 Genuinely captivating memoir of fifty years working as an indie filmmaker Even if you’ve never heard of Don Coscarelli, anyone with a serious interest in independent and low budget filmmaking will be captivated by his charming, informative, and good-natured autobiography. As the book moves through his life Don does provide some background family material, but the book does focus more heavily on his filmmaking than personal life. Covering key areas such as the problems in raising money and financing, how to retain artistic control when a big studio is involved and the importance of film distribution are all fascinating topics for discussion. As Coscarelli has been making films since the mid-1970s it is a truly wide-reaching account which takes us through the films he made before he turned to horror, the videotape boom and the eventual importance of the internet in discovering the genuine love for his cult horror series “Phantasm” for which he is probably best known. If you’ve never watched a “Phantasm” film (or watched and hated!) be rest assured you can still enjoy this book. It is presented with very short chapters and had a superb balance of film observations, reflective lookbacks, coupled with a real sense of humour and honest “what might have been” moments. For example, it turned out Brad Pitt auditioned for one of the major parts in “Phantasm 2” but nobody could remember it until Brad did indeed confirm it! It was also lovely to read of instances where the filmmaker admits, “you know what? I probably got that wrong” a particularly funny one was when Coscarelli suggested to Quentin Tarantino that he cut the iconic opening scene in “Reservoir Dogs” when they’re all sitting in the restaurant talking about Madonna amongst other things. How wrong Don was, but at least he admitted it! The voice throughout the memoir comes across as honest, endearing and both totally down to earth and totally at ease with himself. There were so many lovely anecdotes they are far too many to mention, but the sequence when he was involved in “Silver Bullet” (based on Stephen King’s “Cycle of the Werewolf”) was particularly entertaining, a project he was eventually fired from. However, he did get to meet Stephen King, Coscarelli notes that when he was about to bumble a self-conscious compliment to King on his work but Stephen skilfully turned the conversation around, saying how much he enjoyed the “Phantasm” films instead. It was refreshing to read an autobiography where the author did not bitch about anyone, when things did not go his way, he simply accepted it as part of the job. Don and Marc Singer did not particularly see eye-to-eye when they were making “Beast Master” and even though there was friction, Don does not criticise Singer in the book. I found this all very refreshing. The blurb of “True Indie” has very kind words from JJ Abrams who was involved in the recent restoration of the “Phantasm” films, Rob Zombie, David Wong and the cult film actor Bruce Campbell. “Bubba Ho-Tep” famously starred Campbell as an aging Elvis Presley, living in a retirement home who has to fight a demon. The sequences involving Campbell are truly fascinating and if you ever thought b-movie actors were only in it for the money, think again. Have you ever asked yourself why there was no sequel to “Bubba Ho-Tep 2” even though Coscarelli wrote a script which also involved original author Joe Lansdale? Campbell refused to make another film, mainly because he thought a sequel might tarnish the reputation of the original which has built a cult following in the years since it was released. Initially this film might have been a failure, it was rejected by many film festivals, had distribution problems and Bruce Campbell helped save it by appearing all over the place until it picked up momentum and positive press. This maverick and hands-on attitude to filmmaking permeates throughout the entire book and was lovely to read about. In some ways “True Indie” was reminiscent of Bruce Campbell’s own superb autobiography “If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-movie Actor” or if we go even further back it recalled Roger Corman’s “How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime” which are written with the same happy go lucky spirit and also full of insightful film observations. Coscarelli makes excellent use of hindsight in regard to his filmmaking and how he might do things differently these days. Because of the advances in technology in filmmaking he reckons an indie film can easily be made for $100,000 and turn a profit whereas in previous decades the sum would have been much higher, he himself quoted $1,000,000 as a ballpark figure. The trials of dangerous filming basic scenes and stunts with the clunky 1970s equipment in the original “Phantasm” were testament to that, which a couple of decades later the same special effects could be achieved on a laptop for peanuts. His battles with special effects, with minimal budgets, particularly the deadly flying “Phantasm” spheres, was a fascinating read. As a filmmaker Coscarelli has probably revisited the “Phantasm” films too many times for my personal tate, although it was still wonderful to read about them. I am old enough to recall the glory-days of “Phantasm 2” having a big release on home-video in the UK and at the time $3,000,000 was a huge budget for what was effectively a low-budget horror film. In subsequent sequels the budget has dwindled, and to be frank, it showed in the final product. But whatever your opinion on the “Phantasm” films they have earned their place in horror film folklore. Although Angus Scrimm was in lots of television and films he will forever be known as ‘The Tall Man’ from the “Phantasm” films. He and Don Coscarelli had a friendship that lasted many decades and even when he was elderly and too infirm to travel Angus would deliberately phone Don whilst he was at fan conventions and put on his ‘Tall Man’ voice. The audience loved it and the men remained very close until his death in 2016 which is sensitively covered in the book. “True Indie” is full of lovely stories such as this and if you ever wondered why a director might only make twelve or thirteen films in a forty-year career Don Coscarelli explains it perfectly: in indie filmmaking you have to do everything yourself. From writing and selling your script, then getting the film made and edited, before eventual distribution. Amazingly, Don even turned down some very big directing gigs down the years including “Conan the Destroyer” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. One must applaud Don Coscarelli for his fighting spirit, which really shines through in the book, plenty of others would have given up the dream and got an office job. Why? His first two films were released by different studios who ultimately ignored their product mainly because they found they had bigger fish to fry. Firstly “Jaws” arrived and then lightning really did strike twice with “Star Wars”. This was an energetic, thoughtful and uplifting look inside the cut-throat indie film business and his many brushes with Hollywood. Don Coscarelli almost makes it sound like fun! If you ever see him, just don’t imply “Beast Master” is a “Conan” rip-off. You’ll piss him off. Finally, when you next watch Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” watch out for the “Phantasm” Easter Egg film joke! I saw that flick on the cinema with my daughter and I’m damned if I can remember it… 5/5 Tony Jones  Best known for his horror/sci-fi/fantasy films including Phantasm, The Beastmaster, Bubba Ho-tep and John Dies at the End, now Don Coscarelli's taking you on a white-knuckle ride through the rough and tumble world of indie film. Join Coscarelli as he sells his first feature film to Universal Pictures and gets his own office on the studio lot while still in his teens. Travel with him as he chaperones three out-of-control child actors as they barnstorm Japan, almost drowns actress Catherine Keener in her first film role, and transforms a short story about Elvis Presley battling a four thousand year-old Egyptian mummy into a beloved cult classic film. Witness the incredible cast of characters he meets along the way from heavy metal god Ronnie James Dio to first-time filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary. Learn how breaking bread with genre icons Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter and Guillermo Del Toro leads to a major cable series and watch as he and zombie king George A. Romero together take over an unprepared national network television show with their tales of blood and horror. This memoir fits an entire film school education into a single book. It's loaded with behind-the-scenes stories: like setting his face on fire during the making of Phantasm, hearing Bruce Campbell's most important question before agreeing to star in Bubba Ho-tep, and crafting a horror thriller into a franchise phenomenon spanning four decades. Find out how Coscarelli managed to retain creative and financial control of his artistic works in an industry ruled by power-hungry predators, and all without going insane or bankrupt. True Indie will prove indispensable for fans of Coscarelli's movies, aspiring filmmakers, and anyone who loves a story of an underdog who prevails while not betraying what he believes. 
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