The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword

Rating:
Summary: very good material severely compromised
Review: Skal, author of Hollywood Gothic, takes a broader look at the European/American horror entertainment business in the 20th century and its political backdrop, including influences such as world war and depression, Watergate and Vietnam, etc. The main emphasis is on the movies, but he touches on TV, the EC horror comics of the '50's, and Stephen King as well. He is at his most interesting when discussing the personalities involved in this strange business: Tod Browning and Bela Lugosi, Forrest J. Ackerman and Vampira (and her surprising friendship with James Dean!). Unfortunately, he is too often unable to keep his politics out of my entertainment. He compares capitalism to vampirism, wanders into gratuitously inaccurate and insulting revisions of the Reagan years, and finally tries (unsuccessfully) to draw parallels between 1931, when the Depression really kicked off, and 1991, a year of mild recession. Evidently he believes Clinton's party line about how '91-'92 was "the worst economy in fifty years"; as usual, those of us who know better will be offended. Pity; this could've been a 5-star book, since Skal is a thorough researcher and a diligent interviewer, as well as a clever and engaging writer for the most part. The photos and stills are great, many of them rare. Read it anyway, but be prepared to roll your eyes from time to time.

Rating:
Summary: Frightfully good
Review: Wonderfully witty and well written, this is a cultural history that well deserves its name. The first half plays up to Skal's strength as a film historian but the second half, which detours into comic books, Stephen King, monster models, the Adams Family, etc. is marred with passages of psychobabble and strained analysis. Mostly however this is an entertaining and near definitive exploration of things delightfully horrible. And the illustrations are great!