Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction

by Grady Hendrix

An affectionate, nostalgic, and unflinchingly funny celebration of the horror fiction boom of the 1970s and ’80s
 
Take a tour through the horror paperback novels of two iconic decades . . . if you dare. Page through dozens and dozens of amazing book covers featuring well-dressed skeletons, evil dolls, and knife-wielding killer crabs! Read shocking plot summaries that invoke devil worship, satanic children, and haunted real estate! Horror author and vintage paperback book collector Grady Hendrix offers killer commentary and witty insight on these trashy thrillers that tried so hard to be the next Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby. Complete with story summaries and artist and author profiles, this unforgettable volume dishes on familiar authors like V. C. Andrews and R. L. Stine, plus many more who’ve faded into obscurity. Also included are recommendations for which of these forgotten treasures are well worth your reading time and which should stay buried.

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction, History, Books About Books, Art, Audiobook, Pop Culture

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 19, 2017

About the author

Grady Hendrix is the author of the novels Horrorstör, about a haunted IKEA, and My Best Friend's Exorcism, which is like Beaches meets The Exorcist, only it's set in the Eighties. He's also the author of We Sold Our Souls, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, and the upcoming (July 13!) Final Girl Support Group!

He's also the jerk behind the Stoker award-winning Paperbacks from Hell, a history of the 70's and 80's horror paperback boom, which contains more information about Nazi leprechauns, killer babies, and evil cats than you probably need.

And he's the screenwriter behind Mohawk, which is probably the only horror movie about the War of 1812 and Satanic Panic.

You can listen to free, amazing, and did I mention free podcasts of his fiction on Pseudopod. He also does a podcast called Super Scary Haunted Homeschool.

If you're not already sick of him, you can learn all his secrets at his website.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

WARNING:
READING THIS BOOK WILL CAUSE YOUR TBR TO GROW EXPONENTIALLY.

Seeing these covers took me back. Remember those crazy covers that were so much fun to open up because they had the secret stuff on the inside?



Hendrix is actually a funny guy and I laughed quite a few times at the descriptions and his phrasing. You can really tell that he's a big old dork, which just made me like him all the more.
Because of course it did. This isn't some boring lecture on old paperbacks, it's a love letter to his favorite genre. And it's not just about the writers or the cover artists, either. You also get the inside scoop on the people who ran the publishing companies and came up with all these crazy gimmicks to sell us these wonderfully nutty stories.



My personal trifecta of horror - creepy child, creepy doll, creepy clown.
Behold! The Voice Of The Clown:



On the flip side, plant horror never really did it for me. On the surface, it seemed as though I could just spray the monster in the face with some kind of weed killer and that would be the end of it.



I'd never heard of most of these novels and it turns out that they aren't at all easy to find, but I'm on a mission now. And you will be, too - if you pick this book up.



Grady Hendrix had a way of making me want to read the fucknuts plots in these older horror stories that I'd never heard of before this book. And even if you never track down any of the books he mentions, this is a hell of a lot of fun all on its own.

Highly Recommended.

[Jeffrey Keeten · Rating 5 out of 5]

”Between April 1967 and December 1973, everything changed.

In a little more than five years, horror fiction became fit for adults, thanks to three books. Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby, Thomas Tryon’s The Other, and William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist were the first horror novels to grace Publisher’s Weekly’s annual best-seller list since Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca in 1938. And except for three books by Peter ‘Jaws’ Benchley, they’d be the only horror titles on that list until Stephen King’s The Dead Zone in 1979. All three spawned movies and, most important, set the tone for the next two decades of horror publishing.”

When I started in the book business in Phoenix, Arizona, the Horror section was one of the most pillaged sections in the store. Guys in ripped black t-shirts, Goths with pentagrams tattooed on their wrists, truck drivers displaying way too many inches of butt crack as they searched the lower shelves, and flirty housewives with a glimmer of something dark lurking in their pupils would bring stacks and stacks of black covered paperbacks up to the counter and leave me a heap of cash in exchange. They couldn’t get enough of it.

The Goth chicks were so cool. In an attempt to look edgy and tough, they somehow came out looking adorable.

Then in the early 1990s it just stopped like someone turned off the hydrant to the firehouse. The horror section that was featured so prominently when I started in the business drifted to the back of the bookstore until it evaporated all together. Other than the crossover writers, like Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Peter Straub, the market for horror just disappeared. Writers began suggesting to their publishers to market their books as thrillers and not horror. So what the heck happened?

Even now when I write a review of a book that falls into my Nostalgic 1970s Horror Tour Category, I notice that those reviews receive a lot less attention than other reviews I write. So in about 1990, did everyone start sleeping with Blue Smurfs under the glow of a unicorn nightlight?

The publishers were churning out so much horror material in the 1970s and 1980s that there were plenty of steaming piles of drivel published, sort of like what is happening with the Young Adult market right now, but there were also writers of the horror genre who turned out some fantastic, creative, dare I say literary works, that make a book archeologist like me euphoric.

Grady Hendrix has devoted a chapter to each different subgenre of horror: Hail Satan, Creepy Kids, When Animals Attack, Real Estate Nightmares, Weird Science, Gothic and Romantic, Inhumanoids, Splatterpunks, Serial Killers, and Super Creeps. I came away from this book with a list as long as my arm of novels that I need to investigate further. I was expecting that. I wasn’t expecting Grady to be so damn witty. I haven’t laughed out loud so much reading a book in a long time. My wife was frequently giving me the raised eyebrow look, so I ended up reading her little snippets like this one:

”Most important try not to have sex with Satan. Fornicating with the incarnation of all evil usually produces children who are genetically predisposed to use their supernatural powers to cram their grandmothers into television sets, headfirst. ‘But how do I know if the man I’m dating is the devil?’ I hear you ask. Here are some warnings signs learned from Seed of Evil: Does he refuse to use contractions when he speaks? Does he deliver pickup lines like, ‘You live on the edge of darkness?’ When nude, is his body the most beautiful male form you have ever seen, but possessed of a penis that’s either monstrously enormous, double-headed, has glowing yellow eyes, or all three? After intercourse, does he laugh malevolently, urinate on your mattress, and then disappear? If you spot any of these behaviors, chances are you went on a date with Satan. Or an alien.”

Okay, so maybe my wife didn’t find that as funny as I did, but she still laughed despite herself. Then there was Grady’s observations on clowns and magicians.

”Hating clowns is a waste of time because you’ll never loath a clown as much as he loathes himself. But a magician? Magicians think they’re wise and witty, full of patter and panache, walking around like they don’t deserve to be shot in the back of the head and dumped in a lake. For all the grandeur of its self-regard magic consists of nothing more than making a total stranger feel stupid. Worse, the magician usually dresses like a jackass.”

I’m not one for advocating shooting anyone in the back of the head and dumping them in the nearest body of water. I do have a short list of mostly politicians who I would help tie heavy weights to their legs and shiver with guilty pleasure at the sound of that final splash. I could get behind a scheme, though, to put all the clowns, magicians, and mimes in the United States on a leaky boat and ship them off to Central America where I hear their kind are flourishing.

The book is an oversized paperback loaded with pictures of the innovative and evocative covers that vied for the attention of potential readers. Many have become quite collectible, and reading copies of some of these books can actually be rather difficult to find. There are some small presses, like Valancourt and Telos, who are starting to bring some of these lost treasures back into print. In the late 80s I was too caught up in reading The Beats, Woolf, Bukowski, Fitzgerald, Hemingway etc. to give any time to such “nonsense”. I’m making up for it now, and probably I’m enjoying them more now than I ever would have back then.

If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is freaking awesome! There are tons of books in the book that I own or have owned. I have some that I will show. I didn't get all of them out but I will show a few and I will show a few pages of the book. I forgot to add my edition of Carrion Comfort! It's the same edition and it's laying over there and I forgot to get a picture of it. Lol.

The book tells about the different books and there are sections on different kinds of horror books. There are some that I want to find! Oh well.

Enjoy















Love it!

Mel ♥

[Mort · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect!

You need to read this book.
Period.
Yes, I'm talking to you!

If you are a horror fan, you need to read this book.
If you are a history fan, you need to read this book.
If you are an art fan, you need to read this book.
If you work in the publishing industry, you need to read this book.
If you like obscure, interesting factoids, you need to read this book.
If none if the above interests you, you need to read this book to prove that I'm wrong.

What else is there to say?

[karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

oooh, goodreads choice awards semifinalist for best nonfiction! what will happen?

i love this book more than anything. review to come.

***************************************

actually, i'm going to pause on my chicken-pecking of this book and read it for real during spooktober. but it's great. fantastic. and i want more volumes of this to be published annually. if you don't have the book, you can look at this for now and get very excited:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/reverb1...

***************************************

FINALLY!!

this is even better than i dared hope.

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about the period of time when the horror genre ruled the paperback racks at the bookstore? A book about the period of time in my life, (about Carrie's age, in fact), when I felt like an outsider, and horror made me feel included? Sign me up! Luckily, Quirk books and NetGalley did just that, and here we are.

This book is a reference book, a guide to life and times in the United States in the 70's and 80's. Things going on in the world and in society always affect our fiction and those times were no different. Paperbacks from Hell puts it all into perspective in an easy to read and humorous way. All the while vividly punctuated with those freaking AWESOME horror book covers of that time!

I bet you remember those covers too. The Sentinel with the priest looking out at you; Flowers in the Attic with those children looking out at you...and ALL those children from the John Saul books, (though at least one was blind and was NOT looking at you.) I had a mad grin on my face the entire time I was reading this, and with its funny chapter titles like "What to Expect When You're Expecting (a Hell Baby)," and its funny observations about life back then, how could I not? I'd wager that you'll have a mad grin on your face too.

Contributing a great deal to this book was Will Errickson and his blog, Too Much Horror Fiction.
You can and should (!) find it here: http://toomuchhorrorfiction.blogspot....

Paperbacks From Hell gets my highest recommendation! Period.

You can pre-order your copy here. (I did!): https://www.amazon.com/Paperbacks-Hel...

*Thanks to NetGalley and Quirk books for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is it. *

[Dan Schwent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paperbacks from Hell covers the horror boom that started in the early 70's until its bitter end with the dawn of the 1990s and horror's displacement by serial killer fiction.

Aside from reading a ton of Stephen King in my late teens/early 20s, I'm a latecomer to the horror genre. Paperbacks from Hell was an education for me.

Paperbacks from Hell is a gorgeous book, full of cover images from the more notable books from the period. It's like a catalog of obscure horror novels.

Starting with the Satanic Panic of the early 1970s with Rosemary's Baby, The Other, and The Exorcist, Paperbacks from Hell covers the various trends in horror, from Satan to creepy kids to killer animals to haunted houses and beyond, mentioning notable examples from each trend. It also added a ton of books to my watchlist. How can I ignore books like Satan's Love Child, Squelch, Eat Them Alive, and Blackwater: The Complete Caskey Family Saga?

Paperbacks from Hell is a fountain of information on the glory days of horror and it will occupy a place on my coffee table for years to come so I can distract my guests with Killer Crabs and Burnt Offerings before I dismember them and feed them to the horrors living in my basement. Five out of five stars.

[Jakob J. 🎃 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I blame this absolute blast of a retrospective on the horror boom in publishing of decades past for jacking up the secondhand market prices on my collecting habits, but it has also probably doubled the value of my own pre-existing collection. If only I could bring myself to part with any of it, I could double my annual income for probably a couple of years.

Books for which I used to scour forgotten shelves, paying one or two dollars a pop are now kept behind security cases for thirty, fifty, two-hundred gold doubloons each. (And don’t even get me started on what these lunatics on eBay are trying to gouge me for).

Neither here nor there. Paperbacks from Hell is essentially a biography of an era after Stephen King single-handedly popularized the horror genre across the land. There were spooky, scary skeleton designs and foil-stamped pulp by obscure authorial names flooding checkout lines in suburban grocery stores alongside wind-swept, open-shirted Fabio look-alikes, People magazine, and Reader’s Digest.

It is not exhaustive, but it covers a lot of bat-shit crazy ground on what was being cranked out at that time. I’m surprised there has not been a follow-up, because it reignited a lot of interest in previously forgotten names in horror (even spawning a series of reprints under the Paperbacks from Hell label.

This book is a gorgeous production that serves as a reference guide, a book cover design art book, and a fantastically engaging overview of a glorious, experimental time in popular horror history.


P.S.
A little personal addendum:
I posted updates while reading this when it was first released, tagging author Grady Hendrix and contributor Will Errickson of Too Much Horror Fiction . They frequently responded and played along. It showed that they genuinely cared about the project, love the community, and it made the experience that much more interactive and special. Thanks, fellas.

[Justin Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a long-time follower of the TooMuchHorrorFiction blog and fan of Grady Hendrix, this ode to Horror novels in the era when they dazzled most is a dream come true. Beside highlighting some very obscure plot lines, there's a wealth of publishing history and social context on how it all happened. Written with charm and wit, this is an easy read that's as entertaining as it is informative.

But Reader beware, you're going to create quite a shopping list. Even more scary, most of the books are pricey finds made even more expensive thanks to Hendrix. If you have these titles on your shelves and are willing to part with them, now is the time to put them on eBay. Outside of the rare few which received reprints (mostly thanks to Valancourt Books--God bless them) it's hard to find any under $50.

Whether you want to revisit beastly books from yesteryear, discover some extremely unusual titles for the first time, or simply learn about publishing trends, you got to read Paperbacks from Hell.

[mark monday · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful coffee table book for my kind of living room. Hendrix has a sharp wit and a satirical voice, but his love for the genre is clear. Although he's a connoisseur, there's not a whiff of pretension to be found and this guidebook is crammed with plenty of context, history, and especially humor. I did not expect to laugh so much! In particular during his section on how to cope with deadly children, where he also quotes both Alain Robbe-Grillet and Erma Bombeck within the space of two sentences. And I loved his quick stab at Martin Amis in a later section.

There were many things that I really enjoyed: his extended pieces on authors Ramsey Campbell, Elizabeth Engstrom, Michael McDowell, Russ Martin, Ken Greenhall, Charles L. Grant, and controversial bestsellers Let's Go Play At The Adams' and The Kill Riff; what is basically a love letter to V.C. Andrews; his musings on Anne Rice and the relationship between vampires, blood, and AIDS; his barely muted disdain for horror based on Native American legends, as well as much of splatterpunk; and especially his amusing sidebar on gender roles in horror.

I loved that he characterized Frankenstein as the beginning of the horror novel rather than incorrectly labeling it as science fiction (a common but always annoying error). I was impressed by his focus on women writers and female protagonists in general. I appreciated how thoroughly he contextualized the ebbs and flows of '70s and '80s horror fiction, from its roots in the gothic romance genre to its serial killer-driven death rattle in the early '90s. And perhaps most importantly, he gives the often unsung cover artists for all of these horror treats their proper due, in a range of write-ups focusing on individual artists as well as with what is clearly the big draw of the book: its lavish number of eye-popping paperback covers on full display.

In a perfect world, this would be twice as long in order to include a bit more on certain imprints like Leisure Books, and of course deeper descriptions of various novels (for example it hurt to see the short thrift given to wonderful books like Gwen, In Green and The House Across the Way aka Satan's Surrogate)... but why complain? this was pure pleasure from cover to cover. Kudos!

Plus it led me to look into a lot of books:

⇨ Haunted Castles by Ray Russell ✔
Incubus by Ray Russell
Fire Will Freeze by Margaret Millar ✔ 2 stars
The Stigma by Trevor Hoyle ✔ 3 stars
The Next by Bob Randall ✔ 1 star
Halo by Chet Day ✔
Dead White by Alan Ryan
The Desecration Of Susan Browning by Russ Martin
A Glow of Candles and Other Stories by Charles L. Grant
The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons
⇨ Fort Privilege by Kit Reed
Night Train by Thomas Monteleone ✔
Office Party by Michael Gilbert
Prodigal by Melanie Tem ✔
⇨ Spectre by Stephen Laws ✔
⇨ The Cormorant by Stephen Gregory
Lizard Wine by Elizabeth Engstrom

Ken Greenhall:
⇨ Hell Hound ✔ 5 stars
Childgrave ✔ 4 stars
Lenoir not horror ✔ 4 stars
Elizabeth ✔ 4 stars
Deathchain mystery ✔ 4 stars





I would be remiss not mentioning that I first learned about many of these books by reading the reviews of my redoubtable Goodreads friends Jack and Erin, and of course by combing through the treasure trove of articles in the blog Too Much Horror Fiction. Hail to the Chiefs!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix is a 2017 Quirk Books publication.

While most teenage girls my age were reading Harlequin romances or sneaking peeks inside their mother’s bodice rippers, I was glued to Gothic Romance/Horror/Mystery novels, which morphed into a full -fledged obsession with horror novels, which continued until my late teens, slowly fizzling out, as the horror genre went into a different direction, I didn't feel compelled to follow.

I wish I had had the presence of mind to keep those books, put them a plastic protector and store them in a dark, cool place. But, I didn’t. However, I do love searching out these old paperbacks and do have a nice collection of Gothic novels as well as a handful of vintage horror novels, too. This book really has sparked a renewed interest in these vintage horror paperbacks, so I just might start digging around and try to add a few of these to my collection.

But, I digress-

Like myself, the author’s interest in these vintage paperbacks also stems from the ‘collectable’ angle they inspire, and just as I do, he still reads them.

In my mind, horror novels, and horror movies for that matter, of the 1970’s were best. They may seem cheesy now, and of course they followed trends, just like we do now, but…

These books scared me. It wasn’t the same slasher story, told over and over and over. These books had imagination, took risks, were shocking, and terrifying, or… okay- laughable- Nazi Leprachans?

Looking back on these novels now, many of which were adapted for the big screen, I’m reminded once again of the game changing books than shaped the genre and had me sleeping with the lights on.

The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, and The Other, all spent incredible amounts of time on the NYT bestseller list. They spawned countless spin-offs, all with a strong satanic element, which was a huge theme in the first few years of the 1970’s.

From that point on, the horror genre created the most menacing babies and kids you could possibly image, with books like- ‘The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane’ by Laird Koenig, which I happen to be reading right now. But, the sheer volume of books written with this theme, in one form or another, was mind boggling.

Some titles I found intriguing were: ‘Kate’s House’ by Harriet Waugh and ‘Let’s Go Play at the Adams’ by Mendal W. Johnson- (Tonight the kids are taking care of the babysitter!)

Let’s not forget killer animals though- remember Jaws? Of course, you do. How about ‘The Rats’ by James Herbert? There were also a slew of killer dogs, cats, whales, all manner of other creepy crawlies.

Not your thing? How about a good haunted house story, instead? Lots of those! But, not just Amityville!

Every possible angle was covered in the 70’s and 80’s that you could possible imagine. Medical nightmares, horoscopes, psychic teens, UFO’s, Vampires, dolls, Southern Gothic, humanoids, you name it, and this book covers them all.

But, the author doesn’t stop there.

The fantastic cover art is included in the book. The book covers alone make this book worth looking into. Amazing!! It is also interesting to note that some of the cover artists are unknown.

The primary publishers of horror novels are listed too, and frankly, I was surprised by a few- namely ‘Zebra’ which I’ve always associated with those fab historical romance novels of the same period. Who knew?

The 80’s had its ups and downs with some really wonderful contributions to the genre, but also strange additions,such as, heavy metal horror! I’d pretty much moved away from the horror genre by this time, and have no recollections of this, but apparently ‘Splatterpunk’ was a pretty big movement in the mid-eighties.

But, that movement seemed to fade as quickly as hair metal with the onset of the nineties, as did the horror genre as we knew it.

These old horror novels look cheesy, and many are obviously dated, but if you read some of the blurbs, you will see many of them are classics now, and spawned all manner of trends, and influenced many others along the way. They are lurid, gross, often politically incorrect, and misogynist on more than one occasion, but were also groundbreaking. They, also, were a reflection of the era in which they were written, tapping in on real fears, worries, or in some cases, setting off periods of real panic.


But, in the end, the slasher genre won out over killer sharks, haunted houses, creepy kids, and Satan. The name of the game is buckets of blood and revolting gore, without much originality to the plot, which is when I stepped off the horror novel train.

These days, horror is a hard sell for me. On a rare occasion, I’ll try a ghost story or a haunted house novel, or a good vampire novel, as long as the vampire doesn't sparkle, although those seem far and few between these days, or I might settle in for a Stephen King thriller, once in a while.

But, I do have old favorites I read at Halloween, always returning to the tried and true. But, after picking up this book, maybe I can find a few hidden gems from the past to satisfy any lingering craving for a good old -fashioned chiller.

Overall, the author did a terrific job with the organization of this book, deftly adding in well- timed, laugh out loud humor, and his enthusiasm was obvious, and a little catchy.

This is a fun, informative, entertaining, and well researched book, that will appeal to fans of the horror genre, paperback book collectors, or maybe even to those who enjoy nostalgia or pop culture.

5 stars

[Jack Tripper · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lifelong fan and collector of horror fiction, I've been waiting for a book like this to come along for years. There have been several books of literary criticism focusing on horror boom-era works, but nothing really that included the trashier side of the genre, and definitely nothing with the wealth of gloriously gaudy cover art (much of it contributed by Will Errickson of Too Much Horror Fiction) featured here.

Because it covers such a wide range, Hendrix only goes fully in-depth on a handful of authors and books, focusing mostly on paperback originals as opposed to the bigger names. He divides the chapters by trend: evil kids, haunted houses, Satan, gothics, creature features, splatterpunk, etc, and the tone is light and humorous throughout. Some of Hendrix's plot synopses are ridiculous and hysterical, and I'm glad he included info on many of the prominent cover artists of the era, who never really got their due back in the day. I found it interesting that the artists were sometimes paid much more handsomely than the authors, as the covers were what first caught the prospective reader's eye.



My only complaint is that the book perhaps focuses TOO much on the trashier side. Now I love me some schlocky B-horror when done well, but I was slightly disappointed to find little or no mention of weird fiction authors like Ligotti, T.E.D. Klein, Lisa Tuttle, Fritz Leiber, Karl Edward Wagner, and Aickman, all of whom had highly influential works (with great paperback covers) published during the horror boom. Even perennial bestseller Peter Straub gets only a passing mention (same goes for Koontz and Saul, but you won't see me complaining in those cases, no offense). I suppose enough has already been written on them for the most part, and Hendrix chose to highlight the forgotten books.*

I was glad to see that Hendrix devoted a lot of ink to Brian McNaughton, Elizabeth Engstrom, Ken Greenhall and Michael McDowell, four unjustly overlooked writers in their time who are now finally getting their due thanks in part to Will Errickson's excellent blog, this book, and, in the latter two cases, the recent reissues of their works by Valancourt Books. Other authors featured prominently (meaning at least a full page devoted to them or a work of theirs) include Guy N. Smith (Crabs books), VC Andrews, Graham Masterton, James Herbert, Stephen Gresham (The Shadow Man), Bari Wood (The Tribe), Ramsey Campbell, Anne Rice, Rex Miller (Slob), Judi Miller (Phantom of the Soap Opera), David J. Schow, Mendal W. Johnson (Let's Go Play at the Adams'), and John Coyne. Funny that more words are devoted to each of them than to Stephen King (though again, plenty has already been written about him, and rightfully so).

Oh and I guess there is one more negative about this book. Many of these books are going to suddenly become a LOT harder for me to find. But I suppose it's worth it if it brings more attention to some of these lost gems (and turds).

*ETA: Actually I see that Will Errickson does touch on a few of these authors in his afterword, and a couple others are briefly discussed in the appendices. No Ligotti or Aickman, though. Maybe in Vol. 2 (hint, hint)?

4.5 Stars

[Dave Edmunds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initial Thoughts

I'm a self confessed horror lover and not ashamed to admit it. I grew up watching those classic Hammer House of Horror movies during the 1980's before moving on to Halloween , Nightmare on Elm Street and the like. Crazy days! Then I moved on to trying the literary format but reading just wasn't my thing back then. What the hell was wrong with me? I just lacked any form of patience. I blame video games!

But times change and now there isn't anything more pleasurable to me than the written word. Not even a night with Megan Fox. But unfortunately for me the popularity of horror books has took a massive nose dive after it's hayday in the 70s and 80s and it seems to have died a cold, bloody death. Even Stephen King has moved on to writing crime fiction. What is actually going on? Are we living in an alternate reality or something?

But it's time to take a step back in time and relive that nostalgia with fellow horror afectionado Grady Hendrix and his intimate look at the horror explosion in the 70s and it's eventual demise in the 90s.



Now don't get me wrong. There is still a market for horror fiction. But it's nothing like it was back in those days, when publishers were pumping out book after blood filled book. And reading this tome certainly demonstrates that. Reading it made me think back to when I regularly checked out my local bookshop for its massive horror section. Those were the days!

The Review

Now what you need to understand is this isn't a complete history of horror fiction. You won't find sections dedicated to Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley or HP Lovecraft if that's what your looking for. This is solely focused on that 'golden age' for the scary stuff. And Hendrix goes through it in fine and glorious detail from the bestsellers, like The Exorcist and Jaws, to the absolutely bizzare like The Black Exorcist and The Little People. That last one is a sordid tale of nazi dwarves...because who doesn't want to read about that?



This author's writing is witty and funny, while also being informative. And delves deep into all sorts of areas. Like how things were handled by the publishing industry, jumping on certain trends and milking it for all it's worth. There's also a depth of social commentary as Hendrix looks at what the masses were afraid of at particular points in time. Ranging from infectious diseases to satanic cults.



But the absolute star of the show here is page after page of glorious covers with some fantastic and some hilarious artwork on display. And that's why, hand on heart, I just can't recommend the Kindle version...even if it's on offer for 99p. Don't be a scrooge like me and do yourself a favour. Stump up the cash for that hardcopy. I'm tempted to do the same as it really is something you could keep going back to. Almost like book porn!

Final Thoughts

What's left to say apart from that this book felt like it was written for me. And if you're a fan of horror, particularly from the 70s and 80s, it'll be the same for you.

One word of warning though. Having read this, you’ll be scouring that Internet for all the titles listed within. Especially that one about Nazi dwarves! It's certainly inspired me to do the same.

All the stars for Paperbacks from Hell.

Thanks for reading and...cheers!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Posted at Shelf Inflicted

This book was fantastic!

It covers horror fiction from the 70’s through the 80’s, with a little glimpse of the early 90’s.

Eight easy-to-read chapters with clever titles like “Hail, Satan,” “When Animals Attack,” “Creepy Kids,” and “Real Estate Nightmares,” explore different themes within the horror genre and the cultural anxieties prevalent at the time these books were written.

The writing was light, humorous, informative and imbued with a deep love for the horror genre.

“Sometimes a firm spanking is enough to drive the Devil out of a teenager, but usually they have to be shot in the face. Dogs are good and often form armies to assist humans fighting Satan, whereas cats can go either way.”

Back in the 70’s and early 80’s, I was still attending church regularly, so you can imagine how conflicted I felt reading books about the Devil. They were fun and addictive and I had to be resourceful about finding good hiding places for them so the evil eyes on the covers wouldn’t terrify my grandmother. I got bored with them quickly, though, and later on had more fun reading about creepy kids and nature going wild.

Some of the covers in “Real Estate Nightmares” look very familiar. I’m sure those books graced my shelves at one time, yet I have no memory of reading them. Which is surprising, really, since high crime and good friends leaving for the safer suburbs was a huge concern of mine. Then Bernard Goetz expressed the rage felt by New Yorkers tired of crime by shooting four thugs who wanted to rob him. My dad and I proclaimed him a hero, while my mom and brother felt he may have overreacted. By the time the crime rate plummeted in the city, I was already gone.

I appreciate the high quality of this book and plan to buy a copy to keep on the coffee table. It has a durable cover, thick pages and eye-catching, colorful images. This brought back a lot of pleasant memories for me and makes me want to seek out the titles I haven’t read and reread the ones I enjoyed.

Here’s the list I’m aiming to read before I die:

The Little People
Childmare
Prissy
Kate's house
Smart As The Devil
✔Let's Go Play At The Adams' ★★★★★
Halo
Such Nice People
The Sibling
Elizabeth
The Voice Of The Clown
A Glow of Candles and Other Stories
The Rats
Slither
✔Squelch ★★
Taurus
The Long Dark Night
The Haven
Killer
Eat Them Alive
Blight
Gwen, In Green
Cherron
The Auctioneer
Maynard's House
A Manhattan Ghost Story
Fort Privilege
Rooftops
Cellars
Death Tour
Night Train
Our Lady Of Darkness
The Mesmerist
Nightblood
When Darkness Loves Us
Obelisk
Feast
The Kill Riff

[Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

An overview of '70s and '80s horror fiction, full of pictures of book covers and commentary of the funny, campy and horrific books that marked a new publishing genre and filled the shelves in those decades of horror fiction publication.

The books they've decided to highlight from during this period are a lot of the main ones that we all know, but also a fair bunch of obscure ones I've never heard of and they go onto detail of what they're about - and due to this I've stacked some books onto my TBR.

Don't know how long it took to compile and create this book but I will say something, it has definitely been researched and thought out well.

A must read for fans of horror fiction and collectors.

[LTJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction” by Grady Hendrix is truly an amazing reading experience. It’s an in-depth look at the history of horror from the golden decades of the 70s and 80s. This is a very informative read for horror enthusiasts all over the globe that either want the nostalgia of remembering these classics or want to learn about what helped make the genre what it is today.

I loved how “Paperbacks from Hell” has all sorts of amazing book cover graphics while reading to add another fun layer of immersion, especially when seeing the original covers of my favorite horror books and authors. It was also fantastic to see early concepts and never-before-seen drawings of book covers.

As I kept reading this, I truly felt like I was having a conversation with Hendrix over a cup of coffee discussing the history of horror from these two decades. LoL his dark humor is hilarious all throughout as that was a nice way to not only talk about these horror classics but put his thoughts on why they were important and controversial at the time.

Thanks to this book, I added some horror classics I’ve yet to read which I’m looking forward to. That’s another reason to read this as I’m very confident you’ll find a few books to add that will be worth reading. I’m going to buy “Rosemary’s Baby” by Ira Levin, “The Exorcist” by William Peter Blatty, “The Other” by Thomas Tryon, “The Omen” by David Seltzer, and “When Darkness Loves Us” by Elizabeth Engstrom.

These books all caught my attention and if it wasn’t for “Paperbacks from Hell” I wouldn’t have thought to add them. Some I’ve heard of before but never read and a few I’ve never heard of at all so that’ll be nice to add to my TBR. Now, something to note, this is fine to read on a Kindle but it looks so much better in color on either the Kindle app on mobile devices or a Kindle Fire.

I say that because to truly appreciate all the incredible book cover art you’ll find in this book, it’s best to read it on any of those. It makes a huge difference and once I noticed on my Kindle Paperwhite this book has a ton of book covers, I switched to the Kindle app on my iPhone and it was an even better reading experience.

Also, be mindful that this book does contain spoilers to all those 70s and 80s horror classics as you get through it. I’d recommend skimming through anything you might want to read so when you get to them, you’ll be genuinely surprised. I also loved how Hendrix discussed the whole “Satanic Panic” of the 80s and referenced a few of my favorite metal bands. I love Cannibal Corpse and Megadeth so that was awesome to see them mentioned \m/

This book just checks all the boxes for me to truly see all the incredible horror subgenres spawned during the 70s and 80s. Hendrix did a phenomenal job breaking all that down from demons, slashers, splatterpunk, animals, serial killers, and more. You get to see the best of the best in all these horror subgenres and who knows, it might help you discover genres you’ve never even heard of or considered giving a shot until now.

I give “Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction” a perfect 5/5 as this should be a staple in any horror reader's collection. Not only is it a trip down memory lane, but it serves as a reminder of how important these horror classics were in the 70s and 80s to help make horror what it is today. It’s always good to give horror classics a read or even a re-read since so many masterpieces were written back then, it’s crazy. I’m so happy that not only did I enjoy the hell out of this book but have added five new books to my TBR thanks to it. Hendrix is an amazing author and I loved how he wrote this to put these incredible horror classics in the forefront once again.

[Gerhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The lesson horror teaches us is that everything dies. The horror fiction boom of the 1970s and ’80s became roadkill on the superhighway of the ’90s. Authors disappeared, cover artists found new outlets, and this publishing Titanic hit an iceberg, split apart, and released its cargo into the cold, dark waters to wash up on the shores of thrift stores and used paperback emporiums for years to come.

There is such a genuine love and enthusiasm for his subject matter that when you start reading this book, it is almost impossible to stop. I had a lazy Saturday vegetating after a hectic work week, so was able to basically lay on the couch undisturbed and devour this in a single day. (Any reader will know how rare and wonderful such an opportunity is, when time and book click for a truly serendipitous reading experience.)

While I know a lot of the writers and books referenced by Grady Hendrix, many were new to me. These range from mildly intriguing to batshit crazy, which means my already overpopulated ‘to read’ list is about to get a whole new neighbourhood.

Hendrix’s approach to his subject matter is best illustrated by his first mention of ‘The Little People’ by John Christopher, featuring creatures called the Gestapochauns, who “live in the dark, battling their ancient rat enemies with teeny bullwhips.”

Shortly after we meet them, the author lets us know these are not just any Nazi leprechauns. These are psychic Nazi leprechauns who enjoy S&M, are covered with scars from pleasure/pain sessions with their creator, were trained as sex slaves for full-sized human men, and are actually stunted fetuses taken from Jewish concentration camp victims. And one of them is named Adolph.

If that does not make you want to read this book straightaway, then it is probably not for you. Hendrix gives highly entertaining plot synopses of all the books he mentions and potted author histories (apparently, he read four a day for three months during his research period, which must have really fried his brain.)

What is also interesting about ‘The Little People’ is that it has a cover illustration by Hector Garrido, which Hendrix describes as “the Mona Lisa of paperback covers.” Now this is one aspect I knew little about, the craft and history of book-cover artists, and we get a full selection of wonderful cover reproductions (some original versions reproduced here for the first time) and fascinating insights into the men and women who laboured over these works of art in the days before Photoshop.

A lot of these covers are from the personal collection of Will Errickson, who runs the blog TooMuchHorrorFiction.blogspot.com, which is well worth checking out after you have read this. (Errickson contributes an insightful Afterword entitled ‘Recommended Reading’, where he makes the invaluable point that “Writers I dug in their 80s heyday are even more enjoyable as an older, more experienced reader.”)

So, even if Stephen King is your only experience with horror, or you at least know who Guy N. Smith and James Herbert are, there is something for everyone in this treasure trove. It will evoke fond memories of demented reading experiences, and also a lot of curiosity about some fantastic books that have become lost to the public consciousness in the mists of time.

We know we can’t make these authors famous again. We know we can’t give their titles another chance at the best-seller list. We can’t be certain that anyone is reading these books anymore. But we can hope. Because after all the monsters have flown away, hope is what’s left at the bottom of the box.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have any affinity to those old " horror"paperbacks published from the 1960's to the early 1990's then this book is a must have for you. And what a perfect time of the year to spend some time dwelling through these pages featuring some covers and plot synopsis of these spine tingling books.

With "Paperbacks from Hell: A History of Horror Fiction from the '70s and '80s" Grady Hendrix makes the trip down horrible publishing lane a joy and a treat. There are also a few laughs, something every horror fan can enjoy, plus the author's enthusiasm toward the subject is infectious.

If you are just delving into this genre of literature one will find some excellent cover scans, a nice index of publishes and cover artists to help celebrate this spooky time of the year. Mr. Hendrix attempts to follow the trends of Horror publishing through those years.

The only complaint I would have relates to the size of the cover images. They are just too small. My wish would be to put larger images of the book covers into this history of the world of horror as represented here.

If you need motivation to haunt any of those used book stores left, then this book will inspire you to spend whatever lunch money that is left in your pocket to spend on these treasures.

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you a horror book lover?!

Do you love to read books about a priest that’s possessed by a demon?
A serial killer trying to stab someone in the middle of night?
Do you love gothic and haunted houses?
Creepy kids and they're carrying a knife?
Porcelain dolls with glass eyes that watch you move around the room?
How about some demented clowns just trying to make a living as a carnie?!



Look no further then reading, Paperbacks From Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction by Grady Hendrix.

The amount of research that Hendrix goes into with this book is fantastic. I was blown away by the amount of '70s and '80s horror books that are in this book. I haven’t heard of half of them, much less read them. I actually got quite a few good recommendations while reading this book.

The kick ass cover art that’s in this book is also wonderful. I loved looking at all the book covers and information about the artists that gave us some of these gems.









Seriously, I could keep posting great book covers but you should just go read this and discover them for youself.
The writing is well put together, imaginative and funny. I love how each section was put together with different horror genres, such as animals attacking, demon possession, haunted houses, aliens to so much more!

Yeah, this was fun to read!! Go check it out!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never realized how bat-shit crazy the 70's/80's paperback boom and then bust was. Now I do. And Grady is funny, doesn't pull any punches, nor does he hold back on praise when he deems it warranted, which generally went toward many of the cover artists. It was wonderful hearing their stories as well as the books' stories.

Loved, loved, loved this book.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the coolest book I have read in a long time!

It brought back so many memories of when I was younger and I would delve through the thrift stores looking for horror books to sink my teeth into. The covers of those books always drew my attention more than the stories. The spookier the better!

The author did an awesome job of putting this book together for all horror fans as he researched from the beginning of the horror era.

I could not put this book down and after reading it, I have to go back into the book to make a list of horror authors from days gone by. I will definitely be seeking out the older books as I would love to revisit those memories from the past. Five stars for this one!

[Cameron Chaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine you are in a used bookshop. It’s dimly lit, obviously, with dusty tomes creating houses on the floor perfect for guests of the smaller variety. Rats? Possibly. Evil Nazi leprechauns? That’s crazy talk! But do watch your step… just to be safe. As you venture further, you say to yourself “I should turn back. All the new releases are in the shop’s front window, baking in the sun. I have no business with these musty old things. Yuck!” But you continue anyway, pulled by the essence of some unseen force. Unseen, that is, until your eyes rest on a spinny rack of used paperbacks. It holds a copy of The Devil’s Cat by William W. Johnstone. And Spawn by Shaun Hutson. And you can’t look away. You’re transfixed by their grotesque covers as you realize there are more horrors to be discovered aside from the R. L. Stine and Point Horror novels you read as a teen. With this revelation, the floor splits open and you cascade into the hells of the horror publishing boom of the ‘70s and ‘80s. You are nosediving into… the Paperbacks from Hell !



This is (kinda) what happened to horror author Grady Hendrix when he discovered a copy of The Little People by John Christopher at a convention. This book alone kick-started a passion project to chronicle the history of these long forgotten works of *cough* literature. Fast-forwarding some years later, we have Paperbacks from Hell, the new nonfiction offering from Grady Hendrix. It stands as the ultimate encyclopedia of these often times trashy, occasionally impressive, but always entertaining horrors from beyond grave.



This book comes complete with publisher histories, author and artist bios, shocking book synopses, and hundreds of ghoulish full-color book covers that would make your grandma's book club protest outside the local Barnes & Noble. You’re a couple decades too late, Granny! Although these books made a killing (pun so intended) when they hit bookstore shelves in the ‘70s and ‘80s, they slowly fizzled out in the early 1990s. Many paperbacks were disposed of while others were shelved away in used bookstores, waiting for someone like Grady to dust them off and pull them out of the darkness.



Because the authors and illustrators of these books are mostly unknown by contemporary readers, not much information about them exists on the internet. For this reason Grady dug deep, reading hundreds of paperbacks and interviewing many people who worked in the publishing industry at the time. The information here is fascinating, drawing a map of what the industry was like at the time, with its hits and misses, ups and downs, and reoccurring trends that spelled dollar signs.



Aside from this history lesson, the plots of these books that Hendrix chose to feature are entertaining and jaw-dropping on every level. They range from mildly spoopy to downright absurd. But not boring! Never boring. Sure, your standard haunted houses and serial killers make the list, but let’s not forget the highly intelligent mobs of killer crabs, telekinetic unborn babies that will literally blow your mind, and, yes, even evil Nazi leprechauns. ‘Cuz why not?



Paperbacks from Hell is beautifully formatted, providing all the information in a well-organized, compulsively readable fashion. It resembles a textbook but is never a chore to read. The paper is thick and glossy, the scans of the book covers reveal every brushstroke, the layout is convenient, and the sources are nicely cited. There is even an afterward by Will Errickson, manager of the Too Much Horror Fiction blog, which is where a lot of horror fans first discovered these wonderfully trashy books.



Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks from Hell is a ghastly emporium of the bizarre. It truly casts a spell, leaving a trail of Halloween candy that will take readers far beyond anything they knew existed. I mean, evil Nazi leprechauns… c’mon! It is recommended to horror fans and publishing aficionados alike. It is available on September 19, 2017.

YOU CAN SEE MY VIDEO REVIEW HERE!

[Glenn Sumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a library copy of this book about the rise of cheesy horror paperbacks in the 70s and 80s, but now, gosh darnit, I wish I owned a copy.

It would make the perfect coffee table book, something to occasionally leaf through, chuckle over and think on. And it would be a great conversation starter for guests (Nazi leprechauns! Man-eating crabs!) Plus: the physical quality of the book is outstanding: gorgeous full-colour illustrations, nice size and weight, thick stock, sturdy spine.

I actually remember seeing some of these gaudy tomes displayed on racks in… can it be… grocery stores? (They likely wouldn’t have got much shelf room in “respectable” indie or chain bookstores.)

Author Grady Hendrix does a terrific job in placing the popularity of cheap mass market horror paperbacks in a social, and literary, context.

The phenomenal success of books like Rosemary’s Baby, The Other and The Exorcist ushered in scores of imitators, and Hendrix – who’s also a novelist, having penned the books Horrorstör (a ghost story set at an Ikea!) and My Best Friend’s Exorcism – entertainingly guides us through each bloody trend.

There are chapters on everything from satanic possession and cults (many books inspired by the Manson murders and subsequent trials) to creepy kids/animals and haunted houses. Basically the horror trend died out when The Silence Of The Lambs spawned a taste for serial killer stories.

While Hendrix has a clever way with plot synopses – there are genuine LOL moments on every page - what I appreciated most were his insights into the publishing world and the frank assessments of individual writers, illustrators and artists. There are informative sidebars on some of the genre’s most successful authors, examining their obsessions, themes, their writing style, and how they cranked out their books.

He’s also very thorough on cover artists, making you appreciate an illustrator’s signature look by comparing various dust jackets. (My guilty pleasure: those books with laminated cover cutouts, or insets, say, of a head, which become totally horrific when you turn the cover and see the full image inside.)

While I was unfamiliar with most names in the book except William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist), Ira Levin (Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives), Robin Cook (Coma), Peter Benchley (Jaws) and Anne Rice (Interview With The Vampire), there are other writers included like Joy Fielding (who’s since disowned one of her genre efforts) and Dan Simmons. I meant to keep a running list of books to look up, but again, I’m sure most are out of print and not available in libraries.

This took me longer to read than I expected. While there are lots of illustrations, it’s no mere flip-book. The writing is smart and sharp and deserves to be savoured.

Highly recommended for genre lovers.

[Cameron Chaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a reread for me. I read the ARC before it came out, the finished copy a few months later, and now I have listened to the audiobook too. Damn, this is just such a fun read. Five stars forever!

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come! Jesus Christ on a cracker, what a ride!

I actually gasped out loud when I saw this was on the Audible Plus catalogue. Last time I checked, there was nothing. I'm going to put everything else on pause and start with this.

My favourite abstracts of pulp fiction thus far:

1)Sade-masochistic, tiny Nazi leprechauns that live for hedonism

2)Little girl and her stuffed clown kill her step mom because she doesn't want...to go to first grade.

3)One of the purveyors of splatterpunk, a niche genre of horror that aspires to be as gory as possible for the sake of being gory, was a trans man, is pretty metal.

[inciminci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild. And a little overwhelming.
How am I going to read all the books I want to read mentioned here?

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction is a book I purchased (used) to stock my first proper bookshelf with my new apartment. Published in 2017, this 249-page big book with color art and criticism in many subgenres of horror is a fine one for the '80s kid to keep around the house. It was my introduction to Grady Hendrix and if I had to guess, I'd presume Hendrix provided a lot of the class wit and writerly panache, while his co-author Will Errickson was the archivist who'd actually read every horror novel of the '70s and '80s and is able to provide background.

This book delivers exactly as promised--a wild and informative dive into '70s and '80s horror fiction--but halfway through, I did start thinking about Ken Burns documentaries. We all have our limit for the amount of creepy kids, ferocious animals, vampires, demons or killer dolls we can process in one sitting--complete with illustrations--and I needed to visit Yellowstone National Park to give myself a break. Hendrix and Errickson don't pretend all of these titles were great, but neither do they Mystery Science Theater all of them with ridicule. Several authors get their due with magnanimous tributes, particularly to Cleo Virginia "V.C." Andrews.

-- Between April 1967 and December 1973, everything changed.

In a little more than five years, horror fiction became fit for adults, thanks to three books. Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby, Thomas Tryon's The Other, and William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist were the first horror novels to grace Publishers Weekly's annual best-seller list since Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca in 1938. And except for three book by Peter "Jaws" Benchley, they'd be the only horror titles on that list until Stephen King's The Dead Zone in 1979. All three spawned movies and, most important, set the tone for the next two decades of horror publishing.



-- Subtlety and understatement are not words normally associated with a genre whose covers feature skeleton cheerleaders and hog-tied babysitters, but those qualities are the hallmarks of the six books written by Ken Greenhall (including two under the pseudonym Jessica Hamilton). His characters sit down across from you and tell you their stories in measured, reasonable tones. Greenhall writes about animal attacks, witchcraft, serial killers, human sacrifice--and of course, homicidal children--without ever raising his voice.



-- Despite Jackson's iconic The Haunting of Hill House, Matheson's go-for-broke Hell House, Anne Rivers Siddons's beautifully disturbing The House Next Door, and even Marasco's pioneering Burnt Offerings, the unfortunate fact remains that America's most iconic haunted house is the title property from The Amityville Horror. Crass, commercial minded, grandiose, ridiculous, this carnival barker's idea of a haunted house is a shame-train of stupid.



-- It all started with Robin Cook and his novels: Fever, Outbreak, Mutation, Shock, Seizure ... terse nouns splashed across paperback racks. And just when you thought you had Cook pegged, he adds an adjective: Fatal Cure, Acceptable Risk, Mortal Fear, Harmful Intent. An ophthalmologist as well as an author, Cook has checked eyes and written best sellers with equal frequency. He's best known for Coma (1977), the source of the medical thriller Nile.



Its heroine, Susan Wheeler, is one of those beautiful, brilliant medical students who's constantly earning double takes from male colleagues or looking in the mirror and wondering if she's a doctor or a woman--and why can't she be both, dammit? On her first day as a trainee at Boston Memorial, she settles on "woman" and allows herself to flirt with an attractive patient on his way into a routine surgery. They make a date for coffee, but something goes wrong on the table and he goes into ... a COMA!

-- As the series progressed and Rice's fortunes changed, so did her vampire's voice. Lestat wasn't a whiner. He was a rock star. Rice, who was born Howard Allen O'Brien and once described herself as a gay man trapped in a woman's body, said that with Lestat she was writing not about who she was, but who she wanted to be. This switch to a more proactive and fearless character not only matched where the author was in her life, but it was also a shrewd move that made the sequel a hit.



Paperbacks from Hell shows its heart and true character with a short chapter on the Dungeon & Dragons roleplaying game paranoia of the early '80s, which mainstream author Rona Jaffe exploited with Mazes and Monsters ("It turns out the only monster in this book is ill-informed writing," pens Hendrix). Horror fiction or heavy/death metal music fans--some of the nicest and friendliest fans I've met--will note the contempt toward Reagan era Tipper Gore types hysterical that games, books or music were endangering American children. I'd wager the weird loner kids turned out more well-adjusted than ones hanging out in packs at the mall.



For those who've already had a bit too much of horror fiction today, here's a photo of Yellowstone National Park to mellow out to.

[Jeff Strand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book filled me with an urgent need to read every '80s horror paperback in existence, so I guess it did its job. As a reader, I was a bit late to the game, getting really into the non-King/Koontz stuff around the Dell Abyss era, so though I have a solid working knowledge of the horror paperback boom, this book covered plenty of books I'd never heard of. A thoroughly entertaining look back at an era most horror fans wish had never ended.

[Sarah Ellen (in a slump) * and quite the curmudgeon as of late* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the only thing anyone wants out of a review of this book is to know whether it is a stinker or if it delivers on its promise of being absolutely fantastic.
Right? Because oh the promise of a book about the whacked out and truly beautiful horror paperbacks of the 1970’s and 80’s 💕 *swoon*
Grady Hendrix delivers.
Yeah ba-by! Witty prose, thick glossy paper, salacious details, info dumping about your special interest, and pictures! Pictures!! PICTURES!!!

[Michael Jandrok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone that knows me also knows that I simply cannot resist a book sale. I can sniff ‘em out anywhere...garage sales...library sales...thrift stores….sidewalk sales….Goodwill….chances are good that if I am out shopping somewhere I will manage to find a book or two to add to my massive “to be read” pile.

It is also well known that I have a weakness for grungy old paperbacks of just about any genre. That said, my fascination with vintage paperbacks TENDS towards science-fiction, adventure, westerns, sleaze, and horror. When I was young and growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, I had amassed quite a collection of paperbacks. But time and an old girlfriend or two whittled that number down to just a few holdovers. I have spent a lot of time over the last few years rebuilding my paperback library, recovering old favorites and discovering new gems. This effort to discover and rediscover new frontiers has led me to a few publications that have been helpful to me, in particular “The Paperback Fanatic” and “The Sleazy Reader.” Both of these independently-published magazines have added a lot of depth and fun to the chase. They not only feature a lot of great articles and reviews, but they both print a TON of full-color and B&W cover photos of the books they highlight. I can’t begin to tell you what a great resource that is.

With all that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there was an entire BOOK on the market dedicated to the high art of collecting horror paperbacks from the over-the-top golden era of the 1970s and 1980s. Grady Hendrix’s “Paperbacks From Hell: The Twisted History of ‘70s and ‘80s Horror Fiction” is indeed that book, and it’s a wild roller-coaster ride through a couple of decades that helped to define and expand mass-market paperback horror publishing for an entire generation.

Hendrix’s introduction should tell you all you really need to know about what you are in store for. Starting with author John Christopher’s “The Little People,” a hard-to-find classic featuring a chilling story of an Irish bed & breakfast where the guests are terrorized by a fiendish group of Nazi leprechauns. Psychic Nazi leprechauns. Psychic Nazi leprechauns with an affinity for S&M and whips. And one of them is named Adolph. And that’s not the most outlandish plot featured in this book. With a rollicking start like that, it quickly becomes apparent as to exactly what you are in for as you explore this book.

Broken up into 8 horrifying chapters, Hendrix attacks his subject matter with all of the deft precision of someone wielding a Texas chainsaw. And I mean that in a good way. Each chapter presents a different segment of the paperback horror publishing market, delivered with a healthy dose of good humor and fun. You also get a massive amount of full-color cover reproductions, in the grand tradition of “Paperback Fanatic” and “Sleazy Reader.” A large number of the cover images were provided by Will Errickson, who wrote the afterword for this volume. Hendrix also includes an appendix that gives short biographies of selected authors and publishing houses and their associated paperback imprints.

Chapter One: “Hail, Satan” - Beginning with the landmark publication of “Rosemary’s Baby” and the even bigger landmark of “The Exorcist,” Hendrix takes us on a whirlwind tour of the devilish doings that were landing pell mell on the racks at K-Mart and your favorite local grocery or drug store. Satan was big business, and any author that could churn out a tale smelling like brimstone could find a place on the shelf. There are some great titles featured here, including a few that I read back in the day such as “The Sentinel” and “The Other.” But the real finds here are the blaxploitation Satan nation novel “The Black Exorcist” and author Brian McNaughton’s pornographic and creepy “Satan’s” series, beginning with the aptly titled “Satan’s Love Child.”

Chapter Two: “Creepy Kids” - Children in peril made for great horror material in the ‘70s and ‘80s, as the market saw a slew of tales with dangerous juveniles with titles like “Seed of Evil” and “The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane.” Satanic possession was still a plot device, led by the success of the “Omen” series, but the pick of the litter in this chapter is “Let’s Go Play at the Adams’,” a truly creepy tale of amoral and senseless violence written by Mendal W. Johnson. Be careful taking those babysitting jobs, kids.

Chapter Three: “When Animals Attack” - Daphne du Maurier may have begun the animalistic horror theme back in 1963 with “The Birds,” but it took the publication of “Jaws” back in the early 1970s to give the genre its teeth. There are a ton of great titles to found with various animal threats featuring bears, whales, dogs, cats, pigs, even sinister rabbits, all hungry for human flesh. But the most fear-inducing terrors to be found in this chapter, by far, are….CRABS! That’s right, CRABS! Believe me when I tell you that there is nothing scarier than demonic crabs clickety-clacking their way into your deepest nightmares.

Chapter Four: “Real Estate Nightmares” - Haunted abodes galore, beginning with a novel that was actually pretty good, Robert Marasco’s “Burnt Offerings.” Thomas Tryon’s “Harvest Home” was also on the high side, but a lot of the literature here is of the derelict kind. Most of these books were definitely low-rent, but you should try and seek out Fritz Lieber’s “Our Lady of Darkness” for a cerebral and original take on the haunted real estate theme.

Chapter Five: “Weird Science” - The success of Robin Cook’s “Coma” started a craze in medical thrillers that tended to eschew supernatural frights in favor of crazed experiments and sinister doctors. The real revelation in this chapter is the popularity of computer-themed frights. Personal home computers were an exciting new novelty back in the 1980s, and the new machines invading our homes and lives were low-hanging fruit for horror writers looking for a new angle on old potboilers. You really need to go back to 1969 to find the best of all of the science-thriller sagas, Michael Crichton’s excellent “The Andromeda Strain.”

Chapter Six: “Gothic and Romantic” - V. C. Andrews created a cottage industry of books dealing with captivity, psychological terror, and incest, but it took Anne Rice and her sensual take on the vampire myth to send gothic horror to the top of the bestseller lists. Sensual and erotic vampires sold big to a largely female audience, but astute readers would be smart to seek out Michael McDowell’s six-volume “Blackwater” series for a different and earthy iteration of true gothic horror.

Chapter Seven: “Inhumanoids” - Aliens, swamp monsters, and literal walking skeletons make for a scary stew of sensational sagas, but it was apparent that American Indian legends provided a wellspring of aboriginal ideas for horror writers in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The book I personally remember the most from this era is Graham Masterson’s “The Manitou,” which was made into a terrifically bad movie starring a really old and really bored Tony Curtis. Masterson would go on to produce a number of squeamish and lunatic books that took horror to places that it didn’t need to go, but once they got there were kind of fun anyway. “Feast,” Masterson’s 1988 tale of cannibal cults, is one that shouldn’t be missed.

Chapter Eight: “Splatterpunks, Serial Killers, and Supercreeps” - In the 1980s, the Satanic Panic scared the bejesus out of parents as their kids got swept away by backwards-masked messages on heavy-metal albums and bad drugs. It seemed like the Dark Lord had gotten a foothold deep into suburbia, and every kid was out looking for tapes and records that had a “parental advisory” sticker slapped on them. Clive Barker entered the conversation as an author of note with his six-volume “Books of Blood” short-story series, but the real action was in serial-killers. Hannibal Lecter made a bit-part appearance in Thomas Harris’s “Red Dragon,” but took center stage for the follow-up book, “The Silence of the Lambs.” Killings began to make the nightly news on a more frequent basis, and America decided that real-life terrors were much worse than ghostly, supernatural spooks.

By THAT time, the big paperback boom in horror had effectively ended, to be replaced on the charts by techno-thrillers and hipster mysteries. Paperbacks became more expensive, authors had to have some sort of “name” to make any dent in sales, and readership for books in general began a long, slow decline. Still, for many of us, that era of horror publishing was sheer gold, producing a number of instant classics and hidden gems. I really can’t recommend this book enough if you have any sort of interest in the subject.

The physical copy of “Paperbacks From Hell” is gorgeous in and of itself. French flaps, thick, quality paper, and those oh-so-much-fun cover reprints in full color make this a must-have for paperback collectors. I think that Grady Hendrix and Quirk Books did a really great job with this edition. It will sit pretty on my shelf and be used as a reference for a long time to come.