Video Books

Please note that the five stars are for the content of the strategy guide only because, regardless of what people have to say on the subject, this strategy guide isn't needed as you wander the misty realms of Silent Hill in search of Mary and that "special place" you long to return to. In fact, it is simply a way to slight yourself and the gaming experience that you've no doubt gone out of your way to acquire. This isn't to say that it isn't useful if you feel hard-pressed and left without options and it also isn't meant to imply that it doesn't include everything one needs to take a walk through James Sutherland's life. In fact, this is quite the contrary, saying that everything is here. I've compared its content to that I've found elsewhere after I used it on my third run through the Hill and it was it was quite inclusive. That, however, is the problem if your only wanting a casual playing experience, because once you've done something you've done it and you can't repeat it. Reading a "how to" isn't always the best way to find out these little tidbits of gameplay.

Instead, one needs only to take their time and look around in their first outing, remembering that something is potentially an item or a place to go and that ever scrap of paper is a clue. It also should be taken into account that searching is needed, and that all enemies are defeatable, and that there are multiple endings based on time used, difficulty, on the items found, and the number of beasts killed. Since this takes multiple tries anyhow, one can find these out without the use of a visual aid.

Unless you like to spend hours, months even years in Silent Hill, get this book. It has everything you need to know with out giving away all the games secrets. I would have been still playing the game trying to figure out how to open the Safe or the Trick-or-Treat box without this book. It also explores alittle of the games creator's dark sick mind, a must.

The title of the review says it all. this is an awesome strategy guide. The book holds your hand and walks you through the entire game. It even tells you what all the endings are and how to get them all. There are no spoilers here. The maps are great and there are full items lists. Buy this book. You can't go wrong.

Thank goodness I had the Strategy Guide for Silent Hill, otherwise I would still be wandering around the foggy streets or some nasty, decaying hotel without a clue.

This isn't a review just a little tip. The book is great for the right system just make sure you have the right book. The Silent Hill 2: RestLess Dreams (Brown Cover)Guide is for X-Box and The Silent Hill 2 (Green Cover)guide is for Playstation 2. I Found out as soon I bought it that I had the book for X-Box. So to save someone else the trouble of getting the wrong book I decided to write it in a review. Whats the difference you ask well Restless dreams is written with the controls for X-Box in mind and there is a version in (Restless Dreams)that shows you how to control another character. So The green cover version has the controls for Playstation in mind. Hope this was helpful for anyone else who was thinking about buying the book but didn't know what the difference was.

The Pokemon Sinnoh Handbook was released to give information about the Pokemon that are part of Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl. The first page of the book explains why the book was written. The second page explains what the reader will find on the page for each Pokemon (the Pokemon's name, what species it is, a pronunciation guide for the Pokemon's name, its possible moves, what Pokemon type it is, its height and weight, its evolution chain, and interesting facts about the Pokemon. Five Pokemon (Abra, Blissey, Cleffa, Golduck, and Seaking) also have a special "Remember When..." box included in their entries for trivia from the TV series. There is also an introduction to the Sinnoh region, which explains how a trainer starts out in the region.

After all of the pages about the Pokemon, there is an appendix titled, "Ash & Friends," which gives brief biographies for Ash, Brock, and Dawn; included on each trainer's page are pictures of which Pokemon they have. At the very back of the book is a fold-out poster with all the Pokemon featured in the book.

I did find a couple of errors in the book. Blissey's height is included, but the weight was left off. Also, Cherubi's Solarbeam attack is listed twice under its possible moves.

From the design of the book, as well as the way the book is written, it's obvious that children are the target audience. However, there is valuable information included, so adults shouldn't shy away from purchasing the Pokemon Sinnoh Handbook.

My 8 year old loves this book. It has all his favorite characters, the pictures are big and detailed so he enjoys drawing them on paper as well. A+

My 7 y.o. daughter caught the Pokemon craze from her 15 y.o. brother who has loved those pocket monsters since he was very little. This book was read cover to cover within the first day and it is taken along on doctor visits & car trips to pass the time - great selection!

Meant as a Christmas gift, this book was intercepted by my two boys, who absolutely loved the artwork and creature descriptions.

Well worthwhile for any Pokemon fan.

I ordered this book for my 6-year-old son who is really into Pokemon at the moment. He absolutely loves this book.

The book features many of the most popular Pokemon, gives a brief summary of their abilities and even states their height, weight and possible moves.

What's best about this book for me as a mother is that my son, a first-grader, practices his reading without me asking him too, because he is so fascinated by all the informative stats about all his favorite Pokemon. And the book does actually use some big words that he would not encounter in the typical first-grader reading books.

I can recommend this book to any Pokemon fan or parent thereof!

Until this book appeared, there wasn't much information available on Charley except in Leonard Maltin's book on sound shorts. This great book will illustrates the life of both Charley (Parrott) Chase and his brother James Parrott. Their lives were intertwined, and when one of them had problems it certainly affected the other. While Chase always had a jolly face on, this book illustrates both his triumphs and his failures. Chase worked with many great comics like Charlie Chaplin, Roscoe Arbuckle, Laurel & Hardy, Thelma Todd and the Three Stooges. Chase also directed and/or supervised many good comedies where he did not appear on-screen. There is a very detailed filmography (and musicography) in the back that includes the lyrics to many of the songs that Charley wrote, his many directing credits, and other film appearances. Sure this book is expensive, but if you love silent comedy or early sound shorts you will not be able to stop reading it.

"Smile When the Raindrops Fall" is a fascinating and affectionate look at the career of the vastly underrated motion picture comic Charley Chase (1893 - 1940). It's hard to imagine that Chase, whom time has mostly obscured, could be so vividly portrayed. However, through interviews with Chase's family, friends, and associates, the authors ressurect the comic in a biography that lovingly alternates between hilarity and heartbreak. Calling Chase one of the comic greats is no exageration: this brilliantly inventive and prolific figure contributed to over 300 films as writer, director, or actor (sometimes all three) before his untimely death at the age of 46. Chase worked with almost every major name in early film comedy, including Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle, Harold Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy, and the Three Stooges. The reader is taken on a nostalgic tour of silent and early sound comedy, its evolution paralleling the career of one of its pioneers. Excellent photo's and a detailed biography are included. An important piece of Hollywood history has finally been documented, and done justice, in this fine biography.

Well, it took me awhile to track this one down through my local library but it was worth it!! Charley Chase practically invented the situation comedy!

This wonderfully concise and well-written bio traces the life of Charles Parrott/Chase from his early days as a entertainer on the East Coast to his move to California and his two-reel comedy career. The book also focuses on many aspects of Charley's personal life, from his protective/co-dependent relationship with his brother, comedy director James Parrott to his own bouts with alcohol. The book is also full of wonderful photos and stills from his films. My favorite parts of the book are the chapters that pertain to his career at his final comedy home, Columbia Studios, where he not only churned out some excellent comedies (THE HECKLER, THE BIG SQUIRT, THE WRONG MISS WRIGHT), but directed other two-reel comedy players of the day, most notably The Three Stooges.

Charley left us all too soon at the age of 47 in 1940, but his legacy of great comedy is out there for all to enjoy!

I was introduced to the comedy of Charley Chase by a film collector friend of mine back in college and have always appreciated his unique style. Brian Anthony's and Andy Edmond's book does justice to this far underrated and nearly forgotten talent in a way that is readable and as entertaining as Charley himself. In fact, the wealth of material here is so great, one wonders why no one has mined it for a film. In any event, if you're into early film history, or even if you are just curious about a man who was a powerhouse both in front of and behind the camera, you owe it to yourself to check this book out.

I just finished re-reading "Smile When the Raindrops Fall" (third time, I think) and I second the opinions of the other reviewers. Very few authors have ever discussed the films of Charley Chase in print, and nobody has ever delved into the prolific comedian's personal life in so much detail. Brian Anthony and Andy Edmonds have done Mr. Chase proud, amply demonstrating how he created many clever and amusing movies, and how his private life sometimes colored his work. There are many rare and charming photos, including a memorable candid shot from his final days: his camera crew has just presented the new grandfather with "Gramp's Chair." If you've only been casually acquainted with Charley Chase, here's your chance to get to know him. Great reading for movie buffs, and well worth the publisher's price tag.

Ms Henderson has taken from many, many sources to present a succinct analysis of myths from the past, works by many scholars, and today's world in order to show the need for all of us to have myths in our lives. Beginning with George Lucas' journey to creating Star Wars, moving into the cultural milieu in which the films were made to the that which the audiences brought and continue to bring, the author gives us the "reasons" for the motivation and then success of the 3 and later 6 movies done by Lucas. The book is well-illustrated with scenes from the movies, storyboards of its development, and art representing other myths, stories and legends of many cultures and times. A fantastic book for anyone looking for the core ideas of Lucas and his greatest work.

If you enjoy any of the books by Joseph Campbell and are a Star Wars fan, then this is the book for you. It covers everything from Greek mythology and Zen Buddhism to the Cowboy archetype and the uniforms of World War 2. Most of the artwork is incredible (many pics from the "Art of Star Wars" books), and there are tons of detailed photos from the Smithsonian tour, which I was lucky enough to catch at Houston's Museum of Fine Arts many years ago. I only wish they had waited a few years until the entire Prequel Trilogy was completed before they published this book!

Excellent book with amazing pics of the props and unusual images from the movies from the OT. Fantastic!!

Within this book I would say this incredible look into the mix of Mythology, History and Star Wars that I have ever seen. A great companion Book to the "Magic of Myth" exhibit.. and it would make a great companion book to the Joesph Campbell books "The Hero with a Thousand faces and "The Power of Myth."

Basically giving the impression of the origin of the Star Wars Films. How Lucas was influenced with all these ideas and made the films what they are today. How timeless the story really has been. Also available is some of the pre production artwork from the Classic Trilogy.

If you've been lucky enough to see "The Magic of Myth" in one of its many permutations, this book is a great supplement to and a wonderful reminder of just how cool that exhibit was. If you haven't seen the exhibit, this book is still great to have for it's back-story on the origins of the trilogy.

I'm not the most well-read person around so it was a lot of fun to learn how Lucas' characters and story were shaped by (or copied from) myths and legends of other times and cultures. Reading this book has led me to explore some of the material that Lucas borrowed from in creating Star Wars. I'm a big SW nut, but it's nice to get my head out of the SW universe and out into other forms of art and literature.

If you don't feel like reading, this book is also full of GREAT photos from the trilogy.

I keep this one on the shelf next to Joseph Campbell's "Power of Myth." It is a nice complement to Campbell's book.

It's 300+ pages of excellent Street Fighter art & material- a must-have item.

Highlights here for me...
*Character art & info- Especially great work by Kinu, Akiman, Bengus & more!
*Black & White drawings- I love the limited amount of black & white material here, as well as the extensive full color art.
*All main SF video game versions- Including the original SF, Street Fighter II and its many versions, SF Alpha I-III, and SF III.
*Video game screen shots & endings- Near perfect text & screen shots of these great & memorable classic video games.

This 15th Anniversary Street Fighter Eternal Challenge needs to stay in print! It's an excellent book worthy of multiple printings. I highly recommend searching everywhere for a decent price. 5 stars!

If you have any interest in the artwork of Street Fighter, game character design, or game design artbooks, I think you will love this book. The artwork is amazing! I have been drawing and collecting Street Fighter artwork since I first played the game as a kid in the 90's. I have since stopped playing video and computer games completely, but I never completely stopped drawing these characters. This book was well worth the $18 I paid for it and I especially recommend it to artists (of any level) with an interest for game character design.

it's mos def a must-have for any street fighter nut. there's concept art, character profiles, interviews with the creators and artists, all on silky glossy paper. however, it seems kinda rushed, there are SO many typos and errors and crap, but it isn't really that big a deal
recommended

this book is sick, no complaints whatsoever. it has everything you need to know about street fighter, yea there are some spelling errors and sum corny translations but its a small price to pay for such a good book, cop it and be happy u did.

This is a MUST for any hardcore Street Fighter fan. Tons of amazing art, which chronicles the entire series and loads of fun interviews just busting with behind the scenes info and reasons why characters were changed from version to version.

As for the book itself, it is of HIGH quality paper and is book bound. I have not seen the other version of this book also available on Amazon.com, but I can honestly say that this version is printed on nice thick paper (not sure just how thick, or what true diehard art fans consider nice paper) and makes all the art look really great.

Buy this now!! You will NOT be disappointed! ^_^

There seem to be two kinds of animation books: the "just the facts, ma'am" kind, and those filled with endless anecdotes of the lost golden age. Shamus Culhane's book falls between them and yet hits both extremes. He doesn't clean up history or trim the facts to fit the legends. Which is to say it's unexpurgated (which means uncensored) told in a rollicking, stream of consciousness you are there style.

It's also the untold backstory of animation, as well as a peek at numerous cartoons which have yet to make DVD. Shamus Culhane created the best Woody Woodpecker cartoons including "Barber of Seville," very different from but equally intriguing as "The Rabbit of Seville" (Chuck Jones/ written by Michael Maltese), as well as darkening the doors of most of the then current studios. Not only that, but it's absolutely crammed with photos, character sheets and other animania so as to render the book a visual feast. Anyone with even a passing interest in cartoons or looking for a good read will be delighted to find Culhane's book which is, ironically, one of the few animated histories of animation.

This book was recommended to me by another web/multimedia developer. He told me that I should read it, that it was the web industry in a nutshell. The main difference is the web has a very compressed time line. I first read the book over a year ago... it still reads like prophesy.

This is a "must have" for anyone who wants to create animation. Although not a how-to book, it has an incredible amount of insightful and useful information that is pertinent to those starting out or thinking about starting out their animation career. Shamus writes his animation life story in a way that will entertain and enlighten you. Many of his adventures and experiences are as relavant today as when they happened to him long ago during the Golden Age of animation. The author gives you a ring side seat as he is introduced to animation and evolves as an animator and producer. This was a book that I wish had no end; it actually made me sad to reach the final page.

This book is a must.It is extremely useful for those who want to animate cartoon characters.Shamus description of his life which he shares with the animation history is a very brilliant and inspirated storytellig.This is the book that all animator's should buy. It contains all the valuable information about american animation and all those wonderful pioneers who created the most amazing industry in the world: animation.Do not hesitate! Just buy this book and you will love it. I bet!

James "Shamus" Culhane is not a name that is instantly recognizable to the general public, as is Chuck Jones, but his contributions were every bit as significant. Like Jones, he can be maddeningly arrogant and dismissive of the efforts of his fellow animators, but the truly annoying thing is that he is often right. Culhane worked at virtually every major cartoon studio during its "Golden Age", and generally improved the output of every studio with which he was involved--however briefly. He turned the Fleischer's version of Popeye into a fluid, living character, whereas before Popeye seemed to move like some sort of animatronic figure at Disneyland. He directed one of the few bright spots at Walter Lantz, a Woody Woodpecker cartoon called "Barber of Seville" (which garnered an Academy Award nomination). He also takes us where few other books in animation dare to go--the early days of cartooning for television (did you know he was one of the first producers to make animated commercials for TV? The Ajax elves were his). He even attempted to get in the ground floor of the TV animated series market, though his efforts did not succeed.

This is a must-read, if for no other reason than it avoids rehashing the same material covered again and again by previous books, and gives us an insight into the inner workings of an animation studio as few other books do.

I couldn't put this book down. I've read some of his previous work and took a class with him back in the early 1990s. He writes just like he teaches--he's a firecracker and you never know when he's going to burst out with something amazing.

I just finished the footnotes, which are usually banal in most books, but his footnotes are definitely worth perusing. I was laughing and thinking. I'm still "marinating" on the book. I think it's the best book I've read in the genre ever. Ever. Read this book! He dances playfully with theory and then slices through it with great observations. Great book. My copy had a "defect" (or was it?!) some of the pages were stuck together at the bottom and I had to cut them w/ scissors. I was opening up a gift, right? I think it was a printing error of some type, so that the pages were still sealed. But, it was serendiptious, given how provocative this book was.

This book is written for a cross-genre crowd: cultural studies, (sub)cultural studies, Latina/o studies, Chicana/o studies, Latin Americanists, Films studies types, American studies, and Critical Theorists (race, etc). The book would work well in some undergraduate courses, but is really best read by folks familiar with some of the theorsists he cites throughout the text. Thus, grad students or other academic types might enjoy the book most.

Nericcio goes further than Coco Fusco and others in this genre. The book is both well-written and well-researched. The title is great, too. This review is a lovefest and the book deserves it.

Nericcio takes on just about every misconception out there of what is truly Mexican, Tex-Mex or Latino. He places the stereotyping's birth in context of time and history. There are powerful anectodes, wonderful images and solid research. He cooks the text together adding straight but colorful prose

The collective perception of what is Mexican or Latino, becomes less innocuous when the constant images we're bombarded with are taken apart. Helping Nericcio, make his case for deconstruction, Orson Wells, Speedy Gonzalez and even Rita Hayworth, among other recognizable icons, make an appearance.

Tex[t]-Mex is the reader's version of a rich a documentary. Let's hope this is where this book is headed.

(Can anyone who gave K-Fed's rap album a five-star rating be trusted?) Doc Savage's review seems to be a total misreading of Tex[t]-Mex. But I am dignifying his comments by even implying that he did read the book--clearly he has not. Nowhere in the book does Nericcio claim that all Anglos are alike. Instead, Nericcio examines the seductive hallucination of " 'Mexicans ' in the eyes of Americans" across movies, newspapers , magazines and on television, and other forms of print (29). To me Doc Savage seems like a disgruntled student with a 15-year-old axe to grind. Get over it! Save your negative comment s for ratemyprofessor.com. The statute of limitations on your class complaints expired long ago.

Every once in a while a book or cultural artifact comes along that renders it futures differently, and from that moment on it becomes a point of reference for what is to come. William Anthony Nericcio's Tex[t] Mex is just such an artifact. The Mexican and Chicana/o bodies that populate it are imagined beyond their use value, or the pleasures taken from them, in order to see how vision and the state work hand in hand with the politics of national discrimination in the subtlest, and thereby most insidious ways. From a children's cartoon like speedy González, I mean, Gonzales, to scopophilic desires in the shape of Lupe Velez, or the Rita Hayworth we think we know, this is a special book.

Nericcio spent a long time creating this work which he began in 1989. Unless I misread him, he's attempted a movie in book form, but I think what we really have here is a psychological expose of an author who was weaned in Laredo on comic books, TV and American media, and ultimately trained in semiotics and postmodern philosophy.

The subjects he choses to 'deconstruct' include the Welles's movie TOUCH OF EVIL, Welles's Mexican wife Rita Hayworth, Speedy Gonazalez, Richard Rodriguez, Lupe Velez, and as I said, himself. He does not take himself seriously, and while this 'cast of characters' he choses sound suspect, this is serious work, and the effort shows. He's clearly had a lot of fun pulling this one out of the sombrero.

The goal here is a postmodern scene-by-scene 'movie' with script that explores the racism against Mexicans in American media based on 'sex-starved' cartoon mice, Hollywood dye-jobs to get that gringa look, name changes, self-hatred, cultural conditioning, art, commentaries by Rodriguez examining his hatred for Mexico, etc.

Touch of Evil is one my favorites and Nericcio's perspective gave me much to chew on, especially after chewing on fries and drinking a beer at Nepenthe a few weeks a go, and coming to the conclusion that this spot that Welles shared with Rita was a "poorman's" dream-version of a castle Orson never built while Hearst was once 70 miles south on Hwy 1, busy on his fixer-upper. No lusty and lawless bordertowns for these gents.

And Nepenthe now? A hallucination in itself with a row of Mexicano cooks grilling up crappy food while tourists show up to check out the view--which is mostly of each other.

My only critique of the book is that it, by default and based on its format, becomes a part of the American culture industry: that's entertainment 'Chicano style' but geared to grad critical theory students... willing to pay the price of admission.

I'd like to read a similar work like this but by a Mexican author who does the same 'movie' about--and against--Mexican media.

Addendum Feb 7, 08:
I just watched the 2000 edition of TOUCH OF EVIL and re-read this author's analysis. I have a different take, which is far more psycho-analytical.

Recall that this film was made in 1957 when mixed-race marriages, especially those portrayed on the silver screen, were far fewer in number than now. I think that Welles was actually using Heston and Leigh to represent himself and Rita Hayworth, a mixed race couple. That in itself would've been enough of a shocker for white-bread America in a 1958 theater. Not to mention the 'half-breed' daughter this union produced.

If Nericcio is correct that Welles was a Mexican/Latino wannabe, then it makes sense that he'd hire Heston as his stand in-- rather than a Mexican-- to PLAY a Mexican covered in brown shoe polish, who can't speak proper Spanish and who's newly married to the lily-white Leigh (who represents the white-washed Rita H. and who has a very strong personality). The genius of chosing Heston is obvious: in 1957, America would definitely need a familiar and 'trustworthy' 'Mexican' they could 'believe' in(!) I don't know of ANY Mexican who could play this part for a specifically 1958 American audience, and garner the sympathy Welles was seeking.
This analysis is also supported by the massively egotistical Welles playing Kane at various stages of his life in CITIZEN.
But in T.O.E., Orson is too huge to 'play himself' as Vargas, and opts for Heston to (almost comically) portray the innocent, handsome 'missionary' with a sense of justice-- the man Orson used to be in the early forties. Vargas, by the way, is the only ethical male character in the film. He represents the 'good' countered by the fat, bloated, lawless and evil American: Quinlan. I think Welles was simply showing his '58 audience the ugly American in all of his racist glory, something they did not want to see, or admit. On ethics, see also the scene where Vargas symbollically 'locks up' the three white lawmen in an elevator with bars, a space Vargas refuses to enter. An empowered Mexican sticking it to 'the Man.' THAT sounds like a sympathetic OW, at least to me.

Nericcio's attempt to find evidence that Welles was capturing his real 'self' (the racist Quinlan) in the film is probably wrong. Nericcio dug up some quote by OW's biographer proving his racism. This is based on the use of the term 'half-breed' by OW when refering to an American Indian car driver. And OW refering to Rita H as a 'gypsy'. This is a stretch.
More Freud:
The rape of Leigh in the movie may represent the rape of Rita H by her father in real life, which was mentioned by Nericcio in another chapter. It may be that Quinlan murders Uncle Joe Grandi (who was filmed licking his lips when he was finished sending Leigh a 'hands-off my brother' message) because he could symbolize Rita's father. It's very possible Orson would've liked to knock-off Rita's father --if he'd the chance. Uncle Grandi, the 'big daddy' who would LIKE to get his hands on Leigh, instead sends his gang to gang-bang Mrs Vargas in space HE owns --a motel.

On Orson's misogynism: In a foot note, Nericcio takes a shot at OW's scene in which a bottle of acid thrown by a hood at Vargas ends up sizzling a poster of "Zita" on the wall behind Vargas. 'Zita', the stripper who was killed in the opening car bomb scene, is, in my opionion, 'Rita', O.W.'s ex-wife for around 10 years by 1957. A symbolic killing of his ex?

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R19HODOKOL3FU5 The moment I saw the cover and the publisher, Insight Editions, I had very good feeling about the book. Why? Because Insight Editions had previously published one of the very best art books, The Art of Monster House, which I liked very much.

This book is also frightening good. Wait a minute, Monster House was also a horror movie. What a coincidence.

This is a scrapbook style art book for the live action movie, Trick 'r Treat. The movie is written and directed by Michael Dougherty, who also contributed to some of the art in the book.

First part of the book is about the making of the movie. It's a behind the scenes look at how the movie was produced and shot. Included are details like how Michael Dougherty came up with the script, drew the art and pitched the movie. There are challenges with costume designs because they had to avoid trademarked characters. Also very interesting are how they set up scenes visually and create special effects like the exploding a bag of pumpkin-like goo.

The second part are the five short stories in the movies. In between these stories are accompanying quotes from movies and captions from the staff. There are also pages devoted to several aspect of Halloween, for example the origins of Jack o' Lanterns, the significance of 31 October, what's with the black cat and many other interesting stuff.

Throughout the book is filled with lots of goodies. They include little booklets, stickers, postcards, pumpkin paper cutouts, a Halloween mask and a poster at the back. It's scrapbook goodness. So much that I really had a hard time doing the flipping-page video.

The hardcover book comes in a soft cardboard casing. The glossy pages are of amazing paper stock. The high resolution photos and artwork are reproduced brilliantly. I must also add that the page design and layout are fantastic. The author John Griffin has done a fantastic job with the book. This book is a visual delight.

Once in a while, there will be a book so good it will appeal to everyone. This is that book.

It's highly recommended to all, except those who don't like movies or art.

There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.

I had no idea? This book is amazing!!! Great quality, wonderfully creative and a shear must for all fans of the 'dark day' Samhain!
Shawn

I bought this for my husband who loves Halloween, he says"Rare collectors item, outstanding quality, an insight on how this movies characters originated from. several bonus items inside too many to list! If you are an avid Halloween fan you will love this book. After this movie is released it will be a true Halloween Holiday Classic. What a gem, worth every penny"

This book is a great in-depth look at the best halloween movie to come out in a long time. The movie itself is an atmoshperic homage to 80's horror, a suspenseful and very, very scary celebration of Halloween. In the vain of Tales from the Crypt or Creepshow, with great performances by the ensemble cast. The book includes plot synopsis, character designs and inspirations, costume sketches, movie stills, paper masks, stickers, storyboards, postcards and comic strips. I was lucky enough to recieve mine at a screening sponsored by AintitCool News and I can't say enough what a great experience this movie was!

I love Halloween. If you know me than that is what you know ABOUT me...I LOVE HALLOWEEN. So, when I saw this book on a friend of mine's desk, I flipped. I hadn't heard of the movie, hadn't seen the trailer on line, and with the exception of a couple of pieces of art that I had seen in a Halloween Art show the previous year (see what I mean?), I had NO exposure to what lay inside.

The cover was inticing as all Halloween treats should be. Like a witch's gingerbread house you cannot resist but to go inside. And what lurks there?

More than a "making of" book. More than a book about Halloween....Oh, so much more. The photos from this film (it was unreleased at the time of my reading this book), the preproduction art, all of it was fantastic. No, it was more than fantastic. It was inspiring. Exhilarating. But as I enviously perused the pages of my friend's copy of the book, it started offering treats: Comic books, post cards, MASKS!

I needed to OWN this book. Not sometime in the distant future. I needed it NOW. A real "Veruca Salt" moment if you will. So, you can imagine how I felt when my friend showed me how inexpensive it was on AMAZON. I ordered it immediately and waited INpatiently for its arrival.

And now the real kicker. My wife is indifferent to Halloween. She is supportive and will put on a simple costume if necessary, but to her Halloween is my day. She watches patiently as I drag the decorations out, fiddle with my old Super 8mm projectors to conjur ghosts in our windows, listen to old Halloween records and she does it with a smile. Every year in September she asks: "Are you starting Halloween ALREADY?"

I remind her that, in general, these days CHRISTMAS decorations are in stores in September. So, when the book arrived in the house, I expected her to be indifferent. When she saw it, her jaw dropped.

She couldn't believe how beautifully presented, how stuffed with goodies it was and what really knocked her over was the price. She felt that with what this tome offered it could easily be twice as much as the original cover price and still satisfy its readers.

So if you're on the fence with the other black cats wondering if this book will turn out to be a dreaded Halloween trick, do not be fooled - If you are a fan of Halloween, monster movies, and things that go bump in the night than this book is definitely for you! Don't just sit there, ORDER IT!

Universal Horrors, which was originally published in 1990, is an excellent reference book of every horror related films made by Universal from 1931 to 1946. That book was a real eye awakener for horror movie fans and had a huge impact on how film books would since be written.

The second edition of Universal Horrors, published 17 years after the first edition, is essentially an updating and rewriting of the earlier version. It has additional quotes from the performers and production folks. Also, there are many new pictures added to the book. It goes to show that what was perfect can still be improved upon!

This book is highly recommended for anyone with interest in the old horror films from Hollywood's golden years. Those who already have the 1990 version should really consider going for this new updated version.

If your 'bag' is classic horror films of the thirties and forties, especially Universal films, this book is a must-have. To many baby boomers that saw these movies when they were released for television in the fifties, this book will bring back a lot of memories. The book is great, but like all McFarland books, it is pricey. But for the true fan (which is short for fanatic) the price won't matter!

The classic horror films of the 30's and 40's have never been as popular as they are today. Baby Boomers who grew up watching the old Shock Theater packages in the 50's and 60's hold a tremendous fondness for the films that terrified them as children. The Boris Karloff Frankenstein and Bela Lugosi Dracula are still the most recognized images of those two classic monsters...so much so that their families had to move to legally trademark their images to protect them.

The Universal horror films are the subject of Universal Horrors, the second edition of this outstanding book by noted classic film historian Tom Weaver and Michael & John Brunas. Throughout the massive 608 page hardcover, the authors cover each one of the 85 horror films made by Universal from 1931 - 1946. Just do the math...that's an average of about seven pages spent on each film during this period. This is no mere listing of actors with a one-page synopsis. Rather this is a definitive guide to these 85 films with complete cast and credits, detailed storyline synopses, production history, behind-the-scenes information, critical analysis, period reviews, and commentary by cast and crewmembers. Most of the comments come from the voluminous numbers of reviews that Weaver has conducted over the years.

The films are listed chronologically beginning with Dracula in 1931 and ending with The Brute Man in 1946. It even includes the Spanish version of Dracula which was filmed on the same set as the original at the very same time! White The Lugosi version was shot during the day, the Spanish crew took over at night. In many ways, the Spanish version outshines the Tod Browning directed original.

One of my guilty favorites of the Universal Classic film era is 1932's Murder in the Rue Morgue, presenting Lugosi in truly one of his most sadistic and macabre roles. This film ended up being the bone that both Lugosi and Director Robert Florey received for NOT getting their respective parts in Frankenstein, which instead went to Karloff and Director James Whale. This rather film features Lugosi as Dr. Mirakle, who injects the blood of an ape into women he captures. When the experiments fail, he dumps the women into a river. It's a highly underrated film and one of Lugosi's best roles.

Weaver and partners don't give a short shrift to lesser-known films. While the most popular films do get more coverage, even the least well-known of the Universal Horrors gets several pages devoted to it...and there are a number of lesser known films. Unfortunately a number of these are not on DVD or even VHS for that matter meaning that the entry in this book is probably the closest you'll get to the film without actually seeing it.

Many of these lesser-known films are not true horror but often murder mysteries with horror trappings such as "old dark house-style" films. These films include Secret of the Blue Room, Secret of the Chateau, The House of Fear, and The Black Doll. The appendix goes on to list several dozen more films that were borderline exclusions...close, but just not making the cut to receive a full write-up for various reasons. Actually it's somewhat difficult to figure out while some of these were left out of the main listing since many are quite similar in plot and tone.
This book is simply fabulous. Everything that Weaver does is always meticulously researched and extraordinarily entertaining. This is THE Bible to fans of Universal's classic horror films, and one of the finest film reference books I've ever read.


REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON

An amazing source of information for anyone who ever stayed up watching the late late show on a Saturday night. I am truly impressed at the thorough research that went into this book; many factoids which have escaped even the most die-hard of fans will be brought to light. I commend McFarland Press for providing fans of such an "un-hip" genre with consistently fine sources of in-depth information, especially keeping in mind that with each passing year the facts directly from those who were there are getting more and more difficult to find. This book probably does not hold a lot of interest for anyone who does not hold a special place in their heart for the studios' genre work prior to buying the book, and the authors do tend to often drift into becoming overly opinionated and putting much too much thought into subject matter that was never intended to be overanalyzed. Nonetheless, this is still an extremely fun read for any fan.

If your 'bag' is classic horror films of the thirties and forties, especially Universal films, this book is a must-have. To many baby boomers that saw these movies when they were released for television in the fifties, this book will bring back a lot of memories. The book is great, but like all McFarland books, it is pricey. But for the true fan (which is short for fanatic) the price won't matter!

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