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The British Horror Film from the Silent to the Multiplex: From the Silents to the Multiplex
£15.20£19.00 (-20%)
When Hammer Films broke box office records in 1957 with `The Curse of Frankenstein’, the company not only resurrected the gothic horror film, but also created a particularly British-flavoured form of horror that swept the world. `The British Horror Film from the Silent to the Multiplex’ is your guide to the films, actors, and filmmakers who have thrilled and terrified generations of movie fans. In just one book, you will find the literary and cinematic roots of the genre to the British films made by film legends such as Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, Hammer’s accomplishments starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, and the post-Hammer horrors such as Peter Walker’s `Frightmare’ and huge British-made successes such as `Alien’ and the zombie craze of the twenty-first century. Featuring the history, the films, the stars, the directors, and the studios in one fascinating, fun, and fact-filled volume, whether you are an absolute beginner or a seasoned gore-hound, this volume covers everything you ever wanted to know about the British horror movie, but were too bone-chillingly afraid to ask.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Fonthill Media (16 Nov. 2017) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 240 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1781556415 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1781556412 |
| Dimensions | 15.88 x 2.54 x 23.5 cm |
by Galaxaure
This book covers an extraordinarily extensive range of British horror films, the most l’ve ever seen in one volume; the sheer scale of research that’s clearly gone into this is breathtaking.
Whilst it could probably be improved by more pictures to break up the text, there’s not much to criticise here…..yes, there are a few typos, which in context don’t detract at all.
The author’s dry wit works well – I’ve never been able to work out why Barbara Payton’s character preferred John Van Eyssen’s over Stephen Murray’s in Four-Sided Triangle either and I totally agree with the comparison of his sexual allure to processed cheese
However, these films haven’t been watched dispassionately by the author; that’s clear. One or two observations reveal a real depth of understanding of characters that might be considered simple figures of ridicule by others.
I’ve books about the output of Hammer and Amicus but none about Tigon and never seen so much detailed analysis of Pete Walker’s films.
It’s fascinating to learn how studios came to exist, how the films came to be and how roles came to be played by whom.
This book is an invaluable resource to anybody interested in the horror genre and/or British cinema history.
by lordsummerisle
While the author evidently knows his subject and has done his research, it reads like a summary of British horror cinema with all the major and many minor films name checked, but no new insights or observations. Each film is briefly summoned like a roll call of that year’s productions, its plot neatly and concisely outlined and its impact dealt with in a sentence, but we get little sense of its appeal. It’s difficult to see what purpose the book serves unless its for people with little serious interest in the genre who need a brief guide to the subject so they can save themselves the trouble of actually watching the films!
by Galaxaure
Entertaining read overall although a few errors for instance The Masque of the Red Death was not filmed in Ireland? Not sure where Ian Fryer got that information from.