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What we actually have here are the originally aired television programs re-edited into a multi-disc DVD set. Presented documentary style, we still of course have a narrator, however, the need for a host was lost in the format change. I must say I far prefer this style, as it is quite easy to move from one director to the next or to simply select one or two favorites for viewing. With directors like Tod Browning, Stuart Gordon, William Castle, Roger Corman, Tobe Hooper and Roman Polanski featured, you are nearly guaranteed to find all sorts of great background and trivia on at least a few talents that you already admire. And since the documentaries are so well constructed, you will certainly begin to admire some new filmmakers as well. All ten of these half hour featurettes are stuffed full of information that may or may not be common knowledge, so no matter how much you think you know about horror history, you can learn a few things by checking out these DVDs. Interviews fill in much of what is left out in the narration and all manner of talent shows up to throw in their two cents. From film critics and historians to fellow directors and genre heavies, there is a never-ending parade of those “in the know”, and to be honest, many of these appearances are of greater interest to horror fans than the directors they have shown up to tout. Dario Argento, Gunnar Hansen, Jeffrey Combs, John Carpenter, Kim Henkel, Richard Matheson and more show up to dish the dirt about the ten selected “Fearmakers”. Those directors chosen for the honor of being featured on this set come from nearly every era of horror cinema. Jack Arnold, Tod Browning, William Castle, Roger Corman, Terence Fisher, Roland West, Jacques Tourneur and Robert Wise are all names that should make any list of horror’s most influential grandfathers; but you’ll also find Tobe Hooper and Roman Polanski representing the reinvention of what had come before. In case you aren’t totally familiar with all the names above, we are talking about the director’s that brought us films like The Creature From The Black Lagoon, Dracula, The House On Haunted Hill, The Fall Of The House Of Usher, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Rosemary’s Baby, Cat People, The Bat and The Haunting. Each and every one of these director’s has something they can teach us about the genre as a whole, and this DVD should really become required viewing for those who claim to be horror fans. We all know that William Castle was the pioneer of such gimmicks as buzzing theater seats, swinging skeletons, insurance policies against being “scared to death” and all manner of showmanship. But did we all know why he began to use such tricks? To make a buck I hear some of you saying; actually, it was because he didn’t HAVE any bucks to put into his films, yet he wanted so badly to scare his audiences. He waited in theater lines for his own films to listen to what the fans wanted...and what they didn’t want! I am sure you know of Tod Browning’s Freaks...one of the first horror films to stir up controversy and become banned in certain countries and cities. And of course, there is the infamous Dracula starring Bela Lugosi which continues to this day to influence nearly every vampire flick made. But who knew how bizarre and frightening his early silent works were? And did you know about the now-missing hidden print of London After Midnight and that it eventually was remade into Mark Of The Vampire? It is these sorts of insights that make this set a must have for fans of all ages. Whether you were around to wait in line for these guys movies when they premiered, or whether these names mean nothing to you and you think Eli Roth is the king of horror, there is much to learn...and this collection can teach you. Six hours of this kind of informative entertainment is a steal at under $30, and the value of what it can teach a new generation of horror hounds is priceless. -aaron- Directed By:
John McCarty, Haley Richter & Wynn Winberg
Written by:
John McCarty & Wynn Winberg
DVD Features:
10 Featurettes: |
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