I often see blogs and posts where a foodie “cooks the book.” In other words, they try to make every recipe in a book and review them. I’ve always liked the idea, but I am a very lazy chef.

I can, however, watch horror movies. I never seem to tire of them. So, I thought I would do something similar to those “cook the book” posts. I plan to “watch the book” instead. The book is Studies in Terror by Jonathan Rigby.

studies in terror

Cover of the book Studies in Terror by Jonathan Rigby.

The book covers 130 landmark horror and suspense movies. In the introduction, the author points out his choices don’t always align with the best films of the period. He admits that some selections may simply indicate his “own preferences.”

When I bought the book, I was embarrassed by how few of the films I had actually seen. I have seen a lot of “classics” of horror cinema, but one quick flip through of this book and I knew that my knowledge was lacking. So, I have decided to watch every film listed in this book (and I’ll post about each one in turn).

The book goes in chronological order, so I will too. Starting with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in 1920 and ending with Outcast in 2009.

I’m a bit worried that I may not be able to get ahold of some of the films. If that happens, I will have to skip ahead. Hopefully youtube or Amazon can come to my rescue in those situations.

Have you read any good books about horror movies? Any classics that I should be careful not to miss during my journey?