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Horror Films
A film critic surveys many manifestations of cinematic terror, from silent film classics to modern special-effect horror spectaculars
- GenresHorror
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 23, 2009
This is a fairly basic, light look at horror movie staples from the silents right up until 1985. Author Andrews looks at the two main types of horror film monster, Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster, and how they have evolved up until the present day.
All of the major films are covered, but the interesting part is that Andrews explores how these creatures have mutated into other cinematic conventions, eg. how Frankenstein's Monster has become Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. All of these characters share the same qualities, the huge physical frame, the instinct to kill. On the other hand, Dracula and vampirism has turned into disease and possession in the likes of The Exorcist. It's an interesting theory, a rather simplistic one but one I hadn't thought of before nonetheless.
Andrews also looks at the video nasty phenomenon, which is somewhat surprising for a book covering primarily classic horror. This is quite a superficial read, covering only the most well-known movies, and there isn't really much text in it either. This is counted by having lots of wonderful, rarely seen photographs from lots of different movies, a lot of them very gory towards the end of the book too. A lighthearted, enjoyable read.
All of the major films are covered, but the interesting part is that Andrews explores how these creatures have mutated into other cinematic conventions, eg. how Frankenstein's Monster has become Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. All of these characters share the same qualities, the huge physical frame, the instinct to kill. On the other hand, Dracula and vampirism has turned into disease and possession in the likes of The Exorcist. It's an interesting theory, a rather simplistic one but one I hadn't thought of before nonetheless.
Andrews also looks at the video nasty phenomenon, which is somewhat surprising for a book covering primarily classic horror. This is quite a superficial read, covering only the most well-known movies, and there isn't really much text in it either. This is counted by having lots of wonderful, rarely seen photographs from lots of different movies, a lot of them very gory towards the end of the book too. A lighthearted, enjoyable read.
June 10, 2012
Bonne petite oeuvre sur le cinéma d'horreur, pourrait mettre plus l'accent sur des films plus underground mais quand même bien.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews