True Indie

August 20, 2018
This autobiography from filmmaker Coscarelli, director of such cult classics as The Beastmaster and Bubba Ho-Tep, reflects its author perfectly: it’s an engaging, eager-to-please piece of work. Most of the book is dedicated to production histories of Coscarelli’s films, shown here as family affairs; his dad provided financing for his 1976 debut, Story of a Teenager, and his mom pulled triple duty on Phantasm, his 1979 breakout hit, by cooking for the cast, sewing costumes, and doing makeup. Coscarelli proves a natural storyteller on the page as well as the screen, and it’s evident that the stories he shares have been told and retold over many years. He takes special delight in describing, at length, the creation of “the ball,” a chrome sphere that menaces the heroes of Phantasm and its four sequels, as well as the finer points of the 1971 Plymouth ’Cuda driven throughout the series. The book loses a little steam near the end, with less attention paid to the final Phantasm film, though, in fairness, Coscarelli ceded its direction to other hands. His conversational prose style is straightforward and unadorned, but it readily communicates the director’s signature trait—his enthusiasm, which is as charming as it is infectious. Agent: Alyssa Reuben, Paradigm Agency.

October 1, 2018

Horror maven and director Coscarelli (Phantasm; The Beastmaster) recounts his experiences in the Hollywood system (or, at least, with one foot in it) and outside of it, where he spent the majority of his career. When he was 19, he and his friend Craig Mitchell sold their first movie to a major studio, received a tiny office on the lot, and were too green to be intimidated by shrewd Universal mogul Sid Sheinberg. When Coscarelli realized that he would have to secure his own financing to keep making movies, he did just that. In great detail, he recounts the challenges and joys of having a career on his own terms, a rare feat in the industry. The director's ingenuity, DIY ethos, and enthusiasm will motivate aspiring filmmakers. VERDICT Fans of the author's cult films will particularly appreciate the behind-the-scenes chapters, while general readers will enjoy this wunderkind's journey from Long Beach to Hollywood.--Amanda Westfall, Emmet O'Neal P.L., Mountain Brook, AL

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 15, 2018
Independent filmmaker Coscarelli writes, Making a no-budget indie film is like going to war. The director of The Beastmaster, Phantasm, and Bubba Ho-Tep, among other independently financed movies, knows whereof he speaks. This hugely entertaining autobiography takes us from the author's childhood (his passion for making movies dates back to his school days) right up to the present (from which vantage point the veteran filmmaker winces at some of the mistakes he once made). He takes us behind the scenes of Phantasm, the 1979 horror movie that put him on the indie map; shows us the on- and off-set friction that threatened to shut down The Beastmaster (1982), which was a box-office failure but became a cult sensation, thanks to repeated airings on HBO and TBS; and recounts the battles with his crew that made filming his first feature, 1976's Jim, the World's Greatest, such a valuable learning experience. In the world of independent film, Coscarelli is nothing short of a legend because he's been able to do what few indie filmmakers have: enjoy a long career making the movies he wants to make, the way he wants to make them. Not just a fine life story, this is also one of the best books you'll ever read about indie filmmaking.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)