Hi Everyone-

Hope your autumn is going well. I can't help noticing that Halloween is right around the corner, and corny though it is, I usually feel inclined to read and or watch something spooky right about now. So, in case you should have the same inclination, may I throw out a couple of suggestions?

The first is David J. Skal's serious yet highly enjoyable survey of the history of horror movies, The Monster Show. Skal follows the entire history of the genre, starting with the silents and the work of the mysterious Tod Browning, the carnival almunus who jumpstarted the silent career of Lon Chaney before going on to make such creepy sound-era classics as Dracula and the unforgettable Freaks. Other highlights include James Whale, who directed the best of the Frankenstein movies before becoming the subject of Gods and Monsters, the phenomenon of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and the ongoing evolution of the genre, all the way up to the varying success of films based on the novels of Stephen King. It's a fascinating, anecdote-filled look at some great movies, what drove their success, and how and why our culture responds to them. Think of it as Vincent Price meets Leslie Fiedler.

One moviemaker—actually a producer rather than a director—on whom Skal spends a good deal of time is Val Lewton. Lewton was a genius of B horror movies in the forties: given only an attention-grabbing (read: schlocky) title and a small budget, he crafted a series of intelligent, genuinely unsettling horror films that relied far more on the power of suggestion than on any overt effects. In fact, were it not for the RKO's insistance that an actual panther make an appearance in the classic Cat People, the film would have remained as unresolved and prevocative as "The Turn of the Screw." His best work is now gathered together in The Val Lewton Collection, which we have available on DVD. Besides Cat People, other highlights include its titular sequel Curse of the Cat People, actually about the imaginitive life of a young girl, I Walked with a Zombie, featuring voodoo in the West Indies that may or not have a rational explanation, and the deeply perturbing The Seventh Victim, featuring an urban coven that doesn't like its members sharing its secrets.

Both the Skal book and the Lewton films make for a perfect diversion if you're looking to indulge in the spooky spirit of the season. And if you know some good, creepy books or films you'd like to mention, drop me an email at jmurphy@olssons.com.

Talk to you again soon,

-Joe Murphy, Head Book Buyer