A history of horror

About this book

Arranged by decades, this one-stop sourcebook unearths the historical origins of characters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman and their various incarnations in film from the silent era to comedic sequels. A History of Horror explores how the horror film fits into the Hollywood studio system and how its enormous success in American and European culture expanded globally. Dixon examines key periods in the horror film--in which basic precepts of the genre were established, then burnished into conveniently reliable and maleable forms, and then, after collapsing into parody, rose again to create new levels of intensity and menace. Supported by rare stills from classic films, this book brings more than fifty timeless horror films into clear focus, zooms in on todays top horror web sites, and champions the stars, directors, and subgenres that make horror films so exciting and popular.