Book: The Book of Lists (Horror)

Last Updated on July 27, 2021

There are two types of coffee table books. The first type is the oversized picture book, featuring cool glossy photos that your guests can mindlessly flip through and entertain themselves for about 5 minutes before doing something else (I currently have THE GREAT AMERICAN PIN-UPS on my coffee table right now). The other type is the book featuring short sections of text that is extremely ‘light’ to read. Sometimes this is in the form of a poem or sometimes even a list.

In comes THE BOOK OF LISTS, a popular series of books feauring nothing but lists put together from a variety of people and authors about a variety of topics. Since it’s Halloween and we’re a horror movie website, we took a look at THE BOOK OF LISTS: HORROR, a book full of lists about anything and everything horror. I’m not just talking movies here, I’m talking all forms of media, including books, music, comics, TV, and even a ‘miscellanious’ chapter of lists that don’t really fall into any one category. So is this BOOK OF LISTS worthy of your coffee table? Let’s find out!

The book is spilit into five main chapters: movies, books, music, miscellanious, and lists from fans. Within those four chapters are lists written by ‘experts’ in each of the respective fields, a combination of lists that you simply wouldn’t find anywhere else. The movie section (Fear on the Silver Screen) has lists from the likes of Eli Roth (Top Ten Nastiest Horror Movie Genitial Mutilations), Edgar Wright (Top Ten “Ouch, I’m sorry but that has got to hurt!”Moments in Horror Films), and Adam Green (Top Ten Horror Movie Actresses Who Should Have Gotten Naked… But Didn’t), along with professionals from all aspects of the horror genre, including special effects, poster marketing, and horror film critics.

This is the biggest section in the entire book and is entertaining as it is informative. Not only did I enjoy seeing my favorite films applauded by other people (and here I thought I was the only one who loved SILVER BULLET and MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE), but I was pointed in the direction of movies I hadn’t even heard of until before, and with the current slate of ‘new’ horror movies hitts theaters and DVD, nothing seems fresh as some unseen classics from horror years past. It was also fun to see which flicks kept showing up on lists after list. CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, for instance, was featured many, many times.

The next two chapters (The Literature of Dread and A Little Nightmare Music) dealt with horror on the page and through music. I love Stephen King (he’s by far my favorite author of all time), and the boox section was a nice little tribute to him in some ways, as the guy’s on practically every list, and even has a list of his own (Ten Favorite Horror Novels or Short Stories). As with the list of movies, it was fun to see what other authors and books of horror were on the lists that weren’t King, as I’ve read all of his books and I’m looking for something new. With lists like Twenty Great Openings in Horror Fiction, how can you go wrong? The section on music was cool, but I must admit… I’m not really that big into horror music. While I do like horror soundtracks, I don’t really dig on horror music. That said, it was still a fun list to read and should give you great ideas of what music should be playing at your next Halloween party to set the mood right.

The final two chapters were also fun (A Miscellany of Terrors and Shrieks from the Gallery), as sometimes horror doesn’t fall into one category. This has lists featuring Steve Niles Top Twenty Horror Comic Covers and Warren Martense’s Ten Things H.P Lovecraft Never Asked for in a Bar (as well as instructions on how to make the Top Ten Horror Cocktails). And finally, the chapter devoted to fans of the genre, lists from people just like you and me who love horror. This was fun to read, especially as the list spanned different demographics and generations (like Zoe Brian’s Top Ten Creepy Movies for a Seventh-Grade Slumber Party and 13 year old LIam Volk’s Ten Favoriate Horror Vendetta’s). While this is the shortest chapter in the book, it doesn’t mean it’s one to skip over. In fact, because of the people behind it, it’s actually just as fun (if not more) than the lists from the rest of the books experts of horror.

This BOOK OF LISTS: HORROR was made for horror fans by horror fans. Every list is filled with horror goodness that you’ll feel like you’ve died and are now living in a horror-filled wonderland, with suggestions about horror you haven’t experienced before and confirmations that there are people out there with similar tastes in horror as you have. My only complaints were on some technical stuff (like why wasn’t there an idex of all of the lists for quick and easy reference?) and the fact that the photos were few and far between (and in black and white). Then again, I should be happy there were pictures at all since we’ve already established that this coffee table book is a book of lists, not of pictures. THE BOOK OF LISTS: HORROR is a must-have for horror fans everywhere.

3.5 on 4 stars

BUY THE BOOK OF LISTS: HORROR HERE!