No amount of exclamation points however, can truly capture Landis's passion and enthusiasm for the medium, his sparkling eyes, his fervent gesticulating, his habit of leaning forward as if he spends most of his life perched on the edge of his seat (which I firmly believe is the case). So many I began to giggle and couldn't help but remember this scene from Seinfeld. Seriously, this book has A LOT of exclamation points. Landis's characteristic exuberance pours across every page captured in about 1000 exclamation points. This entire book really does read like a love letter from a fanboy.
Landis hasn't made a lot of monster movies, but what makes him the perfect person to put together a book like this is two-fold: 1) he's a screaming fanboy for the genre and 2) he's best friends with a lot of the directors - and more significantly, special effects masters, who make the monsters come to life. He's also famous for Animal House and The Blues Brothers (and a plethora of cheesy stinkers that I won't mention here). Landis, who wrote and directed one of my favorite movies of all time - An American Werewolf in London. I have a bit of fangirl squee going on for Mr. Other trends seen during this decade: Asian originals and occasional remakes ( The Ring, Thirst), found footage ( Paranormal Activity, Cloverfield), the return of the living dead ( Shaun of the Dead, 28 Days Later), and nostalgic throwbacks ( Slither, Death Proof).How could I resist a behemoth, colorful coffee table book about cinematic monsters put together by the legendary John Landis? I couldn't of course, it would have been impossible, which is why I'm writing this review. In fact, of the top 10 movies here (which includes the likes of Pan’s Labyrinth and The Host), only two were shot in America. Recovering from the ’90s doldrums, the best horror movies came from overseas, as digital cameras lowered the cost to film and the rise of the internet made knowledge and dissemination of these movies as simple as a mouse click. But while torture-porn movies made a killing at the box office, none were ever particularly well-reviewed only Hostel arrives here. Something in Saw and its ilk’s slow-roasted dismantling of human flesh appealed to a nation consumed by post-9/11 paranoia and a bombardment of wartime images and atrocity.
If horror movies reflect the fears and concerns of a people, it’s notable that America claimed torture-porn as their de rigueur subgenre.
Welcome to the 80 Best Horror Movies of the 2000s. (Photo by Lions Gate/courtesy Everett Collection) The 80 Best 2000s Horror Movies
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