There are a lot of books written about horror movies. Some, like Joseph Lanza's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Film That Terrified a Rattled Nation, I like a lot. Others, such as Lee Gamin's Hell Hath No Fury Like Her: The Making of Christine, I did not like at all. Taking Shape, a detailed look at the Halloween movie franchise, is one of the good ones.
I read books like these, ones that deal with horror movie history, and I sometimes become overwhelmed with emotion. I look back at my life, the things I was doing, the lives I led, and I see things like Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween as signposts along the way. These odd movie franchises have helped define me and my life.
Are they good movies? Largely, no. Some are great, sure, and others are good little efforts. Good, bad, or somewhere in between, these films represent a lot of good work by very talented and dedicated craftspersons. The effects crews, the technicians, the writers and the directors all strove against the odds to hopefully deliver films that would find and please audiences. There were endless interferences by bonehead studio execs, constrictive ratings groups, budgetary restraints, and every other conceivable setback. I admire most of the movies in the classic horror franchises for these and other reasons.
Halloween started off with the most promise, and the original is, by my reckoning, the only true masterpiece of the slasher cycle. The quality of the sequels varies wildly. Authors Dustin McNeill and Travis Mullins dissect each and every Halloween movie, and there are a lot of them. You may have even forgotten one or two.
Taking Shape is informative and well-written, and it is also entertaining. McNeill and Mullins turn over just about every conceivable stone in the history of the franchise. They look for positive elements in them all, and ask viewers to re-access the ones they dislike. I do admire that, and I find things to enjoy in most of them. Even the grimy Rob Zombie movies. However, I refuse to give another look to the execrable Halloween: Resurrection.
If you like the series, or parts of it, Taking Shape is well worth owning. My only complaint is the size of the trade paperback, which is flimsy, awkward to read, and easily damaged. A followup, Taking Shape 2, is already available. Even longer than the first book, the sequel deals with all the many unfinished Halloween productions from over the years.
Written by Mark Sieber
I read books like these, ones that deal with horror movie history, and I sometimes become overwhelmed with emotion. I look back at my life, the things I was doing, the lives I led, and I see things like Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween as signposts along the way. These odd movie franchises have helped define me and my life.
Are they good movies? Largely, no. Some are great, sure, and others are good little efforts. Good, bad, or somewhere in between, these films represent a lot of good work by very talented and dedicated craftspersons. The effects crews, the technicians, the writers and the directors all strove against the odds to hopefully deliver films that would find and please audiences. There were endless interferences by bonehead studio execs, constrictive ratings groups, budgetary restraints, and every other conceivable setback. I admire most of the movies in the classic horror franchises for these and other reasons.Halloween started off with the most promise, and the original is, by my reckoning, the only true masterpiece of the slasher cycle. The quality of the sequels varies wildly. Authors Dustin McNeill and Travis Mullins dissect each and every Halloween movie, and there are a lot of them. You may have even forgotten one or two.
Taking Shape is informative and well-written, and it is also entertaining. McNeill and Mullins turn over just about every conceivable stone in the history of the franchise. They look for positive elements in them all, and ask viewers to re-access the ones they dislike. I do admire that, and I find things to enjoy in most of them. Even the grimy Rob Zombie movies. However, I refuse to give another look to the execrable Halloween: Resurrection.
If you like the series, or parts of it, Taking Shape is well worth owning. My only complaint is the size of the trade paperback, which is flimsy, awkward to read, and easily damaged. A followup, Taking Shape 2, is already available. Even longer than the first book, the sequel deals with all the many unfinished Halloween productions from over the years.
Written by Mark Sieber
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