AllMovie

The old newspaper dictum "If it bleeds, it leads" could also apply to the marketing of modern horror movies. Part of the 13-episode 100 Years of Horror series directed by Ted Newsom and hosted by horror movie star Christopher Lee, 100 Years of Horror: Madmen & Gory Gimmicks reviews how Hollywood has packaged and sold its horror movies over the past 100 years. Highlights include rare color footage from the original 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera, which starred the great Lon Chaney as the phantom. The actor reputedly created the character's hideous visage using springs and clamps in his nostrils and mouth. Madmen & Gory Gimmicks also relates the true story that inspired The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Host Lee appeared in many horror movies himself, including Corridors of Blood (1958).