Two seasoned, top horror experts lead the way through more than a century of fear with authority, humor, and encyclopedic knowledge. Packed with images of the most terrifying scenes in cinema history, this fully updated volume--with reviews right up to 2017--traces the genre decade by decade, providing a witty and informative critique of more than 300 movies from all around the world, plus TV series and literature too. Kim Newman and James Marriott discuss both neglected gems and big-budget duds, from Frankenstein and Peeping Tom to It Follows, Get Out, The Babadook, and Mother , as well as material from countries as far afield as Japan and Brazil. These movies will continue to shock and delight viewers with their inventiveness and flair. Diehard and new horror fans will enjoy this superb, eye-opening look at their favorite genre.

Packed with photographs of some terrifying scenes in cinema history, this comprehensive guide traces the story of horror, decade-by-decade, and provides a critique of over 250 films, plus any TV series and literature that informed them.

"Films about chainsaw killers, demonic possession, and ghostly intruders. Screaming audiences with sleepless nights or sweat-drenched nightmares in their immediate future. What's going on here? Presumably, almost everybody has experience with horror films. Almost everybody has sat through a terrifying motion picture and suffered the after-effects, such as hypervigilance and sleep disturbances. Some people would even characterize themselves as horror fans. But what about the others-the ones who are curious about horror films, but also very, very nervous about them? This book delves into the science of horror cinema in an attempt to address common concerns about the genre. Why is the jump scare so effective, and so dreaded? What are the effects of horror films on mental and physical health? Why do horror films so often cause nightmares? Aren't horror films immoral ... and stupid, too? Are horror films bad for children and adolescents? What does the current profusion of horror films say about our society? Should we be concerned? Or can horror films be a force for good-do horror films have health benefits, can they be aesthetically and morally valuable, and might they even have therapeutic psychological and cultural effects? The book addresses these questions in short, readable chapters, peppered with vivid anecdotes and examples and supported by scientific findings. It notes that while horror films can have negative effects, they can also help people confront and manage fear"--

Written by the screenwriter and producer behind Stephen King’s It, and with an introduction by horror icon Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street), this is a hilarious must-read for any horror movie fan—and it just might save your life Are you reading this in a cornfield, at a summer camp, or in an abandoned mental institution? Have you noticed that everything is poorly lit, or that music surges every time you open a door? If the answer is yes, you’re probably trapped in a horror movie. But don’t freak out—just read this book! With it you will learn how to overcome every obstacle found in scary films, including: • How to determine what type of horror film you’re trapped in • The five types of slashers and how to defeat them • How to handle killer dolls, murderous automobiles, and other haunted objects • How to deal with alien invasions, zombie apocalypses, and other global threats • What to do if you did something last summer, if your corn has children in it, or if you suspect you’re already dead So don't be afraid: no vampire, zombie horde, cannibal hillbilly, Japanese vengeance ghost, or other horror movie monster can hurt you—as long as you have this book.

This cinefile’s guidebook covers the horror genre monstrously well! Find reviews of over 1,000 of the best, weirdest, wickedest, wackiest, and most entertaining scary movies from every age of horror! Atomic bombs, mad serial killers, zealous zombies, maniacal monsters lurking around every corner, and the unleashing of technology, rapidly changing and dominating our lives. Slasher and splatter films. Italian giallo and Japanese city-stomping monster flicks. Psychological horrors, spoofs, and nature running amuck. You will find these terrors and many more in The Horror Show Guide: The Ultimate Frightfest of Movies. No gravestone is left unturned to bring you entertaining critiques, fascinating top-ten lists, numerous photos, and extensive credit information to satisfy even the most die-hard fans. Written by a fan for fans, The Horror Show Guide helps lead even the uninitiated to unexpected treasures of unease and mayhem with lists of similar motifs, including ... Urban Horrors Nasty Bugs, Mad Scientists and Maniacal Medicos Evil Dolls Bad Hair Days Big Bad Werewolves Most Appetizing Cannibals Classic Ghost Stories Fiendish Families Guilty Pleasures Literary Adaptations Horrible Highways and Byways Post-Apocalyptic Horrors Most Regrettable Remakes Towns with a Secret and many more. With reviews on many overlooked, underappreciated gems, new devotees and discriminating dark-cinema enthusiasts alike will love this big, beautiful, end-all, be-all guide to an always popular film genre. With many photos, illustrations, and other graphics, The Horror Show Guide is richly illustrated. Its helpful appendix of movie credits, bibliography, and extensive index add to its usefulness.

“Glasby anatomizes horror’s scare tactics with keen, lucid clarity across 34 carefully selected main films—classic and pleasingly obscure. 4 Stars.” —Total Film? Horror movies have never been more critically or commercially successful, but there’s only one metric that matters: are they scary? The Book of Horror focuses on the most frightening films of the post-war era—from Psycho (1960) to It Chapter Two (2019)—examining exactly how they scare us across a series of key categories. Each chapter explores a seminal horror film in depth, charting its scariest moments with infographics and identifying the related works you need to see. Including references to more than one hundred classic and contemporary horror films from around the globe, and striking illustrations from Barney Bodoano, this is a rich and compelling guide to the scariest films ever made. “This is the definitive guide to what properly messes us up.” —SFX Magazine The films: Psycho (1960), The Innocents (1961), The Haunting (1963), Don’t Look Now (1973), The Exorcist (1973), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Who Can Kill a Child? (1976), Suspiria (1977), Halloween (1978), The Shining (1980), The Entity (1982), Angst (1983), Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1990), Ring (1998), The Blair Witch Project (1999), The Others (2001), The Eye (2002), Ju-On: The Grudge (2002), Shutter (2004), The Descent (2005), Wolf Creek (2005), The Orphanage (2007), [Rec] (2007), The Strangers (2008), Lake Mungo (2008), Martyrs (2008), The Innkeepers (2011), Banshee Chapter (2013), Oculus (2013), The Babadook (2014), It Follows (2015), Terrified (2017), Hereditary (2018), It Chapter Two (2019)

More horror movies are produced and released each year than any other film genre. While horror enjoys broad popularity, many hardcore fans voraciously consume films from their favorite subgenres while avoiding others entirely. This says something interesting about the films and their audiences. This primer and reference guide defines and explores 75 alphabetically listed subgenres of horror film, from Abduction to Witchcraft and two Zombie subgenres. Each sizeable entry provides a critical survey of the subgenre, a detailed examination of its characteristic elements and themes, and a discussion of three or four exemplary titles as well as other titles of interest.