The Rough Guide to Horror Movies is a comprehensive guide to the world''s most terrifying films. The guide includes all the icons, from Boris Karloff to Wes Craven and Frankenstein to Freddie Kruger, including classics from Argentina, Pakistan, South Africa and the recent chillers from East Asia. The canon of fifty essential horror movies features The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Switchblade Romance, via Psycho and The Exorcist. Everything you need to know is covered from festivals, adaptations, magazines and merchandise. The guide tells the stories behind the movies that have scared us throughout the twentieth century.
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About the Author
Alan Jones is an internationally renowned reporter on the fantasy, horror and science fiction genres in all media and extensively travels all over the world to cover the making of movies in production. He is also the organiser of the annual London Frightfest horror cinema festival.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best introductions,
By Charlie Brown "djholman2002" (Mars, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Rough Guide to Horror Movies (Paperback)
This is really a remarkably good overview of horror cinema. It offers a variety of information (historical, filmographic, aesthetic, cultural) which is organized to encourage casual or random browsing but also very readable from cover to cover. The background chapter on horror literature is particularly informative. No special theory is offered; some otherwise excellent horror film books take an overly-specialized perspective, but you won't have that problem here. The genre is taken seriously, but the fun of it is always kept in view. Many very fine (and some rarely seen) photos grace the book throughout. I only noticed one "blooper": in the sidebar on Barbara Steele, Fellini is reported to have "cut her out" of his film "8-1/2." However, when I saw it recently, Babbara was beautifully present in one important scene. Otherwise, this is a very well-done volume and is heartily recommended.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Trendy Horror guide for the Lame,
By
This review is from: The Rough Guide to Horror Movies (Paperback)
I picked this guide up because I seem to read most Horror reference guides I come across.
The "Rough Guide" series are well structured books,but unfortunately appear VERY trendy and hip,and not always too honest. It's hard to trust a guide who claims that an essential horror movie of all time is one that got released within the last two years. The same problem can also be found in the other guides,particularly the Comedy and Sci-Fi guides. There Top Fifty Essentials aren't the worst picks,and certainly many are must sees,but the history seems forced and without any passion. (The looks at the various Horror actors feels very biased and disatached). Some entries are just silly,like why does Jason and Michael Myers need there own seperate entries? Why is Pinhead on the cover,when he is seen so little in the actual book? Could it be because he's a modern Horror icon designed to lure in bogus fans? Poor Pinhead,if only you were in a book that appreciated you and your horror brethern(Frankenstein and Dracula get little respect as well....for Frankestein,the boneheads who wrote this book can seem to nly reccomend,Mary Shelly's Frankenstein(1994)....yikes!) This book is strictly for amateurs,not for anyone wishing to learn anything about the genre. Buy a book by David J.Skal or something from Midnight Marquee Press instead.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars?,
This review is from: The Rough Guide to Horror Movies (Paperback)
Doesn't anybody who has so far reviewed this book have a problem that the author gives away endings? I mean, being a horror aficionado, I had seen most of the movies represented in this book, but if I hadn't seen them, I would have been considerably upset at having the endings to such classics as "Psycho" ruined. Additionally, I find that the book is occasionally awkwardly written. It's quite accessible though, even for casual fans of horror and the list of movies and people/characters critical to the genre is comprehensive.
2.5/5
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Fear of death and the unknown, and a sense of awe at the uncontrollable power of nature are common to almost all cultures. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
blue demon, movies around the world, horror cinema, horror director, old dark house, horror literature Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Alfred Hitchcock, Val Lewton, Dario Argento, Lon Chaney, Tod Browning, Roger Corman, Vincent Price, Stephen King, Mario Bava, Edgar Allan Poe, The Exorcist, Roman Polanski, Peter Cushing, James Whale, Wes Craven, William Castle, Mary Shelley, Barbara Steele, Cat People, Freddy Krueger, Hong Kong, Grand Guignol Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Fear of death and the unknown, and a sense of awe at the uncontrollable power of nature are common to almost all cultures. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
blue demon, movies around the world, horror cinema, horror director, old dark house, horror literature Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Alfred Hitchcock, Val Lewton, Dario Argento, Lon Chaney, Tod Browning, Roger Corman, Vincent Price, Stephen King, Mario Bava, Edgar Allan Poe, The Exorcist, Roman Polanski, Peter Cushing, James Whale, Wes Craven, William Castle, Mary Shelley, Barbara Steele, Cat People, Freddy Krueger, Hong Kong, Grand Guignol Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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