There was a sense of wonder and occasional disbelief when scouring the horror section of independent video stores during their heyday, coming across a vampire covered with bubbling, oozing flesh, or an eyeball laying on the ground still tethered to its socket by various icky tissues, or a head split in two, the tongue unfurled between the crevice like a Fruit Roll-up.

Graveface Publishing presents Justin Burning's debut book, HAND-HELD HELL, a morbidly curious look at 44 outrageous works of underground cinematic horror created during and inspired by the technological, cultural, and historical circumstances of the home-spun horror era, including in-depth interviews with 22 audacious filmmakers like Mark Polonia (Splatter Farm), Nathan Schiff (The Long Island Cannibal Massacre), Tim Ritter (Truth or Dare? A Critical Madness), Donald Farmer (Cannibal Hookers), Fred Vogel (August Underground), Brian Paulin (Bone Sickness), and Scott Schirmer (Found). The 376-page, full-color trade paperback is an irreverent tribute to gonzo DIY horror filmmaking, with an original cover illustration by Chad Keith.