VideoHound’s Horror Show

by Mike Mayo
(Visible Ink Press 524 pp.)
by John A. Bikowski

Being a highly opinionated movie-goer myself, I often find it difficult to review a fellow movie critic’s work. I try to ignore whether or not a movie guide agrees with me or not. What I look for is the writing style and the quality of prose. In other words, are the review entries a mere rehashing of basic plot elements, or does the reviewer provide any insight. If you’re looking for a great horror film reference with clever tidbits and connections, get Mike Mayo’s VideoHound’s Horror Show. Interspersed among the 999 reviews are many large black and white photos from such classics as Masque of the Red Death and Terror Train, and useful information capsules on such genre greats as Wes Craven and Sam Raimi. Following the 999th review (Zombie Lake) are 125 pages of pure reference for the more serious film connoisseur. Here you’ll find websites, magazines, newsletters, books, and alternative movie titles. Especially helpful are the indexes by cast, director, and film category. Suppose you like Gabriel Byrne and you want to know what other genre films he’s done. You can look him up and find that he was also in Gothic (1987), Julia and Julia (1987), and The Keep (1984). Suppose you like killer bugs and slugs, under that category is a large list ranging from Attack of the Giant Leeches to Wasp Woman. If you’re a horror buff, Horror Show is an invaluable tool. My only criticism is that Suspiria only got two and a half stars. The horror indeed!!