The <i> Meister</i> Monster

I must object to Pat Broeske’s conferral of the title of “genre meister “ on Ed Naha (“Sometimes It’s a Real Swamp Out There,” May 8).

The few ill-researched, error-ridden books on the horror film genre Naha has written hardly qualify him as a “ meister “ of anything.

For example, Naha’s “Brilliance on a Budget” was a film history of Roger Corman’s work, for which he interviewed Corman a grand total of 20 minutes! In another book allegedly listing the great horror films of all time, Naha had Jonathan Winters (instead of Jonathan Haze) listed as the klutzy hero of Corman’s classic “Little Shop of Horrors.”

In both books, films are listed with the wrong distributors, the wrong producers, the wrong directors--and incorrect plot descriptions and misspelled names abound. This is not the work of a “ meister .”

If Naha is a “genre meister ,” then H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King and Richard Matheson must be “genregods.” The only thing Naha’s a meister of is hyping his own work to unsuspecting publishers, editors and now (according to Broeske’s article) film makers.

JIM PAINE

Anaheim