HorrorGuys.com Guides Series

Son of Shock!   For the decades between 1930 and 1950, the undisputed masters of horror were Universal Pictures. From their early success with Dracula and Frankenstein to the later additions, such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Universal has created and popularized more memorable creature flicks than any other studio.    By the time the 1950s had come around, filmgoers' tastes had changed from the supernatural monsters that Universal excelled at to more scientific terrors- atomic horrors, mutant animals, and other, more psychological fears. Not only that, but now films in the theater had new competition-- Television.   In 1957, Universal sold a package of 52 mostly-horror films to TV stations around the USA. This package contained many of their greatest horror classics, along with some less-popular films that could round out the package. These films directly led to the invention of TV "Horror Hosts," who were used to introduce and pad out the shorter films. The film package was so successful that a few years later, "Son of Shock!" was released with twenty more films.    This second book includes viewing synopses of ALL twenty Son of Shock! films, including the few non-horror films and even a few gems that are rarely seen today. Each film has some trivia and commentary. By examining each film in chronological release order, we can quickly see how tastes, values, budgets, and even special effects grew through the two decades these films were produced. In addition, there are twenty-seven EXTRA Universal films covered that were not included in either package but are otherwise considered essential viewing or historically significant.    [Note: This is the updated 2nd Edition with better editing and new formatting (November 2022)]

Shock! Theater   For the decades between 1930 and 1950, the undisputed masters of horror were Universal Pictures. From their early success with Dracula and Frankenstein to the later additions, such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Universal has created and popularized more memorable creature flicks than any other studio.    By the time the 1950s had come around, filmgoers' tastes had changed from the supernatural monsters that Universal excelled at to more scientific terrors- atomic horrors, mutant animals, and other, more psychological fears. Not only that, but now films in the theater had new competition-- Television.   In 1957, Universal sold a package of 52 mostly-horror films to TV stations around the USA. This package contained many of their greatest horror classics, along with some less-popular films that could round out the package. These films directly led to the invention of TV "Horror Hosts," who were used to introduce and pad out the shorter films. The film package was so successful that a few years later, "Son of Shock!" was released with twenty more films.    This first book includes viewing synopses of ALL fifty-two original Shock! films, including the few non-horror films and even a few gems that are rarely seen today. Each film has some trivia and commentary. By examining each film in chronological release order, we can quickly see how tastes, values, budgets, and even special effects grew through the two decades these films were produced.   [Note: This is the updated 2nd Edition with better editing and new formatting (November 2022)]

Hammer Horror!   For the decades between 1930 and 1950, the undisputed masters of horror were Universal Pictures. From their early success with Dracula and Frankenstein to the later additions, such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Universal has created and popularized more memorable creature flicks than any other studio. But during the 1950s, they drifted away from the genre, leaving a hole in horror lovers' hearts.   The torch quickly passed to Hammer Films. A small company that had been releasing small films since 1934, in the 50s had several successful science-fiction films (the Quatermass series) that featured monsters from space. One thing led to another, and they tried their hand at remaking the classic stories, "Dracula" and "Frankenstein," only this time in color with high production values. These two films were massive successes, catapulting Hammer into two decades of leadership in the genre.   This book includes viewing synopses of 69 Hammer horror films, including all your favorite monsters, as well as a few gems that are rarely seen today. Each film has some trivia and commentary. By examining each film in chronological release order, we can quickly see how tastes, values, budgets, and even special effects grew through the two decades the Hammer made these films.   Hammer stopped making horror films in the mid-70s but managed to stay afloat until 2008 when they started producing new horror films. This book includes all of these new films as well, up to and including 2019's "The Lodge." ALL the horror films are here.   [Note: This is the updated 2nd Edition with better editing and new formatting (November 2022)]

The Silent Age of Horror!   Horror movies have always led the way with special effects and innovative storytelling. This is true today and was especially true in the earliest days of film.    Film and filmmaking were still a newfangled novelty for experimenters in the late 1800s. Still, it didn't take long until the filmmaker's minds turned to terror for their audiences' enjoyment. Even Georges Méliès, the pioneering filmmaker best known for his science fiction film, "A Trip to the Moon" from 1920, tried his hand at short horror films, starting in 1896, even experimenting with a color horror film as early as 1903.     Still, the lengthier and more serious films didn't appear until 1910 or so. Except for a few notable outliers, the silent age had entirely ended by 1930, supplanted by the more flexible talkie films. Nevertheless, that two-decade period produced some of the most innovative and influential films of all time. Nosferatu. Metropolis. The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Phantom of the opera are only the most famous of these, but there are many more.    This book includes viewing synopses of thirty-four silent films, including a discussion of several influential "lost films" that have not survived to the present day. Each film has some trivia and commentary. By examining each film in chronological release order, we can quickly see how tastes, values, budgets, and even special effects grew through the two decades these films were produced. Most importantly, we discuss which films hold up for the modern viewer and which films are positively sleep-inducing today.    [Note: This is the updated 2nd Edition with better editing and new formatting (November 2022)]

"Stay up a bit, who knows? The next time you go to sleep it might be forever." —Vincent Price "The Tingler" 1955   From 1938 to 1993, Vincent Price terrified audiences and also made them laugh, often at the same time. No other actor has ever encapsulated the pure *fun* of scary movies the way he did. He had dozens of campy, charming, over-the-top villain roles where he delighted fans with his wicked ways. Some of his villains were dead serious while others were comedic gold. Interspersed with the fearsome films were comedies, romances, musicals, and even a few action hero roles. He was tremendously versatile, but we're here to look at his horror films. All of them.     This is not a Vincent Price biography. What the book does do is go through each and every one of Price's horror films, going through a complete synopsis, including spoilers and commentary. We'll look at Price's characters shift from young, romantic leads to murderous psychopaths to lovable old men. We'll look at his own favorites, the good, the bad, and the couple of films he regretted doing.    Although Price is best known for his horror films, only about twenty percent of his screen credits were in the horror genre. I scoured his filmography and came up with 43 full-length films that truly count as horror and then watched them all. In addition, we'll look at seven other important Price films that aren't horror, including his first starring role, his final film, his favorite non-horror role, and a few others. If you love Vincent Price's horror, we'll cover them all here.    Did you miss a few growing up? I did. This is your chance to catch up!   "I sometimes feel that I'm impersonating the dark unconscious of the whole human race. I know this sounds sick, but I love it." --Vincent Price   [Note: This is the updated 2nd Edition with better editing and new formatting (November 2022)]  

When anything makes money, it brings about imitators. One of the best cases of this was Amicus Productions.    Back in 1957 and '58, there were two immensely popular British horror films, "Curse of Frankenstein" and "Horror of Dracula. Everyone saw them, and they made a pile of money, leading to Hammer Films becoming a household name. Two men, Milton Subotsky and Max J. Rosenberg, formed a partnership in a deliberate plan to rival Hammer's success. Their plan became action, and in 1962, they released their first film. Like Hammer, not all of their movies were horror, but they leaned heavily that way. And they had some real successes like "Tales from The Crypt," "Dr. Who and The Daleks," and "The Land That Time Forgot," which are still well known to this day.   Although not as prolific or successful overall as Hammer, Amicus did pretty well for itself for about sixteen years. They made everything from serious drama to ridiculous musicals; we'll look at all of them here. Most of the "Horror Guys Guides" series focuses on only the horror films of a particular actor or studio, but this one will look at everything Amicus produced, as well as a couple that they didn't but with which they still have a connection. There weren't that many connected ones, and they're all noteworthy, so why not?   This book takes each Amicus film and closely related non-Amicus films and examines them all individually. We watched every film recently, specifically with the intent of writing this book. Each entry lists the writer, director, principal cast members, run time, alternate titles, if any, and then a full synopsis with spoilers of each story. And we top them off with my commentary and occasional bits of interesting trivia.   Some are definitely worth checking out for yourself. Some maybe not so much. The fun will be reading all about them and catching up on the ones that you missed– maybe even the ones you've never heard about at all.

"Who wants to see me as Hamlet? Very few. But millions want to see me as Frankenstein so that's the one I do."   He's Been Dr. Frankenstein, Grand Moff Tarkin, Van Helsing, Doctor Who, and Sherlock Holmes. He's fought Dracula, werewolves, ghouls, gorgons, Nazi zombies, upstart rebels, ancient mummies, skulls, aliens, and even the abominable snowman.   With a range from cold, calculating malevolence to kindly grandpa, Peter Cushing enthralled horror (and non-horror) fans for decades. With a humble start with Laurel and Hardy in Hollywood, to a low point where he couldn't get anything but BBC Radio roles, Cushing always knew he was made for acting. Still, it wasn't until Hammer Films decided to remake "Frankenstein" that Cushing's star really began to rise.   Starring in dozens of chilling films from Hammer and Amicus, he soon became one of the great icons of horror. Toward the end of his career, he took a role as Tarkin in "Star Wars," which popularized him with an entirely new generation of fans that couldn't get enough of his earlier work. We're here to look at his horror films. All of them.   This is not a Peter Cushing biography. What the book does do is go through each and every one of Cushing's horror films, going through a complete synopsis, including spoilers and commentary. We'll look at Cushing's array of characters shift from the evilest incarnation of Dr. Frankenstein to lovable old benefactors. We'll look at fifty horror films and eight important non-horror films that are significant in Cushing's career.   "People look at me as if I were some sort of monster, but I can't think why. In my macabre pictures, I have either been a monster-maker or a monster-destroyer, but never a monster. Actually, I'm a gentle fellow. Never harmed a fly. I love animals, and when I'm in the country I'm a keen bird-watcher." – Peter Cushing, 1964

"Horror means something revolting. Anybody can show you a pailful of innards. But the object of the roles I played is not to turn your stomach - but merely to make your hair stand on end." –Boris Karloff.   And make our hair stand on end, he did. Sometimes, he played the good guy, but more often, he showed us the dark side of humanity and the supernatural. He played both Frankenstein's Monster and the evil doctor himself. He played executioners, island explorers, criminals, ghosts, and body snatchers. He just about invented the "mad scientist" trope.   With a range from kindly old medical researcher to war criminal, Boris Karloff gave chills to moviegoers for decades. After dozens of throwaway, forgettable roles, he finally hit stardom in the early 1930s with "Frankenstein," and the rest is cinematic history.    We're here to look at his horror films— All of them.     This book takes you on a fascinating trip through every one of Karloff's horror films, going through a complete synopsis, including spoilers and commentary. This is not a Boris Karloff biography. What it does do is look at Karloff's amazing array of characters shifting from the original incarnation of Frankenstein to maniacs and mad scientists aplenty. We will look at fifty-two horror films and seven important non-horror films that are significant in Boris's career.   The man loved what he did, and it often showed through in his films. As he said himself:   "I am a very lucky man. Here I am in my 80th year, and I am still able to earn my bread and butter at my profession. I am one of that very small family of the human race who happens to thoroughly enjoy his work. If I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't go on." —Boris Karloff

Roger Corman began producing low-budget films in 1954 and soon started directing the following year. Since then, he's produced over 500 films and directed 55. He's best known for his ability to create a movie with a tiny budget, within a very short timeframe, with ridiculous limitations, and still turn in a completed, entertaining piece. He once shot an entire studio film in 2-1/2 days between other commitments. Although he directed many films in many genres spanning decades, he's most associated with his horror movies of the 1950s and 60s.    This is not a Roger Corman biography. What the book does do is go through each and every one of Corman's horror films, going through a complete synopsis, including spoilers and commentary. For each one, we'll have a detailed plot summary and commentary about the film's ability to hold the attention of a modern viewer. Some of these cinematic offerings hold up really well today—and some don't.   Although Corman is best known for his horror work, only about half of his directorial credits were in the horror genre. I scoured his filmography, came up with 29 full-length films that truly count as horror, and then watched them all. In addition, we'll look at seven other noteworthy Corman movies that aren't horror, including his first producing credit, his first directing credit, his favorite non-horror project, and a few others. If you love Roger Corman's macabre masterpieces, we'll cover all of them here.   "The safest genre is the horror film. But the most unsafe - the most dangerous - is comedy. Because even if your horror film isn't very good, you'll get a few screams, and you're okay. With a comedy, if they don't laugh, you're dead." – Roger Corman