About Me

Smoldering Embers is a unique, day-to-day account of life on the set of a motion picture, chronicling the making of director Tobe Hooper's (THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, POLTERGEIST, LIFEFORCE) notorious film SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION. Here is an opportunity for the reader to meet the cast and crew of talented craftsmen, technicians and artisans and to follow their progress as they work together to realize Hooper's vision. Summarily dismissed or ignored in its initial release in 1990, Spontaneous Combustion has since enjoyed something of a resurgence in interest and appreciation. Starring Brad Dourif (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) and Melinda Dillon (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Hooper's dark tale of nuclear conspiracy and betrayal resonates now more than ever and Smoldering Embers provides a fascinating glimpse behind-the-scenes for anyone with an interest in the horror genre, Hooper's career in particular, or just filmmaking in general. Derived from a contemporaneous account composed during production on the film, the book not only serves as an invaluable research tool for academics and film students alike, but also provides a window into Hooper's working methods and an entertaining glimpse into the fascinating craft of moviemaking.

Author Stan Giesea takes a deep dive into the making of one of Tobe Hooper’s least well-known movies with intimate knowledge of the process. It’s a loving, intricate portrait into how the horror icon created an everlasting legacy of horror, in knowing detail. - filmmaker and novelist Mick Garris (The Stand, Sleepwalkers)