Cult Horror Movies: Discover the 33 Best Scary, Suspenseful, Gory, and Monstrous Cinema Classics by Danny Peary

Cult Horror Movies: Discover the 33 Best Scary, Suspenseful, Gory, and Monstrous Cinema Classics Reviews

• 
  Lynx

  Film critic Danny Peary brings together 33 of his essays on his choice of best cult horror films. I really enjoyed the array of titles he chose, ranging from the 1930s to 1980s, with sub-genres from psychological thrillers to splatter gore and most obvious titles to the quite obscure. This makes it a great book for those wishing to expand their knowledge of horror cinema but beware, very detailed spoilers lie within. Peary makes it impossible to use this book as a to-watch guide because rather then a brief summary in the "synopsis" section of each, he writes a detailed account of the entire film. This is fine if you've seen the film but if you have not and wish to I suggest avoiding both the synopsis and essays until afterward. Peary's essays are filled with interesting tidbits of behind the scenes trivia, directors, writers, and cast members backstories and plenty of comparisons or companion pieces for those who enjoyed the film to look up after. This makes this book very informative and more then worthwhile whether you are a beginner or expert and agree or disagree with his opinions.
  
  
  *Thank you Workman Publishing & Netgalley For this review copy.
• 
  11811 (Eleven)

  If you’re interested in reading this, chances are you’ve seen most of these films already. Otherwis,e why would you be interested in reading it?
  
  What? Right. So, this is obviously for horror fans. Film enthusiasts in general maybe but in either case this publication has a somewhat limited target audience.
  
  I received a free electronic copy from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review but I wouldn’t mind owning a physical edition of this as well to prop up the short leg on the couch in front of the TV. In addition to the 33 best (arguable) cult horror films, the author includes an appendix listing a few hundred more ‘honorable mentions’. It looks like all the important ones are present and accounted for. That bonus makes it worth owning and keeping by the TV for reference when brainstorming what cult horror film to watch…. again.
  
  Yeah,, I know you can Google that info. Just get the damn book. It’s prettier, well organized, presented, and you don’t have to plug it in. 3.5 Stars
• 
  Angela

  I love a good horror film. I particularly love a shit horror film. So, to find a collection about horror films was a must read for me. There was nothing in this book I didn't already know though there are a few films featured in this collection I've not seen yet, so I will need to address that. An interesting read and a must for all film buffs.
  
  An advance reader copy was kindly given by the publisher via Netgalley
• 
  David

  Pretty much what you expect if you've read any of Peary's other books. The well-written essay-length articles are taken from his Cult Movies 1 - 3 books, some have been updated to include fleeting references to recent films / tv shows (e.g The Walking Dead, found-footage films).
  
  The most recent film is Basket Case (1982), which was only a year old when he wrote it up in Cult Movies #2; the absence of any films -- outside of a list at the rear -- released since then (none of the Evil Deads or Gremlins, for example) in a collection published in 2014 is jarring.
• 
  Andrew

  There’s not much better on Halloween than settling down to watch some classic horror, so I thought it would be an appropriate time to take a look at Danny Peary’s Cult Horror Movies: Discover the 33 Best Scary, Suspenseful, Gory, and Monstrous Cinema Classics. The author is a film critic who has a series of these Cult Movie books spanning a variety of genres. Most of the horror movie books I read are written by avid fans, and focus solely on that, and so I thought it might be a bit different to read what was written by someone less obsessively focused on the horror genre.
  
  The 33 movies are not ranked but listed alphabetically and it is a pretty diverse selection that the author has chosen. There are some horror movies that you’d expect to see and it would be criminal for those not to be included, so you do find The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween. For the most part though, this is not the usual suspects, which was particularly refreshing. This is especially true concerning certain films that so much has been written about that it’s hard to find new facts and stories. Some examples of these less visited films are Massacre at Central High, The Conqueror Worm and Peeping Tom. There are some titles that I disagree with him on and would definitely not have included. It’s debatable, well more than debatable, to say that King Kong is horror. The focus of this book is more on the classics with the majority of movies on the list released prior to 1970.
  
  Each movie entry begins with production information and the cast, followed by a synopsis and Peary’s essay on the film and what makes it a cult horror movie. Each film discussion includes black and white production stills and screen images. (Not the best quality, but not a big deal). The success or failure of this kind of book all rests on the quality of the writing, and thankfully the writing is engaging and entertaining. There are interesting discussions by Peary and he is quite opinionated. I found lots that I disagreed with, but that’s a good thing. You can’t fault someone for their opinion.
  
  Two of my favorite films are covered and I relished reading about them – The Wicker Man and The Brood. I was and still am obsessed with David Cronenberg’s early body horror work like The Brood, Shivers and Rabid, so I found the entry fascinating. All in all this is an interesting book with its focus on much older horror movies. It’s well worth a read, especially if you pick up one or two of these movies for a Halloween treat.
• 
  Sean Wicks

  I'm a bit late to the Danny Peary party, but thankfully the release of a series of new e-books (so far Sci-Fi and Horror with Crime and Midnight movies coming over the next couple of months) have caught me up.
  
  Peary breaks down the plot of each cult horror film, then follows it with a critical theory as to the themes and why these films have achieved cult status. What really caught my attention was the fact that Peary doesn't always subscribe to popular opinions. He's tougher on HALLOWEEN than most, and super critical of John Carpenter's later years especially THE THING which is now cited as one of his best works (granted when it was first released, many of the criticisms Peary has about the film were common). He also prefers the theatrical cut of BLADE RUNNER with the voice over (this is in the Sci-Fi book) which is usually reviled. He makes a great point in his chapter on the original WICKER MAN in that if it weren't for the knowledge of studio interference, would we still despise changes that are made against a filmmaker's wishes? Or are we just more aware of them because of their back-story?
  
  In any case, Peary's book is an insightful, serious look at films that don't always get the best appreciation from critics and film historians.
• 
  Max

  Review copy received through NetGalley.
  Enjoyable, engaging collection of essays about great films. Peary's selection of films spans the decades from the 1920s to the 1980s, avoiding some of the obvious candidates for cult horror classic status (no 'Evil Dead' here), includes others ('Night of the Living Dead,' 'Halloween,' and 'Texas Chain Saw' all make the cut), and makes room for some lesser-known gems ('The Conqueror Worm,' 'I Married A Monster From Outer Space'). Each entry provides general info about the film, a detailed synopsis, and an analysis/interpretation. Peary's essays are a delight: he's candid about his personal preferences and clear-eyed in assessing a film's strengths and flaws; he sketches the context of the film's creation and critical/popular reception, with an eye to feminist and critical race perspectives; and he has some really dynamite analyses -- standouts include his interpretation of 'King Kong' and his deft theological reading of 'Frankenstein.'
• 
  Piper Gee

  I received a copy to read and review from netgally. The following opinions are my own.
  
  This is a fantastic book for Horror fans. I thought that the selections were all great choices. Some are more popular choices like Halloween, but there were even a few I hadn't seen yet. Each movie has it's release information, a few photos, description and the author's view. I found all of it interesting and fun to read.
  
  My only criticism is that it would have been fun to have full color photos, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of this book.
  
  I recommend it for cinephiles, especially horror fans or film students.
• 
  Nesie

  Nutshell: Cult Horror Movies ranks right up there with Splatter Movies and Golden Turkey Awards in it’s celebration of the off-beat and cultishly adored. Danny Peary not only provides in-depth analysis of each film in this collection, but provides tons of drool-worthy tidbits and trivia. A must for film fans of any genre. Grade: A
  
  
  http://atomicfangirl.com/2015/03/08/b...