Monsters in the Movies [Hardcover]

John Landis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 19, 2011

From B-movie bogeymen and outer space oddities to big-budget terrors, Monsters in the Movies by legendary filmmaker John Landis showcases the greatest monsters ever to creep, fly, slither, stalk, or rampage across the Silver Screen!

Landis provides his own fascinating and entertaining insights into the world of moviemaking, while conducting in-depth "conversations" with leading monster makers, including David Cronenberg, Christopher Lee, John Carpenter, and Sam Raimi — to discuss some of the most petrifying monsters ever seen. He also surveys the historical origins of the archetypal monsters, such as vampires, zombies, and werewolves, and takes you behind the scenes to discover the secrets of those special-effects wizards who created such legendary frighteners as King Kong, Dracula, and Halloween's Michael Myers. With more than 1000 stunning movie stills and posters, this book is sure to keep even the most intense fright-seekers at the edge of their seats for hours!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A delicious romp through the film world, this book provides a nostalgic pull for anyone who grew up a fan of the great horror flicks." – Booklist

About the Author

John Landis is a household name and the award-winning director of horror hits such as American Werewolf in London, Michael Jackson's Thriller video, and Innocent Blood. He has also directed a host of classic films not in the horror genre, including The Blues Brothers, Animal House, Trading Places, Three Amigos! and Coming To America.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; First Editon edition (September 19, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075668370X
• ISBN-13: 978-0756683702
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 10.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #209,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable Look at Cinema Monsters! September 22, 2011

By Jean Valjean

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this book. It represents a fast and pleasurable romp through the history of movie monsters from the silent era to today. John Landis, as almost everyone knows, directed some of the most well known and culturally influential movies, including An American Werewolf in London and The Blues Brothers. Landis's love for Dark Fantasy films really shines here and hooks the reader. The pictures are very attractive and the interviews with well known personalities involved with monster movies were educational. Landis is a very opinionated writer which I find to be refreshing. In his interviews, he is able to draw out blunt observations from those he talked with.

The monster movies are grouped into broad categories throughout the book. They are: Vampires, Werewolves, Mad Scientists, Zombies, Ghosts, Mummies, Myths/Legends/Fairy Tales, Dragons/Dinosaurs, Monstrous Apes, Nature's Revenge, Atomic Mutations, The Devil's Work, Space Monsters, Monstrous Machines, Human Monsters, and The Monster Makers. At the beginning of each section, Landis would provide a two page overview about the subject or topic. His writings are clear, succinct, and knowledgeable, with the right touch of humor.

This is a book that any fans of Dark Fantasy movies will want to obtain and read (and re-read) during any "dark and gloomy nights."

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Come for the pictures, stay for the text! September 19, 2011

By S. Banks

Format:Hardcover

An incredibly lavish collection of hundreds of amazing pictures of all your favorite movie monsters ... many I have never seen before. You will spend some serious time looking at this. But, don't just look. Read. The interviews with Joe Dante, Sam Raimi, John Carpenter, Ray Harryhausen, Guillermo Del Toro, Rick Baker and David Cronenberg (and the captions of the photos) by the highly-opinionated and highly-entertaining and well-informed Landis are just great.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful shout to the horrible. October 3, 2011

By Tom Dupree

Format:Hardcover

It's like thumbing through the best issue of FAMOUS MONSTERS you ever held in your hand -- and then you get to go back and *read it*! I only saw one egregious error my first time thru: on page 81, they mistakenly credit a shot from the original 1958 THE FLY [that movie was in color, as many traumatized kids can attest] to RETURN OF THE FLY, the cheapo b&w sequel that featured the HUGE fly-head. Oops. But since they printed the shot from the color movie in b&w [why?], maybe nerddom can forgive. Landis is so well connected that your bonus, besides the usual brilliant D-K page designs, is a series of ruminations from the best directors in the genre. Even the cover is scary.