Modern Horror Movies from the ’60s and ’70s
Self Published, 2019. 197 pages
By Laura Cremonini

Because I wanted to give this author a chance by looking at more than just one of her books, I purchased a second title, and I was happy to discover that it seems that this is actually original text and not lifted from any internet source. Or at least, not that I could find. What I did find though was something more interesting. It doesn’t seem she has improved on the formatting here, since some of the movie titles are in quotes and some are italicized. So on par with the previous book I reviewed, she is desperate need of a good editor.

The real strange part of this book is that she has decided to take on a particular slice of the horror genre, from the ’60s and ’70s, reviewing certain titles, which really is just stating the plot and then giving the reader’s a Catholic evaluation. What her affiliation with the Church is not known, so I’m assuming she is a devote follower that is giving us her interpretation of what the film means or represents to her. Sounds fair enough, since I’m always looking for different opinions on films.

Though… it doesn’t help when there are few errors or inconsistencies throughout the book. For example, she makes the comment that “Until 1962, horror movies produced by Hammer were directly exclusively by (Terence) Fisher.” Yes, while all of their major titles were directed by Fisher, there were more than a titles not directed by him, such as the first two Quatermass films by Val Guest, Taste of Fear by Seth Holt, The Shadow of the Cat by John Gilling, and a few more. Yes, this is just me being picky, but it does point out the lack of research to make such a claim. Continue reading →