We as horror fans can certainly consider ourselves a fickle bunch at times, be it overly choosy about exactly what subgenre to watch, or how much gore, right down to just how badly we want to be scared. Make no mistake though - every single one of us that makes up this frenzied collective can appreciate the history of the genre itself, and that's where this latest review leads us, so grab a chilled glass of crimson refreshment and read on!
Director Eli Roth (who also executively produced) gives fans a baseline to work from in his History Of Horror. This 7-part series aired last year in October and is poised to ramp up its second season on AMC beginning this weekend. I was fortunate enough to snag a copy of the 3 disc set of Season 1 from our generous friends at Katrina Wan P.R. (thank you all so much), and I've honestly watched this set 2 times over since receiving it - it's simply that good. With narration by Roth and a heavyweight round-table consisting of Eli, Rob Zombie, and gore-master General Greg Nicotero, each episode consists of one particular sub-genre that is focused on and highlighted with clips, interviews from a bevy of stars, and some information that you might not have known about your favorite film. Covering sub-genres such as slashers, zombies, vampires, and ghosts, you'll fully be in the know as to how to properly set up your Halloween movie marathoning this month - hell, you might even come across a film that you've never heard of thanks to this series.
Jam-packed into all these discs are clips and interviews with a seemingly endless array of personalities contained within the horror spectrum - Stephen King, Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, John Landis, Quentin Tarantino, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Tom Savini are only a sampling - hungry yet? Personal stories about some film's conceptions are on the block as well, and if you're only thinking that this series will focus on the big-ticket items, think again. This is quite the impressive display and covers quite a bit of cinematic scares dating way back into the early days of frights - naturally, not everything could be shoe-horned into this presentation, but it works for not only the rookies to the genre but to the seasoned & hardened souls that have seemingly been desensitized to the visions on-screen over the years. I'll admit there were a handful of films that I'd completely forgotten about that were refreshingly "re-animated" back into my memory (and NO, I do remember that film - it's merely a play on words). Overall, this is a fantastic set to own and toss into your player any time you want a guide from the professionals to cross-reference. It's on sale now damn-near everywhere and should set up Season 2 nicely so grab your copy now!
RATING: 4.5 out of 5
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