Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond

by David J. Skal

Overview

Turner Classic Movies presents a collection of monster greats, modern and classic horror, and family-friendly cinematic treats that capture the spirit of Halloween, complete with reviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and iconic images.

Fright Favorites spotlights 31 essential Halloween-time films, their associated sequels and remakes, and recommendations to expand your seasonal repertoire based on your favorites. Featured titles include Nosferatu (1922), Dracula (1931), Cat People (1942), Them (1953), House on Haunted Hill (1959), Black Sunday (1960), Rosemary's Baby (1968), Young Frankenstein (1976), Beetlejuice (1988), Get Out (2017), and many more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780594267805
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Series:	Turner Classic Movies
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	657,256
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 7.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

David J. Skal is the author of numerous books, including Hollywood Gothic, The Monster Show, and Something in the Blood. His media appearances have included NPR's All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Today, A&E Biography, Ancient Mysteries, and many others. Skal lives in Glendale, CA.

Turner Classic Movies is the definitive resource for the greatest movies of all time. We entertain and enlighten to show how the entire spectrum of classic movies, movie history, and movie-making touches us all and influences how we think and live today.

Editorial Reviews

"Fright Favorites is like the full-size candy bar in your trick-or-treat bag: it's small enough to hold in one hand, delicious, and is written in digestible, bite-sized sections so that you can savor it or eat read all of it in one sitting!...From its menacing black and orange cover to its full-color end papers featuring horror movie posters, David J. Skal's Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond is a seasonal treat that horror and classical film fans will want to keep on their coffee tables all season long."—Ally Russell, Out of the Past Blog

"An essential book especially for those just starting their journey into horror movie history."—Reviews Coming at YA

"Turner Classic Movies presents a gorgeous coffee table style collection of modern and classic horror that captures the Halloween spirit. It's full of curated images, reviews, and behind-the-scenes stories to expand your annual Halloween viewing horizons."—Bloody Disgusting

“I must say that Fright Favorites is almost a perfect list of films that could easily serve as a haunted advent calendar to count down to Halloween.”—Waylon Jordan, iHorror.com

From the Publisher

09/25/2020

Launching with a history of Hollywood's take on Halloween, Skal (Something in the Blood) offers 31 horror flicks to carry readers through the month of October. Skal's picks are safe but not entirely predictable, skewing toward the black-and-white era (the 1930s yield five selections, whereas only three titles are pulled from the last 30 years)—all of which is understandable, since the book is published under the auspices of TCM. Skal excels at explaining how a horror film becomes a classic. His encapsulation of 1925's The Phantom of the Opera is a delight—he discusses its production and legacy and explores how the Phantom's facial disfigurement would have been received by an audience reeling from the atrocities of World War I. Each entry is lavishly illustrated with promotional artwork and production stills, and Skal provides slightly more obscure viewing suggestions (such as pointing Night of the Living Dead fans toward Carnival of Souls). VERDICT Skal wrings new life from the undead in this loving tribute to horror cinema. Movie buffs will appreciate his depth of knowledge, and fright fans will treasure this gorgeous look at the ghoulish.—Terry Bosky, Madison, WI

Library Journal