SACRED MONSTERS
Behind the mask of the Horror Actor

by Doug Bradley

TITAN Books
272 pages : 198 x 128 mm : B&W Illustrations
ISBN 1 85286 705 1

Actor Doug Bradley, who portrayed Pinhead in Clive Barker's HELLRAISER series of films, gives a unique and historical guide to cinema monsters and the men who portay them, from Quasimodo and The Phantom of the Opera to Freddie Krueger and Leatherface.

REVIEW This book is an amazing mixture of history, biography and autobiography. It describes the evolution of the mask in history, theatre and film. Though it makes no claims to be definitive, it is a wonderful dip into the subject saturated with biographical details of the major mask wearers of film. From Lon Chaney, through Boris Karloff to modern villains like Freddy, Jason and Doug's own Pinhead. The first quarter of the book skims through the early history of mask-wearing making some interesting parallels. The next major part deals with the horror actors of the B&W past, before a brief look at the 60's and 70's.

The final section is the longest and deals with the horror actors Doug has met at conventions and during filming. Gunner Hansen, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Robert Englund, Kane Hodder; all mixed in with Doug's reminisces.

All the disparate elements make an excellent read for anyone who enjoys the mask-wearers of film. The fusty historian will hate it, but I suspect the horror fan will find page after page of engrossing reading

G. Hurry

If you found your way here directly from a Search Engine KICKSTART the Kimota Home page from here!