It's Alive!: Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Movie Posters from the Kirk Hammett Collection

by Daniel Finamore (Editor), Steve Almond (Contribution by), Daniel Finamore (Contribution by), Joseph LeDoux (Contribution by)

Overview

One of the world’s premier collections of horror and sci-fi movie posters amassed, not altogether surprisingly, by the dark mind of Metallica’s lead guitarist, Kirk Hammett. Before Kirk Hammett assumed the heavy metal mantle of one of the most successful and beloved bands in rock history, he was a geek for the imaginative universe of horror. This generously illustrated book highlights the finest examples from Hammett’s personal collection—an astonishing trove of horror and sci-fi film posters that span the history of the genre. The guitarist credits his musical force to a lifelong fascination with the gothic fantasy developed in these films and their original posters. In this volume, several intriguing essays cover the history of the film poster, the brain’s response to fear, and Hammett’s own contributions to the world of the macabre.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780847860982
Publisher:	Rizzoli
Publication date:	08/08/2017
Pages:	120
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 12.10(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Daniel Finamore is the Russell W. Knight Curator of Maritime Art and History at the Peabody Essex Museum. Joseph LeDoux is the Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science at New York University in the Center for Neural Science and directs the Emotional Brain Institute of New York University and the Nathan Kline Institute. Steve Almond’s essays appear regularly in publications including T Magazine and the Boston Globe.

Editorial Reviews

"Metalheads know him as the guitarist for Metallica, but Kirk Hammett also has quite a thing for horror. It’s Alive (Skira Rizzoli), shows off some of his collection—a splendid selection of some of the greatest film posters of the horror and sci-fi genres, from classics to cult faves, along with essays from experts about their significance as art and how they reflect on our larger issues and fears."
—Parade 

"The book combines oddities such as the aforementioned Caligari poster, Roland Coudon’s funeral procession tableaux for Frankenstein, and a Karoly Grosz Mummyposter that spotlights the film’s human cast members with a lot of more common promos for pictures such as Dracula’s Daughter, Barbarella, Mystery of the Wax Museum, and Island of Lost Souls. Hammett favors pre-sixties posters, though there is a scattering of later day ones for movies such as Alien, Rosemary’s Baby, Blacula, and of course, It’s Alive. It’s an impressive collection."
—Psychobabble Blog

". . . 120 pages of images that feature the personal movie poster collection of Hammett, which include some of the most beautiful, obscure, rare, and/or famous sci-fi and horror posters that have ever been released."
—Dread Central 

"The book is a real visual treat and if you’re anyone like me it brings back many childhood and young adolescent memories."
—Boyce McClain Collector's Corner

"Kirk has just released his new book It’s Alive! showcasing his amazing collection of classic horror movie posters."
—FrightFind.com

"It’s Alive features the most iconic images ever made, revealing our unquenchable desire to mediate the realms of the unknown, where dark forces come to the light on a quest for dominance—and fail every time. Whether Frankenstein, Dracula, the Werewolf, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, aliens, zombies, or beasts and ghoul s of any kind, It’s Alive lovingly reflects on our rapacious desire to be scared time and again by the boogieman."
—Crave Online

"Kirk [Hammett] is showing is love affair with horror once again. His latest book, It’s Alive, features a look at some of the horror posters in his collection and features classic Universal monsters posters, cult classics, and even an assortment of modern cinema."
—Underland Online

". . . this handsomely designed book features emblematic posters for great genre films as well as rare and unusual images from around the world. "
—LeonardMaltin.com

From the Publisher