Say what you will about Eli Roth as a filmmaker, this History of Horror limited series was a lot of fun with a wide variety of participants with directors, actors and members of academia in a wide range of discussions of horror.
Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Season 1
(2018)
Genre(s): Documentary, Special Interest
RLJ Entertainment | NR – 294 min. – $39.98 | October 6, 2020
Date Published: 10/07/2020 | Author: The Movieman
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RLJ Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE SEASON — 4½/5 |
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Synopsis: Horror film director, writer, producer and actor Eli Roth brings together the masters of horror – the storytellers and stars who define the genre – to explore its biggest themes and reveal the inspirations and struggles behind its past and present. Each one-hour episode will take viewers on a chilling exploration of how horror has evolved through the years and examine the genre’s impact on society as well as delving into how horror maintains its fan base and why audiences are addicted to fear. Quick Hit Review: History of Horror was a lot of fun, exploring the various subsections of the popular genre and features some well done interviews with a variety of talent including Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephen King, Bruce Campbell, Quentin Tarantino and many, many others. Given I’m a bigger fan of the slasher genre, that two-part episode looking at the Halloween and Friday the 13th franchises, amongst many others, was my favorite but even the episode focusing on the supernatural was pretty interesting. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 4/5 |
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This 3-disc release comes with a semi-glossy slip cover. How Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein Influenced Tarantino (2:01) –Tarantino talks about his love for the movie. How Video Games Resurrected Zombie Movies (1:35) is on what a game like “Resident Evil” had on the rebirth of the zombie genre. Is Horror Sexist or Feminist? (2:42) – Featurette on the debate about women in horror films. Making a Monster (2:48) – Interviews with Robert Englund, Tony Todd and Tobin Bell on the creation of their respective characters. Scarred for Life (3:22) on the impact The Exorcist had on various interviewees. Extended Interviews (2:17:24) with Stephen King, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Corman, Joe Dante, Edgar Wright, Diablo Cody and John Landis. Can be watched via Play All or individually. |
VIDEO – 4/5 |
| RLJ Entertainment distributes Eli Roth’s History of Horror onto Blu-ray presented with a 1.78 widescreen as originally televised on AMC in 2018. Pretty much this looks like any of these special interest documentary series, detail is okay and colors are tamped down, with a more bronze appearance in spots. It’s nothing extraordinary but still looks good. |
AUDIO – 3¾/5 |
| Each episode comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo track. Since the majority of this is strictly talking heads, this would’ve been just as good to be a mono track (and honestly a bit easier on the ears if it were) as you’re not going to get a whole lot of depth outside maybe the movie clips. |
OVERALL – 4/5 |
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Overall, say what you will about Eli Roth as a filmmaker, this History of Horror limited series was a lot of fun with a wide variety of participants with directors, actors and members of academia in a wide range of discussions of horror and the subgenres within. |