Director Paul Bartel enjoyed poking holes in the expectations of audiences and critics with amusing films about murder, greed and transgressive sex—among them Death Race 2000 (1975), Eating Raoul (1982) and Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills (1989). He believed that strange stories that aroused laughter had the potential to disorient viewers and challenge their beliefs about American culture and values.

This first book-length study of Bartel's life and work traces his emergence as an independent auteur whose work was praised by Hollywood luminaries like Steven Spielberg, Jim Jarmusch and Brian De Palma. Bartel's experiences as a gay man are explored. Interviews with people who knew him—including Roger Corman, Joe Dante and John Waters—are provided, along with critical analysis of each film.