Oh, Warriors fans! Come out and reeeeead! Get all the behind-the-scenes stories about the classic action movie in Armies of the Night: “The Warriors” and Its Legacy, a hardcover book coming from 1984 Publishing in October. Get all the details about the book below! Take it with you to Coney Island for extra points!
New York, NY—On October 21, 1984 Publishing unveils Armies of the Night: “The Warriors”
and Its Legacy, a definitive hardcover that pulls back the curtain on the raw, unflinching
impact of the landmark genre film The Warriors.
When The Warriors stormed onto screens in 1979, it shocked critics, packed theaters, and ignited
fierce controversy. Walter Hill’s visionary tale of gang warfare wasn’t just another action flick—it
shattered genre conventions. Hated and hailed in equal measure, the film transcended its
tumultuous debut to become a cultural phenomenon. Decades later, The Warriors remains an
influential classic, spawning spin-offs across multiple media and capturing the gritty essence of
late-1970s New York City like no other movie.
Yet the true story behind The Warriors is as electrifying as the film itself. Armies of the Night traces
its journey from Sol Yurick’s groundbreaking 1965 novel to a daring screenplay overhaul, through a
chaotic production filled with real gang confrontations and the loss of a lead actor mid-shoot, and
into the eye of a public firestorm. How did a movie with surprisingly little graphic violence ignite
such a social uproar? And how did it emerge from controversy to become a beloved generational
touchstone?
Genre authors Michael Gingold (Fangoria, Ad Nauseam) and Chris Poggiali (These Fists Break
Bricks, Temple of Schlock) dive into these questions and more. Featuring exclusive interviews with
cast and crew, extensive vintage reportage, and dozens of rare photos and promotional images,
Armies of the Night delivers the definitive, untold story behind a film that took the streets by
storm—and reshaped mainstream culture.
“Back when we were kids, The Warriors was a movie with a dangerous rep: You would literally be
taking your life in your hands if you went to see it,” say Gingold and Poggiali. “Of course, that made
us want to see it all the more, and once we both caught up with it on home video years later, we
were surprised at how much fun it is, and not the ultraviolent horror show we’d been led to believe.
We also became fascinated by how a film in which the violence is far more stylized than bloody
created so much concern. Discovering the details of that story—and those of the tempestuous
production that resulted in a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience—over the course of writing this
book has been a revelation, and we’re very excited to be ‘sending the word’ out to readers when
Armies of the Night bops its way into a bookstore near you. Can you dig it?”
Armies of the Night will debut in a first edition hardcover. The book’s cover illustration and end
pages were designed by Hagcult, who previously worked with 1984 Publishing on Clark Collis’
acclaimed You’ve Got Red on You: How Shaun of the Dead Came to Life, plus on artwork for
officially-licensed Halloween and Vampira merchandise.
Authors Michael Gingold and Chris Poggiali will sign copies of Armies of the Night at several
screenings of The Warriors this summer and fall. Scheduled appearances include:
● September 21: Double feature 35mm screening of The Warriors and Switchblade Sisters at
the Mahoning Drive-In (Lehighton, PA)
● October 21: On the book’s official release date, Gingold and Poggiali will host a special
presentation of The Warriors at Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn (Prospect Park location)
Additional events will be announced in the coming weeks.
The hardbound first edition of Armies of the Night will be available worldwide at all major
booksellers and local bookstores. These include Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop in the
US; Amazon and Waterstones in the UK; and Amazon and Indigo in Canada. Wholesale inquiries
can be directed to Ingram (US and UK), PGC (Canada), New South (Australia), Baker & Taylor,
Bookazine, and more.
About MICHAEL GINGOLD: Michael Gingold began writing about movies as a teenager, editing and publishing the fanzine Scareaphanalia. He has been a writer and editor for Fangoria magazine since 1988 and its website since 2000. He is also a regular contributor to Rue Morgue magazine and Rue-morgue.com, Delirium magazine, and Inverse.com, and has written for Birth.Movies.Death and Time Out New York in print and on-line, Scream magazine, and IndieWire.com. Michael is the author of the Ad Nauseam and Ad Astra books (1984 Publishing), the novelization of Nightmare (Severin), and The FrightFest Guide to Monster Movies (FAB Press). He has directed documentaries and other bonus features, written liner notes, and taken part in audio commentaries for Blu-ray releases from Arrow Video, Severin Films, Vinegar Syndrome, Synapse Films, Shout! Factory, Blue Underground, Mondo Macabro and others, including the award-winning doc Twisted Tale: The Unmaking of “Spookies” for Vinegar Syndrome.
About CHRIS POGGIALI: Chris Poggiali is the co-author (with Grady Hendrix) of These Fists Break Bricks: How Kung Fu Movies Swept America and Changed the World (Running Press, 2025). He is a librarian, film historian and Rondo-nominated writer who edited the fanzine Temple of Schlock from 1987-1991, and brought it back as a blog in 2008. He has written for Turner Classic Movies, Cinema Retro, Fangoria, Rue Morgue, HorrorHound, Shock Cinema, Filmfax, The Phantom of the Movies’ Videoscope, Delirium, Deep Red, Eastern Heroes, and other magazines and websites. His essays, commentaries and additional special features have appeared on DVD/Bluray releases from Kino Lorber, Shout! Factory, Vinegar Syndrome, Arrow Films, Severin Films, Synapse Films, 88
Films, Eureka Entertainment, Mondo Macabro, Something Weird Video, and other companies.
About 1984 PUBLISHING: 1984 Publishing brings premium, hardbound pop culture books to bookshelves worldwide. Its previous releases include Clark Collis’ You’ve Got Red on You: How Shaun of the Dead Was Brought to Life, Max Evry’s A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune, and two coffee table books on “Weird Al” Yankovic: Lights, Camera, Accordion! (2022) and Black & White & Weird All Over (2020). Founder Matthew Chojnacki wrote three award-winning art books of his own, Alternative Movie Posters: Film Art from the Underground (volumes I and II), plus the ’80s vinyl cover art book Put the Needle on the Record. Chojnacki also co-produced several documentaries, including Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street, 24 x 36: A Movie about Movie Posters, Justin Pearson’s Don’t Fall in Love with Yourself, and 30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story.
