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Shock! Theater For the decades between 1930 and 1950, the undisputed masters of horror were Universal Pictures. From their early success with Dracula and Frankenstein to the later additions, such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Universal has created and popularized more memorable creature flicks than any other studio. By the time the 1950s had come around, filmgoers' tastes had changed from the supernatural monsters that Universal excelled at to more scientific terrors-atomic horrors, mutant animals, and other, more psychological fears. Not only that, but now films in the theater had new competition-Television. In 1957, Universal sold a package of 52 mostly-horror films to TV stations around the USA. This package contained many of their greatest horror classics, along with some less-popular films that could round out the package. These films directly led to the invention of TV "Horror Hosts," who were used to introduce and pad out the shorter films. The film package was so successful that a few years later, "Son of Shock!" was released with twenty more films. This first book includes viewing synopses of ALL fifty-two original Shock! films, including the few non-horror films and even a few gems that are rarely seen today. Each film has some trivia and commentary. By examining each film in chronological release order, we can quickly see how tastes, values, budgets, and even special effects grew through the two decades these films were produced.

Hammer Horror! For the decades between 1930 and 1950, the undisputed masters of horror were Universal Pictures. From their early success with “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” to the later additions, such as “the Creature from the Black Lagoon”, Universal has created and popularized more memorable creature flicks than any other studio. But during the 1950s, they drifted away from the genre, leaving a hole in horror lovers' hearts. The torch quickly passed to Hammer Films. A small company that had been releasing small films since 1934, in the 50s had several successful science-fiction films (the Quatermass series) that featured monsters from space. One thing led to another, and they tried their hand at remaking the classic stories, "Dracula" and "Frankenstein," only this time in color with high production values. These two films were massive successes, catapulting Hammer into two decades of leadership in the genre. This book includes viewing synopses of 69 Hammer horror films, including all your favorite monsters, as well as a few gems that are rarely seen today. Each film has some trivia and commentary. By examining each film in chronological release order, we can quickly see how tastes, values, budgets, and even special effects grew through the two decades the Hammer made these films. Hammer stopped making horror films in the mid-70s but managed to stay afloat until 2008 when they started producing new horror films. This book includes all of these new films as well, up to and including 2019's "The Lodge." ALL the horror films are here.

"Stay up a bit, who knows? The next time you go to sleep it might be forever." -Vincent Price "The Tingler" 1955 From 1938 to 1993, Vincent Price terrified audiences and also made them laugh, often at the same time. No other actor has ever encapsulated the pure *fun* of scary movies the way he did. He had dozens of campy, charming, over-the-top villain roles where he delighted fans with his wicked ways. Some of his villains were dead serious while others were comedic gold. Interspersed with the fearsome films were comedies, romances, musicals, and even a few action hero roles. He was tremendously versatile, but we're here to look at his horror films. All of them. This is not a Vincent Price biography. What the books does do is go through each and every one of Price's horror films, going through a complete synopsis, including spoilers and commentary. We'll look at Price's characters shift from young, romantic leads to murderous psychopaths to lovable old men. We'll look at his own favorites, the good, the bad, and the couple of films he regretted doing. Although Price is best known for his horror films, only about twenty percent of his screen credits were in the horror genre. I scoured his filmography and came up with 43 full-length films that truly count as horror and then watched them all. In addition, we'll look at seven other important Price films that aren't horror, including his first starring role, his final film, his favorite non-horror role, and a few others. If you love Vincent Price's horror, we'll cover them all here. Did you miss a few growing up? I did. This is your chance to catch up! "I sometimes feel that I'm impersonating the dark unconscious of the whole human race. I know this sounds sick, but I love it." --Vincent Price

Son of Shock! For the decades between 1930 and 1950, the undisputed masters of horror were Universal Pictures. From their early success with Dracula and Frankenstein to the later additions, such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Universal has created and popularized more memorable creature flicks than any other studio. By the time the 1950s had come around, filmgoers' tastes had changed from the supernatural monsters that Universal excelled at to more scientific terrors- atomic horrors, mutant animals, and other, more psychological fears. Not only that, but now films in the theater had new competition- Television. In 1957, Universal sold a package of 52 mostly-horror films to TV stations around the USA. This package contained many of their greatest horror classics, along with some less-popular films that could round out the package. These films directly led to the invention of TV "Horror Hosts," who were used to introduce and pad out the shorter films. The film package was so successful that a few years later, "Son of Shock!" was released with twenty more films. This book includes viewing synopses of ALL twenty “Son of Shock!” films, including the few non-horror films and even a few gems that are rarely seen today. Each film has some trivia and commentary. By examining each film in chronological release order, we can quickly see how tastes, values, budgets, and even special effects grew through the two decades these films were produced. In addition, there are twenty-seven EXTRA Universal films covered that were not included in either package but are otherwise considered essential viewing or historically significant.

"Who wants to see me as Hamlet? Very few. But millions want to see me as Frankenstein so that's the one I do." He's Been Dr. Frankenstein, Grand Moff Tarkin, Van Helsing, Doctor Who, and Sherlock Holmes. He's fought Dracula, werewolves, ghouls, gorgons, Nazi zombies, upstart rebels, ancient mummies, skulls, aliens, and even the abominable snowman. With a range from cold, calculating malevolence to kindly grandpa, Peter Cushing enthralled horror (and non-horror) fans for decades. With a humble start with Laurel and Hardy in Hollywood, to a low point where he couldn't get anything but BBC Radio roles, Cushing always knew he was made for acting. Still, it wasn't until Hammer Films decided to remake "Frankenstein" that Cushing's star really began to rise. Starring in dozens of chilling films from Hammer and Amicus, he soon became one of the great icons of horror. Toward the end of his career, he took a role as Tarkin in "Star Wars," which popularized him with an entirely new generation of fans that couldn't get enough of his earlier work. We're here to look at his horror films. All of them. This is not a Peter Cushing biography. What the book does do is go through each and every one of Cushing's horror films, going through a complete synopsis, including spoilers and commentary. We'll look at Cushing's array of characters shift from the evilest incarnation of Dr. Frankenstein to lovable old benefactors. We'll look at fifty horror films and eight important non-horror films that are significant in Cushing's career. "People look at me as if I were some sort of monster, but I can't think why. In my macabre pictures, I have either been a monster-maker or a monster-destroyer, but never a monster. Actually, I'm a gentle fellow. Never harmed a fly. I love animals, and when I'm in the country I'm a keen bird-watcher." – Peter Cushing, 1964