In the often dreary landscape of Hollywood"s blockbuster era, the cinema of Joe Dante has always stood out as a rare beacon of fearless originality. Blending humor with terror and trenchant political satire with sincere tributes to the moviegoing act itself, the "Dante touch" is best described as a free-for-all orgy of movies, memories and mischief. For the first time, this colourful universe - from Hollywood Boulevard to Gremlins to Small Soldiers and beyond - is comprehensively explored in an English language volume featuring a career-encompassing interview, new essays by Michael Almereyda, Jim Hoberman, Christoph Huber, Gabe Klinger, Violeta Kovacsics, Bill Krohn, Dušan Rebolj, John Sayles, and Mark Cotta Vaz, as well as a treasure trove of never-before-seen documents and illustrations.