Horror Film Reader (Softcover) (Limelight) - Softcover

Silver, Alain

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0879102977 ISBN 13: 9780879102975

Publisher: Limelight Editions, 2004

Synopsis

This book begins with seminal essays, several dating back to the 1950s, that uncover the roots of the genre and explain its wide-radning, indestructible appeal. The second part of the book, "New Perspectives", focuses on such specific films as Freaks, The Devil Doll, The Haunting, The Devil and Daniel Webster, and Hitchcock, the Wolf Man and the Candy Man.

About this title

Synopsis:

This book begins with seminal essays, several dating back to the 1950s, that uncover the roots of the genre and explain its wide-ranging, indestructible appeal. These writings include, among many others, 'The Horror of It All' by Hollis Alpert and Charles Beaumont, 'The Subconscious: From Pleasure Castle to Libido Motel' by Raymond Durgnat and 'Satisfaction: A Most Unpleasant Feeling' by Roman Polanski. The second part of the book, New Perspectives, focuses on such specific films as Tod Browning's Freaks and The Devil Doll, The Haunting, in both its 1963 and 1999 incarnations, and The Devil and Daniel Webster; and on such sequel-driven characters as Frankenstein's monster and Freddy Kruegar and the Candyman. The scope of the collection is thus surprisingly broad considering as it does the horror film genre from different times, different perspectives, different angles. But the book's purpose is unvarying: to increase our understanding of how these movies succeed (or do not) in making our flesh creep, our skin turn pale and our hair stand on end. Indeed, the stills alone -- about 100 of them -- may occasionally do that.

About the Author:

Alain Silver and James Ursini

About this edition

• Publisher: Limelight Editions
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0879102977
• ISBN 13: 9780879102975
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 332