When Monsters are Born

Legends of horror films

Monsters don’t come out of nowhere. They are creatures we slowly recognize through the mist and before reaching us, they’ve traveled down a long road from very different origins. A dark case from the yellow press, an episode from history, a scientific discovery, a mythological belief, a cursed building, a dystopian fantasy, a collective trauma... all this sometimes crystallizes in our imagination with a monstrous appearance, sharpened by a very familiar feeling: fear.

Those who have always approached horror films with skepticism and apprehension will be surprised by the enormous influence of the twenty-five films reviewed in this book, which have become classics recognizable to all. Their diversity, their sources of inspiration (almost always literary), their artistic and technical quality, and their often timeless character explain the existence of the multitude of faithful fans who adore horror onscreen. Horror is a genre that easily makes us wriggle in our seats, leaving our emotions so shaken, it takes us a long time to recover after the word END.