The Essential Monster Movie Guide: A Century of Creature Features on Film, TV, and Video

by Stephen Jones

More than 3,500 reviews of the best and the worst creature features of all time fill this largest, most comprehensive volume ever published on the subject-a record of dark fantasy on film to thrill horror and science-fiction fans of all ages. Classics range from Frankenstein, Dracula, and Wolfman films of the 1930s and 1940s to later cheesy horror movies exported from Japan, Mexico, and the Philippines, plus selected episodes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, and The X-Files. Arranged alphabetically for easy reference, each review includes cast and background information and remake and sequel listings. Brief sketches of key actors and directors are liberally sprinkled throughout this look at a century of the world's greatest fiends, demons, and creatures of the night.

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction, Reference, Film

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Stephen Jones is an eighteen-time winner of the British Fantasy Award.

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Jones produced some of the classic books in this arena with his line of illustrated movie guides (one each on vampires, dinosaurs, werewolves, and Frankenstein monsters) and recently with The Essential Monster Movie Guide: A Century Of Creature Features on Film, TV, and Video.

Essential starts with an over-long introduction by “Mr. Filmonster” Forrest J Ackerman. (Ackerman was the founder and long-time publisher of Famous Monsters of Filmland, the most successful SF/horror film magazine of all time.) In this personal memoir, Ackerman discusses his love for monster movies and what he considers the archetypes of the monster film (vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein monster, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, zombies, mummies, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Phantom of the Opera, Quasimodo, and King Kong). I imagine the essay would be far more interesting to someone who knew less about monster movies, but it bored me.

Luckily, it is the only boring part of The Essential Monster Movie Guide. Filled with wonderful film images, including the missing spider footage from King Kong and a Frankenstein monster scene from the little known 3-D short film, Third Dimensional Murder, and mini-bios of prominent people from monster filmdom, this book is creature movie fan’s delight.

The meat of this book centers around the monster movie types mentioned by Ackerman. And it is with the movie reviews themselves that Jones really shines. His critiques are often right on. How could you argue with a man who says that King Kong (1933) is the greatest monster movie of all time?

[Sharon A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is loaded with very strange selections. But it's missing KEY monster movies. Missing The Exorcist, Poltergeist, and Ghostbusters but listing the other exorcism movies and the Ghost Busters cartoon series and TV shows like Happy Days, The Love Boat, and Hill Street Blues. Some of my favorite monster movies like Reptilicus, Night of the Demon, Jaws, Van Helsing, and Invisible Man (and Invisible Woman) are inexplicably left out. Refers to sequels while leaving out originals -- Halloween 2 but not Halloween? Gremlins 2 but not Gremlins? That's ridiculous. Or mentions remakes but not originals (Hands of Orlac). I used it to get ideas for movies to watch that I didn't know about. Lots of garbage in it, though, like porn horror movies and any reference to a vampire character or monster movie clip in normal TV shows. That's pretty awful considering the obvious movies left out.

[Sadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's just about everything about monster movies you could want in this (at least up until it's publishing). The reviews are usually right on the mark, too. This book has steered me towards some good movies.