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Uncanny Bodies: The Coming of Sound Film and the Origins of the Horror Genre Review

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Uncanny Bodies: The Coming of Sound Film and the Origins of the Horror Genre ReviewI read "Uncanny Bodies" because I am such a big fan of "Dracula" and "Frankenstein", the films that most of the text is committed to studying. However, I ended up learning a lot more than I bargained for about an era in film history that is often ignored -- the four years of transition between "The Jazz Singer" and the end of silent film production from the major studios. "Dracula" was made during the end of the transition era, and by the time "Frankenstein" was produced, Universal had ended all silent film production.
The book cites many primary sources and critical writing of the era to shed light on the uncertain responses of a 1931 viewer to the novelty of sound film, and does an excellent job supporting its thesis that the producers of "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" played off of their audience's experiences of early sound films to heighten the terror of the living dead who are threatening the protagonists. Well-written and accessible, while exhaustively researched and remaining very academic, Spadoni's book uses reception study to reveal a lot about the often hailed, derided, and misunderstood early horror masterpieces.Uncanny Bodies: The Coming of Sound Film and the Origins of the Horror Genre OverviewIn 1931 Universal Pictures released Dracula and Frankenstein, two films that inaugurated the horror genre in Hollywood cinema. These films appeared directly on the heels of Hollywood's transition to sound film. Uncanny Bodies argues that the coming of sound inspired more in these massively influential horror movies than screams, creaking doors, and howling wolves. A close examination of the historical reception of films of the transition period reveals that sound films could seem to their earliest viewers unreal and ghostly. By comparing this audience impression to the first sound horror films, Robert Spadoni makes a case for understanding film viewing as a force that can powerfully shape both the minutest aspects of individual films and the broadest sweep of film production trends, and for seeing aftereffects of the temporary weirdness of sound film deeply etched in the basic character of one of our most enduring film genres.

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Boris Karloff: A Gentleman's Life Review

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Boris Karloff: A Gentleman's Life ReviewMuch has been written about Boris Karloff in terms of the characters he played. Until now,very few have known, much less understood, Karloff's passion for the craft and vocation of acting, his profound work ethic, and the dedication, depth and humanity he brought to even his least celebrated roles. Until now, virtually nothing was known about the man's personal life and loves.
Scott Allen Nollen fills a deep gap in the legacy left to us by the distinguished British actor, who was instrumental in the establishment of the horror genre of film, the Screen Actors Guild, and even the popularization of television as an entertainment medium. And he does it beautifully.
"Boris Karloff: A Gentleman's Life" takes us behind the outlandish makeup jobs, the B-movie schtick and the "official" histories, to the place from which the essential humanity of Frankenstein's "creature" comes. It reveals a truly gentle - and genteel - soul, whose love for the theatre and for film was the source of both his greatest joys, and greatest sorrows.
This is a very important book for Karloff fans, film buffs, and readers who appreciate solid biography tastefully done. A breakthrough book for an emerging author whose time has come.Boris Karloff: A Gentleman's Life OverviewBeing able to know and work with Sara Jane Karloff on this project has been a highlight of my career.Hopefully this book is the most thorough, accurate and entertaining chronicle of her father, Boris Karloff''s, fascinating life.Perhaps a few Karloff mysteries have been solved.—Scott Allen Nollen

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Dwight Frye's Last Laugh Review

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Dwight Frye's Last Laugh ReviewI enjoyed this book a lot. It's very well written, and while reading it, I wished it'd go on forever. Frye was a remarkable actor, and deserved a better fate. So sad his life and career was cut short. (Shouldn't someone film this story ?.) I highly recommend the book, not just to Horror fans.Dwight Frye's Last Laugh OverviewDwight Frye's Last Laugh details the dramatic rise and fall of the actor who won immortality as the giggling Renfield of Dracula and the sadistic hunchback of Frankenstein.Authorized by Dwight's son Dwight David, the book includes detailed information of Frye's early stage work, his Broadway triumphs and his ghoulish typecasting in Hollywood-which ironically assured him a posthumous cult status among horror film disciples.

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Human Monsters: The Definitive Edition Review

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Human Monsters: The Definitive Edition ReviewHaving read Forgotten Horrors several times I was so looking forward to
this book and it didn't disappoint. Fans of George E. Turner and Michael
H. Price will know what to expect - loads of amazing film knowledge about
60 movies dealing with "human" monsters. I wasn't sure what to expect but
a quick glance at some of the titles I was familiar with and I knew.
Erich Von Stroheim's masterful performance as an egotistical ventriloquist
who eventually succumbs to madness in "The Great Gabbo" , an early
talkie psychological thriller - with about 7 musical numbers to appease
the public's insatiable (in 1929) desire for musicals. Lionel Atwill is
Eric Gorman, an insanely jealous zoologist, who is always thinking of new
ways to dispose of his wife's lovers, in "Murders in the Zoo" (1933) - the
first scene is unbelievable.
Women are also represented - Anne Baxter in the little known "Guest in the
House" (1944) - it was also known as "Satan in Skirts" - almost a dress
rehearsal for "All About Eve". She plays a "sweet" girl with a heart
condition taken in by her doctor's family - almost too late they realise
she is a psychopath (the audience cottons on much quicker). Laraine Day's
tour de force performance in "The Locket" (1946) - a film that critics and
the public found hard to understand at the time, told as a flashback within
a flashback within a flashback.
Every film has a detailed cast list, a synopsis and an essay about the
background of each film. The book also features films from all studios
major and minor, classics like "The Old Dark House" (1932), "Dragonwyck"
(1946) to unknowns like "Mystery Ranch" (1932), "Who is Hope Schuyler?"
(1942). There are some oddities - "Uncivilised" (1936), an Australian
film, which apparently had a huge influence on Paul Hogan's "Crocodile
Dundee". "Sweeney Todd - Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (1936) - which
brings long over due attention to the career of Todd Slaughter. There
are also 2 appraisals of films I wouldn't have looked twice at - "Broken
Blossoms" (1936) - a British remake of D.W. Griffith's legendary 1919
film, apparently he went to England to direct it but disagreements made
the deal fall through. Also the remake of "M" (1951) - I have never been
interested in seeing this but the article makes me want to.
For people familiar with the authors' work, this book makes compelling reading.Human Monsters: The Definitive Edition OverviewPrice and Turner provide another addition to the Forgotten Horrors series with this look at the not-so-forgotten horror film classics of the 1930s-1950s.Karloff's treasures such as The Old Dark House, The Mask of Fu Manchu, The Black Cat, The Black Room and The Walking Dead are included. Bela Lugosi's entertaining films such as Mark of the Vampire, Human Monster, The Boogie Man Will Get You, and Black Friday are exhumed for readers' examination. Lionel Atwill, Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney, Frederic March, John Barrymore also have films included in this companion to the Forgotten Horrors series. The authors also cover some less well-known films, which, although more obscure are not forgotten. Films such as The Ancient Mariner, The Charlatan, Cross Country Cruise, Show Them No Mercy and The Spider's Web are a few examples. Horror film lovers will not want to miss this worthy addition to the world of Forgotten Horrors.

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Performed by Lugosi Review

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Performed by Lugosi ReviewPerformed by Lugosi is a unique pairing of literary and cinematic sensibilities. In one volume, S. Michael Wilson has collected the original pieces of fiction that inspired Lugosi's on-screen performances and his own thorough and sharp-witted responses to how the film studios adapted the texts to their own use, with a special focus on Lugosi's role in the process. Stories include classics by such renowned authors as Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, and Robert Louis Stevenson.
I was pleasantly surprised to find, alongside his informative and well-researched account of the films' histories, a running current of Wilson's own particular sly wit and his backhanded brand of movie reviewing, a style which is near and dear to my heart, and aptly suited to the callow treatment that film studios of the day often gave to their scripts' literary roots.
Shining through the historic accounts and casual commentary is Wilson's genuine regard for Bela Lugosi. Long a fan of Lugosi myself, I found this a very appealing mix of elements, and can only imagine that anyone curious about Bela will be likewise rewarded by their reading of this painstakingly assembled compilation. Drawing from a number of texts about Lugosi's strange and complex relationship with the Hollywood studios of the day, Wilson discusses others' ideas as well as his own about how Bela responded to the very particular requirements of the industry he found himself a part of, a sometimes-uncomfortable arrangement for all parties involved.
Each original story is present for the reader to absorb on their own, followed by an account of the movie that resulted. This section introduces the film's vital statistics, including the studio's often heavily-distorted, character-driven plot line, and the pre-screen treatment of the material, production notes, Bela's involvement in the film, and, like a tasty dessert at the end, food for thought in the form of Wilson's musings, which often provide an insightful and appreciative view of the movie.Performed by Lugosi OverviewIn DRACULA, Bela Lugosi's definitive performance as the compelling and hypnotic vampire count catapulted him to worldwide fame. Yet this was only one of many masterful portrayals that won him screen immortality. Among them: The sinister Dr. Mirakle of MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE; the haunted, heroic avenger of THE BLACK CAT; the master of the mystic arts in THE RETURN OF CHANDU; the seagoing human derelict who rises to demonic fury on THE MYSTERY OF THE MARIE CELESTE; the surgical would-be superman undone by his own lust for sadistic torture in THE RAVEN; and many more. In Performed By Lugosi, these and other films are examined, along with the original classic tales that inspired them, with incisive and illuminating exploration of the screen artistry of Bela Lugosi. Even the most jaded Lugosi fan will find this work a treasure trove of fresh and penetrating insights into the man, the actor and his unique brand of theatrical magic.

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Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen Review

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Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen ReviewIn "Hollywood Gothic" David Skal tells the story of "Dracula" that came after the classic of gothic horror was published in 1897. It's a fascinating, fact-filled tale of colorful personalities, legal battles, Hollywood politics, and a culture still captivated by the King of Literary Vampires. The book's seven chapters begin with author Bram Stoker, end with the Count's recent incarnations on stage and screen, and include the most insightful analysis of "Dracula"'s origins that I have read in the course of my minor obsession with the novel.
Chapter 1 explores "Dracula"'s literary and theatrical predecessors before moving on to discussion of the intellectual and sexual climate into which the book was published in 1897, the life and elusive character of its author Bram Stoker, and how the novel was received in its own day. David Skal does an impressive job of pulling together the relevant details, from diverse perspectives, of the novel's birth.
Chapter 2 details the legal battle waged by the Bram Stoker's widow, Mrs. Florence Stoker, to suppress the first cinematic adaptation of her husband's novel, 1922's "Nosferatu", the unauthorized German production directed by F.W. Murnau, now recognized as a masterpiece of silent cinema. Chapter 3 sees Mrs, Stoker finally authorize an adaptation to British dramatist Hamilton Deane, whose wordy, plodding "Dracula" play nevertheless achieved great financial success, attracting the attention of American theatrical producer Horace Liveright. Liveright enlisted journalist John Balderston to rewrite the play for Broadway and make it a smash hit on this side of the Atlantic.
Chapter 4 moves to Hollywood for the protracted negotiations over "Dracula"'s film rights. "Dracula"'s path through the early 20th century was mined with legal battles, and it is a credit to author David Skal that he is able to make interminable and constantly mutating negotiations into absorbing drama. Chapter 5 follows the winding road to the production of the first Hollywood "Dracula", the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi, which, although made cheaply and lazily, was the first horror talkie and a financial life preserver for Universal Studios. Happily, Skal has dedicated Chapter 6 to the superior Spanish language version of "Dracula" that was filmed simultaneously, on the same sets, as the English version of the 1931 film, but with a different producer, director, cinematographer, and cast.
Chapter 7 tells us what became of the principle person's associated with the two 1931 films. Then it follows the legacy of "Dracula" from the 1930s forward, through its incarnations in film, plays, musicals, ballets, and other performances. Appendix A is a list of notable stage performances of "Dracula", 1897-2003. Appendix B is a list of about 200 films, 1921-2004, which feature the "Dracula" character or name. Thankfully, there is an index.
In outlining the contents of "Hollywood Gothic", I may have made the book seem dry. But the story of "Dracula"'s continuing life in film and on stage is as lively as the novel that inspired it -and it is written a good deal better. David Skal's tireless research and engaging style never fail to impress. "Hollywood Gothic" is an absorbing literary and cinematic history that "Dracula" fans shouldn't miss.Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen Overview

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The Wolf Man (Official Universal Studio Monsters Presents) Review

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The Wolf Man (Official Universal Studio Monsters Presents) ReviewThis book is a good book if you enjoy the genre. Justine Korman expands on the movie and this is a good read if you're looking for a short monster story.The Wolf Man (Official Universal Studio Monsters Presents) Overview

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Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946 Review

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Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946 ReviewThe classic horror films of the 30's and 40's have never been as popular as they are today. Baby Boomers who grew up watching the old Shock Theater packages in the 50's and 60's hold a tremendous fondness for the films that terrified them as children. The Boris Karloff Frankenstein and Bela Lugosi Dracula are still the most recognized images of those two classic monsters...so much so that their families had to move to legally trademark their images to protect them.
The Universal horror films are the subject of Universal Horrors, the second edition of this outstanding book by noted classic film historian Tom Weaver and Michael & John Brunas. Throughout the massive 608 page hardcover, the authors cover each one of the 85 horror films made by Universal from 1931 - 1946. Just do the math...that's an average of about seven pages spent on each film during this period. This is no mere listing of actors with a one-page synopsis. Rather this is a definitive guide to these 85 films with complete cast and credits, detailed storyline synopses, production history, behind-the-scenes information, critical analysis, period reviews, and commentary by cast and crewmembers. Most of the comments come from the voluminous numbers of reviews that Weaver has conducted over the years.
The films are listed chronologically beginning with Dracula in 1931 and ending with The Brute Man in 1946. It even includes the Spanish version of Dracula which was filmed on the same set as the original at the very same time! White The Lugosi version was shot during the day, the Spanish crew took over at night. In many ways, the Spanish version outshines the Tod Browning directed original.
One of my guilty favorites of the Universal Classic film era is 1932's Murder in the Rue Morgue, presenting Lugosi in truly one of his most sadistic and macabre roles. This film ended up being the bone that both Lugosi and Director Robert Florey received for NOT getting their respective parts in Frankenstein, which instead went to Karloff and Director James Whale. This rather film features Lugosi as Dr. Mirakle, who injects the blood of an ape into women he captures. When the experiments fail, he dumps the women into a river. It's a highly underrated film and one of Lugosi's best roles.
Weaver and partners don't give a short shrift to lesser-known films. While the most popular films do get more coverage, even the least well-known of the Universal Horrors gets several pages devoted to it...and there are a number of lesser known films. Unfortunately a number of these are not on DVD or even VHS for that matter meaning that the entry in this book is probably the closest you'll get to the film without actually seeing it.
Many of these lesser-known films are not true horror but often murder mysteries with horror trappings such as "old dark house-style" films. These films include Secret of the Blue Room, Secret of the Chateau, The House of Fear, and The Black Doll. The appendix goes on to list several dozen more films that were borderline exclusions...close, but just not making the cut to receive a full write-up for various reasons. Actually it's somewhat difficult to figure out while some of these were left out of the main listing since many are quite similar in plot and tone.
This book is simply fabulous. Everything that Weaver does is always meticulously researched and extraordinarily entertaining. This is THE Bible to fans of Universal's classic horror films, and one of the finest film reference books I've ever read.REVIEWED BY TIM JANSONUniversal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946 Overview

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Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror Review

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Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror ReviewGreat book covering very nicely Universal classic characters and movies. It starts with little history of Universal Studios and continues with silent period and spotlight on Lon Chaney. Every chapter is finished with spotlight on actor or director important for Universal monsters period. Book is so nicely written and it is full with pictures and poster art for all the movies. This book covers a lot but if you need more I am suggesting you get yourself this one Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946
If you need a book that covers very nicely basics of Universal Studios Monsters than it is certainly this. You will not regret it. :) Enjoy :)
Please check my blog for more reviews: http://themedreviews.blogspot.com/Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror OverviewFrom the 1920s through the 1950s, Universal Studios was Hollywood's number one studio for horror pictures, haunting movie theaters worldwide with Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon, among others. Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror explores all of these enduring characters, chronicling both the mythology behind the films and offering behind-the-scenes insights into how the films were created.Universal Studios Monsters is the most complete record of the horror films of this legendary studio, with biographies of major personalities who were responsible for the most notable monster melodramas in film history. The stories of these films and their creators are told through interviews with surviving actors and studio employees. A lavish photographic record, including many behind-the-scenes shots, completes the story of how these classics were made. This is a volume no fan of imaginative cinema will want to be without.

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