Legendary Horror Films: Essential Genre History, Offscreen Anecdotes, Special Effects Secrets, Ghoulish Facts and Photographs

110 color illus. 9 3/8 x 12 3/4.

Presenting the history of a film genre as complex as horror is a formidable task. In Legendary Horror Films, Peter Guttmacher gives us a coffee-table treatment of the subject that does the job quite creditably in just 120-odd pages. Like any coffee-table book, this one boasts abundant illustrations, including many unusual, often stunning posters, lobby cards, stills, and portraits, beautifully reproduced. Guttmacher also sprinkles his text liberally with sidebars (e.g., makeup techniques used by Lon Chaney and Jack Pierce) and some amusing quizzes.

The point of this book is the artwork, not the uneven text. Yet, the text has its strong points: an interesting account of the earliest days of film horror, including Chaney's groundbreaking work; background information on the making of many classic films; and the author's enthusiasm. Unfortunately, Guttmacher goes somewhat overboard in his attempts to be both breezy and literate, frequently producing comma-spattered, rambling sentences stuffed with parenthetical phrases, as well as the occasional malapropism or mangled metaphor. ("A bedraggled Bette Davis tackled one of the trickiest roles a fading star ever grabbed to rise and shine with.")

More distressing than Guttmacher's stylistic lapses, however, are the errors of fact. Incorrect movie titles, credits, and spellings abound; even the well-known rhyme about Lizzie Borden is misquoted. But for the neophyte or casual horror fan, Legendary Horror Films provides an entertaining overview of the genre. --M.V. Burke