I recently received a review copy of Horror Movie Freak (Krause Publications, 2010) by Don Sumner. The book is an enjoyable discussion of horror films for those fans obsessed with the genre. At one point early in the discussion Sumner provides a description of the purposes of the book:

Horror Movie Freak is not a listing of “best” horror movies, but rather a collection of ones that fall into a variety of horror subgenres with the simple inclusion criteria that they don’t suck.

Sumner’s subgenres include aberrations of nature, aliens and outer space, Asian horror, beginner’s shelf, classics (Universal, Hammer, and others), evil from hell, foreign horror, ghost stories, homicidal slashers, monsters, psychotics, supernatural thrillers, vampires, and zombie invasion. The book also includes discussion of those horror films that receive honorable mention, and various remakes. The book also includes a number of striking photographs from various films, and these alone make the volume worth securing for horror fans. As an added extra, the book includes a bonus DVD of Romero’s Night of the Living Dead with an introduction by Sumner.

In terms of what the book brings to the subject matter by way of narrative discussion in a field with a large numbers of books available on horror films, there is little new ground broken in the author’s discussion of these films, although the passion Sumner has for horror is evident in his writing. With these thoughts in mind, Horror Movie Freak is best suited for the new horror movie fan who wants an introduction to many of the films in various subgenres. You can learn more about the book at the official website, and it can be ordered there or through the TheoFantastique Store.