A Vault of Horror
By Keith Topping

   Did you love that classic The Wicker Man, or hide behind the sofa when Christopher Lee got his teeth into the part of Dracula? This is for everybody who has ever sat riveted (for whatever reason) through a British horror film of the classic 1956 to 1974 era. There can be few people who haven’t, and so here is a book all about them and how they have made an impact not only on the genre but also on the history of cinema and the dreams on more than one generation. As befits Telos, this guide is well researched and actually pretty exhaustive, with each film pithily but thoughtfully described in some detail in their usual highly readable way. There are notes about the stars and directors together with a list of what else they did, “outrageous methods of despatch” and of course mentions of the mandatory naughty bits. Another recurring point is a mention of the mystifying scenes that don’t add up “logic, let me introduce you to this window”, and of course the obligatory stills. If you want a glossy coffee table book this probably isn’t it (wrong format) but there are some colored pictures along with the black and white ones – don’t forget that most of these films weren’t in color!

    What impressed me most were the overall reviews, as they are obviously written by somebody who loves this type of thing and has an eye for what is good, what is just plain old bad and above all what is entertaining and why. This book really made me think about what seems to be on the surface just a bit of fun, but which is bursting with social comment, psychological insight and its own special take on the history of this period. Maybe it does belong on that coffee table after all…

    To buy this book you can order it from Telos Publishing Ltd, 61 Elgar Avenue, Tolworth, Surrey KT5 9JP England. Visit the website http://www.telos.co.uk for more details.