Slasher Movie Book, The (Book)
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Written by J.A. Kerswell
Published by Chicago Review Press
Speaking in general terms, every horror fan loves at least one good slasher movie, right? Even if you’re only into the “well known” slasher films – Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc., etc., The Slasher Movie Book is a great place to get your fix on this particular corner of the horror genre.
I’m a massive horror movie fan (obviously), and not only do I relish the great scares that come from a well placed jump scene, but I love the history behind horror cinema. J.A. Kerswell does a fantastic job in The Slasher Movie Book of covering all aspects of the subgenre. For 203 pages The Slasher Movie Book takes you on a ride through Guignol plays to Hitchcock, and continuing into the 1970s, Kerswell is magnificent in laying out the roots of the slasher film before delving into the more mainstream films that everyone has heard of.
The book is laid out chronologically and offers a large variety of pictures from the films that Kerswell writes about, as well as their original movie posters. The artwork was one of my favorite parts of the book! I found myself fascinated with the posters of films that I knew well enough but never had a chance to see the marketing material for before these pages.
The Slasher Movie Book also contains one of the most interesting endings of any trivia book I’ve ever read. Kerswell takes the last several pages and adds stats on various slasher flicks – the body count, reviews, and famous actors that made appearances before they were actually famous.
I consider myself to be pretty knowledgeable in horror films, and I found myself turning the pages quickly to find what else I could learn from this book. It’s a great guide for the person just starting to love horror films or for the veteran fan that just can’t get enough information. The Slasher Movie Book is a must have for any horror fan.
4 out of 5
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