Fright Favorites

September 25, 2020

Launching with a history of Hollywood's take on Halloween, Skal (Something in the Blood) offers 31 horror flicks to carry readers through the month of October. Skal's picks are safe but not entirely predictable, skewing toward the black-and-white era (the 1930s yield five selections, whereas only three titles are pulled from the last 30 years)--all of which is understandable, since the book is published under the auspices of TCM. Skal excels at explaining how a horror film becomes a classic. His encapsulation of 1925's The Phantom of the Opera is a delight--he discusses its production and legacy and explores how the Phantom's facial disfigurement would have been received by an audience reeling from the atrocities of World War I. Each entry is lavishly illustrated with promotional artwork and production stills, and Skal provides slightly more obscure viewing suggestions (such as pointing Night of the Living Dead fans toward Carnival of Souls). VERDICT Skal wrings new life from the undead in this loving tribute to horror cinema. Movie buffs will appreciate his depth of knowledge, and fright fans will treasure this gorgeous look at the ghoulish.--Terry Bosky, Madison, WI

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2020
Horror scholar Skal (The Monster Show, 1993) spotlights 31 seminal horror films here, delving into production history and thematic analysis for each one, and offering a recommendation for similar watches at the end of each entry. Genre novices will find a reliable selection of quality suggestions, more than half of them released before 1970. (It is a TCM--Turner Classic Movies--book, after all). The usual suspects are all here (like Dracula, Frankenstein, Night of the Living Dead, and Halloween) and horror vets probably won't find any surprises, but should enjoy the author's commentary. Skal manages to craft novel insights even when considering well-studied works like Rosemary's Baby. And everyone will appreciate the beautiful photos that embellish this volume, making the printed version of the book the better choice: these images won't shimmer on a screen as they do on the page. The familiarity of the films chosen might convince seen-it-all aficionados to pass, but this visually arresting book should find plenty of other eager readers during Halloween season and beyond.

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