Landis hasn't made a lot of monster movies, but what makes him the perfect person to put together a book like this is two-fold: 1) he's a screaming fanboy for the genre and 2) he's best friends with a lot of the directors - and more significantly, special effects masters, who make the monsters come to life. He's also famous for Animal House and The Blues Brothers (and a plethora of cheesy stinkers that I won't mention here). Landis, who wrote and directed one of my favorite movies of all time - An American Werewolf in London. I have a bit of fangirl squee going on for Mr. How could I resist a behemoth, colorful coffee table book about cinematic monsters put together by the legendary John Landis? I couldn't of course, it would have been impossible, which is why I'm writing this review. With more than 1,000 stunning movie stills and posters, Monsters in the Movies is sure to keep even the most intense fright-seekers at the edge of their seats for hours! Go behind the scenes to discover the secrets of the special-effects wizards who created legendary frighteners like King Kong, Dracula, and Halloween 's Michael Myers. He also surveys the historical origins of the archetypal monsters, such as vampires, zombies, and werewolves. From B-movie bogeymen and outer space oddities to big-budget terrors, legendary filmmaker John Landis showcases the greatest monsters ever to creep, fly, slither, stalk, or rampage through theaters! Landis provides his own unique and entertaining insights into the world of moviemaking, and hosts in-depth conversations with leading monster makers, including David Cronenberg, Christopher Lee, John Carpenter, and Sam Raimi, to discuss the art of monster making.

Which 1932 film is considered the first feature-length zombie movie? Learn everything there is to know about special effects in films and what it goes into designing iconic monsters that still show up in nightmares in Monsters in the Movies, newly released in paperback.

Monsters in the Movies by John Landis