The Rough Guide to Horror Movies Review

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The Rough Guide to Horror Movies ReviewThis is really a remarkably good overview of horror cinema. It offers a variety of information (historical, filmographic, aesthetic, cultural) which is organized to encourage casual or random browsing but also very readable from cover to cover. The background chapter on horror literature is particularly informative. No special theory is offered; some otherwise excellent horror film books take an overly-specialized perspective, but you won't have that problem here. The genre is taken seriously, but the fun of it is always kept in view. Many very fine (and some rarely seen) photos grace the book throughout. I only noticed one "blooper": in the sidebar on Barbara Steele, Fellini is reported to have "cut her out" of his film "8-1/2." However, when I saw it recently, Babbara was beautifully present in one important scene. Otherwise, this is a very well-done volume and is heartily recommended.The Rough Guide to Horror Movies OverviewThe Rough Guide to Horror Movies is a comprehensive guide to the world''s most terrifying films. The guide includes all the icons, from Boris Karloff to Wes Craven and Frankenstein to Freddie Kruger, including classics from Argentina, Pakistan, South Africa and the recent chillers from East Asia. The canon of fifty essential horror movies features The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Switchblade Romance, via Psycho and The Exorcist. Everything you need to know is covered from festivals, adaptations, magazines and merchandise. The guide tells the stories behind the movies that have scared us throughout the twentieth century.

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An Illustrated History Of Horror And Science-fiction Films Review

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An Illustrated History Of Horror And Science-fiction Films ReviewLike another reviewer, I first read the '67 edition of Clarens' book when I was in high school. Already a horror movie fan, I needed context and appreciation of the genre, and that's exactly what this wonderful book provided, then and now. This is a book for the serious fan in search of a history of both the technique and ideas behind horror films. Clarens' observations about specific films' production, actors' performances, and even camera tricks will stay with you and help you to enjoy horror movies, old and new, even more than you did before. It is illustrated well, but it's an illustrated history, not an annotated photo catalog. Thus this is a book with terrific words and ideas, plus images--it's not intended to be a glossy fan mag with captions. Approach it with an expectation of ideas plus a few images, and let your imagination work its magic. Read the book to understand the big picture--not just to savor a few illustrations. I'm thrilled with the re-issue, and expect the book to support intelligent fans as well as cinema scholars. It's a book to keep, appreciate, and savor.An Illustrated History Of Horror And Science-fiction Films OverviewIn this book Carlos Clarens, author of Crime Movies (also available from Da Capo/Perseus), George Cukor, and many articles in film magazines, brings his encyclopedic knowledge of films and filmmakers to the subject of horror and science-fiction films of the classic era. Whether discussing the erotic aspects of King Kong, examining the works of Val Lewton, contrasting the director's attitude toward the monster in Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, accounting for the special genius of Lon Chaney, or comparing the various versions of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Clarens entertains as he enlightens. Supplemented with a new introduction by J. Hoberman, Village Voice film critic and coauthor of Midnight Movies (also available from Da Capo/Perseus), and an extensive filmography listing complete credits for over 300 films, this fascinating study illuminates both the genre and the reasons for its popularity.

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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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