Horror bibliography
Related: horror film - film genre
Products awaiting classification
A Pictorial History of Horror Movies (1973) - Denis Gifford
A Pictorial History of Horror Movies (1973) - Denis Gifford [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Denis Gifford (1927-2000)
It is with a profound sadness that I read of Denis Gifford's passing, for it was Denis who changed my life and began me on a quest to learn more about the elusive qualities of the horror film. For my tenth Christmas my parents treated me to a copy of Denis' "A Pictorial History of Horror Movies", mostly because I had asked for it, but more probably they had discovered that I was creeping about in the early hours, (although at that time the BBC used to sign off no later than 1am.), with my face pressed close to the black and white tv. and the volume turned as low as possible watching The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Frankenstein or some of the "forbidden" Hammer films. Despite only having three channels, there seemed to be a better selection from our favourite genre on television then, than there is now! --Kimball Jenkins via http://www.missinglinkclassichorror.co.uk/gifford.htm [Dec 2005]
See also: 1973
100 Years of Horror (1996) - Ted Newsom
I saw the DVD version of this video and, being a horror film buff, found it very entertaining. The problem with documentaries like these, however, is that they do tend to get sort of dated in just a few years (e.g. although fairly recent films such as Bram Stoker's Dracula, Jurrasic Park and Wolf were discussed, more recent films such as the Mummy remake were not) especially in this genre wherein advances in make-up and special effects play an important role. Still, I would recommend this series to any serious horror film afficionado. Unlike many documentaries which seem to be made up of 90% interviews and 10% (movie) scenes, this is composed primarily of scenes with Christopher Lee's voice-over, interspersed with a few interviews. Notable highlights include hilarious outtakes from the film Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein as well as footage from obscure movies such as the 1960 version of Lost World. There are also interviews with John Carpenter, Peter Cushing and Claude Rains. I found this very enjoyable, although I'm giving just 4 stars for the DVD version since the sound quality was not very good for this medium (for VHS I'd probably let it off with 5 stars). --an amazon customrer
An Illustrated History of Horror and Science-Fiction Films (1967) - Carlos Clarens
This classic study of horror and science fiction movies was first published in 1967, the year before films such as Rosemary's Baby and 2001: A Space Odyssey transformed both genres. Readers interested in the many horror and science fiction films made before the modern era of graphic violence and special-effects extravaganzas will be enthralled by An Illustrated History of Horror and Science Fiction Film. It summarizes the plots and relates the importance of a wide variety of relevant films, from the early work of Georges Méliès and the German expressionists to Universal Pictures horror movies such as the original Dracula and Frankenstein to the suggestively atmospheric work of Val Lewton and the sci-fi classics of the 1950s. Clarens makes fascinating observations about the mythical value of these films and their cathartic effect on viewers. His insights are so powerful and expressive that J. Hoberman, who wrote an introduction to the book's 1997 reissue, found that "this idiosyncratic genre history was really an idiosyncratic history of the commercial cinema as it had developed, in Europe and America, from the 1890s through the mid-1960s." An Illustrated History of Horror and Science Fiction Film contains scores of terrific black-and-white illustrations and a detailed filmography. --Amazon.com
100 Years of Horror (1996) - Ted Newsom
I saw the DVD version of this video and, being a horror film buff, found it very entertaining. The problem with documentaries like these, however, is that they do tend to get sort of dated in just a few years (e.g. although fairly recent films such as Bram Stoker's Dracula, Jurrasic Park and Wolf were discussed, more recent films such as the Mummy remake were not) especially in this genre wherein advances in make-up and special effects play an important role. Still, I would recommend this series to any serious horror film afficionado. Unlike many documentaries which seem to be made up of 90% interviews and 10% (movie) scenes, this is composed primarily of scenes with Christopher Lee's voice-over, interspersed with a few interviews. Notable highlights include hilarious outtakes from the film Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein as well as footage from obscure movies such as the 1960 version of Lost World. There are also interviews with John Carpenter, Peter Cushing and Claude Rains. I found this very enjoyable, although I'm giving just 4 stars for the DVD version since the sound quality was not very good for this medium (for VHS I'd probably let it off with 5 stars). --an amazon customrer
your Amazon recommendations