Susan P. reviewed on 8/26/2009 + 40 more book reviews

Even though the information contained in this book is more than 10 years old now, it's still a valuable, entertaining, reference, packed with all sorts of surprising tidbits. though I don't agree with all of his critical opinions and think he is somewhat too preoccupied with the psychosexual aspects of vampire lore, thus the "really liked it" instead of "loved it" rating. I hope he will be able to update this at some point - first, because with the explosion of the DVD market, surely some of the obscure movies he records might be available, and second, there have been so many new vampire novels published since 1996, quite a few worth listing.

In truth, I'll pick up - and recommend - anything with Skal's name on it - his books are as well-researched as a scholarly work, but written in an accessible and entertaining style. A good place to start is his first book, "Hollywood Gothic," about the development of "Dracula" from Bram Stoker writing the novel up to the 1931 movie version starring Bela Lugosi. You'll find out lots of fascinating and surprising tidbits about this most well-known of monsters.

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