Blurb:
From Frankenstein
and
Dracula, to Night of the Living Dead and The
Omen, this grisly grimoire
conjures up ghouls, demons and all manner of things that go bump in the night.
Crammed with endless facts, trivia and stories about every aspect of horror—from
1950s EC Comics and TV series
The Twilight Zone; to the music of Black Sabbath and Japanese horror films—this
little gem of spookiness is guaranteed to keep readers up all night.
Intriguing insights into the lives of classic horror writers
like H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Clive Barker, and Stephen King are
complemented by fascinating behind-the-scenes peeks into the productions of Psycho, The Thing, and Halloween.
Vuckovic’s many authoritative lists include: The Top thirteen
Vampire Films; thirteen Scariest Horror Video Games; and The twenty-five Best
Horror Movie Taglines: “The good news is your date is here! The bad news is...
He’s dead!” revealing the humour in the horror.
Review by Rose Thornton:
This
small book is a virtual encyclopedia of the who, what, when, where, and how of horror to the thorough extent that it is
uncanny. Vuckovic’s Horror: Miscellany
is an informative and interesting overview of the evolution of the horror genre
throughout its media history.
“Horror
has an ancient history that is difficult to map but it appears throughout the
historical record in creation myths and classical mythologies, which are
festooned with monsters, demons, and otherworldly creatures. The Bible, could
easily be labeled as horror, as it is populated by fallen angels, demonic
possession, ghosts, zombies, and even a terrifying apocalypse!” The truth this
author lends for insight into horror as an internal part of human nature, as
exampled in the preceding quote, makes his book so much more than just the
facts and figures of the horror genre.
H.P.
Lovecraft quote in Horror: Miscellany:
“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human
mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in
the midst of black seas of infinity; and it was not meant that we should voyage
far.” Lovecraft, an American author influential for his work in horror fiction,
reveals the essence of Vuckovic’s drive to fully convey why horror is an
important element of the human psyche.
I am
not particularly fond of the horror genre myself, but I did find this book to
be intriguing for its underlying themes and revelations. Any book that incites
me to action, in whatever form, has achieved a bond with me as a reader. I took
Vuckovic’s advice on the best versions of certain horror films and ordered used
DVD copies to watch, not for the horror but rather to pick up on the other
themes included and to note the special effects, etc. used.
I will
recommend this book highly, albeit with caution. It is not for everyone, but
anyone with an interest in film history, the evolution of horror in media, or
the dark side of human nature will find this book a good read.
Thanks
for visiting, Rose, Julie, Donna, & Rochelle
Length: 96 Pages
Print Price: $9.20
Buy Link:
