Terrors of the screen

by Frank Manchel

Discusses the history, techniques, characters, and plots of horror films from around the world.

122 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

My wife was weeding some of the books from her library, and brought me this one as a gift. And while it is certainly outdated (Ray Harryhausen is listed as the "current master of special effects," and Bewitched is mentioned as a "modern" show), there's still a lot of good information here, about the early history of horror movies. (Called here, "terror films," in an almost charmingly antiquated turn of phrase.)

I had no idea that Lon Chaney's parents were deaf, which was part of the reason he was so good at facial expressions, or that yak fur was used to get the signature look of the original Wolfman. And Terrors of the Screen is peppered with facts like that, which are still interesting regardless of the passage of time. As long as you don't mind the lack of any coverage of the past half-century (or more, depending on when you read this review) of films, there's some solid information to be found here.

[Midnight Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1970, so plenty of horror classics are missing, but still a well-written book covering gems ranging from The Golem & The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to Rosemary's Baby & The Planet of the Apes. Any true horror aficionado will enjoy this book!