Poverty Row Horrors!: Monogram, PRC and Republic Horror Films of the Forties

by Tom Weaver

Poverty row horror films were usually inexpensively (some would say cheaply) produced with writing that ranged from bad to atrocious. Yet these movies with their all-star horror casts (Carradine, Lugosi, Karloff, et al.) and their ape men, mad monsters, devil bats and white zombies still have a loyal audience 50 years after their release. Essays contain full filmographic data on the 31 horror chillers made by the three studios from 1940 through 1946 and are arranged by year of release. Each entry includes the date of release, length, production credits, cast credits, interview quotes, and a plot synopsis with critical commentary. Filmographies for prominent horror actors and actresses, from John Abbott to George Zucco, are provided in the appendices.

Genres: Film, Art, Horror

376 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1992

Reviews

[Justin Decloux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom Weaver knows his stuff, but he really doesn't have much of an affinity for 95% of the films he writes about in this book. After an illuminating intro, it's a film by film breakdown that features his usual mix of a lengthy plot synopsis, notes on the circumstances of a film's inception, interview snippets and bios of the cast and crew, and some review quotes that greeted the picture's original release.

His dislike for BLUEBEARD and STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP reaches a level of foaming at the mouth rage that I found kinda offputting.

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best essays on the worst horror movies of the 20th Century! I hated these films with a passion when I was a kid and they first turned up on TV, but they have haunted me ever since,. and I soon grew to love them, and eventually, obsess over them. The PRC & Monogram horrors of the 40s are exactly the kind of tawdry, lurid melodramas that your parents would call "utter trash" and say were unhealthy for your growing mind. And that's exactly why they are so great to see today!

[I. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent overview of the 1940’s b horror movies from the small studios but the overall tone is one of total derision (which I can understand) but begs the question as to why bother writing the book at all? Also big chunks are devoted to information you can find on IMDb these days (not then) so it’s a bit moot to read now. Usually a book about movies makes me want to track down the ones it talks about. This one makes me want to skip them all.

[Robert Finnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed information on "B" horror movies from Poverty Row producers. Each film has a pithy recounting of its plot (such as it is) and is followed by humorous commentary.
It took me a while to read this books because after I finished each chapter, I went online to watch the film (most of them are available free on youtube and elsewhere).
A fun and informative read.