The concept of fifty authors each writing an essay about a favourite horror movie is instantly appealing. I've been a fan of horror and science fiction since I was a kid and must have watched hundreds of them, and so having been a fan so long I have developed my own list of favourites. So immediately I was intrigued as to how many of my choices would be included, and whether the folks included here would have the same thoughts I had about the films.

Well, as you would expect some do and some don't. There are one or two films I may have included which are not in this set – the original Friday the 13th and Nightmare On Elm Street would have made my list as would the horror spoof Scream – but overall the list is a very good one.

But many of my favourites are here – Wicker Man, Eraserhead, Halloween, Videodrome and Alien all are present and correct. And there are more than a couple of films I have never seen in this set – Suspiria and Daughters of Darkness to name but two - and the cases made were strong enough to persuade me I really should check them out.

All essays are of a high quality. I suppose that given the names of the authors you'll find on the contents page – China Miéville, Simon Clark, Ramsey Campbell, Brian Aldiss and Justina Robson are included amongst the fifty – then this will come as little surprise to anyone.

This is a splendid book – one that is wonderful to dip into from time to time. It's book ideally suited to fill those ten free minutes that everyone's life has from time to time. And if you want any more of an enticement to go get yourself a copy - then Jo Fletcher's essay and her pick for a horror film should make you go part with your money. She picked the musical Carousel, and made a good case for it.

What I would like to hear now, is news that PS Publishing are intending to do the same for sf films – even if this would cause a little overlapping (Alien would simply have to be included in any sf film list).

Synopsis
A collection of essays on horror cinema; films and contributors including:

NOSFERATU (1922) -- Chaz Brenchley
THE BLACKBIRD (1926) -- Simon Clark
THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932) -- Basil Copper
THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) -- Neil Gaiman
I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943) -- Les Edwards
ORPHEE (1949) -- Peter Atkins
LES DIABOLIQUES (1955) -- Brian Aldiss
CAROUSEL (1956) -- Jo Fletcher
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956) -- Ed Gorman
KING KONG (1933) -- Stephen Jones
NIGHT OF THE DEMON (1958) -- Jeremy Dyson
PSYCHO (1960) -- Jonathan Oliver
THE HAUNTING (1963) -- Stephen Gallagher
REPULSION (1965) -- Lisa Tuttle
THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES (1966) -- Stephen Laws
THE REPTILE (1966) -- Mark Morris
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) -- Mark Samuels
WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968) -- Christopher Fowler
PRETTY POISON (1968) -- Thomas Tessier
LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH (1971) -- Kim Newman
DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (1971) -- Nicholas Royle
THE OMEGA MAN (1971) -- James Lovegrove
THE WICKER MAN (1972) -- Ian Watson
DON'T LOOK NOW (1973) -- Kevin Mullins
FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE (1973) -- Mark Gatiss
THE OMEN (1976) -- Adam Nevill
THE TENANT (1976) -- Joel Lane
ERASERHEAD (1977) -- Gavin Williams
SUSPIRIA (1977) -- David Howe
THE LAST WAVE (1978) -- Elizabeth Hand
HALLOWEEN (1978) -- Michael Marshall Smith
DAWN OF THE DEAD (1979) -- Simon Pegg
ALIEN (1979) -- Tim Lebbon
THE SHINING (1980) -- Conrad Williams
THE CHANGELING (1980) -- Marie O'Regan
THE FOG (1980) -- Kealan Patrick Burke
THE THING (1982) -- Muriel Gray
VIDEODROME (1983) -- Paul McAuley
RAZORBACK (1983) -- China Miéville
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1983) -- Peter Crowther
THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1984) -- Terry Lamsley
DEMONS (1985) -- Marcelle Perks
HELLRAISER (1987) -- Paul Kane
JACOB'S LADDER (1990) -- Graham Joyce
TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (1992) -- Mark Chadbourn
BRAINDEAD (1992) -- Martin Roberts
LOST HIGHWAY (1997) -- Ramsey Campbell
RINGU (1998) -- Douglas E. Winter
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999) -- Justina Robson
THE SIXTH SENSE (1999) -- Ariel