Another fine book from Headpress Publishing, "Legacy of Blood - A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Films" is Jim Harper's ode to all things stalk-'n'-slash. While not quite
living up to the "comprehensive" moniker, it still manages to serve up a heaping, glistening portion of gory goodness, and it's educational, too!
Perhaps it goes without saying that any attempt to make a reference work such as this truly "comprehensive" is ultimately doomed by default, if only because of the nature of the subject matter.
Still, Harper gives it the old "college try"...in fact, the first half of the book reads more like a college thesis...albeit a very well researched and effectively written thesis...than many books of this kind.
What the book lacks in completeness, it more than makes up for in verve, wit, and a deep understanding of the subject.
The book is broken into two main sections: the first half contains the broad dissertation necessary to give the second half the necessary perspective, and the second half contains an A to Z hunk o' reviews.
Of the sub-subjects covered in the first half, among the most interesting are the sections covering the roles of various aspects of the prototypical slasher film, including location, the "last girl", the role of police
officers (and other authority figures), and the role of parents and parental figures. While the concepts here are not new, and have been covered in other books before, Harper writes with a wit and enthusiasm
that bring a refreshing quality to the otherwise stock issues. The reviews themselves, while hardly comprehensive, are quite short (by necessity), but get the job done nicely. I'd just like to go on record here and
comment on one particular issue: Harper's review of Bill Lustig's much-reviled "Maniac". Harper is one of the growing complement of horror fans and "serious" reviewers that can look beyond the inherent misogyny
present in "Maniac" and see the film for what it truly is: one of the best, scariest, most realistic, and most shocking "slasher" films of the slasher heyday. I must agree with his evaluation of the film. It would be interesting,
I think, to see Mr. Harper expand on his thoughts about "Maniac", so that maybe...just maybe...that film would finally get the attention it deserves. I digress...
The only real complaint I have with "Legacy of Blood" is with its brevity. While brevity may be the soul of wit, it ain't the soul of anything when it comes to covering this subject matter. In a larger format with a far greater number
of pages, I feel that Harper would have really been able to come into his own. As it stands, however, the book is far too short and sweet to truly make a huge mark for the most discriminating genre fans. Still, it's a great little book,
and it's a credit to Harper that he managed to fit in as much information as he did with so little space. I think he's got more to say, so here's to hoping that he and Headpress Publishing decide to release a vastly expanded revised
edition sometime down the road.
I highly recommend this book...but be forwarned, it'll leave you hungry for more, more, more...
Another fine book from Headpress Publishing, "Legacy of Blood - A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Films" is Jim Harper's ode to all things stalk-'n'-slash. While not quite
living up to the "comprehensive" moniker, it still manages to serve up a heaping, glistening portion of gory goodness, and it's educational, too!