Horror Cinema Across the Globe
2003, FAB Press. Edited by Steven Schneider.

Buy it now from Amazon.com

I guess at some point a few years ago, the folks at U.K.-based FAB Press decided they were going to become the best friend and worst enemy of horror film fans the world over by publishing a series of beautifully illustrated, densely-packed volumes on all sorts of topics of interest to fans of international horror films. So why would this make them the enemy? Seriously, man, when it comes to choosing between buying a big, lavishly illustrated book about Dario Argento or Mario Bava or even goofy ol' Lucio Fulci, or eating dinner and paying rent -- well, I'm going to go for the book every time.

Fear without Frontiers covers much of the same material that was presented to readers in Mondo Macabro, but with a significantly different approach. The subject matter is horror, fantasy, and phantasmagorical thrillers from all over the world, with essays contributed by a host of different authors. Most of what you expect (if you are a fan of such films) to be present, is: new wave Hong Kong horror films, Italian zombie and giallo films, Takashi Miike, Coffin Joe -- still puttin' scorpions on chubby ladies after all these years. There are also chapters about Bollywood horror films from the 1980s, Filipino horror, and the new wave of Korean horror and thriller films. These are all welcome inclusions, and even if the material has been documented to various degrees elsewhere, there is plenty of new material to make the chapters well worth exploring.

Where Fear without Frontiers really starts to excel is when it's delving into material that is rarely written about in English-language publications. Chapters on the films of Jorge Molina and Paul Naschy respectively are both welcome examinations of filmmakers who have never really gotten the same level of attention as cult darlings like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. And I admire anyone that tries to tackle the films of Alexandro Jodorowsky in a way that makes any sort of sense at all. While the chapter on giallo is expected, what isn't is the amount of time it spends on more obscure (at least in the United States) titles, rather than the usual suspects from Dario Argento and a few select others. And a few topics were entirely unknown to me: the Edgar Wallace krimis, a chapter on incredibly cool looking Mexican horror films from the 1930s, Austrian psycho movies, polish horror -- Fear without Frontiers is so packed with great stuff that at time sit almost becomes too much to process!

The book is split into three sections based on the types of articles. Part one focuses on individual filmmakers, part two revolves around film cycles, and part three looks at general genres. And then Miike and the "Dark Angel" films from Japan get their own section. Although the articles vary in tone, they remain consistently high in terms of their quality and worth to anyone looking for more information on the obscure nooks and crannies of horror cinema from around the world. Although the book isn't written as a comparison and contrast of cinema from different parts of the world, it certainly serves as such if the reader is willing to put the whole picture together.

The essay approach to each topic means the book can cover a lot of territory, though most of these chapters deal with topics that could easily become entire books of their own (I can't believe no one has written a Coffin Joe book yet -- I reckon they're afraid he'll show up one night in his spooky cloak and put a spider on them). As was the case with Mondo Macabro, you're often left hungry for even more information and greater detail on the subjects. I always like a film book that inspires me to go out and launch a search for the films discussed within it, and Fear without Frontiers certainly provides plenty of additions to the "must find list." Luckily, the DVD market seems committed to releasing a lot of these films, so as long as you have Internet access and a multi-region player, finding these phantasmagoric films is easier now than it used to be (the bulk of 80s Bollywood horror remains MIA as of this review -- though the Mondo macabre DVD label seems to be poised to rectify the situation -- and most Turkish films are still only available on VCD with no translation).

In addition to volumes of information and critical analysis, Fear without Frontiers is jam-packed with beautiful illustrations, including several full-color glossy pages reproducing promo shots and poster art. If you're the type of person who likes to spend time exploring the far-flung reaches of global cinema in search of the weirdest stuff you can imagine, Fear without Frontiers is an absolutely essential -- not to mention entertaining and well-written -- sampler platter of what's waiting for you.

Labels: Film Studies