Horror is one of the movie genres that inspires the most passion from fans. You may feel that you truly love comedies or even historical dramas, but being a devoted horror fan is a whole other level that outsiders will never really understand. More than any other genre, the standard for what is considered good is wildly subjective based on the person. Low budget and direct-to-video films inspire just as much fervor, probably more, than the big studio films that come out. Horror fans want to see something inventive that provokes some kind of reaction within. There are a lot of famous horror fans, but one of the most visible in the past couple of decades has been Eli Roth. Love him or hate him, his films, especially early ones such as Cabin Fever and Hostel, put a spotlight on the genre that had been dimming somewhat. With his Hollywood clout and impressive breadth of knowledge, it is not entirely surprising that AMC ordered a documentary series in 2018 exploring the beloved genre. As we near a second season of Eli Roth’s History of Horror, let us take a look and see how this series compares to similar ones from the network.
Similar to James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction, Roth functions as a guide for the viewer as we explore the many different types of horror that the genre has to offer. The first season of the show tackles the concepts of “Zombies”, “Slashers”, “The Demons Inside”, “Killer Creatures”, “Vampires” and “Ghost Stories.” Unlike Cameron, Roth seems way more interested in stepping back and allowing his famous friends to dominate the conversation with interesting insights. The location that functions almost as a “home base” is a cozy gathering between Roth, The Walking Dead’s Greg Nicotero and Rob Zombie. Nicotero has been in the business for a long time, and he has so many interesting anecdotes to share. Zombie is a bit more hesitant to interject at first, but he is incredibly incisive when he does have something to say. The series does an excellent job of setting a relaxed tone that makes you feel as if you are with a group of friends excitedly discussing your favorite films.
The actual movies discussed throughout the seven episodes (Slashers get two parts!) may seem a bit too obvious for the most hardcore horror fans, but is nearly impossible to discuss the genre without giving these films their due attention. Even if you believe there is nothing left to learn about a particular film, the new interviews from those involved with the projects are really worthwhile. I mean, if you have a chance to have Jamie Lee Curtis talk in depth about her experience making Halloween, you pull up a chair and listen. Perhaps even more fun is hearing celebrities such as Elijah Wood, Jordan Peele, Diablo Cody and Jack Black share their experiences with films like Rosemary’s Baby or Re-Animator. Even though this series sticks close to the classics, there are some less mainstream titles that may have you adding to your watchlist. Everyone has heard about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but does Maniac or The Slumber Party Massacre mean anything to anyone outside of diehard slasher fans? With the passion these films are talked about, you may just find yourself wanting to find out more sooner rather than later.
Roth brings in a lot of heavy hitters to share in the excitement including Quentin Tarantino, Stephen King, John Landis, Edgar Wright and many more. All of these individuals are fascinating to listen to, but, as the architect of many nightmares, King offers up the widest range of relevant input. King has had countless works adapted for the big screen and remains a huge fan of the genre. His expertise is especially relevant in the “Killer Creatures” episode where he gets to go in-depth on IT and Cujo. It is also always a blast to listen to Tarantino discuss movies, as he functions as a cinematic encyclopedia. This series is not breaking any particularly new ground, but it is a boatload of fun getting all of these varied perspectives and opinions in between clips from the relevant films. The production value of the series is quite high, and the breezy atmosphere lends itself to giving into a binge watch once you begin. This series is a blast for established fans of the genre and those newcomers who want a highlight reel of essential films that should be on their radar.
Video Quality
Eli Roth’s History of Horror comes to Blu-Ray featuring a lot of different material in varying degrees of quality. The show itself and everything within it looks as technically excellent as it can look in high definition. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, but RLJE Films has my gratitude for spreading these seven episodes over two discs while leaving all of the special features for a third disc. This allows the content plenty of room to breathe where we can avoid any compression artifacts. The movie clips used seem to be the best versions that were available when this was made in 2018, with most of them looking pretty excellent. Some of the clips from the films are unfortunately reframed to make the content fit the screen. Interview segments look incredibly sleek and clear with natural skin tones and detailed facial features. There is no evidence of compression artifacts or other digital nuisances of the sort. I do not see how this set could have been improved visually. It’s a beautiful transfer handled with care by RLJE Films.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that perfectly suits the source material, but is understandably restrained. As this primarily acts as an interview show with talking heads abound, dialogue is the focus right up front in the center channel. The movie clips do not utilize the full-on surround sound tracks regardless of whether or not the original film had one. Some of the more active scenes lack the heft of a full-assault mix, but these snippets are not intended for these purposes. The two-channel presentation is enveloping in its own way, and it maintains the artistic choice of the series. For that reason, this is an excellent audio track.
Special Features
- How Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein Influenced Tarantino: A two-minute discussion with Quentin Tarantino on how the blending of genres in the aforementioned movie shaped how he wrote his films.
- How Video Games Resurrected Zombie Movies: A minute-and-a-half discussion on how games such as Resident Evil led to a movie like Shaun of the Dead.
- Is Horror Sexist or Feminist?: A three-minute discussion with Mary Harron, Diablo Cody and others on how women are depicted in horror films. As you would expect based on the intent of the show, most of these women advocate for the genre.
- Making A Monster: A three-minute discussion with Robert Englund, Tony Todd and Tobin Bell on the history they brought to creating their iconic characters.
- Scarred For Life: A three-minute compilation of interview subjects discussing which films scared them the most growing up including The Exorcist, Poltergeist, The Birds and more. This might be my favorite of these shorter clips.
- Extended Interviews: Two-hours-and-seventeen-minutes of additional footage not seen in the episodes are included here. You get significantly longer interviews with Stephen King, Roger Corman, Quentin Tarantino, Joe Dante, Edgar Wright, Diablo Cody and John Landis. Even if you saw the show when it aired, these interviews are essential viewings. You may know most of the big titles mentioned in the main episodes, but there are a lot of fun obscure titles discussed in detail here.
Final Thoughts
The first season of Eli Roth’s History of Horror is a wonderfully entertaining look at some of the most important works in the genre as discussed by many of your favorite artists. If you appreciate a good cinema-based retrospective, this series hits the spot perfectly. This documentary series may just be the most well-rounded of those I have seen from AMC. RLJE Films has provided a Blu-Ray set with an excellent A/V presentation along with an entire disc of essential special features. I just finished watching the series, and I already look forward to revisiting specific episodes soon. Horror fans will want to add this to their collection. Highly Recommended
Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Season One will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on October 6, 2020.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: RLJE Films has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
