By Stephen Pytak 

     This was the best gift my wife bought me
this Christmas.
     I'd seen it for sale at a Chiller Theatre con,
but didn't have the cash to pick it up that day.
     This is the second book I have by this author.
The first, a reference book called "Horror Films
of the 1970s," also published in 2002, was a
keeper because for every film Muir wrote about,
he included his commentary.
     He wrote some good reviews. Same here.
And he doesn't approach his subjects with
blind praise.
     He gives thumbs down to stuff like 
"Spontaneous Combustion (1989)" and 
called "The Mangler (1995)" 
"...a failed project."
     He does, however, give some praise to 
Hooper films I thought sucked, like "Lifeforce
(1985) and "Crocodile (2000)."
     His picks are curious, but what will keep you
reading are his insights. You may not agree
with them all, but they're informative and
may make you watch some of this director's
work again.
     I spent one of the first hours of the new year, 
I think it was between 2 and 3 a.m., reading
his section on "Chainsaw." 
     Muir's views of the relationships of some
of the characters are really engaging.
    One thing he noted still sticks in my head:
"...Franklin Hardesty and Leatherface might
even be described as two sides of the same coin.
Both are crippled (one physically, one mentally),
both are overweight, both covet weapons (a 
knife and a chainsaw respectively) and both
are cared for by a more responsible sibling 
(Sally and the Hitchhiker respectively). Is
Leatherface the living embodiment of Franklin's
id?..."
     Even though I had just come back from
New Year's Eve partying in Reading, Pa.,
and I was tired from working all day, his
comparisons between the cannibal family 
and the Hardesty clan kept me awake.
     Muir also wrote about a lot of common
threads in Hooper's work, including the
parental relationships in "Chainsaw" and
"The Funhouse (1980)."
     Believe it or not, after reading the
chapter on "Lifeforce" I decided to give 
that old DVD a spin.
     According to Muir, this big-budget
sci-fi mess is about sex and consequence.
     If I get tired of reading into it, I figure
I'll just stop trying and just watch 
Mathilda May screw with Steve 
Railback's head.