Horror Movies: An Illustrated History Volume 2: Silver Age 1939-1949

Product Description

Scheduled for Spring 2024 publication and shipping.

Journey back to an unforgettable time of cinematic monsters and enter the shadowy world of classic movie terror once again with Horror Movies: An Illustrated History, The Silver Age 1939-1949, a stunning publication celebrating the horror genre on the big screen. This gorgeous exploration of horror’s second era chronicles the characters, creativity and immense cultural power of a movie genre that had come of age, yet still had huge scope to shock the world and enthral legions of film fans.

The second instalment in our eagerly awaited series tracing the course of the horror movie as we know it today, Horror Movies: An Illustrated History, The Silver Age guides you through a cinematic genre that, by the late thirties, had established itself as both credible and controversial. As censors hovered, the industry had given itself a break from monsters, but 1939 saw the children of the night wake again and unleash a horde of new characters that would become some of movieland’s most beloved creations. In a decade of thrilling innovation, filmmakers around the world brought us all manner of new terrors to take to our hearts; this lavish guide to horror cinema’s second age is your ideal companion to a rediscovery of the ways in which monsters claimed new territory in our shared consciousness.

An echo of the culture that created it, horror cinema in the thirties and forties had plenty to offer, and Horror Movies: An Illustrated History Volume Two offers insight on how global changes influenced the movies we love today. From the established literary worlds that became the likes of 1939’s Dark Eyes of London, to RKO’s resourceful determination to take on genre giants Universal, you’ll see how the challenges of an increasingly interconnected world gave us myriad compelling creeps to consider. This gloriously produced jaunt into horror’s second age also shows how movie production continued against a backdrop of war, real-life monsters rubbing shoulders with fictional ones. You’ll see how escapism could only take us so far from reality before filmmakers had to acknowledge the world beyond the movie screen.

We accompany you through this inspiring age of cinema with a huge amount of information, all compiled in the unique and celebrated Classic Monsters style. Horror Movies: An Illustrated History Volume Two is presented in A4 size (297 x 210mm) while its square bound format and sleek matt laminated cover make it an enviable, luxurious addition to your collection of horror movie history publications. This guide to horror cinema’s second age is created with a passion for the subject that shines through in each line of text and every meticulously-restored still.

And speaking of those stills… Horror Movies: An Illustrated History Volume Two, The Silver Age 1939-1949 has an abundance of beautiful imagery from this most visually arresting of cinematic ages. As part of our commitment to the finest presentation, all images are printed using full colour processes rather than in traditional newspaper-style monochrome printing. This provides a depth and range of tone that means even familiar stills burst with life, rather than looking flat and dull on the page. It’s another reason why this horror movie history guide is an absolute must for any fans of classic monster cinema.

Naturally, no horror movie history publication could ignore the power wielded by Universal, the studio that had shaped the horror genre in the popular consciousness in cinema’s early days. While reviving its powerhouse franchise with Son of Frankenstein (1939) and ever more outlandish sequels, it unveiled a new and equally tragic monster in the shape of The Wolf Man (1941) among numerous other standalone chillers like The Mad Ghoul (1943). But as you’ll see in this journey through horror’s evolution, Universal was by no means the only studio shaping the industry. At the other end of the scale, Poverty Row studios like PRC may have had rather less in the way of financial backing, but their many offerings made their own contribution to the genre.

You’ll also meet the many stars whose performances put a (usually) human face to the horrors that appeared on the screen. Industry stalwarts such as Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre had already marked themselves out as heavyweights of the horror world, but the forties saw them joined by new torch-bearers for the genre, such as Lon Chaney junior and J Carrol Naish, not to mention the many glamorous female stars like Evelyn Ankers who redefined the movie heroine. This loving celebration of forties horror cinema reintroduces you to some familiar faces, as well as the many creatives who toiled off-screen to create movie magic.

Horror Movies: An Illustrated History Volume Two is a worthy addition to your horror movie history collection, with high production values and a clean, crisp design befitting this tribute to some of horror’s most celebrated films. Packed with information, and presented in a format you’ll love, it’s an essential for any horror fan.

• 84 pages
• A4
• Full colour throughout
• Luxury matt laminated cover

Cover art subject to change.