Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946 by Tom Weaver, Michael Brunas and John Brunas
©McFarland & Company; Second edition
Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946
By: themovielordDate: Thursday, January 10, 2008
Each and every October our appetites crave horror films. Good and bad horror. Old and new horror; whatever thrills you. Whether you fill your Netflix queue with DVDs or set the DVR/ Tivo to record whatever you can find. Horror films are a must, come October. This year as I accumulate more horror films for the library (my own personal collection, not an actual institution) I realized the collection, as of late, is starting to become repetitive and old. After all how many ‘Halloweens’ can one person have before even they get bored of Michael stalking an already unsuspecting town (even though they should, by now be suspecting)?
I used to sit and watch AMC (back when it was good) and watch the classics. All the Universals were required viewing and recording. Yet, even then they get played out. This Halloween I sat down at a classic film committee meeting in my home town of Phoenixville (birth place of the 'Blob') and met with board members to discuss what movies we should show throughout the rest of the year. Unfortunately the horror films had already been picked for the year but I told the child therapist, Bill, who had picked the films this October (all based on Edgar Allen Poe) that ‘The Black Cat’ (1934) was incredible and how much of a treat it was to watch in a theater. Expressing to him further that it’s sad that it never is on TV anymore. Bill then told me to pick up the following book: Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946. The book is amazing. Insightful and a complete text book on everything Universal did from 1931-1946. Yes, a text book. I guarantee you that this is $55.00 text book that you will never return to the book store.
Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946 is a detailed chronological look at all the horror films and Sherlock Holmes films that Universal did for a decade and half. Already the tiles are starting to accumulate. ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’, ‘Man Made Monster’, ‘Captive Wild Woman’ and the ‘Strange Case of Doctor Rx’ are on the must see list. The book delivers interviews, reviews (although not as many as you would hope but this is because the genre was looked down upon as being for the masses and not considered high art), pictures and incredible histories of the cast and directors to keep any horror buff in heaven.
Tom Weaver, Michael Brunas and John Brunas deliver a book that deserves to be dog eared, pages marked upon, and post-its stuck to. This is the ultimate horror hand book to explore a long lost era when horror was new and Universal was king!
Check it out on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Horrors-Studios-Classic-1931-1946/dp/0786429747/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199941563&sr=1-1
