Another good review for Horror Films of the 1980s just rolled in.The ALA (American Library Association) writes:
Horror Films of the 1980s, by John Kenneth Muir (829 pages, March 2007), tackles the “dead teenager decade” of horror cinema with his characteristic comprehensiveness, insightful commentary, and trenchant wit.
A sequel to his 2002 Horror Films of the 1970s (the “disco decade”), this volume contains two introductory chapters that offer a sociopolitical context for horror (“Which towering figure dominated the ‘greed is good’ decade? Freddy Krueger or Ronald Reagan?”) and an analysis of 1980s horror conventions and subgenres. Films are arranged by year, rated on the traditional 1 to 4 star system, and accompanied by quotes from critics, cast and crew, synopsis, commentary, memorable lines, an occasional interview extract, and legacy. Muir concludes that 1970s horror films were more creative and did more with less funding and effects, but in the 1980s they reached a glut of repetition and sequels and adaptations; nonetheless, the genre saved itself by transcending the slasher paradigm and interjecting supernatural elements and rubber-reality scenarios. $59.95. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-2821-2.
