Tag Archives: Bryan Senn

DtH Episode 91: Author Bryan Senn

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In our search for more knowledge about the horror genre, the films we love, and the people behind them, a lot of started out with the reference books to take those first steps. Years before the internet, these books were stepping stones for fans to learn about films they’ve never heard about and the people behind the films we knew and loved. It was like opening doors for the first time, or ones that were slightly open before, but now are wide open for us to learn so much more. 

In this episode, we invited author Bryan Senn on the show to talk about these reference books, especially since he’s been writing about the sci-fi and horror genre for over three decades, in a variety of magazines and even writing his own books on a few different subjects. So, sit back and enjoy, but you still may need that notepad just to write down some book titles you may want to seek out!

Films mentioned in this episode:

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McFarland 40% Off Sale!!!

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That’s right you book lovers and bibliophiles, McFarland is having another one of their 40% off sales, from now through Cyber Monday on November 27th! This includes ALL of their titles. Just use the code HOLIDAY23 at checkout to get that savings. While McFarland puts out some great stuff, we know that sometimes their prices are a bit high, but now you can fix that by taking that 40% off.

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McFarland Halloween Sale

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We all know that McFarland puts out some amazing books, but they do tend to be on the pricy side. But during the month of October, they are having a 25% off sale on all their horror titles! I just pre-ordered Bryan Senn’s MASSIVE new book, Mummy Movies, which normally retails for $75, but with this sale, I got close to $20 off that price! So, if you’re looking to add a few more titles to your own library, now is your chance to pick up some great titles and save a little money as well.

The code is simple . . . just add in HALLOWEEN2023 in the promo code during check out and see the savings! Head over to McFarland’s site HERE to see all the amazing titles you can find. May I suggest the latest from Christopher Wayne Curry, The Incredibly Strange Features of Ray Dennis Steckler, where you can save $10. Or any number of titles from Tom Weaver, Gregory William Mank, Bryan Senn, or any other number of titles. Just do a McFarland search on my site to see all of their books that I’ve reviewed over the years if you’re not sure which one(s) to get!

Mummy Movies Book!

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Our good friend Bryan Senn has done something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. He has sat down and not only watched a ton of mummy movies, but even did the research and wrote about them for this new book! If you are sitting there thinking, “well that doesn’t sound that bad” then you haven’t experienced some of lesser-known mummy titles out there. Trust me, they can get pretty bad. Years ago, I tried to turn down doing a retrospective on this sub-genre for HorrorHound because I knew the quality of the ones that I had seen, let alone the ones I’d avoided. I will say though that there still are some damn good mummy films out there that are more than worth your time. But kudos to Senn for doing all of that hard work so we don’t have to, but now can just read about them.

Of course, even though I know there is a lot of bad mummy movies out there . . . yes, I still will be picking up this book for the library.

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Monster Bash – Making Me Think!

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Earlier this year, I posted that this was probably going to be my last year selling books. The main reason (other than I’m getting old!) was that they just weren’t selling enough to make it worth it. I know I had a good number of regulars, which really hurt the thought of disappointing them, but at the end of the show, it just wasn’t enough.

Then we did Monster Bash last weekend.

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Book Review: Here There Be Monsters

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Here There Be Monsters
Published by BearManor Media, 2021. 464 pages
By Bryan Senn

Being a lover and collector of horror reference books, it should be no surprise that I’ve been a fan of Senn’s work and have quite a few of his books in my library, even before I met him at a Monster Bash show in 2016. His work is always a joy to dive into because he not only packs it full of information, but you can tell it is coming from a fellow fan. And while we might always agree on some films, I still enjoy reading his take on whichever film he is writing about.

With this book, it is a collection of essays, reviews, and other writings that were either published in magazines or other books but were cut down due to size limitations or just didn’t fit in that particular publication. In this new volume, we get it all. Plus, we get a LOT of it. This volume is huge and is filled to the brim with just about every classic horror subject there is. The films covered go from the early classics of the ‘30s through the ‘60s, as well as a huge section on Mexican monster films, which I particularly enjoyed. There are even a few book reviews and some personal essays included as well.

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Here There Be Monsters

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I think it was either his book Golden Horrors or Drums of Voodoo when I first became aware of author Bryan Senn. Funny thing is that I had probably read several of the articles that he had written over the years for magazines such as Filmfax and Shivers, to the many books I owned from Midnight Marquee. Several years ago, I got to meet him at a Monster Bash show and we’ve become good friends since then. So anytime he has a new book coming out, I know I’ll be adding it to my library. Not just because we’re friends but because Senn knowns what he’s writing about! He’s just like the rest of us, having a huge passion for the genre, so we know what he’s writing about, comes from the heart.

His latest book, Here There Be Monsters, from BearManor Media, is a collection of “interviews, histories, tributes, and overviews on the diverse world of horror and science fiction cinema” that he’s done over the last 30 years. Some of these pieces are expanded from their original form while some are completely new. Within these pages, you’ll read about the Universal films to Hammer horrors from across the pond, Euro gothic chillers, and even heading south of the border for some mask wrestlers duking it out with all sorts of monsters. From the well-rounded genre cinema fans to ones craving to learn more about titles you might not have heard of, this book sounds like a great way to learn about, or learn more about this great selection of cinema.

It is available only in hardcover format from BearManor Media for only $38. If you get it from Amazon, it will set you back another $10, but then you’ll get probably get free shipping. Either way, I think this will be a nice addition to everyone’s library. And just think, Christmas is coming, so for any horror fans that you’re looking for a gift idea, there you go.

More Books for Your Library

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Since I’m always on a quest to add more titles to my ever-growing library of non-fiction titles on the horror genre, I’ve recently come across a few more that I wanted to let everyone know about. Most of these haven’t been released yet, or even listed on the publisher’s website just yet. But I figure the quicker I put them on your radar, you’ll look for them.

The first one is entitled Dead or Alive: British Horror Films 1980-1989, edited by Darrell Buxton. This one has been published by Midnight Marquee and you can order it either through Amazon or their site, though they don’t it listed just yet.

The next one has only been announced by the author, Bryan Senn, and that it is coming from BearManor Media, called Here There Be Monsters, which is a collection of interviews and essays on “Classics (And Not So Classic) Horror Cinema”. Coming from Senn, I’m sure it will be well worth the read!

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Opinions, Opinions, and More Opinions

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There is a new book that just came out called 40s Universal Monsters: A Critical Commentary, covering all of the monster films that Universal put out during that decade. Author John T. Soister had published a similar book back in 2001 covering the Universal films of the 30s, entitled Of Gods and Monsters: A Critical Guide to Universal’s Science Fiction, Horror and Mystery Films, 1929-1939. Now, along with contributors Henry Nicolella, Harry H. Long, & Dario Lavia, they take on the ’40s, covering 66 titles from The Invisible Man Returns to Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.

But what does have to do with opinions? Hear me out. Looking through my own library, I have several books that deal with the early days of cinema. If we’re talking about the silent era, we have Silent Screams by Steve Haberman, or Wayne Kinsey’s entry in his incredible Fantastic Films of the Decades series, as well as Troy Howarth’s own series, Tome of Terror, who has covered the decade of the ’30s as well. Kinsey is already up to halfway through the ’40s with his ongoing series. But then I also have Universal Horrors by Tom Weaver, Michael and John Brunas, Soister’s aforementioned Of Gods and Monsters, Mank’s Hollywood Cauldron, Senn’s Golden Horrors, and even a few others titles. Then we move into the ’50s and beyond with multiple titles in each of those as well.

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Book Review: “Twice the Thrills! Twice the Chills!”

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Twice the Thrills“Twice the Thrills! Twice the Chills!”
Published by McFarland, 2019. 433 pages.
By Bryan Senn

The double feature was an interesting concept from the start. If you’re not aware of how it all started, then the beginning of the latest book from Senn will fill in all those historical details for you. In fact, I found that part of the book to be a very interesting history lesson, how the studios were reacting to what the TV market was doing to them. It shows that once again how things tend to change because of money, either due to an increase of it, or a decrease, and definitely in the film business. Continue reading →