DtH Episode 91: Author Bryan Senn

March 5, 2025 by Jon Kitley in Discover the Horror Podcast and tagged A Year in Fear, Al Adamson, BearManor Media, Bryan Senn, Don Sullivan, Drums of Terror, Golden Horrors, McFarland, Midnight Marquee, Mummy Movies, Robert Wise, Twice the Thrills! Twice the Chills!, Werewolf Filmography | 2 Comments

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

May 12, 2019 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Horror Reference Book and tagged Bryan Senn, Double Feature, McFarland, Twice the Thrills! Twice the Chills! | Leave a comment

“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 →

Twice the Thrills! Twice the Chills!

March 28, 2019 by Jon Kitley in Book News and tagged Bryan Senn, Double-Features, McFarland, Twice the Thrills! Twice the Chills! | Leave a comment

Twice the Thrills There is just something special about good old fashioned double features! Sure, they might have started to draw in audiences more, getting double the entertainment for your hard-earned dollar. And sure, usually the main feature was followed up by a cheaper B-picture, but none the less, they were a lot of fun. Now, author Bryan Senn takes a look at this special time in our movie history, when double features were something to look forward to.

Starring with Universal-Internationals release of Revenge of the Creature and Cult of the Cobra in 1955, Senn goes through the next 20 years covering all the officially sanctioned double-bills of horror and science fiction titles. All 147 of them! You’ll read all about the films with production details, historical notes, and critical commentary.

This 433 page book is now available through McFarland. It’s a bit pricy at $59.95, but Senn’s work is always entertaining and very informative. I am looking forward into diving into this!

You can order your copy now by clicking HERE.

Twice the Thrills!

November 1, 2018 by Jon Kitley in Book News and tagged Bryan Senn, Double-Features, Twice the Thrills! Twice the Chills! | 1 Comment

Twice the Thrills Back in golden age of cinema, at least for fans of horror and Sci-Fi pictures, was the double feature. These were usually at the drive-ins, and offered fans two features for the price of one to try and get more patronage through the gates! How could you lose? Sure, the second feature might not be the best film, but that was all part of the fun. Some of these pairings became legendary, such as I Drink Your Blood and I Eat Your Skin!

Now, thanks to author Bryan Senn, you can learn all you need to know about all the different double bills that played in theaters from 1955 to 1974, in his new book Twice the Thrills! Twice the Chills! The book covers the 147 officially sanctioned horror and Sci-Fi double-bills during this period, starting with AIP’s Revenge of the Creature and Cult of the Cobra.

There is no specific publication date as of yet, but should be out either the end of this year, or the beginning of 2019. It does have a bit of a hefty price of $59.95, but everything I’ve read by Senn has been well worth the time and effort and I’ve walked away with a lot more horror knowledge! So can you really put a price on that???