English Gothic: Classic Horror Cinema 1897-2015

If you have any interest in horror films, this is a must buy.Looking back to the early days pre 1900, right up to the present 2015. Rigby divides the book into 7 main chapters focusing each one in year segments, ie chapter 1 1897-1953 right up to chapter 7 2000-2015. The bulk of the book concentrates on what Rigby defines as the peak years for brit horror, the 60's and 70's. The book covers several hundred films, but gives a more detailed critique of the top 100 'major/landmark films' ,all between 1954-75. This is a fine, but it would have been a good idea to perhaps critique another 20 or so in this style up to the present day, maybe a top 20 or so of modern horror.Minor quibble aside, a really enjoyable read with many picts throughout. Particularly like Rigby's writing style, concise with many personal views, all interesting to read.

Quite simply the most detailed and comprehensive history of British horror films imaginable. The scope is breathtaking, from the early days of silent cinema to this year's (2015) Woman in Black 2. Rigby weaves his insights into a narrative telling the story of horror cinema in these isles, focussing on key films (and not just the obvious ones) on the way. This edition has been updated to cover the mini renaissance of British horror cinema in the new millennium. This new section's interest is slightly marred by the mixed quality of the films released in this period, but their coverage ensures the definitiveness of the work. Two appendices are added, one capturing the marginal cases not covered in the main text and another explores TV's small screen chillers. An engrossing read for the connoisseur and a great overview for those wishing to delve deeper into our Gothic cinematic heritage.

Best overview of British horror films I have ever read. I cannot praise this book enough, so I won't bother trying. Want to know anything about British horror? Buy this book. Very nicely laid out and easy to read. Brilliant. Before you ask, I have never met the author and I do not work for the publisher. It's just that I have been waiting for a book like this for, well, always.

Another good book by Rigby although I do not like people giving their opinions on films as they very often do not agree with mine. The last chapter on very recent movies included many films I have never heard of and probably will only possibly only see on the Horror Channel.

Absorbing, thorough, an entertaining read - many call this book definitive on British Horror, and I'm not going to disagree.

Only just received this book yesterday but already well into Chapter 3. Brilliantly written with in-depth reviews of classic British horror films as well as a detailed history of the British horror film from the late nineteenth century right up to 2015. A one stop shop for any horror enthusiastic - superb!

If you had to live on a desert island with only one book about English horror cinema (and TV), this is the one you take. Mr Rigby hits it on all levels. He is erudite without being pretentious. He goes directly to the point, straightening out vague concepts championed by other authors such as David Pirie. He is always firm but fair in his analysis. Highly recommended.

This was an excellent account of British classic horror cinema, covering the period from 1897-2015. This new revised edition following the 1st one of 2000, now included a comprehensive section on TV horror, detailed source notes, & a valuable film title index.

Having ravenously consumed Rigby's book 'American Gothic', I'm now immersed in his companion volume, 'English Gothic'. It's the most authoritative and comprehensive book on the subject of British horror cinema that I've come across. Highly recommended!

This review pertains to the 2015 edition. As it start with the silent era and ends with 2015, there is no way that I can possibly merely list what this book covers, i will note that not all of the monochrome and color movie stills and posters are retained from the first edition, which is a shame as a few of both are rarely seen in book form. Still, this edition does have rare stills for Ultus, the Man from the Dead (1915), Sweeney Todd (1928), They Drive by Night (1939), Gaslight (1940), Latin Quarter (1945), Daughter of Darkness (1947) and The Queen of Spades (1944). Key titles, not all of which are well known, get special side bars.

For horror film buffs, this book is a real treat! It is thoroughly researched and clearly written from the perspective of a genuine fan of the genre. My only caveat is that (for us elder statesmen) the print is often VERY small.]

Beautiful book both in its prose, images and information. Buy with Euro Gothic and American Gothic by the same author.

I don't post a lot of reviews for books like I do with movies. I'm giving this 4 stars but with reservations. I really wanted to give it 3. I own plenty of books on horror and science fiction films. The book is very well put together and has a lot of facts. In that sense it is a 5 star book. My problem with it is the way the author expresses himself. I feel like that every review by the author is that of an art critic viewing art. If you ever listened to a group of art critics expressing themselves about a painting then you will know what I am talking about. It's gets to be a boring read. It's not really a critical review the way you normally see movies being criticized. On the other hand if you like that sort of expressiveness....well then this book is for you. The author is obviously an intellectual and well-read and that is a good thing. But if you want something more down to earth then go elsewhere.