Book Review: The Making of Horror Movies by Jennifer Selway
Genre: Nonfiction – Films & Entertainment
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
The Making of Horror Movies is a who’s who of horror legends. As indicated by the title, the focus is on the actors and directors who established the genre in the early days of Hollywood. Each chapter is dedicated to someone different within the genre, and it’s clear Selway herself is a fan of horror. She includes some of her own personal experiences here and there, and it works well to bring more personality to this book.
The book itself is engaging, which for a book of this type is often the hardest thing to overcome. I also appreciated that Selway didn’t ignore more uncomfortable or problematic figures within the genre, instead spotlighting their achievements and contributions to horror while discussing the other issues surrounding them.
If you’re familiar with some key figures, I don’t think there’s much within their chapters that’ll be new, but Selway covers a lot here and I have no doubt there’s not many readers who wouldn’t find out new information about other horror figures. Where I do think it’s somewhat lacking is in the gender representation – this book is dominated by white men, which to a point makes sense considering the directors and iconic actors from horror’s early days, but there could have been a little more digging and maybe spotlighting of some women who worked in the genre, too. Though maybe that is me asking a little too much, considering how vast a range Selway covers, including writers such as Nigel Kneale (most famously known, perhaps, for Quatermass).
I do think if you have any interest in the history of horror films, this is an excellent guide to those involved in shaping the genre, written in an engaging, conversational style that makes it a pleasure to read.
Review by Elle Turpitt
Twitter: @elleturpitt
Bluesky: @elleturpitt.bsky.social
I received this ebook from the publisher for review consideration.
