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The below is excerpted from the Preface to Horror Film Aesthetics, which is due to be published in Spring 2010:
 "This is a book about horror film aesthetics. That sounds abstract and theoretical, but quite the contrary, this book is intended to be pragmatic. A practical and useful guide for aspiring horror filmmakers. This book analyzes how various cinematic tools -- acting, makeup, costuming, set décor, framing, photography, lighting, editing, and sound -- have been used by past films to effectively (or in some cases, ineffectively) create horror on screen.
"This book is an 'aesthetic how to' guide for horror filmmakers. Not to help them copy past films, but rather, to spark their imaginations. To expand their understanding of the horror genre -- its nature and appeal to viewers -- and their appreciation for the full creative potential of their film and video equipment. Aspiring filmmakers often read technical manuals to learn what the buttons on their cameras do, but they don't bother to learn how to use those buttons creatively. I know this as a horror film fan, critic, and journalist, and also from screening films for the Tabloid Witch Awards horror film contest and festival, which I founded in 2004 and continue to manage.
"This is not a book about how to use film and video gear. This is a book about how to use film and video gear effectively. In a way that conveys your horror story and themes in a clear, entertaining, and frightening manner.
"Student and independent filmmakers should find this book useful, but it is also intended for the hardcore fan. I hope this book will enable fans to 'see things' in horror films they may have previously missed, and thus gain a deeper appreciation for the genre. An appreciation that leads to greater viewing pleasures."
Over the years, Thomas M. Sipos has written on horror film & TV for The
Journal
of Horror Cinema, Filmfax, Midnight
Marquee, Horror, Sci-Fi
Universe, Horrorfind, Tangent, Mondo Cult,
Indie Slate, among other publications.
Below are some of his horror film and book reviews, many of them reprints. Enjoy!
Horror
Film Reviews
Anaconda
(1997)
Blood
and Roses (French-Italian, 1960)
Blood
Relations (1987)
Blood
-- The Last Vampire (Japanese, 2001)
Castle
Freak (1995)
Crucible
of Horror (British, 1971)
Crucible
of Terror (British, 1971)
Curtains
(Canadian, 1982)
Dark,
The (1979)
Devil's
Nightmare, The (Belgian-Italian, 1971, aka The Devil Walks at
Midnight)
Embrace
of the Vampire (1994)
End
of Days (1999)
Eyes
Behind the Stars (1978)
Final
Destination (2000)
From
Beyond (1986)
Gothic
(1986)
Great
Alligator, The (Italian, 1979)
Haunted
(1995)
Haunting,
The (1963)
Hell
Cab (1998)
Hell
Night (1981)
Hollow
Man (2000)
Horror
at 37,000 Feet (TVM, 1972)
Horror
Exress (British-Spanish 1972)
House
That Screamed, The (Spanish, 1969)
Initiation
of
Sarah, The (TVM, 1978)
Invasion
of the Flesh Hunters (Italian-Spanish 1980)
Jar,
The (1984)
Lost
Souls (2000)
Mulholland
Drive (2001)
My
Bloody Valentine (Canadian, 1981)
Nadja (1994)
Nightstalker
(2002)
Offerings
(1988)
Paralyzed (Italian,
1971, aka Short Night of the Glass Dolls)
Pumpkinhead
2: Blood Wings (1994)
Rats,
The
Re-Animator (1985)
Sentinel,
The (1976)
Shadow
of the Vampire (2000)
Species
(1995)
Spirits
of the Dead (1969, French-Italian)
Stage
Fright (Australian, 1983, aka Nightmares)
Terror
(British, 1978)
Terror
of Frankenstein (Swedish-Irish, 1977)
Theater
of Blood (British, 1972)
Unseen,
The (1980)
Velvet
Vampire, The (1971)
What
Lies Beneath (2000)
Zombie
Island Massacre (1984)
Zombie
Rampage (1992)
Horror Film Book Reviews
The
A-Z of Horror Films, by Howard Maxford
BFI
Companion to Horror, edited by Kim Newman
Cinematic
Hauntings, by Gary J. and Susan Svehla
Creature
Features, by John Stanley
Gospel
of the Living Dead: George Romero's Visions of Hell on Earth, by Kim
Paffenroth
Monsters
From the Id, by E. Michael Jones
Night
Stalker Companion: A 25th Anniversary Tribute, by Mark Dawidziak
Tales
From the Crypt: The Official Archives, by Digby Diehl
Ten
Years of Terror: British Horror Films of the 1970s, edited by Harvey
Fenton & David Flint
Horror Culture Book Reviews
Flowers
From Hell: A Satanic Reader, by Nikolas Schreck
Grand
Guignol: Theater of Fear and Terror, by Mel Gordon
Mothers
and Fathers Italian Association, by Thomas F. Monteleone
Horror Fiction Book Reviews
Monster
of Minnesota, by Mark Sumner
Teeth,
by Edo Van Belkon
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