B-Movie Cast

“The Fearmakers Collection” DVD
They are considered the true masters of horror, with directing careers that span nearly a century. From “Dracula” to “Cat People,” “The House on Haunted Hill” to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” these illustrious luminaries literally created a film genre. Their fascinating careers and iconic films are showcased in “The Fearmakers Collection,” a three-disc, 10 episode series highlighting some of the world’s greatest makers of classic horror and suspense films. The set will be available from Elite Entertainment on May 8th at a suggested retail price of $29.98.

“Never before have horror fans had the opportunity to hear stories of the horror genre’s greatest directors, all in one complete DVD set,” said Vini Bancalari, President, Elite Entertainment. “From interviews with some of the directors themselves, to the talent featured both in front of and behind the camera, and those that were inspired by these filmmaking giants, ‘The Fearmakers Collection’ will undoubtedly become a mainstay of any horror film collection.”

Each disc in “The Fearmakers Collection” set highlights an array of interviews with directors, producers, actors, writers and critics that have made their mark in the horror and suspense film field. The half hour episodes feature the careers of:

Jack Arnold—Known for his exotic settings and master of the 3-D shock effect, Arnold’s resume includes such classics as “It Came From Outer Space,” “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” and “The Incredible Shrinking Man.”
Tod Browning—Renowned as the director of the original “Dracula” (1931), Browning also made his mark in the horror world with “Freaks,” “Mark of the Vampire” and “London After Midnight.”
William Castle—The master of the promotional “gimmick” (such as attaching vibrating devices to theater seats), Castle directed such popular ‘50s films as “The House on Haunted Hill,” “The Tingler” and “Macabre.”
Roger Corman—Having set a record for the shortest amount of time to shoot a professional feature film (two days, one night to film “Little Shop of Horrors,” which featured a young, unknown Jack Nicholson) Corman went on to have an illustrious career with such films as “It Conquered The World,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Raven.”
Terence Fisher—Fisher got his big break at the age of 52 with “The Curse of Frankenstein,” a shocker that set a new standard for modern horror films. His other works include “Horror of Dracula,” “The Hound of the Baskervilles” and “The Phantom of the Opera.”
Tobe Hooper—Perhaps no modern-day director is more associated with one film than Tobe Hooper and the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
Roman Polanski—Considered a cinematic master of many film genres, Polanski set a high-water mark with his riveting work directing “Rosemary’s Baby.” His other notable horror-themed projects include “Repulsion,” “The Tenant” and the horror/vampire spoof “The Fearless Vampire Killers.”
Jacques Tourneur—French filmmaker Tourneur got his big break in 1942, when noted producer Val Lewton started up the new horror unit of RKO and assigned Tourneur to direct its first picture, “Cat People.” Other works include “I Walked with a Zombie,” “The Leopard Man” and “Curse of the Demon.”
Roland West—Though his directing career was short lived, West was known for such atmospheric, moody horror films as “The Bat,” “The Bat Whispers” and “The Monster” and remains even better known for a real life murder case in which he was a suspect!
Robert Wise—While he’s best known for directing such movie musical classics as “West Side Story” and “The Sound of Music,” Wise is immortal to horror fans as the architect of such genre classics as “Curse of the Cat People,” “The Body Snatcher” and “The Haunting.”

Each episode of “The Fearmakers” also features interviews with a variety of talent connected with these movie masters and the horror film world, including: John Agar, Samuel Z. Arkoff, Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Jeffrey Combs, Joe Dante, Stuart Gordon, Richard Matheson and David J. Skal.

The DVD set is based on the popular book “The Fearmakers,” by John McCarty, who is co-producer, co-director, co-writer, co-editor and narrator of the series. The book profiles about 20 classic horror and suspense film directors (including the 10 featured in the DVD collection).

John McCarty is the author of more than 20 non-fiction books on the film and entertainment industry, including his most recent title, Bullets Over Hollywood: The American Gangster Picture from the Silents to The Sopranos (Da Capo Press). McCarty recently completed a documentary about the late Oscar-winning filmmaker and AFI Life Achievement Award winner Robert Wise, whom McCarty interviewed in 1996.