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.