By Geno McGahee
When it comes to dedicated fans, no other genre has the amount of fanatics that horror does. The history of the genre, the trials it went through and the artistry of it have appealed to the horror fans since they were first being produced. In THE ART OF HORROR: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, edited by Stephen Jones and with the forward by Neil Gaiman, is a horror fan’s dream. This book is exactly as advertised. It is an illustrated history of the genre, including the origins. It’s a celebration of the genre, the artwork that helped promote these films, and it’s presented in the best possible way.
The book itself is very large. It is made out of very durable material. In other words, you’ll have this one for a while. It’s not going to be falling apart any time soon. It’s high quality production and the art is featured in the best way possible inside on high quality glossy paper. I looked through the pages many times before I actually sat down and began reading it.
THE ART OF HORROR: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY is a coffee table book and I put it on my coffee table as a conversation piece and it didn’t take long for my friends to pick it up and begin thumbing through it. From THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE to THE EXORCIST to HALLOWEEN, this book brings the art along with the atmosphere that made the films so impactful. A lot of the artwork and posters were new to me and it was interesting to see what they used in promotion.
This book is not just loaded with great visuals, but it turned out to be a great read as well with plenty of information about the history of horror and how it reflected society. I can’t recommend this book enough. It was done with research and care and celebrates a genre that we love so much. What more can we ask for?
$40.00 (US)
ISBN: 9781495009136
9.75″ x 11″
256 pages
Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, an imprint of Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group