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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
This book was published in 1981 so in a lot of ways it's dated because a big chunk of the horror wave continued through the 80s. Also, as another reader mentioned in their review, it's rambling in style--like a really long, late night, not quite focused conversation. So if you're not a big Stephen King fan, it'd probably be a tough read to get through. However, I am a fan of King and appreciate his dark humor, so I'm glad I read this. There were nuggets of gold buried in the pages and I learned a lot about the history of the horror genre. Plus, the 2010 updated foreword was fantastic. So I'm glad I read it, but if you're looking for more of a writing advice book, stick with his brilliant On Writing.
Probably would have loved this had I read it when I was 16, but even when it was written most of this was pretty much received wisdom. As it is, his relentless use of straw men and folksiness like ending sentences by addressing the reader as "gang", "folks", etc reads like someone mortally terrified of being seen as academic, which some of this definitely is. Just go with it, man. Kicking at something Pauline Kael said about De Palma when she is more than anyone responsible for people taking De Palma seriously and King is guilty of saying much more pretentious things in this book... it is pretty sad.
Finally, re: the 2010 foreword of the edition I read, where King lists a bunch of horror films of recent vintage he considers worthy. I know he has his personal reasons, but I'm sorry... any 10 random frames from Kubrick's film of The Shining have more genuine terror and frisson than the entirety of 1408.
Finally, re: the 2010 foreword of the edition I read, where King lists a bunch of horror films of recent vintage he considers worthy. I know he has his personal reasons, but I'm sorry... any 10 random frames from Kubrick's film of The Shining have more genuine terror and frisson than the entirety of 1408.
Stephen King's Danse Macabre by Stephen King (1997)
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
It ha taken me THREE months to finish this book. I have tried my hardest to enjoy it, but it just wasn't meant to be.
It was definitely on the Top 10 of most boring books list.
Now I LOVE Stephen King work, I actually have every book he wrote in an actual hard cover at home on my shelf. I absolutely loved his other 2 books about writing that were a non fiction, but this one was just hrs to swallow.
Sitting here trying to think why, it hits me. This book was written in 1981...most of the movies and books he is speaking about are from 60's and 70's so other then the classics like The Exorcist or Amitiville Horror or Rosemary Baby I have absolutely no idea what he is talking about.
All the actors names he's mentioning I have never heard of.
This books simply did not engage me like it would engage someone who knew all this material before hand. There was nothing there to draw me in.
Obviously, I'm going to read the next King book on my list, without a doubt.
But a hint of caution to readers who have not been a part of 60's and 70's cinema releases, TV shows and book reading: you will fall asleep after 3 paragraphs...
Roman
It was definitely on the Top 10 of most boring books list.
Now I LOVE Stephen King work, I actually have every book he wrote in an actual hard cover at home on my shelf. I absolutely loved his other 2 books about writing that were a non fiction, but this one was just hrs to swallow.
Sitting here trying to think why, it hits me. This book was written in 1981...most of the movies and books he is speaking about are from 60's and 70's so other then the classics like The Exorcist or Amitiville Horror or Rosemary Baby I have absolutely no idea what he is talking about.
All the actors names he's mentioning I have never heard of.
This books simply did not engage me like it would engage someone who knew all this material before hand. There was nothing there to draw me in.
Obviously, I'm going to read the next King book on my list, without a doubt.
But a hint of caution to readers who have not been a part of 60's and 70's cinema releases, TV shows and book reading: you will fall asleep after 3 paragraphs...
Roman
I would LOVE to read an updated version of this for this book to be higher than a 3 star for me. I loved the chapters on the classic literature and the 3 stories that made up the majority of the horror genre and the book chapters were interesting. The T.V chapter towards the end I had to skip, might be my fault for not understanding but I was lost. Maybe I’m too young to relate but I thought as well it was too ‘American’. For someone who can relate to what King was talking about it would be very interesting but an updated version would be preferable. Maybe a bit more of the time’s and politically correct as well.
for someone who is a true lover of horror, this is a great guide to film and literature recommendations. i really enjoyed this.
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Español / English
En este ensayo, Stephen King trata de analizar la perspectiva que se tiene de las historias de horror, de 1950 a 1980, en diferentes medios de difusión, que incluyen libros, radio, televisión y películas. Trata, según él, de no hacer un análisis académico, pero termina haciéndolo de todas formas.
A pesar de que el libro es algo viejo ya, sigue siendo una increíble guía para conocer la historia y el desarrollo del género de horror, de una forma similar, pero más amena, a como la hace Lovecraft en su "El Horror Sobrenatural en la Literatura", tomando casi un tono tan amable como el de Norma Lazo en "El Horror en el Cine y la Literatura".
En fin, una buena aportación de uno de los autores más importantes del género de horror, y que además es una excelente guía para aquellos que estén interesados en entrarle a las películas, series o libros de horror (sólo es necesario ver los apéndices jajaja).
___________
In this essay, Stephen King tries to analize the perspective that people had about horror fiction, from 1950 to 1980, in different media, incluiding books, tv, radio and movies. He tries, according to him, to avoid creating an academic text, but he fails.
Even if it's an old book, it's still an incredible guide to learn about the history and development of the horror genre, in a similar but more approachable way to Lovecraft in his book ""Supernatural Horror in Literature", taking a similar tone to Norma Lazo's "Horror in Cinema and Literature".
Anyway, this is a great contribution from one of the most important horror writers, and it's also an excelent guide for those that want to start with the genre, whether they want to watch movies, tv shows or read horror books (you could only check the apendix haha).
En este ensayo, Stephen King trata de analizar la perspectiva que se tiene de las historias de horror, de 1950 a 1980, en diferentes medios de difusión, que incluyen libros, radio, televisión y películas. Trata, según él, de no hacer un análisis académico, pero termina haciéndolo de todas formas.
A pesar de que el libro es algo viejo ya, sigue siendo una increíble guía para conocer la historia y el desarrollo del género de horror, de una forma similar, pero más amena, a como la hace Lovecraft en su "El Horror Sobrenatural en la Literatura", tomando casi un tono tan amable como el de Norma Lazo en "El Horror en el Cine y la Literatura".
En fin, una buena aportación de uno de los autores más importantes del género de horror, y que además es una excelente guía para aquellos que estén interesados en entrarle a las películas, series o libros de horror (sólo es necesario ver los apéndices jajaja).
___________
In this essay, Stephen King tries to analize the perspective that people had about horror fiction, from 1950 to 1980, in different media, incluiding books, tv, radio and movies. He tries, according to him, to avoid creating an academic text, but he fails.
Even if it's an old book, it's still an incredible guide to learn about the history and development of the horror genre, in a similar but more approachable way to Lovecraft in his book ""Supernatural Horror in Literature", taking a similar tone to Norma Lazo's "Horror in Cinema and Literature".
Anyway, this is a great contribution from one of the most important horror writers, and it's also an excelent guide for those that want to start with the genre, whether they want to watch movies, tv shows or read horror books (you could only check the apendix haha).