The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword (Paperback)

~ (Author) "TOD BROWNING lay in his grave, eating malted milk balls..." (more)
Key Phrases: horror entertainment, horror hosts, horror icons, New York, Tod Browning, Bela Lugosi (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This study of the visual horror genre from Dr. Caligari to Dr. Hannibal Lecter starts with a discussion of Diane Arbus's photographs of freaks. David Skal then suggests that he will seek to "explain why the images resonated in the culture ... [and] why so much of our imaginative life in the 20th century has been devoted to peeling back the masks and scabs of civilization, to finding, cultivating, and projecting nightmare images of the secret self." Whether or not you agree with his thesis that horror is a symptom of society's ills (war, disease, poverty), you will find much of value in this thorough, highly readable history--especially the detailed accounts of the work of filmmaker Tod Browning, and of how Frankenstein and Dracula made their way from books to plays to films. The book is handsomely designed (hardcover has dust jacket by Edward Gorey), with illustrations, footnotes, and index. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

This entertaining survey mixes behind-the-scenes Hollywood anecdotes with intriguing social analysis. Skal ( Hollywood Gothic ) considers the archetypes depicted in Dracula , Frankenstein , Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Tod Browning's Freaks as responses to the Great Depression that contained metaphors of class warfare. Scientific sadism in films of the 1940s drew on partial knowledge of the Third Reich, he argues, while movie monsters of the '50s personified Bomb-bred mutants or Cold War brainwashers. Skal links 1960s films' anxiety about sex and reproduction to the introduction of the Pill and Thalidomide, and suggests that horror flicks of the '70s and '80s show signs of the post-traumatic stress syndrome suffered by many Vietnam veterans. Though he analyzes Stephen King's novels, Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video and Famous Monsters magazine, his book might have been richer had he delved into more non-Hollywood aspects of pop culture, such as heavy metal music. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber; 1st edition (October 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571199968
• ISBN-13: 978-0571199969
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #255,020 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monster Movie Making History, July 4, 2003

By	Ian M. Enriquez "Counselor and lover of life" (San Francisco, California United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have decided to review this book because it needs to be a little clearer about what you are purchasing here. The first half of the book focuses on what is clearly David Skal's expertise-- 30's monster movies. He covers biographies on Tod Browning and Bela Lugosi, James Whale's battles against the censors, the influences of war and the Great Depression, and the move from stage to screen. It was so pleasurable and enlightening to read all about the beginnings of the genre.

After 200 pages on this decade, I soon realized that the following 6 decades could not possibly get the same attention in the second half. Hammer horror from England receives two sentences in the book when it easily deserves at least a lengthy chapter. Italian horror (which has one of the largest cult followings within this genre) is completely unmentioned. To my shock, a film with such powerful cultural relevance as The Stepford Wives also remains completely unmentioned in the book. A chapter that I thought would discuss the cultural emergence and relevance of slasher films ends up covering plastic surgery. Basically the book is greatly unbalanced. There is so much passion in the first half that the second half of the book seems a drought by comparison.

However, if you are even reading this review, then I must say that this book is a must-own. The information is absolutely fascinating (even in the second half). The photos throughout the book are excellent and add so much to the experience of reading it. The information I regretfully did not get is now more accessible to me through the foundations and structure of this book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Frightfully good, August 5, 2004

By	Charlus "charlus" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Wonderfully witty and well written, this is a cultural history that well deserves its name. The first half plays up to Skal's strength as a film historian but the second half, which detours into comic books, Stephen King, monster models, the Adams Family, etc. is marred with passages of psychobabble and strained analysis. Mostly however this is an entertaining and near definitive exploration of things delightfully horrible. And the illustrations are great!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Doom, Gloom and...Va-Va-Voom?, July 12, 2002

By	M. Packo (Stratford, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Much better cover on this revised edition then the Edward
Gorey illustration on original hardcover.

Simply one of the best cultural reviews of movie horror ever
written. The chapter on Fifties' drive-in horror alone is
worth the cost of the book. Loads of documentary information,
intelligent commentary, trenchant insights. The only drawback,
as others have mentioned, is David J. Skal's habit of leaning
a little too heavily on certain prejudices or opinions in order
to make a theory or speculation of his fit a little more neatly
then it otherwise would have. Mr. Skal, your "post modernist"
academic roots are showing! (Though this stealth editorializing does not intrude too much in The Monster Show, it truly gives
you the creeps while struggling through much of his Screams Of Reason.)

Anyway, this book is a MUST for anyone devoted to American history, horror trivia, cultural pathology --
all that cool stuff and much, much more! Nicely researched and

written, a great reference and resource for the Crypt Keeper-
Monster Mash kiddies out there (like me). If you know what I mean, you ought to own this book.