Book Review: Mondo Macabro

January is Trash Cinema Month at the PorPor Books Blog

Book Review: 'Mondo Macabro' by Pete Tombs

 

'Mondo Macabro' (192 pp.) first was published as a trade paperback in the UK in October, 1997. A U.S. trade paperback edition (below) was released in December 1998. There also is a Kindle edition available.

'Mondo' is one of two volumes on trash / exploitation / cult cinema authored by Tombs, the other being the immortal 'Immoral Tales.' 

 

'Mondo' is affiliated with the 'Mondo Macabro' website, founded by Tombs and Andy Starke, that sells exotic DVDs. 

One thing that stands out: 'Mondo' is not easy on the eyes of the elderly, with a font that must be 4 point at its largest. I needed reading glasses for this book. That's how life is, when you're an old fart........

While 'Immoral Tales' focused on European trash cinema, with an emphasis on horror films, 'Mondo' takes a look at cinema in other continents and hemispheres. So in the pages of 'Mondo' you'll read about films made in South America, South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific. And while some of the profiled films are horror, there also is coverage of melodramas, comedies, softcore porn, and science fiction.

As with 'Immoral,' Tombs understands he is writing for a 90% male audience, so the pages of 'Mondo' heavily are salted with black-and-white stills designed to appeal to the that demographic.

The films of Japan and Hong Kong get the most plentiful treatment, with three chapters each.

Contributor Giovanni Scognamilla assists Tombs with an overview of strange films from Turkey, while Diego Curubeto contributes a chapter on Argentine cinema, and Mexico is handled by David Wilt. These contributors, and Pete Tombs, recognize that they're writing for trash film fans, not academics, so the book's prose is straightforward and devoid of pretense.

At the time of its publication, 'Mondo' offered insights into films that otherwise were difficult to view. In the ensuing 29 years the internet has corrected this barrier, and now it's possible to see many of the films via YouTube or other portals. For me, this meant that some of the book's contents turn out, with the passage of time, to be a bit underwhelming. This is true of the chapter that Tombs devotes to Brazilian director and actor Jose Mojica Marins, aka 'Coffin Joe,' aka 'Zé do Caixão.' Seeing Marins's films at YouTube reveals that they are low, low budget enterprises, static and talky, and (in my opinion, at least) don't live up to the accolades that Tombs gives them in 'Mondo.' 

And, I can’t say I was all that excited about the chapter on Bollywood films, but if you want to go in that direction, well, ‘Mondo Macabro’ has you covered. 

 

As is the case with 'Immoral Tales,' 'Mondo Macabro' features a color insert of stills and movie posters drawn from the profiled countries.

 

I’ll close with the common question: who will want a copy of ‘Mondo Macabro’ ? If you’re a dedicated fan of trash and exploitation cinema, then having a copy of the trade paperback (asking prices for which start at $30 on eBay) may be warranted. But all others likely can get by with the Kindle edition, which at $3 (last time I checked) is much more affordable. 

 

(A lengthy video review of 'Mondo Macabro' is available here)