the introduction to cinema macabre
FOREWORD
It started in a bar.
The bar of the Quality Hotel, Walsall, to be precise. The occasion was the 2004 British Fantasy Convention and I was indulging in an early-hours drinking session (it's a tradition, dontcha know) with, amongst others, Chris Fowler, Graham Joyce and Steve Gallagher. The conversation, like the wine, was flowing freely, and at some point talk turned, as it inevitably always does, to movies. I happened to mention that I'd had this pet project in mind for some time. I wanted to edit a book in which, say, fifty genre luminaries each select a favourite horror movie and wax lyrical about it.
A disdainful glance, a dismissive shake of the head, and that would have been an end to it there and then. To my surprise and delight, however, these three particular luminaries, mellowed by wine and laughter, seemed to regard the notion as a damn good wheeze.
"Put me down for The Haunting," exclaimed Steve Gallagher from behind his pint.
"I'll do Witchfinder General," promised Chris Fowler, chiselled and debonair as ever, even with several bottles of wine inside him.
"Jacob's Ladder!" ejaculated Graham Joyce.
"Bless you!" we all cried in unison.
And so a monster was born, filthy and stinking from the very pits of hell...
Ahem.
My first - admittedly vague plan was to do the book as some sort of BFS benefit/promotional vehicle, and for the BFS to publish it themselves. Both Marie O'Regan (BFS Chairperson) and Paul Kane (BFS Special Publications), who were also present, seemed keen on the idea, and so I set about compiling a list of potential contributors.
Next morning, hungover, I was drinking coffee (lots of coffee) with Pete and Nicky Crowther and happened to mention the book to them. I noticed Pete grimace.
"Do you not think it's a good idea?" I mumbled, struggling with my intravenous caffeine drip.
"No, I think it's a great idea. But I wish you'd come to me first. I'd have loved to have done it as a PS book."
I duly sought out Paul and told him what Pete had said. Paul graciously conceded that the BFS already had a ton of book projects on the go and that PS probably had greater resources to do the slip-cased limited edition that I had hoped could be made available.
And so it was agreed. Pete would publish the book and the BFS would be presented with a special paperback version for the delectation and delight of its members. When I went home that weekend Cinema Macabre was already a third full. I spent the following week emailing other potential contributors.
It turned out to be astoundingly easy to fill the book. Of all the writers I contacted, only five said no and only two failed to reply. I had fifty contributors even before news of the project had passed along the grapevine. By the time I began to receive hopeful enquiries about submission guidelines and space availability the first article (from Chris Fowler) was already in.
The premise behind Cinema Macabre, as I have already mentioned, was for the book's fifty contributors to each choose their favourite (or at least a favourite) horror movie to wax lyrical about. What this means is that this is no widely debated and meticulously constructed "50 Best Horror Movies of All Time" volume, and neither is this my own personal Top 50 list in fact, a few of these films I've never seen, though the articles about them are full of such love and enthusiasm that they have made me want to seek the films out and plug the gaps in my movie library (which for me was the acid test of whether each article was effective or not).
No, what you have here is a list of fifty films, each of which has been chosen by the particular contributor championing it. In most cases the film chosen is that contributor's absolute favourite, though there were instances when I had to tell a contributor that their proposed movie had already been snapped up by someone else and that they were therefore going to have to re-think their choice (for the record, I could have had at least four articles each on both The Bride of Frankenstein and The Haunting).
The personal nature of the contributors' film choices have resulted in an atypical horror movie book, with an eclectic, often surprising, always interesting selection of films which is exactly what I hoped would happen. There are widely accepted genre classics here, of course (the aforementioned The Haunting and The Bride of Frankenstein, together with the likes of King Kong, Psycho and The Wicker Man would appear in most fans and critics Top 50' list), but there are also some surprising inclusions here too and some surprising omissions. Where, for instance, is The Exorcist, Cat People, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Universal's Frankenstein and Hammer's Dracula? And how many people would have previously regarded Carousel as a horror movie? Not me, for one, but I told Jo Fletcher that if she could make a case for it as such, then I would include it in the book. I think she has.
Looking at the contents page, it would appear that David Lynch and John Carpenter, with three entries apiece, are the most popular directors among genre fans and practitioners. Also in the premier league, appearing twice, are James Whale, Jacques Tourneur, John Gilling, Roman Polanski and George A. Romero. Personally I'm a little disappointed that Hammer stalwarts Terence Fisher and Freddie Francis have failed to make the list. And neither is there an appearance by the wonderful Mario Bava. All three directors have made films which would feature in my own personal top fifty.
Another glance at the contents page would appear to indicate that the golden age of horror cinema took place in the 1970s. Fourteen of the films featured here are from that decade, with the decades either side also well-represented. However what this indicates above all, I believe, is our propensity to select films that made a huge impact on us in our youth and that continue to resonate through the years. Most of Cinema Macabre's contributors are in their thirties, forties and fifties, and in most instances I suspect the selected films themselves were significant formative experiences.
It is interesting too that despite being half-way through the first decade of the twenty-first century, the most recent movies selected still have their feet firmly planted in the century before. Does this mean that the new century has thus far produced no horror classics? Or do movies simply need several years grace after whatever critical reaction - good or bad - greets their initial release before they can be properly assessed and evaluated? Is there, in fact, no such thing as an instant classic that then endures?
Before I'm hauled over the coals by movie purists, I would like to say a few words about the chronology of the films presented here to get my retaliation in first, as it were. Because of the gap between production dates and release dates, and because of the sometimes significant discrepancy between US and UK release dates, it is not always easy to precisely date a particular movie. In order to be as accurate as possible, for each film included here I have consulted a variety of film reference books, scoured the IMDB and even sought the advice of the fount of all movie knowledge, Kim Newman. But it's a minefield out there, folks. Films dated, say, 1980 in some reference books will be dated 1979 in others. Actual production dates and release dates are all too often conspicuous by their absence. And so what I've done in all cases is simply to take the most commonly agreed year of release and leave it at that. Films released in the same year have been listed alphabetically. Look, let's not get too pedantic about this, okay? When all's said and done it's the movies that matter, after all.
Finally, before I wrap up I need to say a few thank yous. I would particularly like to thank Steve Jones for his generosity, input and advice throughout Cinema Macabre's year-long gestation period. I'd like to thank my esteemed publisher, Pete Crowther, for taking on such a vastly ambitious project (ask him about the signing sheets; go on, I dare you), and for approaching it all with his customary patience, good humour and enthusiasm. Thank you too to Mark Gatiss, for delivering Jonathan Ross whilst in the whirlwind-like throes of writing Doctor Who, filming The Quatermass Experiment and promoting his own movie, The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse. And most of all, a massive heart-felt thank you to my contributors for giving their time and their wonderful words for free. Each and every one of you is a star.
Now settle down, read the book, watch the movies...