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With Universal's release of Dracula on Valentine's Day 1931, the horror film as we know it was born. The following decade saw first a horror boom and then a horror ban. And while fans of classic horror films are well-versed on the productions of major Hollywood studios, they may not be familiar with the numerous horror films produced elsewhere in the world, from North America to Asia. Ghostly cats avenging their mistresses' murders, clay monstrosities brought to life to defend the oppressed, old dark houses stalked by unseen killers: These are just a few of the terrors that will greet you as you enter TOME OF TERROR: HORROR FILMS OF THE 1930s. TOME OF TERROR is a series of books detailing the history of the horror genre, from the mid-1890s to the modern day. Never before has such a series been attempted … or been so comprehensive. The first entry, HORROR FILMS OF THE 1930s, covers more than 350 films, beginning with Alraune in 1930 and concluding with Die unheimlichen Wünsche in 1939. In addition to well-known horror classics from the United States and Great Britain, authors Christopher Workman and Troy Howarth also review films from Germany, France, Japan, and Mexico, among other nations. The series is lavishly illustrated with original stills, lobby cards and poster art.

In the late 1800s, a scientist working for Thomas Alva Edison invented an easy-to-use motion picture camera. Soon, people all over the world were using similar cameras to shoot “actuality” films, or films of people engaged in everyday activities, as well as excerpts from live plays. Things changed in 1896, however, when a French stage magician named Georges Méliès struck upon the idea of using motion picture cameras to create fantastic and unbelievable images. A series of short films featuring a bevy of incredible monsters followed. Before long, filmmakers all over the world were doing much the same, but it wasn’t until the real-life horrors of World War I that movie producers saw the potential of cinema to truly provide escapist entertainment. D.W. Griffith in the United States made the first feature-length dramas, while Paul Wegener and Robert Weine in war-torn Germany applied the artistic movement known as Expressionism to film. Together, these and other filmmakers established the horror genre as we know it, influencing it for decades to come. TOME OF TERROR is a series of books detailing the history of the horror genre, from the mid-1890s to the present day. Never before has such a series been attempted … or been so comprehensive. This entry, HORROR FILMS OF THE SILENT ERA, covers more than 1,000 films, beginning with the earliest known horror film, Trilby Hypnotic Scene from 1895, and concluding with The Woman in White from 1929. In addition to well-known horror classics from the United States and Great Britain, authors Christopher Workman and Troy Howarth also analyze films from Germany, France, Japan and Mexico, among other nations. The series is lavishly illustrated with original stills, lobby cards, newspaper articles, and poster art.