The American Horror Film is the first overview of this popular movie genre. It moves from Dracula in 1931 to contemporary films such as Scream and The Sixth Sense. The various characters that recur in horror films - Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll, the Mummy, the Werewolf - are discussed as are repeated themes such as the mad scientist, nuclear anxiety, psychological 'monsters', the living dead and 'slasher' movies. Key directors including Jacques Tourneur, David Cronenberg, Roger Corman and Joe Dante are covered.