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As author Mike Mayo points out in his introduction to VideoHound's Horror Show, "We've gone from the darkened movie house to the darkened den and the VCR, but our emotions and expectations of horror have not changed." For the benefit of the den dwellers, Mayo has assembled a lively and functional guide that covers "the scariest, funniest, dopiest, and most unclassifiable" horror films on video. In addition to the obvious classics of the genre, Horror Show covers relatively obscure pictures, as well as foreign, made-for-TV, and cult entries. There are some rather surprising inclusions, such as The Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland, and some equally surprising ratings (Plan 9 from Outer Space gets 3 bones?), but Mayo makes a good case for their presence. Several dozen sidebars profile important performers and directors or trace trends in horror throughout the decades; quotations and black-and-white photos are sprinkled liberally throughout.
Like all the VideoHound books, this one practically bulges with information. In addition to the usual cast and production facts, this volume includes indices of cast members, directors, alternative titles, and categories, as well as "connections"--related books, periodicals, Web sites, and organizations--and guides to video sources and distributors.
Any horror aficionado will want to have this engagingly written and extremely useful reference book within arm's reach of the VCR. --Mary V. Burke
From Library Journal
Several capsule movie review sources now appear annually, including Halliwell's Film and Video Guide (HarperCollins), Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide (Plume), and the Blockbuster Entertainment Guide to Movies and Videos (Dell). Comparable in scope, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever stands out by dint of its biting attitude. The latest edition adds 1000 reviews, bringing the total to approximately 22,000. Access is via 13 indexes: by cast, director, writer, and so on. Particularly helpful are the alternative title index and the category list, an acerbic grouping of titles under rubrics like "Post Apocalypse: No more convenience stores." Coverage of foreign films is solid, and the extensive cross references are to be applauded. An awards index and a website guide only increase the reference value. VideoHound's Horror Show is more focused, providing 999 paragraph-length reviews of horror films. Encompassing both silent films and 1990s slasher pictures, it is accompanied by a subset of the indexes found in the larger Golden Movie Retriever. The contents are fleshed out by 50 sidebars highlighting topics along the lines of "The 1950s: The Bugs, 3-D, and the Birth of Hammer." A "Horror Connections" section lists websites, magazines and newsletters, organizations, and books, and photographs enhance the text. Unfortunately, this volume suffers from the inclusion of nontraditional horror films like Apocalypse Now and Trainspotting. While these films are indeed chilling, their inclusion casts doubt on Mayo's entire project. Why, for instance, is Full Metal Jacket left out? Public libraries may nevertheless be interested in both volumes.?Neal Baker, Earlham Coll., Richmond, INCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Brought to you by the publisher of VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever, VideoHound's Sci-Fi Experience, and other video guides, this one surveys the horror genre, from Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to Zombie Lake.
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