KEVIN HEFFERNAN. Ghouls, Gimmicks, and Gold: Horror Films and the American Movie Business, 1953-1968. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press. 2005. Pp. viii, 323. Cloth $79.95, paper $22.95.
2006; Oxford University Press; Volume: 111; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1086/ahr.111.2.517-a
ISSN1937-5239
Autores Tópico(s)Cinema and Media Studies
ResumoThe Hollywood horror film conjures up immediate images for millions of film fans. Depending on a person's age, that image might be the movie monsters of Lon Chaney or Boris Karloff, Vincent Price's films based the writings of Edgar Allen Poe, or, for younger fans, the exploits of Freddy Krueger in the Friday the 13th series. The vast majority of books on the horror genre are glossy and nostalgic. They feature more pictures than analysis and only rarely offer more than a passing mention of the role that horror films played in the motion picture business. Kevin Heffernan's study is a refreshing contrast to such pictorial histories. He provides a thoroughly researched and well-written account of the role horror films played in the financial history of the American film industry, from helping small neighborhood theaters survive to pioneering modern-day business practices such as saturation booking and syndication of movie...
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