William Peter Blatty

Mark Kermode

The Ninth Configuration is set in a remote castle which the US government is using as a military asylum. A Marine Corps psychiatrist with a crisis of faith encourages his patients to enact their fantasies as part of their therapy. However, he proves himself to be more deeply disturbed than at first appears and finally sacrifices himself to save one of his patients.

The Ninth Configuration

This title is the hilarious follow-up to the bestselling 'It's Only a Movie'. It is a no-holds-barred account of all that is great and all that is terrible about cinema.

What's Wrong with Modern Movies?

The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex

Once upon a time there were professional film makers and professional critics. They didn't always agree, but there was a mutual respect. It is very different now. Starting with the celebrated TV fight between Ken Russell and Alexander Walker (the former hit the latter with a rolled up copy of his Evening Standard review!) and ending with his own admission to Steven Spielberg of a major error of judgement, Mark Kermode takes us on a journey across the modern cinematic landscape. We are all critics now and, as the professional role diminishes, the democratic opportunities of the internet have created a new monster. Relying on speed of response, rather than considered reaction, these new critics have stolen the thunder of their paid up counterparts. But there is a dark side, the shocking deceptions hidden behind the facade of our digital world's new and supposedly democratic alternative, "the honest, unmediated audience response". Mark questions the future of any and all genuinely impartial criticism when reviews are systemically corrupted by bribery, vote-rigging, cyber-stalking, and sock-puppetry. And he asks that crucial question, what kind of films would we have if we listened to what the audience thinks it wants? Like its predecessor, The Good, The Bad & The Multiplex, Hatchet Job blends historical analysis with trenchant opinion, bitter personal prejudices, autobiographical diversions and anecdotes, and laugh-out-loud cynical humour. It's the perfect book for anyone who's ever expressed an opinion about a movie.

Love Movies, Hate Critics

Hatchet Job

Simon Mayo

Whatever your ailment, the nation's best-loved film experts have the perfect cinematic prescription for you, whether it's a course of the Coens or a dose of Die Hard. And they're ready to cure the movies to,, taking their scalpels to bloated blockbusters and warning of the ill effects of overpraise. Where medical ignorance and movie expertise meet - the surgery of Doctors Kermode and Mayo is now open.

The Movie Doctors

An account of one of the most popular films of all time- a true and unexpected audience favourite

The Shawshank Redemption

Silent Running

A Life of Musical Misadventures

How Does It Feel?

Following a formative encounter with the British pop movie Slade in Flame in 1975, Mark Kermode decided that musical superstardom was totally attainable. And so, armed with a homemade electric guitar and very little talent, he embarked on an alternative career - a chaotic journey which would take him from the halls and youth clubs of North London to the stages of Glastonbury, the London Palladium and The Royal Albert Hall. Hilarious, self-deprecating and blissfully nostalgic, this is a riotous account of a bedroom dreamer's attempts to conquer the world armed with nothing more than a chancer's enthusiasm and a simple philosophy: how hard can it be?

Film critic and broadcaster, Mark Kermode, has written a forthright account of a life lived in film. From his favourite movies to rants against Pirates of the Caribbean, and the current resurgence of 3D, there are spirited defences of Hannah Montana and Mamma Mia.

Reel Life Adventures of a Film Obsessive

It's Only a Movie

If blockbusters make money no matter how bad they are, then why not make a good one for a change? How can 3-D be the future of cinema when it's been giving audiences a headache for over a hundred years? Why pay to watch films in cinemas that don't have a projectionist but do have a fast-food stand? And, in a world where Sex and the City 2 was a hit, what are film critics even for? Outspoken, opinionated and hilariously funny, The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex is a must for anyone who has ever sat in an undermanned, overpriced cinema and wondered: 'How the hell did things get to be this terrible?'

The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex

Inspired by an alleged real case of demonic possession in 1949,The Exorcistbecame an international phenomenon. A blockbusting adaptation of a best-selling novel, it was praised as deeply spiritual by the Catholic Church while being picketed by the Festival of Light and branded satanic by the evangelist Billy Graham. Banned on video in the UK for fifteen years, the film still retains an extraordinary power to shock and startle. The second edition of Mark Kermode'sExorcistvolume has now been updated and expanded; its publication completes a journey of discovery begun by the author in 1997. The new edition documents the deletion and recovery of key scenes that have now been re-integrated into the film to createThe Exorcist: The Verson You've Never Seen.Candid interviews with director William Friedkin and writer/producer William Peter Blatty reveal the behind-the-scenes battles which took place during the production. In addition, exclusive stills reveal the truth about the legendary subliminal images allegedly lurking within the celluloid.

The Exorcist

How did a low-key prison movie which was considered a box-office flop on its original release become one of the most popular movies of all time? Mark Kermode traces the history of this unexpected audience favourite from the pages of Stephen King's novella 'Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption', through the icy corridors of Ohio's Mansfield Reformatory (whose imposing gothic architecture dominates the film), to the television and video screens on which 'The Shawshank Redemption' became a phenomenon. This study traces the history of 'The Shawshank Redemption' and draws on interviews with writer/director Frank Darabont and leading players Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The book also explores the near-religious fervour that the film inspires in a huge number of devoted fans.

A visually stunning and heartfelt riposte to the emotional sterility of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Douglas Trumbull's eco-themed Silent Running (1972) became one of the defining science-fiction films of the seventies. Bruce Dern excels as lonely hero Freeman Lowell, cast adrift in deep space with three robotic 'Drones' who become his 'amazing companions' on a journey 'beyond imagination'. Mark Kermode, writing on his favourite science fiction film of all time, traces Trumbull's sentimental masterpiece from its roots in the counter-culture of the sixties to its enduring appeal as a cult classic in the 21st century. Drawing on a new interview with Trumbull, Kermode examines both the technical and thematic elements of this uniquely moving space adventure, which continues to be mirrored and imitated by film-makers today. This special edition features original cover artwork by Olly Moss.

First published in 1997 by the British Film Institute. Second edition published in 1998; revised second edition published in 2003. This edition published in 2020 by Bloomsbury on behalf of the British Film Institute.

Inspired by an alleged real case of demonic possession in 1949, The Exorcist became an international phenomenon on its release in 1973. A blockbusting adaptation of a best-selling novel, it was praised as 'deeply spiritual' by some sections of the Catholic Church while being picketed by the Festival of Light and branded 'Satanic' by the evangelist Billy Graham. Banned on video in the UK for nearly fifteen years, the film still retains an extraordinary power to shock and startle. Mark Kermode's compelling study of this horror classic was originally published in 1997, and then extensively updated and expanded in 2003 to incorporate the discovery of new material. This revised edition documents the deletion and reinstatement of key scenes that have now been integrated into the film to create The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen. Candid interviews with director William Friedkin and writer/producer William Peter Blatty reveal the behind the-scenes battles which took place during the production. In addition, exclusive stills reveal the truth about the legendary 'subliminal images' allegedly lurking within the celluloid.

Mark Kermode

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