Horror Aficionados discussion

Hello, I've sorta recently been introduced to the Splatterpunk genre and so far i've read Haunted, The Summer I Died, The Bighead, and Survivor. I thought Haunted was pretty boring, which surprised me since everyone says it's the most disturbing piece of literature. The Bighead was just incredibly poor written and, by the end of the novel, I was bored with how predicable it had become. I absolutely loved Survivor and The Summer I Died. Both made me cry because I connected with the main character, their situation, and the decisions they were forced to make. I love reading the threads on this website and I would be beyond grateful if you all could give me some excellent suggestions. Thank you!

So far the light at the end is really good. Everybody considers it the original splatterpunk novel

Also the girl next door is a great novel

The Light at the End is good and Animals is good too. The Light at the End

Animals.
The Girl Next Door is good, but it's not really splatterpunk.
Early Clive Barker works should fit the bill.

I've always seen ketchum be consered a splatterpunk novelist. So thats y I added it. Yes clive barker is deffently splatterpunk. I love the hellbound heart and books of blood 1-3

SLOB by Rex Miller is excellent.
Also try:
CLEAN UP by Skipp & Spector
BOOKS OF BLOOD by Clive Barker
BLOOD RED by James A Moore
CLICKERS by Gonzalez & Keene
THE RISING by Brian Keene
LIVE GIRLS and RAVENOUS by Ray Garton
OFF SEASON by Jack Ketchum
RATINGS GAME by Ryan C Thomas
WOLF TRAP by WD Gagliani

Would other people consider these splatterpunk?

I am going to assume that DRACULAS would be considered splatterpunk? Even if it was not it would still be a kick ass novel.

HA! Draculas is a good suggestion! Friggen balloon animals!

Charlene wrote: "HA! Draculas is a good suggestion! Friggen balloon animals!"

That clown was classic!!

He really was. That book was just plain FUN. : )

Jack wrote: "SLOB by Rex Miller is excellent.
Also try:
CLEAN UP by Skipp & Spector
BOOKS OF BLOOD by Clive Barker
BLOOD RED by James A Moore
CLICKERS by Gonzalez & Keene
THE RISING by Brian Keene
LIVE GIRLS a..."

I don't know whether folks would consider all of those splatterpunk or not, but you named some darn fine novels there.

What would you recommend as the best you've ever read? The Summer I Died was hands-down the best I've ever read.

I haven't read red yet but its a really sad movie

Michael Slade has written a couple of excellent books. I think Wrath James White is a modern splatterpunk writer. John Shirley's short stories. The Book of the Dead is a splatterpunk zombie anthology from Skipp and Spector, there is also an antho called Splatterpunks. David Schow is another of the original splatterpunks. Elizabeth Massie and Charlee Jacob are considered splatterpunks. I consider Robert Devereaux to be modern splatterpunk.
Slob by Rex Miller is great.

I read a few of Michael Slade's back in the day. The only one I really remember though is Ghoul. For a long time that was my favorite horror book.
I think Slade was the pen name for a couple of different people, wasn't he?

Though not many books bout it but wouldnt Friday the 13th be considered Splatterpunk? someone did say it tends to be more bout gore then good quality plot so i thought of all the friday the 13th movies and some books..they are typically all the same in plot but the gore is always intense and sometimes jason always has new innovative ways of killing people. just thought id ask and share that.

Larry wrote: "I've always seen ketchum be consered a splatterpunk novelist. So thats y I added it. Yes clive barker is deffently splatterpunk. I love the hellbound heart and books of blood 1-3"

I'm sure some of Ketchum's work fits the splatterpunk Genre (which I'm not very familiar with), but TGND in particular, is based on fact. If anything, his writing was UNDERestimated!

I totally agree with u tom

Help a Newbie out,someone,what is Splatterpunk? thanks

Coaxial wrote: "Sean wrote: "Help a Newbie out,someone,what is Splatterpunk? thanks"

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splatt..."

Thanks, I love " The Collector " now coming a sequel.Thanks Again.

Most Richard Laymon novels qualify here. And don't give up on Edward Lee. The Bighead was unique and absurd but Lee has a lot of great stuff out there that is vastly different from Bighead. The Black Train is a good one to start with.

Coaxial wrote: "Is anyone else kind of pissed off that Clive Barker refuses to finish/publish The Scarlet Gospels? I so wanted to get all the backstory on Pinhead."

Is it not happening or just being put off until "later?"

Richard Laymon definately splatter punk. I loved One Rainy Night!

Well, he almost died recently didn't he? From some kind of dental problem from what I understand.
I googled it and came up with this:
http://news-briefs.ew.com/2012/02/07/...

I follow him on FB and he posts all the time. So maybe there is still hope?

Man, That's creepy. I passed out last time I got a tooth pulled at the dentist. Evidently, it could have been a lot worse. I guess I also need a new dentist : )

Afraid by JA Konrath. Great novel. One of the fastest paced stories Ive ever read. Full of grue too.

Stephen wrote: "Afraid by JA Konrath. Great novel. One of the fastest paced stories Ive ever read. Full of grue too."

AFRAID by Jack Kilborn (aka JA Konrath) is one of the absolute best novels I've read this year. And, it's definitely splatterpunk.

just read the summer i died, i absolutely LOVED it didnt want it to finish i searched out the book as so many people on here raved about it and i definitely was not disappointed. thanks x

David wrote: "Stephen wrote: "Afraid by JA Konrath. Great novel. One of the fastest paced stories Ive ever read. Full of grue too."

AFRAID by Jack Kilborn (aka JA Konrath) is one of the absolute best novels I'v..."

have you read Endurance - a novel of terror by Kilborn or Serial Killers uncut by Blake Crouch/Jack Kilborn? both very gruesome reads loved them

Sean wrote: "Help a Newbie out,someone,what is Splatterpunk? thanks"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splatter...

gives a good definition x

Kirsty wrote: "David wrote: "Stephen wrote: "Afraid by JA Konrath. Great novel. One of the fastest paced stories Ive ever read. Full of grue too."

AFRAID by Jack Kilborn (aka JA Konrath) is one of the absolute b..."

thanks Kirsty. Yes, I've been trying to find both of those books. I guess I'll have to download them for my Kobo e-reader. I'm old school. Prefer to read a book. But, it seems that all the great stories are easier to get this way. And, a heck of a lot cheaper. I ended up downloading Ketchum's "The Crossings", and Lansdale's "The Bottoms", after not being able to find them. And, my only regret was not doing it sooner.

After reading into it and finding out what splatterpunk is im questioning if some of my dark poetry could be considered splatter punk. The type of poems that a raw theme and just talk about the most utter disgusting and dark bloody tales. hmm...

I for one would like to think that The Scarlet Gospels is still happening. If I'm not mistaken, Barker has made statements on Twitter to that effect, and I see no reason to disbelieve him?

Coaxial wrote: "...And I'm sorry to rant about this. But I've been so excited for so long, that it turned into me shaking my fist at the sky, ranting like I am now."

No, it is definitely understandable. As a fellow huge fan of his work I think I can safely say I have been just as frustrated. I just try to remind myself that I don't know everything that is going on behind the scenes. And I can definitely understand having a slow process, because I have experienced that in my own work.

Regarding the stuff he has penned/edited during the wait for Scarlet Gospels, maybe he thought those works were more compelling, or maybe he thought that they had more of a potential audience and would bring in some cash to keep him going while he worked on the Gospels project, or maybe he had friends telling him that the concepts for the other books were just better. I don't know.

Coaxial wrote: "Robert wrote: "I for one would like to think that The Scarlet Gospels is still happening. If I'm not mistaken, Barker has made statements on Twitter to that effect, and I see no reason to disbeliev..."

When I start thinking along these lines, I remember waiting for TWENTY Years for Sai King to finish the Gunslinger series. That kinda puts it in perspective. Having said that, I *so* wish SG would become a reality.

Man joining this group is paying off. Never heard of splatterpunk before.

C.e. wrote: "Man joining this group is paying off. Never heard of splatterpunk before."

You and me both!

I'm really intrigued and happy to see so many responses from people discovering splatterpunk, since I think it's probably the most exciting movement in horror.

Well, some would say Bizarro is quite an exciting movement as well.
I wouldn't because I've only read a few bizarro books, but I'm just sayin. :)

Okay so can someone give me a definition of Splatterpunk? I know what it is but I was wondering if someone could give me a clear definition of it. I'll try myself here..
Is it a genre of horror that is more about concepts of gore and shock value over plot and characters? Intense dark horror maybe?

Reason I ask is cause my Western Horror that I'm working on contains some rather gory and graphic moments that I was wondering if it could be considered to have "a splash and hint of splatterpunk" and if I could use such a term to describe my book.

From Wiki:
"Splatterpunk—a term coined in 1986 by David J. Schow at the Twelfth World Fantasy Convention in Providence, Rhode Island—refers to a movement within horror fiction distinguished by its graphic, often gory, depiction of violence and "hyperintensive horror with no limits."[1][2] [3] It is regarded as a revolt against the "traditional, meekly suggestive horror story".[4]

Though the term gained some prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, and, as a movement, attracted a cult following, the term "splatterpunk" has since been replaced by other synonymous terms for the genre.[5] The last major commercial endeavor aimed at the Splatterpunk audience was 1995's "Splatterpunks II: Over the Edge," an anthology of short stories which also included essays on horror cinema and an interview with Anton LaVey.
Writers known for writing in this genre include Clive Barker,[6][2] Poppy Z. Brite,[2] Jack Ketchum,[2] Joe R. Lansdale,[2] Richard Laymon,[2] Richard Christian Matheson,[2] Robert McCammon,[2] David J. Schow (described as "the father of splatterpunk" by Richard Christian Matheson), [3] [2] John Skipp,[2] Craig Spector,[2] Edward Lee and A. M. Homes."

As far as I can see no one says that this is done at the expense of the characters or that the characters are not important.

Thanks Charlene, that helps!

I hadn't heard the term splatterpunk until I just saw this thread, but if anyone is looking for something new to try, my novel Shadow Seeker Shadow Seeker seems to qualify. It was reviewed by Tammy K on Goodreads and Amazon.com (under a different name), who thought that it was too graphic. The gore is an integral part of the story, as I wanted to put the reader into the mind of the creature, and to understand its drives and malice, and I didn't want to write a watered-down story.

If you want to try it, it is just a few pence on Amazon Kindle and free as a PDF on Lulu.com. I am also about to publish it as an ebook via Lulu.com on iBookstore and Barnes & Noble in the next few days, and if I can, I will put it out free initially to help to promote it.

I would very much like to know what think of it.

I am reading Dennis coopers frisk, it's like a gay version of American psycho but far more disturbing. not horror but definitely splatter, considering one of the murder scenes. I have never read such perversity, makes de sade a walk in the park.

"The Summer I Died" by Ryan C. Thomas. Not so much bizarro as it is reality (possible) but plenty of pucker (don't ask) value.

rob I have a image of Jamie Oliver stuck in my head Haha

:) // the other end.

I feel like Brian Keene's The Rising fits into this category. Some scenes in that book were over the top.