Horror Cinema [Hardcover]

Jonathan Penner (Author), Steven Jay Schneider (Author), Paul Duncan (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

The best scary movies of all time

This exciting new visual history examines the genre in thematic, historical, and aesthetic terms

Horror is both the most perennially popular and geographically diverse of all film genres; arguably, every country that makes movies makes horror movies of one kind or another. Depicting deep-rooted, even archetypal fears, while at the same time exploiting socially and culturally specific anxieties, cinematic horror is at once timeless and utterly of its time and place. This exciting new visual history, which includes unique images from the David Del Valle archive, examines the genre in thematic, historical, and aesthetic terms, breaking it down into the following fundamental categories: Slashers & Serial Killers; Cannibals, Freaks & Hillbillys; Revenge of Nature & Environmental Horror; Sci-fi Horror; The Living Dead; Ghosts & Haunted Houses; Possession, Demons & Evil Tricksters; Voodoo, Cults & Satanists; Vampires & Werewolves; and The Monstrous-Feminine. Among the many films featured are classics such as Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Alien, The Exorcist, Dracula, and The Wicker Man.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Duncan has seen lots of films and read lots of comics and books. He wanted to share his enthusiasm for these subjects so he published magazines about comics (Ark) and crime fiction (Crime Time) before launching a series of small film guides (Pocket Essentials). He has edited more than 40 film books for TASCHEN, and wrote Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick in the Film Series.

Jonathan Penner has written for movies, television, magazines, and blogs, and has worked extensively as an actor, screenwriter, and producer. His film credits include the cult classic The Last Supper, the Hamlet-inspired Let the Devil Wear Black and the short film for which he was Oscar-nominated, Down on the Waterfront.

Steven Jay Schneider received his MA in Philosophy from Birkbeck College, University of London, and is a Ph.D candidate in Cinema Studies at New York University. He is the author or editor of numerous books on film.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: TASCHEN America Llc (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822831522
• ISBN-13: 978-3822831526
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #438,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent, but Not Perfect (Like Horror Movies Themselves), January 10, 2009

By 

Karen Cox "movie lover" (Eureka, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Horror Cinema (Hardcover)

My main reasons for buying this book were my love for horror movies and the classic image of an over-the-hill Joan Crawford wielding a heavy ax on the back cover (the same picture is also conveniently featured inside the book). In fact, the pictures are, in my opinion, the best thing about the book. The text did not dig too far into any one movie or genre and what was written was too much of a film class-like analysis of each type of horror film that was discussed. I guess I wasn't expecting that and so I let the pictures make up for my boredom and disappointment in what I was reading. Pictures from some of my favorite movies (The Witches, Pet Sematary, Misery and House of 1000 Corpses, to name a few) made it into this book and I really enjoyed that. As far other aspects of the book, not so much. Would I recommend the book? Yes, but for the pictures alone. I don't mind a gory snapshot from one of my favorite movies every now and then.

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly appealing visually, October 29, 2010

By 

Lempdoodle - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Horror Cinema (Hardcover)

To be honest, I haven't even read this whole book yet because I've been too fixated on the photos, of which there are many great ones. While gore in Technicolor is welcome, I actually love that the book is in black and white, since it just seems to make things feel grittier. The book is divided up into fun categories, including Cannibals, Freaks and Hillbillies, and The Monstrous Feminine (love the photo of Joan Crawford...a battle-ax wielding a battle ax - can't beat that). The text I have read so far has been enjoyable, but I'm only giving this 4 stars because spelling the name of one of the most famous horror villains wrong (it should be Michael Myers) is (tongue-in-cheek) unforgivable.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Horror Fans, Excellent Content!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, October 19, 2009

By 

obrenes333 "Olde" (Florida, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Horror Cinema (Hardcover)

What a great book, just for horror movies fans, if so you definitively shall get it, I found almost every great horror movie on it until its publication. Excellent size of pages, great content, awesome color in pictures, HORROR FANS MUST HAVE!!!!11