FAB Press, the British publisher that has devoted volumes to international horror greats and numerous fright subgenres, has now turned its attention to one of its most iconic performers. ELSA LANCHESTER: BRIDE OF THE HUNCHBACK, by award-winning author M.J. Simpson, is an in-depth biography of the actress who made over 60 films, but will be forever remembered for portraying the title role in James Whale’s classic THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. The nearly 600-page book is illustrated with over 200 rare and unseen photos.
According to the publisher, “Elsa Lanchester was so much more than a horror star. Her iconic role in THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN is just one facet of a unique career that ran from the silent era to the days of home video. Beyond her many film roles, Elsa worked extensively on radio, television, stage and record, sometimes alongside her husband Charles Laughton. Much has been written about Charles but Elsa’s own story has never before been fully told.
“The child of socialist parents, Elsa Lanchester became the darling of Bohemian society. By 1927 she was one of the most famous women in Britain: starring in West End shows, broadcasting on radio, fronting advertising campaigns and making films. She fell in love with and married rising star Laughton in 1929; two years later he admitted his sexuality to her but they stayed together till his death in 1962. Often at the forefront of changing tastes and technology in the entertainment industry, Elsa Lanchester lived the 20th century, crossing paths with everyone from H.G. Wells to W.C. Fields, from Walt Disney to Aleister Crowley, from Stravinsky to Elvis.”
An individually numbered and signed limited edition of ELSA LANCHESTER: BRIDE OF THE HUNCHBACK with printed page edging in a “film strip”-style design is currently exclusively available for pre-order at the FAB Press website. The general release date for the book is February 1, 2027.
FAB has also just issued the paperback edition of THE FRIGHTFEST GUIDE TO JAPANESE HORROR MOVIES, following the book’s launch at Tubi FrightFest in London this past August. Written by renowned Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes, with a foreword by acclaimed director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, the latest in FAB/FrightFest’s series of collaborations covers over 200 titles from the beginning of the country’s film history to today, encompassing kaiju classics, RINGU and the trend it spawned, the extreme works of Takashi Miike and Shinya Tsukamoto and many others. The paperback and a limited-edition hardcover can also be ordered at the FAB Press site.
