Silver Scream Volume 1: 40 Classic Horror Movies 1920 - 1941 [Paperback]

Steven Warren Hill (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1845830261 | ISBN-13: 978-1845830267 | Publication Date: October 1, 2008 | Edition: 1

From somnambulist kidnappers stalking the streets of an expressionist nightmare to an ambulatory alien vegetable terrorising the crew of a futuristic spaceship, fantasy and horror film has explored every facet of human (and not so human) nature. From the earliest days of cinema, visions of blood-thirsty vampires, musty mummies, fanged wolf men, invisible men, insane phantoms and bolt-necked patchwork monstrosities have stalked, stomped, crept and lurched their way across popular consciousness.
In these books we journey back to the very start, when the silver screen was silent and the horrors were presented in flickering black and white. We explore the development of eighty key films, with detailed analysis and biographies of all those involved in their creation from the writers and directors through the composers, cast and technical crew.
Revisit the days when the names of Lugosi, Karloff, Lorre and Chaney ruled the cinemas, and when the myths and legends of iconic monsters were created and developed. Come with us back to the time of the Silver Scream...
Contents - Vol. 1: The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, The Phantom of the Opera, Faust, The Cat and the Canary, Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Freaks, Murders in the Rue Morgue, Vampyr, Doctor X, White Zombie, The Old Dark House, The Mummy, Island of Lost Souls, The Vampire Bat, Mystery of the Wax Museum, Murders in the Zoo, The Ghoul, The Invisible Man, The Black Cat, Mark of the Vampire, Bride of Frankenstein, Werewolf of London, Mad Love, The Black Room, The Raven, The Invisible Ray, The Walking Dead, Dracula's Daughter, The Devil-Doll, Son of Frankenstein, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Invisible Man Returns, Dr Cyclops, Black Friday, The Mummy's Hand, The Devil Bat and The Monster and the Girl.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steven Warren Hill was born in Chicago in 1966 and has loved classic horror movies for as long as he can remember, thanks in part to his grandfather Karl's own interest in the same subject. When Karl passed away in 1977, Steve inherited a collection of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine (issues 1-27) and a complete set of Aurora monster model kits beautifully built-up by Karl's careful hand.
With the coming of the home video boom in the 1980s, Steve was able to start collecting, watching, and rewatching all his favorite classic horror movies, something he still does to this day (though interestingly, his top favorite film is BRIGHTON ROCK - not a horror film at all).
He runs a number of websites including The Movie Title Screens Page (a gallery of - what else - movie title screens), The Fay Wray Pages (officially sanctioned by Fay Wray herself) and The Doctor Who Image Archive, under his umbrella site www.shillpages.com, and is currently in administrative charge of the hugely popular Doctor Who Forum (once known as Outpost Gallifrey).
Steve also loves music, acting and moviemaking. He is married to Jill Petillo (no kids, one rabbit) and they live in Chicago. This is Steve's first book. Erm, first TWO books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Telos Publishing; 1 edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845830261
• ISBN-13: 978-1845830267
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,619,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Indispensible Guide to Classic Horror, March 7, 2009

By 

Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Silver Scream Volume 1: 40 Classic Horror Movies 1920 - 1941 (Paperback)

All I can say is that the first reviewer is nuts and knows nothing about classic horror films. "Silver Scream" is a comprehensive look at forty classic horror films produced from 1920 - 1941. There have been other books which tackled classic horror but I don't think any of them did it with as much detail as Steven Warren Hill's book. At over four hundred pages, each entry gets approximately ten pages of coverage and that is extraordinary detail.

For each film, Hill provides a detailed plot overview, highlights and memorable quotes, lowlights, goofs, the ongoing story which focuses on the film's place in history, version, trivia, cast and crew, music, critical words, and finally, another perspective on the film from one of three guest reviewers. Hill also gives each film a score with 100 being the highest. This is great stuff because it features a lot of great anecdotes that even the most seasoned classic horror fans probably did not know.

The book begins with the silent classic "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" and concludes with "The Monster and the Girl". Sure you'd be hard pressed to really consider films like "The Devil Bat" a classic, but here classic refers as much to an era and style as it does to quality. And if nothing else, Bela Lugosi could do a commercial for toilet paper and still make it fun to watch. I especially liked the "goofs" section as it gives me a reason to watch these films again so I can spot the mistakes myself. One of the films that was a joy to read about was Tod Browning's notorious "Freaks". Banned for decades the film used actual circus freaks much to the shock of the audiences and critics of the time.

Silver Scream is a fantastic book from cover to cover and one that will prove to be an indispensable reference guide.

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable treasure trove for classic horror fans, December 21, 2011

By 

Charles M Martin (Maitland, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silver Scream Volume 1: 40 Classic Horror Movies 1920 - 1941 (Paperback)

Steven Warren Hill has written an absolutely astonishing tome packed full of fascinating trivia, backstory, history and factoids about the horror films many of us love and have seen over and over. What's great about the book is that it adds an enormous amount of depth to the films beyond what we can get from watching them. The amount of research that must have gone into this is absolutely dumbfounding.

For me, the two volumes of this collection more than pay for themselves in many ways, but two of the most key things I appreciate about Silver Scream is, first, the connections made with actors, creatives and technicians from one film to another -- allowing me to learn a great deal more about people like Conrad Veidt (who I knew already from CABINET OF DOCTOR CALIGARI but had no idea that was him in CASABLANCA!) and Tod Browning without having to read biographies for each and every person. It was remarkable to realise how many of the same people worked on many of my all-time favourite films both inside and outside the horror genre!

Secondly, the recommendations of which DVD versions include what is absolutely INVALUABLE. Many of the films covered in this book have been released on DVD or at least VHS many, many times -- knowing which ones offer the best mastering, the most extras (or the best extras) or the most complete versions of a given film has saved me a great deal of time, money and frustration.

The little touches such as the title of each film being re-created in the style it appeared in the movie and the unbelievable level of detail and frankly honest assessments of the films themselves demonstrate the love (obsession) the author and his cohorts have for the films, and most importantly led me to "discover" many, MANY other enjoyable movies I would never have found on my own, furthering my own addiction to these era and genres of filmmaking.

Many thanks to the author and the publisher for making this extraordinary reference work available.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, March 26, 2009

By 

Gwyneth Jeffers - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Silver Scream Volume 1: 40 Classic Horror Movies 1920 - 1941 (Paperback)

Ok the first reviewer is talking absolute garbage. I got the book, and could not stop reading it! It's about the classic horror movies from before talkies , such as Nosferatu. I love the little info bits, the highlights and lowlights, and also information on the cast and crew. The photos of the actors and actresses are quite beautiful, and I think the author has done an outstanding job on the book. Not only do you get Nosferatu, you get info on Frankenstein, Dracula, Phantom of the Opera, and so much more. This is a must have book for those interested in classic horror films.