Although producer/director Dan Curtis was also responsible for the mammoth and critically acclaimed mini-series The Winds of War and its sequel War and Remembrance, he will always be primarily remembered for his prodigious output in the horror field. This includes Dark Shadows and its reboot as well as the big-screen adaptations; The Night Stalker, which introduced Carl Kolchek (Darren McGavin); the notable theatrical film Burnt Offerings; videotaped adaptations of literary classics such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dorian Gray, Frankenstein etc.; and numerous horror telefilms, some of which were quite effective (Scream of the Wolf) and others which were merely mediocre (the over-rated Trilogy of Terror and others). Author Jeff Thompson provides lots of behind-the-scenes details in several chapters that explore these various projects, as well as a chapter on projected projects that never came to be. Although at times Thompson writes as if Curtis can do no wrong -- and despite some good work I'm not necessarily convinced Curtis was some kind of horror genius -- the book is still well-written and very entertaining.
Verdict: If you love the work of Dan Curtis, this is the book for you. ***.
Totally, Bill, this one is definitely for me! So true, much of what Curtis produced was schlocky, but it always had style. Even amid the flubs and goofs on the low budget daily soap opera, Dark Shadows was eerie and compelling. Burnt Offerings is one of the scariest movies ever...I still have trouble watching it alone at night! Agreed, Trilogy of Terror is campy and over the top, but good fun, as are the big screen adaptations of Shadows, and the (in my opinion) wonderful 1990s reboot.
ReplyDeleteWill be fun to relive all the memories with this book!
- C
You will definitely enjoy it, Chris. Curtis did give us horror fans a lot to enjoy.
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