101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die
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Book Summary Information
Editor: Steven Jay SchneiderEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-02-01
ISBN: 0764141244
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Barron's Educational Series
Book Reviews of 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die
Book Review: Has some flaws, but by and large delivers the goods
Summary: 4 Stars
I collect books that claim to contain the Best Movies of all Time, and Steven J. Schneider's series have a lot of good things going for them. They contain a lot of insight, beautiful color pictures, and a nice mixture of the expected choices vs. some more eclectic picks. However, there are a few things you should know about if you're going to buy this for yourself or a fellow horror fan:
Far more than the "101 SCI-FI Movies" entry into the series, the writing in this book often leans towards the academic. This is a necessary result of the genre, for horror lends itself to film theory far better than any other genre. And I don't mean things like noting how the virginal female tends to survive--that's basically surface level for this book--I mean theories of "otherness," the "male gaze," etc. A lot of the entries sound like theory textbooks that you'd read in film school. If the following doesn't appeal to you, don't buy the book:
'Roman Polanski's modern horror classic Rosemary's Baby is a most subtle and far-reaching commentary on woman's enforced submission to a male order.'
My major problem with the academic nature of the book isn't that I think such analysis is "wrong" or eggheaded (sometimes I think certain writers miss the mark, but that's natural) but in my opinion it negatively influences the selection process of the 101 movies. Instead of picking 101 really good horror films, it often feels the writers picked 101 movies they could write essays about. Deathdream, The Brood, Dressed to Kill are just a few films which aren't any good (much less classics) but can be easily read as allegories, comments on gender, etc. It's really stupid to criticize which movies were picked and which weren't (especially after I complimented the book earlier on its mixture) but I don't think audiences need to see Dressed to Kill before they die because of its take on gender identity. I'd rather they watched The Evil Dead because it's actually a good film, albeit less conducive to analysis.
This major quibble aside, I enjoyed reading 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die and will proudly enter it into my film-book collection. If you like academic analysis you may well like it too, but don't buy it for your pal who loves slasher films because he might well be disappointed when the authors start talking about "the penetrating male gaze" or the director "incriminating the audience."
Summary of 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die
Vampires, monsters, sadistic psychopaths, serial killers, vengeful ghosts, and Satan himself have been frightening and entertaining filmgoers for generations. This comprehensive, chronological film guide summarizes the 101 most important horror movies ever produced, from the 1922 silent classic Nosferatu to the low-budget, 1999 Sundance Film Festival hit, The Blair Witch Project. General editor Stephen Jay Schneider presents film summaries, reviews from a wide array of critics, cast and credit lists, and film production notes. The book's 200 illustrations include unforgettable still shots from the movies as well as iconic film posters. Horror film buffs who open this book will renew their chilling memories of Hitchcock thrillers like Psycho and The Birds, revisit Dr. Frankenstein's castle with Boris Karloff, haunt the sewers of Paris with Lon Chaney's Phantom of the Opera, and recall Anthony Hopkins' most chilling role in The Silence of the Lambs. 101 Horror Movies is international in scope, and covers films from Japan, Russia, Italy, Germany, France, and Australia. Fans of horror movies will want to see all 101 films before they die--and they'll also want to own this entertaining and informative book.Movies Books
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