Horror Films

The Pocket Essentials: Film

by Colin Odell, Michelle Le Blanc

Often subject to more cuts at the hands of the censor than a serial killer's razor, the horror film has a fascinating history, not only as film study but also as a look at what has been considered acceptable for the public to view, and what the state will allow its citizens to see. But for the most part horror films are about entertainment—consistently profitable, eminently enjoyable. From horror cinema’s beginnings in the late 19th century to the latest splatter films, from the chills of the ghost film to the terror of the living dead, there is more than enough here to keep fans awake at night. Among the many films discussed are the popular Dracula , Evil Dead , Frankenstein , Halloween , Ringu , Scream , and The Sixth Sense , as well as the more unusual Black Cat , The Living Dead Girl , Nang Nak , Rouge , and Les Yeux sans Visage . The guide also profiles such popular directors as Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, David Cronenberg, Hideo Nakata, and Sam Raimi; as well as cult directors from around the world, including Coffin Joe, Jean Rollin, and Michele Soavi.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, Film

204 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

Reviews

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the commentary in this one. I'm glad that the author doesn't give ratings and instead gives detailed explanations for their opinions on what they think does and doesn't work in horror films. I really like what he says about Argento's films in relation to aesthetics versus realism.

[Luke Glasspool · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would it kill a diva to include some non-western horrors? Head status: thoroughly shook

[Andrew Garvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

While a little outdated now (this updated edition was published in 2008), this is a good, if not massively detailed, introduction to the horror films of the US, Europe, Asia and Australia and New Zealand. Covering each region's history of horror films and picking out notable examples to look at in a little more detail, there's plenty of informed opinion and information to make this worth a read. Any book on horror films that gives the truly brilliant 'Mr Vampire' this much praise is certainly worth a look but...

... there's at least one staggeringly odd paragraph that made me worry about the depth and quality of the research that went into this. In an otherwise decent discussion of Mexican horror, the authors seem to be under the impression that lucha libre (the most flamboyantly and most obvious fake variant of professional wrestling) is a real, legitimate sporting contest AND that El Santo's box office success was down to audience familiarity from "years" of watching him on television. Both points are embarrassingly easy to refute. For the first, you just have to look at it. For the second, it takes just a few minutes of searching to find out that Mexico didn't have any kind of national TV coverage until 1954, that lucha was banished from the airwaves for its supposed immorality two years later and wouldn't return until 1992.

The nagging question of 'what else did they get so wrong?' hangs over a cautious recommendation of this one.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some fascinating arguments made around revolving around horror movies. Coupled with that, the book's organization is very well thought out and opts for a look at the seminal works of the genre across multiple different cultures. While you might not agree with some of the value judgments made through the book, there are definitely aspects of the book that would be helpful for the genre researcher.

[Emre Arifoglu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kaynak kitap olarak evinizde dursun, okumak zorunda degilsiniz, arada goz atmak daha mantikli.

[Jitendra Kotai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent research and I got a lot of great new horror movie recommendations.

[Guy Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kamera have been busily knocking out these books on film, by genre, type and director, for a while now, and they build up to a nice looking row on your shelf. But the titles suffer for their brevity, and it’s hard to know who’d find these useful. It’s the old “too detailed for beginners, not detailed enough for the experts” dilemma. The initial discussion on what horror is, why we love it and the history of it in cinema is interesting enough, as are the introductions to the book’s sections, broken down by region. But the catalogue of films these head are too patchy, the entries too brief, to make this an essential reference work. A book of more extensive essays on the subject, backed with a list of essential viewing and further reading would have been far more enlightening.

Horror Films is accessibly written, and the authors know and love their subject. But anyone who is interested enough in horror to want a book on it is going to discover much more than Horror Films can offer quickly – there are more comprehensive works out there, though it may provide a useful starting point for teenager, perhaps someone wanting to write an A-level essay on the subject.

The book comes accompanied by a disc of three recent British horror shorts. These are all top quality offerings, and make a welcome addition to the publication.

[Felix · Rating 2 out of 5]

Instead of providing an overview of the genre's development, this book is more or less just a collection of the authors' very short reviews sorted by year of production and by country of origin. I was disappointed. The 'free' DVD included is nice but doesn't make the book any better (only more expensive, probably).

[Jason Coffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the best of these little genre guides I've read so far. In less than 200 pages, it covers horror cinema from Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australia. The structure allows the author to offer up quick reviews of the history of horror in each region followed by a chronological list of reviews of major films. A great place to start if you're curious to learn about horror films!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of the genre, including plenty of non US fare. My international horror film repertoire is lacking so I'm glad for the suggestions offered! Easy to understand and organized logically.