Reviews
For horror fans who enjoy the genre, this is a book to keep close at hand and consult like a dictionary. Reading about early horror films I didn’t even know existed helped me see the roots of many elements in today’s horror movies. It’s especially convenient that you can scan a QR code and immediately watch a film that catches your interest. I almost feel bad paying so little for it. I’m looking forward to a follow-up covering the next period.
Kim Jeong-gon: Horror film company
In Gore: The Art of Blood, Philippe Rouyer cites a student paper that says, “It takes a lot of excuses to like horror movies.” Time has passed, and many veils of prejudice have lifted. People openly say which horror films they enjoy, and masters of horror such as James Wan sometimes work on both horror films and Hollywood blockbusters. Still, there can be a lingering distance between liking a particular horror movie and liking the horror genre itself. The horror genre has never been in the spotlight throughout film history. People have always associated it with death, murder, and all kinds of ugliness, especially if they haven’t seen many horror films. Since horror movies are always dealing with death, that response is perhaps unavoidable. But depicting such negative aspects of death does not mean horror celebrates evil. Many horror films instead express an extreme rejection of forces that threaten to sink society; at times, they take the lead in exposing a society whose polished exterior hides rot within. The horror genre can both accommodate the demands of a conservative society and call for radical social change. Part of the pleasure of watching horror is finding these ideas. Horror films may also treat the serious subject of social change in ways that are dated and absurd.
Korean title: 호러영화사
Korean author: 김정곤
Korean publisher: 출판사B
ISBN-13: 9791198555502
Reviews
For horror fans who enjoy the genre, this is a book to keep close at hand and consult like a dictionary. Reading about early horror films I didn’t even know existed helped me see the roots of many elements in today’s horror movies. It’s especially convenient that you can scan a QR code and immediately watch a film that catches your interest. I almost feel bad paying so little for it. I’m looking forward to a follow-up covering the next period.
