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Hollywood Cauldron: Thirteen Horror Films from the Genre's Golden Age
Thirteen of Hollywood's horror classics in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), The Old Dark House (1932), The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), Mark of the Vampire (1935), Mad Love (1935), The Black Room (1935), The Walking Dead (1936), Cat People (1942), Bluebeard (1944), The Lodger (1944), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), Hangover Square (1945) and Bedlam (1946). From original interviews and research, the styles of the various studios (from giant M-G-M to Poverty Row's PRC), along with the performers, directors, and backstage events, are examined.
- GenresFilm
428 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 11, 2025
HOLLYWOOD CAULDRON is exactly the type of book that I treasure as a film collector and student of cinema. I have seen all of the films mentioned multiple times ... and some have "places of honor" in my collection. I've also read several books and articles through the years that have covered each of these, so my first thought when I saw the title was that it wouldn't provide anything new.
Well, it did.
Gregory William Mank is one of my favorite writers about Hollywood classic horror films. (In fact, I was extremely pleased to learn that he had written an earlier book covering the "Frankenstein" series from Universal. That one is on its way to me as I write this.) With many film historians, I have a frustration from their "very high altitude" views of their subjects. Indeed, they are frequently of no greater depth than an entry on the Internet Movie Database. That is never the case with Mank. His sense of curiosity causes him to dig deeper.
HOLLYWOOD CAULDRON has a copyright of 1994. Now being decades old, there is always the concern that it will not contain newly discovered knowledge. However, the only missing information I was consistently aware of regarded availability of the films. At the time of its writing, many of the titles were not available to the home collector or had missing scenes. Today, except for the rare title such as "Mad Love" (which was intentionally cut by the studio before its release), beautiful restored copies are available.
While I can't say that I learned anything significant about the "stars" that I hadn't known before (much of which came from two of Mank's books WOMEN IN HORROR FILMS. 1930'S and WOMEN IN HORROR FILMS, 1940'S ... both highly recommended), there were plenty of "on the set" and "behind the scenes" details that were a delight. I can never get enough of those stories. Mank also provides some "what it was like to be in the audience when this movie premiered" tales.
Some of the titles covered (from 1929 to 1948) might be considered by many as "also rans," yet they are all highly entertaining. While I may be saddened by the omission of "The Body Snatcher" or "Island of Lost Souls," each of the 13 shows detailed merited inclusion.
I've even been inspired to have several rewatches over the next month!
Well, it did.
Gregory William Mank is one of my favorite writers about Hollywood classic horror films. (In fact, I was extremely pleased to learn that he had written an earlier book covering the "Frankenstein" series from Universal. That one is on its way to me as I write this.) With many film historians, I have a frustration from their "very high altitude" views of their subjects. Indeed, they are frequently of no greater depth than an entry on the Internet Movie Database. That is never the case with Mank. His sense of curiosity causes him to dig deeper.
HOLLYWOOD CAULDRON has a copyright of 1994. Now being decades old, there is always the concern that it will not contain newly discovered knowledge. However, the only missing information I was consistently aware of regarded availability of the films. At the time of its writing, many of the titles were not available to the home collector or had missing scenes. Today, except for the rare title such as "Mad Love" (which was intentionally cut by the studio before its release), beautiful restored copies are available.
While I can't say that I learned anything significant about the "stars" that I hadn't known before (much of which came from two of Mank's books WOMEN IN HORROR FILMS. 1930'S and WOMEN IN HORROR FILMS, 1940'S ... both highly recommended), there were plenty of "on the set" and "behind the scenes" details that were a delight. I can never get enough of those stories. Mank also provides some "what it was like to be in the audience when this movie premiered" tales.
Some of the titles covered (from 1929 to 1948) might be considered by many as "also rans," yet they are all highly entertaining. While I may be saddened by the omission of "The Body Snatcher" or "Island of Lost Souls," each of the 13 shows detailed merited inclusion.
I've even been inspired to have several rewatches over the next month!
May 20, 2024
Wow, what a great volume summing up Hollywood horror chronology from 1929 to 1948. Starting with Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde you'll come to The Old Dark House, The Mask of Fu Manchu and many more. Outstanding movie stills and detailed behind the scenes explanations. Marvelous book I can highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews