REVIEW: ‘Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Season 2’ on Blu-ray
Photo: Eli Roth is the host of History of Horror on AMC. Photo courtesy of Michael Moriatis / AMC / Provided by press site with permission.
Eli Roth, one of the most successful horror directors of all time, has given fans of the genre a great gift with his AMC series History of Horror. The second season of the documentary show looks back at some of the most iconic and controversial horror movies, with many important figures offering their thoughts and commentary on the scary movies that shaped the industry.
The six episodes in season two, which is available Sept. 14 on Blu-ray, focus on “Houses of Hell,” “Monsters,” “Body Horror,” “Witches,” “Chilling Children” and “Nine Nightmares.” This last episode is essentially a hodgepodge of influential flicks that don’t fit nicely into one category.
There are many interesting observations about the many movies featured in these various episodes. Along the way, the audience gets to hear from Rob Zombie, Stephen King, Quentin Tarantino, Greg Nicotero, Piper Laurie, Nancy Allen, Slash and Bill Hader. It’s a motley crew of talented people, cutting across many different artistic realms. Some of the best voices are those who were involved in the projects being analyzed, like King on Creepshow or Laurie on Carrie or Roth himself on Cabin Fever.
For each episode, Roth and his team decide to focus on a few staples in the subgenre, but there are definitely clips of tons of movies all along the way. For example, one would expect top billing for The Amityville Horror for the “Houses of Hell” episode, and David Cronenberg receives a lot of attention in the “Body Horror” episode. It’s appreciated that Roth goes deeper and talks about rarities in the genre as well. For every Carrie there is a The Lords of Salem, for every Creepshow there is a Society.
The special features on the Blu-ray set consist of mini specials on CGI vs. practical effects, the chilling children of horror and movies that scared the pants off people. These features are essentially more of the same that can be found in the individual episodes.
Eli Roth’s History of Horror is a quality series that takes horror seriously, finding the cultural and societal meaning behind this often misunderstood genre. There is much appreciation for the classics, debates about the controversial entries (Cannibal Holocaust, no thank you) and new viewpoints on old scarefests. The series serves as validation for horror fans and a wonderful introduction for newbies.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Season 2 is available Sept. 14 on Blu-ray. Click here for more information.
