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A Vault Of Horror by Keith Topping
01/01/2005 . Source: Sue Davies 
pub: Telos. 427 page enlarged paperback. Price: £12.99 (UK), $17.95 (US), $24.95 (CAN). ISBN: 1-903889-58-8. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.telos.co.uk
What do you want from a Guide to Horror films or indeed any guide to films? I'm a fan of trivia guides and particularly enjoy a film with a trivia track, included spending days annoying anybody I can find with little nuggets of worthless information. Even more, I admire people like Keith Topping who are willing to do all the hard work and sit and view the films looking out for those nuggets. Hang-on, that's not work and if it is give, it to me!
This book follows the approach used by Topping in his previous TV series guides, offering a great deal of detail for each film chosen. He has limited his timeline to 1956 to 1974 and himself to 80 films. Each film has about five pages dedicated to it, including stills. He has also qualified the use of the word 'great' so that he can include a few clonkers which nevertheless shaped his life.
An example of the films included are well-known ones like 'Village Of The Damned', 'The Wicker Man' and 'Taste The Blood Of Dracula', lesser known classics like 'Invasion' and those to be avoided such as 'Nothing But The Night'.
Broken down into headings, Topping covers the tagline, plot, nudity violence and sadomasochism, outrageous methods of despatch, roots, 'you may remember me from', trivia, quotes, critique (opinions at the time of release) and a review by Topping on his recent viewing where possible. He has covered most of the anorak headings that are possible and offers a great deal of information packed into a relatively small space.
Topping has chosen films that he grew up with, many of which were repeatedly shown on BBC in the 1970s - a period when I also frightened myself silly by watching them. He shows a real love of his subject and obviously enjoys sharing the facts and his opinions with his readers. Inevitably, there will be omissions. This does not claim to be a comprehensive guide. In some cases, he has omitted films because he was unable to get a print and I would have liked him to have included a quick guide to the availability of DVDs. Not a book to read straight off but great to refer to when looking for your next purchase as these greats and not-so greats trickle out on back catalogue releases.
This is no dry guide to movies. It is a personal and highly amusing look at a particular point in British film history that makes a great present to yourself or any fellow anorak at any time of year. Time to tick off the seen list and look out for the ones I've yet to discover.
Sue Davies
News Editor and Reviewer
www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk 
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