My favorite book ever, I think, and an absolute must-have for horror fans. I love the fact that I have such a wonderful compilation of films at my fingertips, with short enough blurbs to give me a good idea of what I'd be watching without being snobby about it. My movie watchlist got longer and I love it.

Stanley knows more about monster movies than one person really should. According to his introduction, he personally watches each of the movies in the book. His friends and family must be afraid for him; very afraid.

But Stanley knows his stuff. Within moments of opening the book I had a list of movies to hunt down. Stanley writes in a familiar, friendly style. Although he comes across as “one of the guys,” no quality of writing will ever convince me that the demonic travesty Batman & Robin is worth 3 stars (out of 5), the same as far superior films such as The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Akira, and Escape from New York. But even with that weakness, the information in Creature Features is invaluable. Who'd have thought that David Twohy, the talented writer/director of The Arrival and Pitch Black, did an earlier made‑for‑cable film? Or that the 1991 director’s cut of Blade Runner was actually, according to director Ridley Scott, a test work print (an “approved” director’s cut was released in 1992)? That is important information for SF geeks.