Description

Take a wildly entertaining tour through the horror paperback boom of the 1970s and ’80s as Grady Hendrix unearths forgotten authors, bizarre plots, publishing history, and gloriously lurid vintage book covers.

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.

From Satanic children and haunted houses to killer rabbits, murderous moths, flesh-eating Vikings, and other forgotten nightmares, Hendrix charts horror’s evolution through two unforgettable decades with sharp commentary, bizarre plot summaries, publishing history, and an infectious love for the genre.

Packed with over 300 reproductions of outrageous vintage paperback artwork, this richly illustrated celebration is a treasure trove for horror fans, book collectors, pop-culture obsessives, and anyone who believes books really were weirder back then.

An exhaustive retrospective of the golden age of paperback horror novels from the 1970s and 1980s
Trace horror crazes from occult fiction and haunted houses to slashers and killer creatures, as well as the prolific authors of the time
Features over 350 vintage horror novel covers
Includes Grady Hendrix’s recommendations on which novels are worth your time, and which should be allowed to fade into obscurity
A fascinating resource for horror readers, vintage paperback collectors, artists, designers, and publishing-history fans

Descend into two decades of gloriously weird paperback horror and discover the bizarre books and forgotten nightmares that made the era unforgettable.

Publisher Review

One of SFFWorld's Best of the Decade "Pure, demented delight."-The New York Times Book Review "Paperbacks from Hell is as funny as it is engaging."-The Washington Post "The book is a true appreciation of the genre."-Los Angeles Times "Just thumbing through these pages will bring back your youth-and terrify you all over again."-Newsday "A loving examination of lurid pulp book covers from the 1970s and '80s."-Atlas Obscura "Paperbacks from Hell is as wild as its source material."-The A.V. Club "[Paperbacks from Hell] will delight anyone with an interest in horror, design illustration, or the macabre."-Print Magazine "A nostalgic treat."-Playboy Online "You may find yourself trying to stock up on old titles so you can get your fill of gloriously trashy scares."-Bustle "[Hendrix's] love of the genre shines through as he pokes gentle fun at some of the era's more entertaining reads, and speaks with genuine appreciation of other titles whose horrors stand the test of time."-BookRiot More praise for Grady Hendrix: "National treasure Grady Hendrix follows his classic account of a haunted IKEA-like furniture showroom, Horrorstor (2014), with a nostalgia-soaked ghost story, My Best Friend's Exorcism."-The Wall Street Journal, on My Best Friend's Exorcism "Horrorstoer delivers a crisp terror-tale...[and] Hendrix strikes a nice balance between comedy and horror."-The Washington Post, on Horrorstoer "Terrific... Sharply written... [My Best Friend's Exorcism] makes a convincing case for [Hendrix's] powers as a sharp observer of human behavior."-The A.V. Club, on My Best Friend's Exorcism "Hendrix's darkest novel yet will leave readers begging for an encore."-Booklist, starred review, on We Sold Our Souls "Campy. Heartfelt. Horrifying."-Minnesota Public Radio, on My Best Friend's Exorcism "An inventive, hilarious haunted house tale."-Bustle, on Horrorstoer "Clever, heartfelt, and get-under-your-skin unnerving."-Fangoria, on My Best Friend's Exorcism "A good, creepy, music-tinged thriller."-CNET, on We Sold Our Souls