The complete inside guide to the horror movie, from its beginnings in the early years of cinema to the to shock and spatter movies of today. It's all here. Universal, RKO, Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Hammer, Roger Corman, George Romero, Dario Argento, Wes Craven and beyond. And there's more. Howard Maxford has assembled a treasure trove of detailed and previously unpublished information on horror film-makers from Britain, America, Spain, Germany, Japan, South America, South-East Asia - every part of the world where the genre has flourished. The A-Z includes entries on actors, directors, screenwriters and studios, plus information on the great movie monsters and the novels and stories that have shaped the genre. There are entries on all the classic films, as well as countless trashy titles no one in their right mind would dream of renting from the video store. Twenty-five featured colour spreads are interspersed through the text, providing further information on key topics from Amicus to Zombies.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Academic publishers are under duress, it seems. Where Indiana University Press once promoted rarefied monographs concerning film theory and European auteurs, they are now targeting a mainstream readership with these two genre film references. Julius, a reviewer for What's On in London, here reviews 250 key action films and offers concise biographies of such testosterone-pumped icons as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Dolph Lundgren. Quotations, trivia lists, and quizzes supplement the vivacious commentary. While Julius's reviews are admittedly fun to skim, they lack any semblance of depth. The coverage is likewise superficial, with just 250 films representing a smattering of action cinema. Even so, aficionados of psychotic cops, maximum ammo, and car chases might well appreciate the treatment. Maxford's (Hammer: House of Horror, Overlook, 1996) volume is simultaneously more comprehensive in scope and less lively. Succinct reviews cover the spectrum of horror cinema, from contemporary slasher pix and European independent productions to classic Hollywood movies. While Maxford's comments lack Julius's panache, they are bolstered by impressive credit lists. Here, too, salient biographies accompany the film reviews. The volume is liberally illustrated and amounts to a solid reference work, akin to a specialized Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide. It is bound to please both schlock connoisseurs and reference librarians in all types of institutions.?Neal Baker, Dickinson Coll. Lib., Carlisle, Pa.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not much to recommend in it.,
By "carl_j_johansson" (Sweden) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The A-Z of Horror Films (Paperback)
A book with filmreviews like Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide but here are, of course, just horrorfilms mentioned. There is also information about actors and directors. The strange thing with this book is why Maxford wrote it; he doesn't seem to like many of the films in the horror genre. It's only the mainstream stuff, like Silence of the Lambs and such films, that get positive reviews. And don't expect to learn something when you read the directors/actors entries; Just some information where and when they where born plus a listing of (genre)films they have made. The reviews are rather boring to read, you get the feeling that Maxford was ashamed when he wrote this book cause of the subject matter. If you are a fan of horrorfilms and want a film guide I would recommend John McCarty's Official Splatter Movie Guide part 1 & 2 and John Stanley's Creature Features insted.
1.0 out of 5 stars
It's just a huge list of horror movies.,
By A Customer
This review is from: The A-Z of Horror Films (Paperback)
I expected some insight to the great horror movies but it is just a huge list of every horror movie in existence. It is more for research than entertainment or education.
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