Romero ( Martin, Dawn of the Dead), and perhaps a bit too much time spent on the oeuvres of Wes Craven ( A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream) and William Friedkin ( The Exorcist, Cruising).įull disclosure: I know and like Jason, and I feel that he does an outstanding job covering the O’Bannon/Carpenter axis, as well as the various behind-the-scenes exploits surrounding Texas Chainsaw, The Exorcist and much of Brian De Palma’s output. Another (key) issue with the book is that there is not really enough time spent delving into the brilliant careers of David Cronenberg ( Videodrome, Eastern Promises) or George A. Therein lies its chief strength and its greatest demerit: with a lean style and even hand, Zinoman leads the reader through several interesting ideas and insights (from himself and others), but some of these notions do not get enough detail. Zinoman, a theatre critic for The New York Times, acquits himself nicely in this slender volume, and his knowledge and obvious passion about his topic is on display in each chapter of the book.Īs stated, the book is rather small (less than 280 pages) given the complexity and sprawl of the topic (tracing the roots of modern horror tropes by way of analysis and interviews with genre-cinema stalwarts such as the late, lamented Dan O’Bannon, John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper and several other key figures).
Jason Zinoman’s new book attempts to examine the cultural foundation of modern horror films. Shock Value: How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood and Invented Modern Horror
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