It Came From Hollywood sends us the Horror of the Blood Monsters pressbook, along with Paul’s reminiscence.
“A press book that is very close to my heart.
“Horror of the Blood Monsters was produced and distributed by Sam Sherman’s Independent-International Pictures. I-IP was created by Sam and Director Al Adamson (who passed in 1995.) Sam Sherman passed away on Monday, September 29, 2025, at the age of 85. I never met Sam Sherman in person, nor had I ever talked to the man via phone, but I felt a huge sense of loss when he passed away.
“I had toiled away, along with my fellow editors, on Sam’s book “When Dracula Met Frankenstein: My Years Making Drive-In Movies with Al Adamson” which was published in July of 2021.
“Starting around 2017, genre legend, and long-time Sam Sherman confidant, Tim Ferrante, gathered a gaggle of die-hard I-IP fans to aid in putting together a book based on Sam’s recollections and recorded audio-commentary tracks. This was a super-secret project and the lot of us were admonished to not share what we were working on, on any social media avenue, and we didn’t. Mostly because we had no free time to share what we were working on. The bulk of this book, Sam’s memories, literally took up all available free time within our group. From the start of the project to the end it encompassed about five years. But, for the group of us involved in putting the book together, the time it took to make it happen was not of concern. We all did it out of love for the I-IP films and our distinct appreciation, and admiration, for Sam Sherman.
“When the book was published in 2021, it did some brisk business but quickly fell by the wayside. Keep in mind, the book was released during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the book was competing for dollars that were going for essentials, etc. Even with the influx of government money sent to U.S. citizens, the book’s sales diminished.
“This has bothered me since then. Not because the clutch of us that had worked on the book would not be compensated, just the opposite. Sam Sherman, via Tim Ferrante, made sure we were all amply compensated when, in fact, we all had signed on to aid in this project sans any compensation. Tim Ferrante made sure his group of editors shared in the profits he himself was paid. The thing that bothered me was that Sam’s book did not receive its proper window to excel. After so many years of effort on the parts of all involved, Sam’s book went poof…among the thousands of other books available via Amazon.com during that time.
“This unforeseen glitch in history resulted in Sam’s book first reaching sales figures that, IMO, were appropriate with his legendary status, and then cascading into oblivion.
“Sam Sherman’s story, although published, would continue to struggle to find an audience.
“This continues to bother me on some level because, although Sam’s memories were published in that book, there was, at one time, talk about publishing a Volume 2, which would have included all of Sam’s stories that we (the editorial group) elected to excise due to available page count from the first book. This never came to be.
“Sam Sherman is now gone. He left his unmatched mark on cinematic history and the movies he and Al Adamson produced, and distributed, have stood the test of time. I got to know Sam Sherman by pouring over his written work, and editing his commentary tracks, during the making of his book. I feel strongly that I had a unique chance to know the man personally.
“If his book “When Dracula Met Frankenstein: My Years Making Drive-In Movies with Al Adamson” should be the last word on Sam Sherman, I am more than proud to have had a small hand in making that possible.
If you are interested in learning more about Sam Sherman, I-IP and the Editorial Staff that put together Sam Sherman’s book “When Dracula Met Frankenstein: My Years Making Drive-In Movies with Al Adamson”, it is still available for sale on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/When-Dracula-Met-Frankenstein-Drive/dp/B098L1MV71
ZC Note: I read the book. It’s one engrossing read that’s hard to put down. It is one of those books I finish reading quickly but hate when I reach the end. So that’s me and Paul saying it’s a damn good read and one you shouldn’t miss. I also want to reiterate that neither Paul or ZC gets moolah from Amazon. We want you to read the book because it’s well worth it.
