Kevin HeffernanGhouls, Gimmicks, and Gold
Horror Films and the American Movie Business, 1953-1968
Kevin Heffernan is Assistant Professor in the Division of Cinema-Television at Southern Methodist University. He is the coauthor of My Son Divine and co-screenwriter and associate producer of the documentary Divine Trash, winner of the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
1 Horror in Three Dimensions: House of Wax and Creature from the Black
Lagoon 16
2 The Color of Blood: Hammer Films and Curse of Frankenstein 43
3 “Look into the Hypnotic Eye!”: Exhibitor Financing and Distributor Hype
in Fifties Horror Cinema 63
4 “A Sissified Bela Lugosi”: Vincent Price, William Castle, and AIP’s Poe
Adaptations 90
5 Grind House or Art House?: Astor Pictures and Peeping Tom 113
6 American International Goes International: New Markets, Runaway
Productions, and Black Sabbath 134
7 Television Syndication and the Birth of the “Orphans”: Horror Films in
the Local TV Market 154
8 Demon Children and the Birth of Adult Horror: William Castle, Roman
Polanski, and Rosemary’s Baby 180
9 Family Monsters and Urban Matinees: Continental Distributing and Night of
the Living Dead 202
Conclusion: The Horror Film in the New Hollywood 221
Appendix: Feature Film Packages in Television Syndication, 1955-1968 229
Notes 263
Bibliography 295
Index 305
