| Title | : | Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0789318962 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780789318961 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 252 |
| Publication | : | First published September 8, 2009 |
Universal Studios Monsters is the most complete record of the horror films of this legendary studio, with biographies of major personalities who were responsible for the most notable monster melodramas in film history. The stories of these films and their creators are told through interviews with surviving actors and studio employees. A lavish photographic record, including many behind-the-scenes shots, completes the story of how these classics were made. This is a volume no fan of imaginative cinema will want to be without.
Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror Reviews
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This book is the "real deal"...the ultimate primer to everything that is classic Universal Horror (with some science fiction thrown in). I didn't find many "Gee, I never knew that" revelations, but the wonderful pictures and free-flowing writing style made this a most enjoyable read.
For the person who isn't a genuine "Monster Kid" and who doesn't have a copy of the original Famous Monsters of Filmland within easy reach, this is probably the best introduction to the films and characters that I've found. Oh, there are those that go much more in-depth, but they often read like research volumes. This is a loving tribute to the films and the professionals who made them a reality for the imagination.
Not unlike many of the "recap" books, this one also includes plot overviews. The benefit is that they don't describe everything that happens. The drawback is that they do reveal the endings. However, in its defense, the revelations often lead to observations and speculations on the part of the writer that are truly interesting and worth pondering.
The scope of the book runs from the silent Universal Horrors (including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which I never considered to be a horror movie) through to the co-licensed and produced Hammer horror films that reinvigorated the Universal monsters. There is even a nod to the aforesaid Famous Monsters of Filmland and the Aurora Monster Model kits...which found a place of honor in my house!
The Monster Kid in me would have really loved this book had it been available in my Chiller Theatre days...although the Hammer horror films wouldn't have been released yet...and he responded with great enthusiasm while reading it today.
I highly recommend this one. -
A must for any fan of the Universal Monster movies. Beautifully illustrated with film stills, promotional photos, posters, lobby cards and behind-the-scenes photos (my favourite being Boris Karloff in full Frankenstein's Monster make-up genteely sipping his four o'clock tea from a china cup and saucer).
There's a short history of the studio and an overview of the macabre silent movies that were the precursors of the later Monster horrors. Each of the classic films Monster are described in brief, with some production details and information about the actors, directors, writers and some of the crew. Then there are spotlight sections on individuals who were important to the series.
This isn't an encyclopedic, in-depth history of the studio and films: it's not for scholars. It is a fun overview or introduction; delightful and entertaining and has sent me back, with a renewed interest and appreciation, for the films I used to stay up late as a kid to watch on the TV, lights out, tucked under a blanket on the coach and worrying about whether I, though pure of heart, might turn into a wolf when the wolfbane bloomed when the autumn moon was bright! -
Great photos and accurate information of the classic Universal Studios Monster movies. I highly recommend it to any fan of the grand masters; Karloff, Lugosi, Chaney, Chaney Jr., etc.
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Read this incredible book in one sitting. I’m a huge fan of the universal monster movies (The Wolf Man) being my favorite. This book goes into great detail of every movie beginning with The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of these films.
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A really solid book covering all the Universal monster movies from the thirties all the way to the fifties. Includes sections dedicated to each movies as well as the important actors, writers, directors, make-up artists and other film makers who were instrumental in creating such memorable movies.
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Very comprehensive, with tons of photos from in front and behind the camera, synopses of the major and minor Universal Horror series and their sequels, and profiles of the people involved. A real treat for Classic Horror fans.
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This is an absolute must-read for any fan of the Universal monsters! Mallory begins at the silent movie era and the beginnings of Hollywood and takes the reader on a journey through the golden age of Universal horror. The book is basically divided by character series (Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man...) with spotlights on prominent actors, directors, etc. The beautiful-quality photos perfectly compliment the text. For those, like myself, who were raised on these movies, this was like reading a book about old friends.
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"I think if you'll study this picture and think about it when it's over, you'll realize this is something more than just a story told; it's a fable with a meaning and a significance"
If I'm being honest I don't watch a lot of scary movies, but this book has interested me for a while now. I loved seeing the history of all of these movies and I never felt lost about what was being discussed. I have more movies to add to my watch-list now. -
I have loved the Universal Monsters since as far back as I can remember. I thought I knew most everything about them but this book taught me so many new and exciting things. If you are a monster fan I can not recommend this highly enough.
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It was really fun to read about all these different movies! I have a whole list of movies I wanna watch now :)
Watched so far:
The Man who laughed: pretty good, my first ever silent film!
started Frankenstein
On my list:
Frankenstein
dracula
wolfman
a bunch of silent films :) -
An excellent overview of Universal Studios monsters and the people who gave them life. This historical reference includes actors and directors, and I found it entertaining and informative, even as someone who knows a lot about the films and their background.
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Amazing historical documentation of the Universal Horror Monster legacy with how it began and how it is impacting horror moving forward. A definite read for horror fans.
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Being a fan of classic monster films, I found this book a huge delight! It was amazing how the actors not only portrayed each character, but how they felt about their characters. I also liked reading the short biographical chapters on each of the individuals involved in the films and enjoyed seeing photos from the films and even some behind the scenes photos.
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I'd give it 2.5/5
The good: Lot's of great pictures and some nice profiles on the people behind the scenes and actors from the films.
The bad: 90% of the book is detailed movie recaps. Which would be fine if this was the 70's and the films were hard to find. Today though, they are almost all available on DVD and get shown on the specialty channels. So the whole thing feels old fashion.
If you're a fan, it's not terrible but you probably already own most of the films so it's largely redundant. -
Although this is a lovely primer for any film fan looking to learn more about the scope of the Universal horror films, I'm knocking down one star for the poor editing. The writing itself is really good, but there are some bizarre things in here, like a sentence that is abruptly cut off with no finish, some random typos, a misspelling of "whose" as "who's," etc.
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This is sort of like the coffee table companion to Weaver and Brunas Brothers' Universal Horrors. The pictures are cool and all, but I get the feeling a lot of the behind the scenes stories might be more apocryphal than true.
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Good overview of Universal's history and its most famous film series. Nice coffee table book with many photographs and a great reminder (if not a great intro) to why many of us love these 70+ year old movies.
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Some great stuff in this book. Lots of press photos, behind the scenes pics, and poster reproductions. Summaries on each of the major (and some minor) movies as well as stories and brief bios on the people that made them.
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When I say "read" I mean I flipped through this book and looked at all the pictures and read the bold text underneath.
So 4 stars for photos, I'm sure it would be 5 if I actually read the content.
$40? Maybe 3 stars now... -
Another cool book I picked up at a convention. SOme errors and typos. Great pics and fairly thorough coverage of the silents through the Golden Age of Universal.
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This is a very nice coffee table book. It's full of lovely glossy pics and no little information about the movies themselves and the people that made them great.
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Fantastic. Recommend for any lover of horror, especially the classic Universal Monsters.
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Loved this.
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Great information not just on the movies and the characters, but the people who played the parts and the people behind the scenes
