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Fragments of Fear: An Illustrated History of British Horror Films
Fragments of Fear is an illustrated history of an often neglected film genre: the British Horror Movie. The book examines a wide array of British horror films, and the stories behind them, from the early melodramas of Tod Slaughter right through to Hammer and their rivals Tigon and Amicus, plus mavericks like Michael Reeves, sex/horror director Peter Walker and more recent talents such as Clive Barker, director of Hellraiser. Films featured range in scope from the sadism of Peeping Tom to the mutant SF of A Clockwork Orange.
With plentiful illustrations, author Andy Boot unravels a tangled history and discovers many little-known gems amid the more familiar images of Hammer and Tigon, including a wealth of exploitation B-movies, to establish the British horror movie as a genre which can easily stand up to its more lauded American counterpart in the depth and diversity of its scope.
With plentiful illustrations, author Andy Boot unravels a tangled history and discovers many little-known gems amid the more familiar images of Hammer and Tigon, including a wealth of exploitation B-movies, to establish the British horror movie as a genre which can easily stand up to its more lauded American counterpart in the depth and diversity of its scope.
- GenresFilm
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 1, 2022
Boot, Andy - Fragments Of Fear
A reference book I reread every handful of years.
Each time, I scribble a lengthy to-view list, watch a half dozen, lose my list, then shift viewing to something else in my scatter-brained obsessions.
Personal, opinionated survey of English horror cinema up to 1995.
From Tod Slaughter to Hammer to Norman Warren. From inept duds to box office hits, from the gruesome to the sublime.
I calculate this book breezes over 300 titles.
Studded with black and white photos, this sweeps across decades, studios, and creators.
Mr. Boot is a cheeky reviewer, yet one gathers he has actually seen these films to closing credits, and has a genuine fondness for them.
Creation Cinema was an imprint I used to chase after. Now I’m down to a fistful of books.
Lesson learned: never loan books. Not to family, not to coworkers, not to buddies, not to cute classmates.
A reference book I reread every handful of years.
Each time, I scribble a lengthy to-view list, watch a half dozen, lose my list, then shift viewing to something else in my scatter-brained obsessions.
Personal, opinionated survey of English horror cinema up to 1995.
From Tod Slaughter to Hammer to Norman Warren. From inept duds to box office hits, from the gruesome to the sublime.
I calculate this book breezes over 300 titles.
Studded with black and white photos, this sweeps across decades, studios, and creators.
Mr. Boot is a cheeky reviewer, yet one gathers he has actually seen these films to closing credits, and has a genuine fondness for them.
Creation Cinema was an imprint I used to chase after. Now I’m down to a fistful of books.
Lesson learned: never loan books. Not to family, not to coworkers, not to buddies, not to cute classmates.
December 14, 2022
Illustrations worth the price alone
This is an overview of British horror films. Yet the subject is much wider than just horror; that is unless you consider “The Giant Behemoth” and “Fire Maidens From Outer Space” horror. In all, there are approximately, 400 films (an eight-page Filmography) mentioned in this book.
It is well organized in like subject matter with several sections on Hammer films. It even comes with a warning that there is adult material; this is probably due to body and body parts being uncovered.
This is not just another pretty picture book as Andy Boot goes into many descriptive comparisons that go beyond the juicy facts.
This is an overview of British horror films. Yet the subject is much wider than just horror; that is unless you consider “The Giant Behemoth” and “Fire Maidens From Outer Space” horror. In all, there are approximately, 400 films (an eight-page Filmography) mentioned in this book.
It is well organized in like subject matter with several sections on Hammer films. It even comes with a warning that there is adult material; this is probably due to body and body parts being uncovered.
This is not just another pretty picture book as Andy Boot goes into many descriptive comparisons that go beyond the juicy facts.
December 15, 2011
I found this to be a very average book on horror films, in a world replete with very average books on horror films. The discussion is casual (not dry, dusty and academic), but with it comes a lot of unsubstantiated opinion. Many instances like "This film was better than that one," but with no explanation as to why.
Also blown was a chance to showcase the visual art. The photos used in the book seem poor choices, not exciting or interesting at all for the most part (excepting the cover of the book).
Also blown was a chance to showcase the visual art. The photos used in the book seem poor choices, not exciting or interesting at all for the most part (excepting the cover of the book).
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews