Book Review: Too Much Horror Business / Author: Kirk Hammett, Steffan Chirazi / Publisher: Abrams Image / Release Date: Out Now
A lot of us, when we hit wage earning age, set about using our new found ‘wealth’ to either buy back our childhood – all those toys thrown out by unsympathetic parents – or start a collection of the things we’re passionate about. When Kirk Hammett, guitarist with famed American rockers Metallica, started earning a crust strumming his guitar he set his sights on horror movie memorabilia.
Over the course of the 200+ heavily illustrated, glossy colour pages this hardback tome allows us into Hammett’s private collection, allegedly one of the biggest in the world. There are film posters from all over the world, lobby cards, props and games as well as original artwork from the likes of Basil Gogos (Famous Monsters of Filmland). Films from as far back as the silent era (Dr Caligari, etc…) to the Universal Monster series, Sci-Fi classics like Invasion of the Saucermen and more recent fare such as Hellraiser all have a place in the guitarist’s collection.
In amongst the lavish photographs, there are a number of Q&A style interviews, in which Kirk goes into detail about his passion, and the collecting scene in general and how cut throat it can be.
Towards the back of the book is one of his prized possessions, a copy of the ‘30s Dracula stage play script, hand annotated by Bela Lugosi himself.
This is a must buy for lovers of classic horror films, poster art and pop culture in general, the section on ‘60s monster toys is enough to make grown men drool.
Be warned, reading this book carries the risk of an outbreak of uncontrollable jealousy, but it’s a small side effect that is more than worth it. Buy it now while it’s still affordable, as this is likely to be a major collector’s item itself in years to come.
