WITH A PROJECT of this scale there are of course many people to thank. First, I must acknowledge Angela Ndalianis without whose practical and emotional support this would never have got off the ground, let alone ever be finished. Many thanks to the Horror Studies series editor Xavier Aldana Reyes and Sarah Lewis at University of Wales Press for the privilege of inviting me to join the series, and for their unceasing warmth, support and encouragement. I would also like to thank Stephen Morgan for his assistance in sourcing the Abel Gance documentation vital to chapter 2, as well as Julien Allen, Franck Boulègue and Samuel Bréan for their translation assistance of this material, and to Kevin Heffernan and Mark Jancovich for their invaluable feedback on the original thesis version of this book. Josh Nelson went well above and beyond the call of duty on pretty much all fronts (including his impressive copy-editing prowess), and I would also like to thank the following for their support: Anton Bitel, Sally Christie, Anna Dzenis, John Edmond, Giles Edwards, Mark Freeman, Lee Gambin, Wendy Haslem, Jade Henshaw, Ian Gouldstone, Anne Marsh, Craig Martin, Jan Napiorkowski, Tim O’Farrell, David Surman and Emma Westwood. As always, thanks to my family, Richard, Lorraine, Max, Fiona and Robert, and with particular love and gratitude to Casper and Christian.