Over the years, I have amassed what I believe to be a fairly comprehensive library of non-fiction horror film history. Ranging from biographies to themed books they always come in handy for researching various articles (including posts for WOM), as well as offered a continuous source of reading for pure enjoyment. In this collection, I still have few that I purchased many years ago and remain near and dear to my tell-tale heart.
One of these is Denis Gifford's A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF HORROR MOVIES. First published in the U.K. in 1973 and in the U.S. in 1974, it is an over-sized hardback that covers the gamut of horror films from the silents until the then present-day. Forry didn't have the market on film stills as Mr. Gifford delivers a visual feast of photos from his private collection and their large size helps them to jump right off the page. His accompanying text is also well-written in a manner that is easily digestible for young and mature readers alike. A good book to have on any Monsterologists bookshelf!
See my other favorite books HERE.
There was something so exciting and enticing about those vintage stills. Images torn from context which made the imagination rumble. I've now seen so many of the movies which I was taunted by in my youth, and sometimes the wanting is better than the watching. But that's so with many things I guess.
ReplyDeleteBrings to mind my series of posts, "What Scared Me?". They terrified this young Monster Kid back in the day but when I watch them now, I don't see what all the fuss was about!
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