- Paperback: 96 pages
- Publisher: Pocket Essentials (8 Mar 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1903047382
- ISBN-13: 978-1903047385
- Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 10.9 x 0.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,098,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Horror Films
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"Crafted with skill." --"The Oklahoma City Gazette"
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
The Horror genre is amongst the most popular and commercially successful of movements yet remains the most critically ignored or reviled. They are dismissed as juvenile or even harmful, but something keeps bringing film-makers and audiences back time and again. Many acknowledged film-making greats - from Hitchcock to Kubrick - have produced some of their best work scaring audiences to bits. The Pocket Essential guide to Horror Films looks at the genre from silent cinema to the present day, with an emphasis on such key figures as David Cronenberg, Wes Craven, George A. Romero and Clive Barker. Packed to the gills with scary stuff and gruesome goings on, this is the best-value guide available to the genre that is as old as cinema itself.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Odell and LeBlanc's 'Horror Films' does a commendable job of covering a lot of territory in a highly readable style. No major landmarks are missed, which is pretty impressive considering the boldly wide-ranging geographical and chronological approach they take, which looks at films from Australia and Mexico, and takes us from the silents to the latest releases. Of course nobody will agree with every call (I think Stuart Gordon warranted attention, and can't share their enthusiasm for the 'Scream' franchise) but overall the book is insightful and well informed.
If it has a weakness, it is in casting its nets so wide, meaning nothing gets covered in any great depth. Those whose curiosity is piqued will find more in depth coverage of the more obscure films mentioned in books by author Pete Tombs or those published by genre specialists Fabpress. Plus, it would have been nice to have seen the illustration peppered throughout the book, rather than concentrated in a colour section. But allowing for these slight reservations, 'Horror Films' sets a high standard, and will be enjoyed by both horror veterans and film students coming to the genre for the first time.
If it has a weakness, it is in casting its nets so wide, meaning nothing gets covered in any great depth. Those whose curiosity is piqued will find more in depth coverage of the more obscure films mentioned in books by author Pete Tombs or those published by genre specialists Fabpress. Plus, it would have been nice to have seen the illustration peppered throughout the book, rather than concentrated in a colour section. But allowing for these slight reservations, 'Horror Films' sets a high standard, and will be enjoyed by both horror veterans and film students coming to the genre for the first time.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Horror Films is a superb read, covering numerous classics and some offbeat horror films. As always, their writing style is very infectious and literally makes you not want to stop hearing their thoughts, anecdotes and info that they have so lovingly prepared. They have obviously had a lot of fun writing their books and it shows in every line, page and chapter. I cannot recommend highly enough why every film buff should not have everyone of their books in his/her collection. For that matter, every famous film critic could learn a thing or two from Odell and Le Blanc in how to emphasise the best from a film in such a way that makes you want to see the films listed that you haven't yet and go back and see the ones you have seen again. Video shops around the country must be booming. Looking forward to the next subject, my guess would be Tim Burton or B-Movies.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
Good for its Non-NATO Content
20 Feb 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've read a lot of these guides now and so probably the rating for this one suffers because by now the thrill is gone. Had I read it before a lot of the others, I might've been a little more generous with the stars.
Here we get some history on the development of horror cinema in various regions and countries around the globe. Plenty of stuff on the usual offenders from America, the UK, the Italian giallos, and the cheap Spanish werewolf flicks. However, the authors also cover what the rest of Europe had, and has, to offer (it's current through about 2006), and they also hit Latin America, Asia, and Australia. So there's a fair amount of material on J-horror and its cousins from Thailand and Hong Kong, plus the recent uptick in gore from France and Spain. In addition to general discussions by country, each chapter ends with capsule reviews of significant horror flick by region from the 1920s to present.
Unlike most guides, this one is very sparsely illustrated, and the handful of photos that are present seem to have been selected by spastic meth-crazed dart-throwing monkeys.
Easily confused Americans, beware! The authors evidently are England-based and so sometimes there are some British spellings and idioms. Do not be alarmed! They are your friends!
Here we get some history on the development of horror cinema in various regions and countries around the globe. Plenty of stuff on the usual offenders from America, the UK, the Italian giallos, and the cheap Spanish werewolf flicks. However, the authors also cover what the rest of Europe had, and has, to offer (it's current through about 2006), and they also hit Latin America, Asia, and Australia. So there's a fair amount of material on J-horror and its cousins from Thailand and Hong Kong, plus the recent uptick in gore from France and Spain. In addition to general discussions by country, each chapter ends with capsule reviews of significant horror flick by region from the 1920s to present.
Unlike most guides, this one is very sparsely illustrated, and the handful of photos that are present seem to have been selected by spastic meth-crazed dart-throwing monkeys.
Easily confused Americans, beware! The authors evidently are England-based and so sometimes there are some British spellings and idioms. Do not be alarmed! They are your friends!
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