Joe Mynhardt

Reviewed by Carla Trueheart for Readers' Favorite

Horror 201: The Silver Scream has something for just about anyone who is interested in horror films. Included in the novel is an introduction about the history of horror films, which explains the universal relevance of horror films and why certain films do well in a certain time period. Also included is a handy breakdown of writing structure: establishment, animation, intensification, and resolution, advice for screenwriters (page count, editing, format, etc.), and even passages about music scores. The bulk of the novel is a broad Q&A with notable screenwriters and producers where they give further advice about horror movies and explain what works in film and what does not. Mentioned are the Halloween movies, Child’s Play, Stephen King movies, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and many, many others. Horror 201 is an invaluable resource for horror fans, screenwriters, and even fiction writers.


In addition to the history of horror films and the Q&A sessions with writers and producers, editors Joe Mynhardt and Emma Audsley have included a scary screenplay which should please horror fans (and sufficiently freak out the curious). While I enjoyed the Q&A and the writing information, the history of horror films was the most intriguing, as it broke down America’s obsession with films that reflect issues in society. All of this was highly informative and written quite well. I also can’t forget to mention the query to horror writers and producers: Which horror scene haunts you the most?


I highly recommend Horror 201: The Silver Scream to fans of horror movies, those interested in the mystery of making a movie, screenwriters, fiction writers, and anyone who just wants a good history lesson on horror films.… (más)

Well.....what to say about this book. I have never read anything quite like it before, but I did try to get up to at least the 40% mark last night, but I just gave up as the stories are really strange - they really didn't make sense. It seems I might be in the minority on this one as it seems to have received quite a few good ratings, but maybe it was just me and I wasn't in the mood. Will put the book on a far back burner for now and maybe tackle it somewhere down the road. Adding this to my "dnf shelf" and not rating the book as I don't rate books I don't finish.… (más)

Do not read this book just before bedtime. If you do, you're just setting yourself up for a sleepless night, watching the shadows grow and dance and become all kinds of scary creepy monsters, ready to eat you up. In other words, Fear the Reaper, an anthology published by Crystal Lake Publishing, is going to mindfreak you like it's nobody's business. The anthology revolves around the Grim Reaper, so obviously you can expect a lot of death, but every story - unique in its own way - has a distinctive take on ol' Death.

Fear the Reaper is a very ambiguous anthology: you have your usual horror thrills and chills to look forward to, don't worry, but hidden between the lines is some surprisingly deep themes.

There's also a lot of variety to look forward to.

All in all, I liked it. I liked the cover art (don't know if you've ever noticed, but my screen-name is The_Reaper - wink, wink, wink). I enjoyed the stories. I loved reading between the lines in search of that ambiguous meaning/theme (I do that for some weird reason). Basically, I think it's a wonderful horror anthology to chill to, and if you're in the mood to have your blood run cold, then you should definitely pick it up.

Review originally posted at:
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