Reel Terror: The Scary, Bloody, Gory, Hundred-Year History of Classic Horror Films

by David Konow

From the author of the definitive heavy metal history Bang Your Head, a behind-the-scenes look at a century of horror films.
 
Reel Terror is a love letter to the wildly popular yet still misunderstood genre that churns out blockbusters and cult classics year after year. From The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to Paranormal Activity, Konow explores its all-time highs and lows, why the genre has been overlooked, and how horror films just might help us overcome fear. His on-set stories and insights delve into each movie and its effect on American culture.

For novices to all out film buffs, this is the perfection companion to this Halloween’s movie marathons.

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction, Film, History, Media Tie In

608 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2012

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

" . . . as long as there is fear, there will probably always be horror films to help us deal with it." -- page 5

Somewhat reminiscent of Jason Zinoman's Shock Value (which was released around the same time, though that volume mainly covered the watershed 60's / 70's era), Konow's Reel Terror attempts to document the history and seesaw popularity of horror films in America since World War I. However, it does not limit itself to just films made in the U.S. - the Hammer studio in Great Britain and the triumvirate of Italian directors Argento, Bava, and Fulci are also discussed at length. However, at 500+ pages it covers a lot of ground, yet it is curiously both exhaustive and also falls short on details.

Name an established or audience favorite film and it is likely mentioned - Universal's use of literary characters in the 30's and 40's (Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the Wolf Man); Psycho, Rosemary's Baby, the Dead zombie trilogy by director George Romero, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Omen, Halloween, the Friday the 13th series, Scream and many more. Also, I docked a star in the ratings as the longstanding misconception is included that Bud Westmore designed the 'Creature from the Black Lagoon' character. Thankfully, Mallory O'Meara's excellent bio The Lady from the Black Lagoon earlier this year righted the wrong in properly crediting artist Milicent Patrick for her work.

[Brian Keiper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting, though not always completely accurate, facts. The real failure of this book is the writing. It reads like the first draft of an 8th grade report on monster movies; filled with grammatical errors, misspelled words ( including names), and clumsy, heavy-handed prose. The authors opinions are so intrusive they are distracting. I am shocked that the author is published in several reputable publications and websites-- and this is his SECOND published book. A rush job that also didn't have an editor worth his salt. The concept is a nice idea, but the execution is horrendus. By the way, this review is better written than any paragraph in the book--and I'm not even published.

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love movies but am far from a true horror movie fan. That said I loved this book. it delves deep into the movies, the studios the directors and stars.

If I had only one complaint I felt it gave short shrift to the Universal Monster movies of the 1930s
But there is a lot of exquisite detail about a lot of other films

And enjoyable and well researched read

[Matthew Pridham · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Konow’s history of horror movies hits all the celebrated classics other books on this topic cover, though it also adds new context and information about their creation and impact on the American cultural mind. But even better, he branches out to look at international horror as well, examining the Hammer movies of the 1960’s and giving good space to a look at the works of Italian directors like Dario Argento and Mario Bava. He also takes his survey farther chronologically speaking, looking at the Saw and Paranormal Activities franchises, among other more recent fare. This is the best big broad view of horror movies I’ve read, weighing in at 500+ pages.

I reviewed this book for my list of informative and entertaining histories of the horror genre. If you’re interested in similar titles, check out some of my favorites:

https://matthewpridham.wordpress.com/...

[Scott Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe more like 2.5 stars, as I did learn a few things about some of the movies I thought that I knew. This work is a brief survey of the backstories of some of the most famous horror movies in Hollywood history. There are a number of personal accounts and historical anecdotes of interest. However, while I learned a few things, I don't feel like this work was all that revealing or insightful. You will probably find better books or movie documentaries that will offer far more insight than in this work. It reads ok, but it is not as engaging as the movies it analyzes. Perhaps if I had never seen any of the movies, I would feel different, but having seen some of them and read about in other venues/forums, this work just didn't really offer up all that much. Not a bad work, but not a great one either.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this almost back to back with Jason Zinnoman's book Shock Value: How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood, and Invented Modern Horror. I enjoyed them both. This one covers more ground: movies like Seven, The Omen and Scream make the cut. This was full of good anecdotes and you can tell Konow did lots of research. Zimmoman's book offered a little more societal perspective I think. Both are worth reading.

[Tomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, if non-essential, trip through the history of horror for the already initiated.

This was a really fun book to read. As a horror fan it was neat to hear all sorts of stories from films I loved. Some I already knew, but it was still a neat experience. However I was constantly confused as to who the audience of this book really is.

It would be hard to read if you're not already reasonably into horror asDavid Konow always assumes you've seen the movies he talks about. When he briefly talks about their being body horror in Videodrome, you'd better have seen it, because he's sure not going to tell you about what body horror is or how it's in the movie. You just have to know. And this happens time and time again. Whether he's waxing about the special effects in The Thing> or lovingly referring to the blood pouring out of the elevator in The Shining, there is never any information to inform the casual viewer who hasn't seen these films.

And it doesn't really feel like it's for die hard horror fans as you don't learn a lot about each movie. Major horror fans tend to learn all about their favorite movies, which gives this book a lot less to teach you. I constantly found myself saying "yes, but this other thing also happened that is more interesting!"

Finally it doesn't feel great for film history buffs because there is no real historical focus throughout the book. He just picks watershed movies in a roughly chronological order and tells you a bit about how they got made. But it rarely connects them to each other, let alone the world at large. This includes missing massive historical moments. He talks a bit about how the actress hired for Scanners wouldn't do the movie if there was more than one exploding head, and because of that the script was re-worked so that there was only a single head that explodes. Interesting story, but he's completely missing the fact that this was the first time ever in history a head had been made to explode on screen. This was a big special effects win the pushed the boundaries of what was possible and what was acceptable on film, yet strangely it doesn't get even a passing mention.

Overall I would recommend this book if you have a reasonably strong interest in horror but haven't read too much about the movies. But if you already love reading about how your favorite films got made, this book has nothing new to say.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this massive tome David Konow lays the foundations of fear. Chaney, Karloff, Lugosi, Twilight Zone, Hammer. He explains how Psycho created the modern horror film and George Romero built the modern zombie. Rosemary's Baby, Wes Craven's Last House on the Left, Friedkin's The Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw, Jaws, The Omen, Carrie and the rise of Stephen King, John Carpenter. In the middle you get a photo section with some film scenes and prominent directors. Alien, Friday 13th, Tobe Hooper's Salem's Lot, Halloween, The Fog, The Shining, Cronenberg, Werewolves, Sam Raimi's Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, Silence of the Lambs, Blair With, The Sixth Sense... after reading through over 500 pages you'll really know how horror become major in movies. Too few photos and too many pages, but everything you need in one massive book. With epilogue, sources and index. Really recommended!

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This film chronologically recaps the history of horror films, typically by highlighting 2-3 key titles in each chapter. Initially I really enjoyed the insights into how iconic films of the genre developed, but in later chapters the author seemed to focus more and more on the director and other films they had done as opposed to the title being discussed so I started skimming some sections. I will give this book props for bringing Blood Feast to my attention, but I would suggest the Evolution of Horror podcast for a much more in-depth look at how the genre has changed over time.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great handbook to explore the undisputed highlights of horror film history. It does not give summaries of films, but explores the zeitgeist of making some of the iconic movies, the immediate reception and lasting legacy. Some films were recognized as hits as soon as they were done and at initial screenings (Alien, Halloween, Friday the 13th.) Others initially bombs and later became masterpieces or cult classics (The Shining, The Fog, The Thing.) Very readable, informative and immensely enjoyable to horror film fans like me. A great reference book.

[Chy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. As a huge fan of horror I was so excited when I stumbled upon this book at the library. Covering the history of horror movies from the beginning this book delves into the history of some of the most popular horror movies. I really enjoyed reading the behind the scenes facts about the movies concerning the casting, filming and releasing. The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars was because there were a lot of editing errors.

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great introduction to the history of horror movies. Its not an in-depth account of every era, but it makes sure to cover the most important information. That being said, there are very noticeable spelling and grammar errors and some of the facts are incorrect, but these are things that I think can be overlooked if you're just looking for an intro to horror.

[Garrett Nicolai · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful tour through the history of horror films, dating back to Universal's monsters, and moving through the turn of the century.

If I have one complaint, it's that the work is a bit too Hollywood-centric; although there are mentions of Italian directors and Japanese and British horror, it's often only talked about with respect to how it influenced Hollywood films.

[Ian Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for the horror film enthusiasts. One glaring typo on page 296 ; Joseph Conrad wrote the Duellists not Joseph Campbell ! Pity that the book could not have been longer as the majority of the films covered were pre 1990. All in all a very entertaining read.

[Bruce Boeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional overview of horror films, must reading!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great! A lot of good behind the scenes of the favs. Highly recommend for horror fans

[Isabel Ferreira]

An excellent foray into the story of horror movie history in the US. An informative and engaging read.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Konow's Reel Terror looks to be the horror genre's answer to Peter Biskind's Easy Riders, Raging Bulls... and indeed, Biskind's document of American cinema in the 1970's all but glances over the horror genre, The Exorcist notwithstanding. Konow does an able job of collecting stories and quotes from the genesis of modern horror (Carpenter, Craven, and company are well represented here) as well as putting horror movies into context with what came before. I was glad to read an entire chapter on the importance of Hammer Films to American horror, as well as seeing the Universal slate of monster films being given their due.

Reel Terror suffers in two respects. The first is unavoidable but not a major problem once you understand the nature of the genre. Biskind's rollicking narrative of the 1970's "director as auteur" movement in American cinema read as a cohesive piece primarily because all the major players were directors, actors, and producers playing in the Hollywood system. A story about Spielberg would trip over a dual narrative about Coppola who was best friends with George Lucas and so on. By its' nature, the creatives behind most horror classics were mavericks working outside of the Hollywood system. Their stories are interesting and worth reading about, but Konow really strains to find ways to tie them together. More than once, a positive blurb from Stephen King is about all the connective tissue you're going to get. That's truly fine but it prevents Reel Terror from being as electrifying as the book from which it takes much inspiration.

My second problem with the book was a lack of context for retelling the processes that brought us Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and so on. By that I mean, this book reads well for those of us who have seen the movies Konow is writing about but for someone who hasn't watched The Evil Dead... well, it would have been nice if the author had given a bit more in the way of recap and context. The chapter dealing with The Exorcist has a page where "Jason" is referenced, no last name or any other information given. Well, I knew right away that the Jason in question was Jason Miller, the actor who played Father Damien but a casual reader wouldn't be clued into that point for quite a few pages.

Those problems aside, this is a very engaging read which documents the major players in the genre quite ably and it's an easy recommendation.

[Wayne Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Konow constructs a highly impressive tribute to the horror films of yesteryear with his tome Reel Terror.

Konow creates a walk down memory lane as he describes the campy and cutting edge films of the past. Konow does a good job delving into the behind the scenes of the classic nmovies and explaining the thought process of the writers, directors and actors.

Konow does a good job of giving the inside scoop that was never well known. Stories of last minute script changes, directors clashing with actors and how producers and directors have to campaign to raise money for their films are just some of the revelations in this book.

One thing Konow reveals is how things like money and politics, but really it's the money, can hold up projects or stop them entirely. The movie business is, after all, a business.

My one bone of contention with the book is where are the truly offbeat, campy B movies? No mention of Boardinghouse or Frankenhooker? What about Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers? No love for Basket Case? Where was Doctor Butcher (aka Zombie Holocaust)? Even a movie as fairly well known in the annals of B movie lore as Motel Hell is not mentioned. Granted, not every classic B movie can be listed in the book but some of the movies omitted from the book are cult classics. And, the cult classics that are mentioned are obvious choices like Halloween (which has surpassed the title of cult classic) or are only mentioned in passing such as the few lines devoted to The Hills have Eyes. Some of these lesser known cult classics such as Humongous and Cellar Dweller have done more to lift B movies, and the horror genre itself, than the more mainstream successes by pushing boundaries and paving the way for the John Carpenters and Wes Cravens of the horror genre.

Despite the disappointment of not seeing some of the more lesser know films mentioned in this book, Reel terror is still a book any horror movie lover should read.

[Harriet · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's clear from page one that Konow knows his stuff: a lot of hard work, passion, and dedicated research has gone into Reel Terror, and it shows. Covering a comprehensive history of one of the most infamous genres, Konow charts the progression from the classic monster movies of early Hollywood, all the way through to The Blair Witch Project and The Sixth Sense at the turn of the millennium. If you want an overview of the genre from the beginning, this is possibly one of the best places to start.

So why settle with four stars instead of five? Sadly the only place where the book falls down a little, is its Americentric views. Aside from two chapters on Hammer films and Italian horror that managed to break the US market, the book focuses entirely on the role of American cinema in creating the horror genre. Undeniably, Hollywood has played a large part in this role, but as the book's subtitle is 'The scary, bloody, gory, hundred-year history of classic horror films,' it annoyed me that no other countries got a mention. Especially as there have been several notable films from around the world since horror began. In fairness, Japan is mentioned as well, though the way Konow phrases its mention comes off as more of a snide aside than a compliment.

Despire this, I still recommend the book highly. Its merits are many and its drawbacks are few. For fans of films, horror or otherwise, Konow grounds his research in quotations, anecdotes, and stories from those directly involved with the works that are mentioned. English pride and nitpicking aside, Reel Terror is well worth a read.

[Jamais · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s rare that horror gets the treatment it deserves. //Reel Terror// looks at the history of horror movies, exploring why we love them so much. He does a chronological search of the movies, looking at a few movies each chapter that define the horror genre. Each pair of movies is looked at in pretty thorough detail, with information on what was happening in the world of cinema at the time, and how the real world was affecting the world of cinema, such as the conflict in Viet Nam or the president in charge. The collusion of cinema trends and real world events makes for an interesting look at how they affected each other.

The one major strike against the book is the lack of pictures. Although there are a number of pictures, there just isn’t enough considering the visual nature of the genre. However, that’s one relatively minor complaint; Konow gives us a front-seat view through expert use of interviews and books on the subject, covering each detail and trend in minute detail, but not enough detail to drown it out. This is an incredible look at the horror genre, done by a fan for fans.

As originally written by Jamais Jochim for http://sanfranciscobookreview.com/.

[Joe Noir · Rating 2 out of 5]

A non-fiction making of book written more at the producer's level. Not a lot of directorial insight. No plot summarys. The are quite a few typos in the paperback edition, and the author makes several factual errors. He says a special effects person came up with the idea on John Capenter's "The Thing" to have the creature able to change into any other creature. This is not correct, it appears in the original John W. Campbell short story (which the author never mentions). The author states "Salems Lot" was first shown in a total three hour length shown on two nights. This is also not correct. The miniseries was first broadcast in a four hour version, two hours each for two nights a week apart, then it was rerun on CBS in a three hour version on one night. The photos chosen for the photo section are pretty lame. Basically, you can find everything in this book in one of the other books the author cites as references, or online. And there won't be as many errors.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good job of covering the highlights of horror up through the Paranormal Activity series. Does not delve deeply into plot or cultural significance, but looks at the films through the experiences of the producers and directors for the most part. Interesting, particularly the transitional period from the Hammer Films of the 50s and 60s into the classic blockbuster horror films of the 70s and 80s. Takes a little while to get into, but the repeated refrain of the major film companies turning their nose up at horror films, only to be saved by their success again and again, is historically significant. Interesting, not completely comprehensive, but does a good job of hitting the highlights of the genre.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Konow does an amazing job redeeming the horror genre by connecting many key and historically relevant movies and filmmakers (from Hitchcock and PSYCHO to Spielberg and JAWS to Demme and SILENCE OF THE LABMS)to this genre, while also highlighting their importance for cinema overall. Reading about the "humble" origins of these landmark movies and prominent directors can only be inspiring for fellow and aspiring filmmakers. REEL TERROR definitely stands as a must-read for film enthusiasts regardless of horror sensibilities.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive history of horror films that's compulsively readable and extremely entertaining. Hard core horror fans, or at least horror fans who are more hard core than I am, may find this a superficial history of horror cinema, since it doesn't delve into the cultural significance of horror, but I loved it, even if some of the filming stories were already well known. Definite recommendation for horror fans. And now I'd like to see a comprehensive analysis of horror movies of the 21st century, particularly within the last 10 years and the explosion of the found footage genre.

[Carolyn Di Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must for any film fan. Comes complete with wonderful anecdotes about your favorite scary movie. I loved that it nicely covered the early 30's films and even though some of my favs were not included, I did not feel disappointed. So many films that one never hears much about are included in this book.
This book is as big a treat as sitting next to your honey and cowering in fear!
Highly recommended!

[Kyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, and a good introduction to what went into some of the most classic horror films. Particularly interesting to anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes pass into the actual filming of some of their favorites. Konow assumes you already know something about the individual movies, so rather than spending a lot of time on plot details, he looks instead into the writing, the filming, and the actual screenings.

[John Orman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Portrayed as an ode to the rise of the horror genre in films, this book studies many films and tries to determine how they became true classics or more minor cult classics.

Also has some photos of horror directors like Sam Raimi, David Cronenberg, Wes Craven, George Romero, John Landis, John Carpenter, and Tobe Hooper

[Joshua Wiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting that focuses on the tentpole films of the horror industry. As a longtime horror fan, I knew a lot of the stories behind the likes of Halloween and Friday the 13th, but the stories behind some other movies I was not entirely aware of. A must read.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fun trivia and insight into the conception of some of my favorite movies, as well as plenty of titles to check out for the first time. There were several typos in the text, which is always a sticking point for me. I only wished it was another 200 pages long! :)