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BIOGRAPHIES - FILM / VIDEO GUIDES
- GENERAL
REFERENCES - HAMMER STUDIOS
PSYCHO-BABBLE - SPECIAL INTERESTS
FILM GUIDES
(Just click on the book cover to get to the review)
 LEGACY
OF BLOOD: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO SLASHER MOVIES
By Jim Harper
Published by Headpress, 2004. 192 pages.
This is a book that we didn't bother with since we didn't
think we needed another film guide, let alone one that was just on slasher
films. But we finally picked it up and was very glad we did. Before
you even get into the actual film guide, there is a 50+ page essay on the
history of the slasher films, that talks about the rise of the sub-genre, the
typical elements and conventions to it, as well as the fall of them. This
essay alone is worth the cost of the book. It's very informative and very
entertaining.
Then we get to the actual film guide section. Here
Harper gives us the low down on over 200 slasher films. We get the usual
cast and credits, a brief synopsis of the film, and whether or not we should
watch the movie. Often pointing out that there is little reason if any, to
spend time with this film. Although, fans of the bad B-movies just might
be looking for something like that. So you have to take his comments as
what they are: his opinion. You might not agree with him, but at least it
gives you some basis to go one.
Bottom line is that it's a nice title for any collector.
As we said, the essay is great, and then you have a nice study guide or
checklist to work your way through.
THE OVERLOOK
FILM ENCYCLOPEDIA: HORROR
Edited by Phil Harder
Published by The Overlook Press, 1994. 496 pages.
This was originally published in 1986
under the title of Encyclopedia of Horror; then revised and expanded in 1994, under the
title this title. Hardy provided horror fans
with a literal tome of reviews of films from all over the world, starting with
the silent movie years through to the modern era. Hardy’s book was the first
one that we came across that not had only a review of the film, but also listed
useful information such as alternate titles (which came in quite useful with
foreign films, considering all the different titles they were being released
under), country of origin, cast, crew, and running times (although those times
are still debated to this day and caused grief for many collectors).
This was
the book to go to if you were looking up everything from Coffin Joe films,
strange Japanese films of the ’60s or any of the countless other titles from
Italy and Spain. The only flaw in this book remains the editor’s oftentimes
puzzling choice of what he considered horror – if a film were designated as
Sci-Fi, it would then be in Hardy’s other book: The Overlook Film
Encyclopedia: Science Fiction.
But even with that small flaw, this is one film book that we
would call essential to all horror fans. And why not pick up the Science
Fiction one as a nice companion piece.
 A
VAULT OF HORROR: A BOOK OF GREAT (AND NOT SO GREAT) BRITISH HORROR MOVIES
FROM 1956-1974
By Keith Topping
Published by Telos Publishing Ltd., 2004. 427 pages.
Okay....do we really need another book
on British horror films? Damn Skippy we do! Especially when they are
laid out like this one. We are always a sucker for trivial information
about our favorite films. And this book gives us that and more. Each
film reviewed is in different categories. We have the basic cast & crew
info, plot/synopsis, and even tag lines and famous quotes. But then we
also have different categories like "Nudity, Violence and Sadomasochism" or
"Outrageous Methods of Dispatch", or "You May Remember Me From...". There
is also quotes from actual reviews of the film, as well as the authors own
thoughts. But the tons of extra trivia given here makes this book a joy to
read. No matter how much you know about these films, there is going to be
something in here that you didn't know. It also helps you connect certain
actors or filmmakers with other films, giving you other titles to add to your
"to-watch" list.
We had a lot of fun reading through this book and is a
great one to go back to for research, or just an occasional time-killer. Highly
recommended.
VIDEOHOUND'S
HORROR SHOW: 999 HAIR-RAISING, HELLISH, AND HUMOROUS MOVIES
By Mike Mayo
Published by Visible Ink Press, 1998. 524 pages.
Sure, this book is 12 years
old as of this writing. But that is the great thing about reference
books...the subject their on never changes. So this book is still as
useful today as it was when it first came out.
While most film guides have the basic info, such as cast &
crew, synopsis & review, one of the things that we love most about Mayo’s book
is the extra icing he provides. Throughout the book, you find movie quotes,
trivia, advertising lines, and mini-bios of some of the more important figures
in the genre. Add this with the 999 capsule reviews and you have yourself an
interesting review book, that you can go back to time and time again and where
you just might also learn something about the genre along the way. For
that, we really think that this is a book that should be in every horror film
fans library.
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