HORROR UNMASKED: A History of Terror from Nosferatu to Nope, great way to thrill your horror-movie fan

HORROR UNMASKED: A History of Terror from Nosferatu to Nope
BRAD WEISMANN
becker&mayer! books
$24.99 hardcover, available now

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Horror Unmasked offers a general introduction to the popular film genre, serves as a guidebook to its film highlights, and celebrates its practitioners, trends, and stories.

From the silent-film era to the blockbusters of today, Horror Unmasked is a fun-filled, highly illustrated dive into the past influences and present popularity of the horror film genre.

The horror film’s pop-culture importance is undeniable, from its early influences to today’s most significant and exciting developments in the genre. Since 1990, the production of horror films has risen exponentially worldwide, resulting in impressive ticket sales in the modern day, not to mention how the genre has expanded into books, fashion, music, and other media throughout the world.

Horror has long been the most popular film genre, and more horror movies have been made than any other kind. We need them. We need to be scared, to test ourselves, laugh inappropriately, scream, and flinch. We need to get through them and come out, blinking, still in one piece. This comprehensive guide features:

A thorough discussion on monster movies and B-movies (The Thing; It Came from Outer Space; The Blob)

The destruction of the American censorship system (Blood Feast; The Night of the Living Dead; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)

International horror, zombies, horror comedies, and horror in the new millennium (Matango; Suspiria; Ghostbusters)

A dissection of the critical reception of modern horror (Neon Demon; Pan’s Labyrinth; Funny Games)

Stunning movie posters and film stills, plus fan-made tributes to some of the most lauded horror franchises in the world (Aliens; The Evil Dead; The Hills Have Eyes; Scream)

A perfect reference and informational book for horror fans and those interested in its cultural influence worldwide, Horror Unmasked provides a general introduction to the genre, serves as a guidebook to its film highlights, and celebrates its practitioners, trends, and stories.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: It is astonishing how important the horror-movie industry has grown to be. It began with a bang...pardon the wordplay...and pretty much reliably made money for the film industry for decades. Its reach into pop culture has never stopped making the puckerhole set very, very, very anxious and uncomfortable. The trends in horror-film making have huge impacts on things from politics to design aesthetics. It's all in here, though of course not in great, or academically sourced, depth. This is an exciting gift book, not a film studies text.

That is a feature, not a bug. My enjoyment of the read was thorough while we were in the past; in the modern day, I felt...impatient...this is current events! Do we really need to go into the stuff from day-before-yesterday? Yes, of course, said my old-man common sense. Not everyone sees the same information I do. Still, I'm docking a half-star for it because I'm giving *my* impression, and it might match up with your possible giftee's. Forewarned is still forearmed.

The Table of Contents, and the Introduction, are typical excitement-building spreads:


The Chapter One opening spread, and first text spread, gives us the basic format's development into the informative delivery medium for the deep-enough dive into the development and trends in horror film from the initial efforts through our present era of splatters in place of scares.

Gross oversimplification on my part, and not universally true; like all generalizations, exceptions abound. Go look into Bollywood horror...go learn about the reason we've seen such an explosion of horror franchises...find out who directed a horror film that you'd swear an oath would never have done such a thing.

Here's your chance to thrill the horror aficionado in your life with a hardcover book that will teach about the genre while pleasing the eyes and teasing the memory. Believe me, you'll never lose at trivia if you read this one.

A really great graphic representation of the interconnectedness of the global horror industry.