2014, Hardcover, 128 pages, Schiffer Publishinghttp://www.travelogueofhorror.com
Fans of horror films, true crime and/or the paranormal, brace yourselves; one of the quintessential books of the fall season has arrived!
Travelogue of Horror, penned by first-time author, professional photographer and "fan of all things macabre" Tony Urban, is a striking, passionately written, gorgeously formatted coffee-table book.
A child of the VHS era who came to adore all things related to horror, Urban ultimately grew into an intelligent, completely well-adjusted adult. His love for all things spooky, however, endured
(side note: and now it sounds like I'm just writing about myself).
Born out of seven years of travel across over 35,000 miles,
Travelogue of Horror is a sincere, joyous, eerie compendium of write-ups and photography from various horror movie locations (e.g., "Friday the 13th," "Jaws," "Creepshow," "Session 9," "I Know What You Did Last Summer," "The Exorcist," "Pet Sematary," "The Amityville Horror," "The Blair Witch Project," among many others) and sites of the allegedly supernatural (e.g., the ghost town of Livermore, PA, West Virginia's Soule Chapel Cemetery, the haunted Jean Bonnet Tavern in Bedford, PA). For good measure, Urban even visits serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's childhood home, Stephen King's residence, and goes in search of Bigfoot. All of this is brought to vibrant life through Urban's personable accounts of visiting each place and the full-color photographs that accompany them. The gifted author's fascination and love for his subject matter is alive on every page. Indeed, once I started reading
Travelogue of Horror, I found it nearly impossible to put down.
Aesthetically exquisite and endlessly entertaining,
Travelogue of Horror would be a must-buy at any time of year. That it is arriving from Schiffer Publishing just as the autumnal Halloween season approaches couldn't be more perfect. Let's hope a follow-up companion (perhaps concentrating on west coast locations) is right around the corner.
