Straight Outta the (Rue) Morgue: A Book Review of “Untold Horror”
This poster alone is better than half the “Jaws” franchise.
As of this writing, Disney+ has just released a trailer for “What If?,” an anthology show about alternate timelines based on their biggest Marvel properties. It’s not enough that they’ve released some of the most beloved and iconic studio films in recent years. They also have to scratch the fans’ collective speculative itch. If fans of mainstream superhero films can get this excited, can you imagine how horror fans would react to abandoned genre films? Dave Alexander has some ideas, which he’s translated into his recent book “Untold Horror.”
The former EIC of “Rue Morgue” magazine, Alexander has spoken to a myriad of creators who discuss projects that just couldn’t get going, no matter how amazing a George A. Romero superhero movie sounded. Sequels, remakes, originals, and even an unused “Freddy vs. Jason” idea (there are never too many of those) are all contained in the pages of “Untold Horror.” Since it’s a Dark Horse Comics release, the book comes with some great concept art to compliment its cover by the always-dependable Justin Erickson.
Who wouldn’t want to sink their teeth (ahem) into this script?
But how is the book itself? We’ve recently been treated to a glut of books about unmade films, but “Untold Horror” stands on its own. Even if some of the titles mentioned have been previously discussed (such as “Jaws 3, People 0”), there is still a litany of facts and anecdotes to accompany them. The variety is impressive, too. How many people talk about the abandoned Universal Monster films or the possible sequels to William Lustig’s “Maniac?” Who thought of MAKING a sequel to “Maniac?” Alexander has found the answers to these and other questions nobody knew they wanted to ask.
There’s something for every kind of horror lover here, but the stronger chapters are the ones that go the deepest. Not every chapter showcases the same level of exhaustively-researched information, but that speaks more to the materials available to Alexander and co-creator/researcher Mark Pollesel, than their ability to make you salivate at the ideas that never came to fruition. I could read an entire book about other unmade H.R.Giger films. Still, the chapter on the unmade “Re-Animator” sequels is worth the price of this book alone.
Bottom line, “Untold Horror” is a great addition to any horror fan’s bookshelf, situated next to both volumes of “Taking Shape.” Let’s just hope this is the first volume of many.
“Untold Horror” releases August 18, 2021. For more, check out http://www.untoldhorror.ca/
