dans_bookscape's review against another edition

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dark informative sad tense fast-paced

4.0

Behind the Horror covers twenty one movies and the true crime horrors that inspired them in fascinating detail.

Each section gives an overview of the movies and characters and then goes on to how real life incidents or individuals were the basis of the stories. Some of these are loose links but some leave you in shock at the crossover between some of the best horror movies and real monsters.

Some of the most famous serial killers like Ed Gein inspired the likes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Psycho, whilst Hannibal Lector had a number of killers like Ed Kemper, Ted Bundy and Andrei Chikatilo as the inspiration.

Some of the most fascinating are the ones that aren’t as well known, like the stories that inspired Scream and Jaws.
There is a good selection of photos in the book as well that cover each section with a mix of movie posters and real life shots, which is always a nice bonus in books like this.

This is definitely a good read for True Crime and Horror Movies fans, it's really well written, break's stuff down, not spending too much time on single movie/crimes but informative enough to get into it.


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soobooksalot's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious medium-paced

4.0

True crime and horror movies, together as one - this is Behind The Horror!
 I used to read a lot of true crime books and still gravitate toward the documentaries. And I love horror movies.
 So criminologist/author Dr. Lee Meller has brought together the true stories that influenced famous horror movies.
 The writing here is quite straightforward, basically necessary given the often-gorey and dark subject matter. 
 Some of my favourite chapters covered Psycho/The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Amityville Horror, A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Exorcist, The Silence of the Lambs, The Conjuring universe and Scream.
 Not a read recommended for a lot of people, but definitely an interesting slant for those who enjoy true crime. 

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