Wouldn’t it be cool to turn your love of horror into a career? That’s exactly what Tom Weaver has done. Author of over twenty books chronicling the history of horror, Weaver’s love of the horror movie has produced such classics as Attack of the Monster Movie Makers: Interviews with 20 Genre Giants, John Carradine: The Films, and They Fought in the Creature Features: Interviews with 23 Classic Horror, Science-Fiction and Serial Stars.
Hailing from Sleepy Hollow, New York, Weaver grew up on a steady diet of horror on TV, religiously watching the Chiller Theater, and The Late, Late Show. Throw in the regular staples like The Addams Family and The Twilight Zone, and you’ll get quiet the appetite for horrifying, weird, and strange stories.
One of his first jobs was working at a place that rented films in the 16mm format. A coworker had interviewed one of the directors of the original Three Stooges episodes, and Weaver knew he had also directed horror and science-fiction films, so Weaver set out to do an article about the director’s experiences. One single article eventually turned into a thousand articles, and a couple dozen books, all on the subject of horror and science-fiction films.
Weaver rubs elbows with the legends of course; those actors and actresses, directors and producers that make the scares come alive on the screen, but often finds the best stories come from those in the industry that stay on the sidelines, as they have an inside view to a world most never get to see. The New York Times calls him one of the “leading scholars in the horror field”. Over his career, he’s interviewed over five hundred actors, writers, producers, directors, set-designers, anyone and everyone involved in the horror movie business. His work also includes providing audio film commentary for special edition DVD’s and Blu-rays. He’s won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award multiple times for his work in the horror field. If you’re looking for some horror movie information, or just some film inspiration, look no further than the work of Horror scholar and historian Tom Weaver.
BOB PASTORELLA
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