The very first film actor to be identified with horror roles was Paul Wegener. A distinguished stage actor, Wegener was fascinated by film and its potential to portray the uncanny and the macabre. Sometimes acting as director and writer as well as performer, Wegener played in a series of fantastic films in the tens, the most famous of which are "The Student of Prague" and "The Golem." His directing career faltered in the twenties but he continued to play mad scientists, monsters and various grotesque characters. The book has detailed essays on 17 of his most significant genre films and...

Much has been written (and rewritten) about classic horror and science fiction films like Nosferatu and Metropolis, as well as not-so-classic pictures like Bride of the Monster and The Hideous Sun Demon. Yet some genre films have fallen through the cracks. The 24 films--some elusive, some easily found on YouTube--examined in this book all suffered critical neglect and were prematurely stacked in the attic. The authors bring them back into the light, beginning with Der Tunnel (1915), about the building of a transatlantic tunnel, and ending with The Emperor's Baker--The Baker's Emperor (1951),...

"German director Frank Wisbar (1899-1967) had the misfortune of achieving success as a filmmaker just as Hitler came to power. The author examines the films and career of an under-appreciated auteur who ultimately lost faith in his own vision"--