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Title: Horror (The Overlook Film Encyclopedia Series) by Phil Hardy, Tom Milne, Kim Newman, Paul Willemen ISBN: 0-87951-624-0 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: December, 1995 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (8 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The most comprehensive horror film reference
Comment: The fact that this encyclopedia has not been updated since its last reprinting in 1995 borders on the offensive. That's because it is simply the best reference of the genre I've ever encountered. The book is filled with short to medium length reviews of horror films from every period in film history (up to 1992) and every nation which dabbles in the genre.
The fact that the encyclopedia is that complete is not necessarily its biggest asset. The reviews which compose the book do not simply provide summary, a quick line or two of evaluation, and a useless star rating a la Leonard Martin. Instead, each review examines its subject in relation to other similar works by subject, studio, director, actor, etc. It refuses to provide star ratings, favoring a more detailed explanation of a film's strengths and weaknesses. Also, and this pleases me the most, many films are examined through a critical lense, looking at how the film explores gender, culture, politics, economics, etc.
Combine these strengths with the inclusion of just about every horror film ever made and you have a book horror fans will leave by their bedside.
This encyclopedia treats the horror film genre as it should be treated, an important and vital field of art with a history and voice to be heard. Any causal or serious student of horror films must own this book. It will deepen and enlive their enjoyment of horror, from the absurd and esoteric, to the classic and mainstream.
Rating: 5
Summary: Essential depite it's flaws.
Comment: This book has it's flaws, there is no doubt about that, various films are missing, the writing is overly politically correct, almost every film is considered either racist or homophobic and every time a women is killed it is because the director either hates or fears women. Did they ever think that maybe the reason there are beautiful women in these movies is so that there is something to hold the viewers interest between killings rather than having them nod off because of the inane dialogue. Then there are the racist cannibal films. Most of these films are little more than a chance to show some extreme gore and nothing more should be read into them than that. I must say that I am surprised that they missed the right wing political views that are rife in ZOMBIE. They also give away the ending to half the films.
Still, it's a great book, and I'm not beiing sarcastic. As a reference guide for the horror fanatic it's second to none. I have certainly never read anything with as much information on each individual film as this, as I mentioned before there is sometimes too much information, ruining twist endings and giving away key plot elements before you have had a chance to discover them for yourself, but you just have to be careful how you read it. I've owned this book for a few years now, and have read it through about twenty times and I am still picking it up often and going over old ground and discovering new information. Any horror fan must own this, no two ways about it.
Rating: 4
Summary: Pretty comprehensive, but flawed
Comment: I am still waiting for a perfect horror reference guide and this one comes pretty close. It is still missing dozens of titles that are elusive, but not THAT elusive! Most of the missing titles are still available on video at most video outlets! For anyone mildly interested in the genre, this should make you a hardcore addict! For those already hardcore addicts, you will probably cringe at some of the films missing but enjoy the extensive research put into the films. Yes, some pictures would look better in color, but the book's already a fortune, why have the price raised? Don't let the price discourage you, this is the best guide I've seen in the past few years (besides Michael Weldon's exhaustive PSYCHOTRONIC books). If you're still wary about buying it, look at the measurements of the book and how many pages it has. Nuff said.
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Title: The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Gangster Film by Phil Hardy ISBN: 0879518995 Publisher: Overlook Press Pub. Date: January, 2000 List Price(USD): $45.00 |
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Title: Science Fiction (The Overlook Film Encyclopedia Series) by Phil Hardy ISBN: 0879516267 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: October, 1995 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
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