| Featuring full
colored photos of only a few of Ackerman's friends,
not to mention wide shots of his rooms covered in
horror memorabilia, "The House of Ackerman" is such
a wondrous book for fans of the genre still
unfamiliar with what Ackerman brought to us by
feeding his own insatiable hunger for the genre. The
book provides what it promises: a tour of the
Ackermansion giving us full colored pictures of the
house in all of its glory with pictures from iconic
horror artists, and even showing us a personalized
keychain that allows you entrance in to the mansion.
Even though it's primarily just a series of photos
with captions, the props and amazing paintings still
have a sense of life and magic to them that is
rarely found in this cynical modern horror
following, and it's quite a joyous compendium of
looks in to the Ackermansion as well as pictures of
Forry and his wife both of whom seem so content in
their treasures that always seem to illuminate the
imaginations and minds whenever anyone is near them.
There's even a look in
to the Chaney room, a small temple devoted to the
legendary Lon Chaney where there are pictures of his
costume from "London After Midnight," a peek in to
the Lugosi/Karloff room where memorabilia from the
two monsters of cinema lay preserved and ready to be
glared at, and we're even given glimpses in to
pictures of Forry and friends like Ray Harryhausen.
For those folks who will undoubtedly love the book,
this is a wonderful piece of history that will also
make for hours of "Where's Waldo?" antics where the
most knowledgeable horror buffs will be trying to
point out the props that aren't mentioned and pin
down the secrets within the walls of Ackerman's
house. One of my favorite photos that is a minor
inclusion is the signature of Bela Lugosi in the
original 1950 guest book when he visited the
mansion. While it's a small feature, it's still a
truly incredible event. And did I forget to mention
the pictures of Lon Chaney's famous make up case?
"The House of Ackerman" is a marvelous book for any
self-respecting horror geek, and one I fully
encourage others to discover. It's a fitting tribute
for a one of a kind gentleman who shared his gold
instead of keeping it for himself.
To purchase "The House
of Ackerman," visit Midnight Marquee Press:
www.midmar.com and at
Amazon.com |
