Behind the Mask of the Horror Actor is an odd duck of a book. Doug Bradley starts off this work by tracing the history of masks in primitive cultures as objects of divinity and mystery to their modern incarnations in cinema and theatre. From there, Bradley explores the use of masks and the mask-like quality of stage makeup, particularly focusing on genre films and on stars such as Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff. At this point in the book the connection to Bradley’s earlier ideas about masks becomes a little thin; for example, Vincent Price is far less known for his masked roles than he is for his unaffected characters, yet his biography is given an equal presence. Nevertheless, the book resumes its topical inquiry as it enters the more modern era of masked nightmares such as Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, and Freddie Krueger. As Bradley discourses on his contemporaries’ experiences, he mixes in bits of his own life story and actorly anecdotes, which is especially relevant because Bradley is no stranger to the role of masked villain himself: he is perhaps most famously known as the demonic Pinhead in the Hellraiser series. Frankly, Bradley’s observations are primary strength of this book; he writes humorously and without pretense, his style is easy and almost conversational. There is a definitely a strange mix of information at play in Behind the Mask of the Horror Actor: it’s part history of the mask, part early horror biography, and part personal autobiography. Even though this mix can be a bit jarring at times, it’s thoroughly entertaining.

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