The Palgrave Encyclopedia of American Horror Film Shorts chronicles
for the first time over 1,500 horror and horror-related short subjects
theatrically released between 1915, at the dawn of the feature film era
when shorts became a differentiated category of cinema, and 1976, when
the last of the horror-related shorts were distributed to movie
theaters. Individual entries feature plot synopses, cast and crew
information, and - where possible - production histories and original
critical reviews. A small number of the short subjects catalogued herein
are famous; such as those featuring the likes of Buster Keaton, Laurel
and Hardy, The Three Stooges, Bugs Bunny, and Daffy Duck; but the bulk
are forgotten. The diverse content of these shorts includes ghosts,
devils, witches, vampires, skeletons, mad scientists, monsters,
hypnotists, gorillas, dinosaurs, and so much more, including relevant
nonfiction newsreels. Their rediscovery notably rewrites many chapters
of the history of horror cinema, from increasing our understanding of
the sheer number horror films that were produced and viewed by audiences
to shedding light on particular subgenres and specific narrative and
historical trends.