Hidden Horror: A Celebration of 101 Underrated and Overlooked Fright Flicks

Editor Aaron Christensen has released a one of a kind tome: 101 reviews of selected film favorites each written by fans from all over the globe embracing the best examples of what constitutes the genre of the Horror Film. It's controversial and absolutely addicting. It has also taught me a thing or two of appreciating these titles ,some of which I took for granted over the years. Yes, you will see some titles that you've seen before but, finally, masterpieces such as Director Bernard McEveety's 'THE BROTHERHOOD OF SATAN'-1971, Director Richard Blackburn's 'LEMORA: A CHILD'S TALE OF THE SUPERNATURAL'-1973, Director Mariano Baino's 'DARK WATERS'-1993,and Director Jean Rollin's 'FASCINATION'-1979 (in my book, the most serious and erotic Vampire film ever made) get the respect that they deserve. There are titles from the silent film genre and even a Western to surprise and tantalize the reader. As Mr. Christensen says in his intro, this book is meant to open doors and minds to titles that demand inclusion in the Horror pantheon. With a great Forward by Director William Lustig whom I had the pleasure of working with all those years ago in the early Seventies as an usher at the now defunct Linwood Theatre in Fort Lee, New Jersey , it's a book that will be cherished for years to come by fans old and new . Highly recommended.

I loved this listing of lesser known horror films. Many were done in the more recent past, like the 80's rather than the 40's. This is the kind of book that becomes a guide for the seeker of more obscure dark thrills. And maybe a few clunkers as well. But that is part of the fun too. Just remember, if the plot synopsis reads like it has too many spoilers for you, skip from the first paragraph to the last on each article. That will tell you what you want to know and still preserve the viewing of said movie for you. Or not.

I've been a fan of horror movies for decades. I don't care about slasher/stalker movies, I love supernatural horror, especially those films that use the tools of cinema--camera angles, lighting, music--to create an atmosphere of Otherness, strangeness. I don't care if it's cheap and uses a fog machine like PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES or uses millions in FX and sets like ALIEN, all I care about is: Did this give me that pleasurable creepy sensation?I've seen most of the movies in those "Horror Movies You Definitely Haven't Seen!" lists, but while I have seen many of those in this book, the articles were so enjoyable, the writers so good at explaining WHY these movies work, I just found this the most enjoyable book on horror movies I've read in ages. That it includes LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH--the one title I check for in these sorts of books--was proof I needed to give this a look. It's now up there with UNIVERSAL HORRORS, the OVERLOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORROR and the John Muir HORROR FILMS OF THE 70's among my favorite books about horror movies. Get it.

Of the 101 horror film essays in this incredible tome, I'd seen only a handful, but thanks to flipping through these very informative pages, I've piled up most into my Netflix and Amazon Prime queues. Since receiving this book, I've watched several of these hidden gems.Depending on your taste, not all are going to be winners, but what is indisputable is the love and knowledge poured into each essay.In the alphabetical listings of Hidden Horror, each film essay is scribed by a different author and that author's passion and love for the genre is readily apparent. Themes and subplots I wouldn't otherwise have considered are delightful to read. I prefer to pick a film, watch it, then read what Hidden Horrors has to say, but however you like to do it, you should pick this one up.

As a horror fan, I like to think that I've seen all the great classic films and the modern ones that are worth watching. Hidden Horror set me straight. It's great to see a long list of films that fans have compiled together to express why they feel their choice of film is deserving of a horror fan's attention.There are a lot of films on the list I have not seen (and I am going to make it my mission to change that) along with films I've seen in the past that I feel like I need to revisit again.This book is an incredible addition to any hardcore horror fan's collection.

What do Evilspeak, Maniac, The Hills Have Eyes, The Hitcher, and X: The Man With X-Ray Eyes have in common? They are just 5 of the films featured in this book. Inside, one will find 101 underrated horror movies written about by 101 experts in the horror genre, talking about the underrated films they love. First, though, there's an introduction, written by the man who directed Maniac. Looking for a horror film to watch or on the lookout for some horror films that'll strike your fancy? Then, this book will be the book for you.

A bunch of these movies he refers to are not that great and some I would not even consider horror. All in all, I've tried some of the movies he recommends in the book and found they were a waste of time and had to recall why I thought these movies were not that appealing to me in the first place. I guess when it comes to horror...I know what I like and dislike but I do keep an open mind because some here in the book I have in my collection as "classics."

This book is a fun romp through the lesser known body of horror films. With contributors from all over the world and films that span the time period from the early 1920's to late 2000's this has something for everyone. I've been marking the must-sees and updating my Netflix list!

101 horror films are dissected by a different reviewer each film. Naturally, some of the film’s weren’t my bag, but I found lots of fun ones to look into and watch.I had only seen 20 of the films previously, which is a shock given the thousands of horrors I have seen!This book is a lot of fun if you have even a passing interest in the horror genre!

Some books like this look good by the title or cover and then....are full of already seen pics and short reviews that you've heard before, about films that everyone's seen before!This book?It's great! It's packed with great reviews about many films you will have already seen, but also about many you will not have seen.Recommended...a great buy.

I really liked the idea behind this book. Rather then reviewing the horror films that are perhaps regarded as classics of the genre,it looks at some of those films,that in most cases are not particularly well known, or at least deserve more attention.I agreed with a lot of the reviews and films included.All the reviews are written by different writers,which is a great idea,and they come across as genuine fans of their choosen films. All reviews include picture stills from the films.Highly recommended.

As a long term horror fan I have seen some of them, but most won't have. The movies are given decent reviews that make you want to see them.

A welcome addition to my bookcase of cult/horror/exploitation books. 101 clear and enthusiastically written descriptions and appraisals of a lot of films I'd seen, some I'd heard of and some new to me. well worth investing in.