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A History of Horror cover art

A History of Horror

By: Wheeler Winston Dixon
Narrated by: Aaron Henkin
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Summary

Ever since horror leapt from popular fiction to the silver screen in the late 1890s, viewers have experienced fear and pleasure in exquisite combination. Wheeler Winston Dixon's A History of Horror is the only book to offer a comprehensive survey of this ever-popular film genre. Arranged by decades, with outliers and franchise films overlapping some years, this one-stop sourcebook unearths the historical origins of characters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman and their various incarnations in film from the silent era to comedic sequels. A History of Horror explores how the horror film fits into the Hollywood studio system and how its enormous success in American and European culture expanded globally over time.

Dixon examines key periods in the horror film - in which the basic precepts of the genre were established, then banished into conveniently reliable and malleable forms, and then, after collapsing into parody, rose again and again to create new levels of intensity and menace. A History of Horror brings over 50 timeless horror films into frightfully clear focus, zooms in on today's top horror Web sites, and champions the stars, directors, and subgenres that make the horror film so exciting and popular with contemporary audiences.

Named an "Outstanding Academic Title" by Choice.

©2010 Wheeler Winston Dixon (P)2012 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Dixon is recognized as an eminent film scholar and the current title is an impressive addition to his oeuvre. This book certainly has solid scholarship, but it is also a book that once picked up is hard to put down. Essential." ( Choice)
"This concise overview is an informative and entertaining read. Recommended." ( Library Journal)
"This is an excellent survey of horror movies...full of fascinating information and is delivered in an accessible manner. Required reading for horror fans." ( Booklist)

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Entertaining and informative

This is a fairly comprehensive run through of horror movies...I do have to say though that ( at least at the start) the intonation of the narrator was ...odd. It reminded me of a bizarre cross between a robot and Captain Kirk himself,William Shatner(!)
For all that a good book and worth a go!

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