Hardcore Horror Cinema in the 21st Century represents the first scholarly book of its kind. It addresses the exemplars of hardcore horror which are Fred Vogel's August Underground trilogy, Shane Ryan's Amateur Porn Star Killer series and Lucifer Valentine's `vomit gore' films. The book begins by supplying a much needed definition and critical overview of the films before moving on to examine the key aesthetic convention of hardcore horror which is the pursuit of realist horror. Further chapters will address the production practices through to the exhibition and marketing strategies of hardcore horror via an in-depth interview with filmmaker Shane Ryan and will conclude with an account of audience reception with particular focus on fan interaction via the Internet.

The purpose of Hardcore Horror Cinema in the 21st Century is to re-examine this outcast strand of North American horror film to open up a wider cultural and critical platform for discussion of contemporary horror cinema. Hardcore horror is a marginalized adjunct to mainstream and commercial horror but provides an important and transformative, if disturbing and dangerous, addition if appreciation and understanding of the contemporary North American horror film is to be fully realized.