This week ECHG writer Adam Holtzapfel takes a look at the 1974 book The Movie Treasury: Horror Movies by Alan G Frank.

 

 

by Adam Holtzapfel

 

This week I wanted to focus on something different, books. The reason I chose The Movie Treasury: Horror Movies is because it’s my first real introduction to horror. Being 5 or 6 in the 80’s I discovered this book. It was on a trip to my grandma’s I came across this gem. It belonged to my uncle and was hidden behind the TV. It was almost ritualistic that every time we’d go there I’d spend parts of the weekend staring at the pictures in this book and skimming through it. While my mind played out what the scenes pictured could possibly consist of.

 

Upon opening this I was introduced to pictures of Bela Lugosi, Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and more! My brain went into immediate overload wanting to watch anything I could track down.

 

 

 

 

The book contains chapters with named after certain genre aspects like The Baron, The Count, Back From The Dead, Metamorphoses and Masquerades, Meet The Ladies, and a few others. Covering around 70 years of horror, fans are treated to what some would consider obscure titles on top of cult favorites.

 

I consider this a must in any horror aficionado’s collection. While it may seem dated at times it’s a good resource for films from companies such as Hammer, Amicus, Tigon, Universal, and several others. Vibrant color photos as well as black and white ones pepper the pages throughout the book. 

 

This was what shaped my formative years in the genre. Making me want to find films like Dr Terror’s House Of Horrors, The Wicker Man, The Omega Man, London After Midnight (which I would later discover is never going to happen), and Night Creatures. It’s also interesting to see how films have changed from their earliest conception to 1974 and taking that into the 80’s through today. 

 

You can currently find this on Amazon ranging in price from $9.50 to $56.