BOOK REVIEW:

Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond

As the days grow short and the nights grow longer, as the air gets cooler and the leaves on the trees shift in color from green to brown, red, and gold, we know that we have moved into autumn. And autumn is the time for movies that provide chills, from gentle and humorous to frightful and fearsome. If you are looking to find that perfect movie for an autumnal eve, then David J. Skal has the perfect resource: Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond.

Skal, a horror media expert and enthusiast, began his career with the 1990’s Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen, which chronicled the character of Dracula and the adaptations of Stoker’s titular character on stage, screen and other media. Over the decades, Skal has followed up Hollywood Gothic with titles that include The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror, Screams of Reason: Mad Science and Modern Culture, and Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween. So, David J. Skal  is the perfect source for a comprehensive overview of the best horror movies, and other books about scary subjects. 

Ranging in time from the silent era, with 1922’s Nosferatu, to 2017’s Get Out, and from films like Hocus Pocus, that are more fun than fear, to John Carpenter’s horrifying The Thing, this new book, Fright Favorites, includes titles that will appeal to every taste. And don’t let the book’s subtitle, 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond, mislead you. For each of the 31 films highlighted, there are additional films that are mentioned and referenced, making the total number of films recommended closer to 100.

The book is lavishly illustrated, with beautiful images paired with Skal’s insightful and informative commentaries.

Fright Favorites is the perfect resource for determining what you’re going to watch this Halloween, or any time you are in the mood to be scared, even if it’s just a little bit!

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