

I am trying to compile a list of such books and short stories. Here is what I have so far...

1) "Flicker" by Theodore Roszak
2) "The Drive-In" by Joe R. Lansdale
3) "Silver Scream" edited by David Schow
4) "Ancient Images" by Ramsey Campbell
5) "Stephen Romano's 'Shock Festival'" by Stephen Romano
6) "Crimson Orgy" by Austin WIilliams
and
7) "The Horror Show" by Greg Kihn

What else you got?

Wow. I only know my wish list just grew by a few books!! Crap, now I am going to end up spending at leat an hour researching horror books about horror movies.  :-)

A few years ago I read a book called Scream Queen by Edo Van Belkom.  I too have added a few more books to my wl/rl list!

I am currently about half way through "Flicker" and it is, seriously, insanely cool. It is supposedly going to be made into a movie by Darren Aronofsky (who did "The Wrestler," "PI," and "Requiem for a Dream") with the script adapted by the guy who adapted "Fight Club" for David Fincher. However, I think the film is stalled or something because he isn't going to do it at least until after 2010. 

That's Ok though because it seems to be an unfilmable type of book. It would take a miracle to pull it off.

"The Drive-In" by Joe R. Lansdale is just about the best thing ever. Do whatever it takes to get this book. There are two sequels -- "The Drive-in 2" and "3;" the second is good but lesser than 1, and I haven't managed to find 3 yet. It is probably one of the craziest books I've ever read. Just damn fun, too. Lansdale is one of my favorite authors.

"Silver Scream" is the BEST horror anthology I've ever read. And ever story has to do with movies and horror movies. It is essential reading. I loved it. 

"Ancient Images" was a bit of a let down for me. But how could the premise of an evil lost Bela Lugosi/ Boris Karloff movie live up to my fevered imagination. 

As for "Stephen Roman's 'Shock Festival,'" you will never EVER find it on this website, cause no one in their right mind would ever give their copy up. It is the best thing EVER. It is a big, gorgeous hardcover filled with gorgeous, sleezy horror and exploitation posters and paragraphs about the films and their directors and all that stuff -- the catch is, none of these movies are real. They are all fake. The whole book is fiction! But it is one of the best books about horror/ exploitation movies I've read. And, if you read all the paragraphs, a story starts to unfold...

I haven't read "Crimson Orgy" yet or "The Horror Show," but I will before the summer is over. 

Dang it, now I am going to have to go scour this awesome little used book shop I found that usually has some pretty decent horror titles!

 I just read Flicker recently too. It's one of my favorites now.

I remember thinking "The Horror Show" might be something I'd like to read.  When I realized that the author was the same Greg Kihn from the Greg Kihn Band, it made me want to read it more.

Did anyone read it yet?