Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction
Grady Hendrix
(Author)
Description
From the New York Times best-selling author of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires comes a 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.Product Details
Price
$26.99
$25.10
Publisher
Quirk Books
Publish Date
September 19, 2017
Pages
256
Dimensions
7.0 X 0.8 X 9.9 inches | 2.0 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781594749810
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About the Author
Grady Hendrix is an award-winning and New York Times best-selling novelist and screenwriter living in New York City. He is the author of Horrorstör, My Best Friend's Exorcism (which is being adapted into a feature film by Amazon Studios), We Sold Our Souls, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, and The Final Girl Support Group. Grady also authored the Bram Stoker Award-winning nonfiction book Paperbacks from Hell and These Fists Break Bricks: How Kung Fu Movies Swept America and Changed the World.
Reviews
"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 "Terrific...Written with wit and affection, lavishly illustrated with a wide selection of the era's cover art, Paperbacks from Hell was an attempt to reckon with the tidal wave of horror narratives that filled the bookshelves for two decades."--Locus "The ultimate resource for paperback horror novels from the '70s and '80s."--Bloody Disgusting "The very best horror novel reference material on the shelves right now, bar none."--Dread Central "As a reference book, as a celebration, and as an appreciation, it's one of the best books about the horror genre that I've ever had the pleasure to read...This gets my highest possible recommendation."--Blu Gilliand, Cemetery Dance "[A] literary house of horrors."--Houston Chronicle "[Hendrix] approaches 20th century genre fiction with a historian's eye and a comic's sense of humor and timing."--The Oklahoman
"Really fun to flip through if you love kitschy '70s and '80s book culture."--CNET
Praise for We Sold Our Souls:
An NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour Pick
An io9 2018 Fall Preview Pick "Kickass, horrifying, and smart as hell. It certainly earns my two horns up."--Dread Central
"Wild and fun, genuinely terrifying in places, and also somehow heartfelt."--Tor.com "A fast-paced ride, firmly rooted in the pulp horror tradition...Hendrix's darkest novel yet will leave readers begging for an encore."--Booklist, starred review "Hendrix's pulpy love letter to heavy metal music is a gloriously over-the-top scare fest that has hidden depths. Readers will root for Kris all the way to the explosive, poignant finale."--Publishers Weekly
"Horror and humor play off each other in a delicate dance."--Nightmare Magazine
Praise for My Best Friend's Exorcism
"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
"Take The Exorcist, add some hair spray and wine coolers, and enroll it in high school in 1988 -- that'll give you My Best Friend's Exorcism...Campy. Heartfelt. Horrifying."--Minnesota Public Radio
"Clever, heartfelt, and get-under-your-skin unnerving."--Fangoria
"A touching story of high school friendship and, well, demonic possession."--Bloody Disgusting "Terrific...Sharply written...[My Best Friend's Exorcism] makes a convincing case for [Hendrix's] powers as a sharp observer of human behavior, filtered through a fun genre conceit that doesn't skimp on the spooky--or the bodily fluids."--The A.V. Club Praise for Horrorstor
"Horrorstör delivers a crisp terror-tale...[and] Hendrix strikes a nice balance between comedy and horror."--The Washington Post
"Disarming."--The Wall Street Journal
"Hendrix conjures up some wonderfully gruesome imagery."--Nerdist "An inventive, hilarious haunted house tale."--Bustle "If you've ever been frustrated trying to put together furniture from IKEA, you'll get a laugh out of Hendrix's spoof mystery."--New York Post
"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 "Terrific...Written with wit and affection, lavishly illustrated with a wide selection of the era's cover art, Paperbacks from Hell was an attempt to reckon with the tidal wave of horror narratives that filled the bookshelves for two decades."--Locus "The ultimate resource for paperback horror novels from the '70s and '80s."--Bloody Disgusting "The very best horror novel reference material on the shelves right now, bar none."--Dread Central "As a reference book, as a celebration, and as an appreciation, it's one of the best books about the horror genre that I've ever had the pleasure to read...This gets my highest possible recommendation."--Blu Gilliand, Cemetery Dance "[A] literary house of horrors."--Houston Chronicle "[Hendrix] approaches 20th century genre fiction with a historian's eye and a comic's sense of humor and timing."--The Oklahoman
"Really fun to flip through if you love kitschy '70s and '80s book culture."--CNET
Praise for We Sold Our Souls:
An NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour Pick
An io9 2018 Fall Preview Pick "Kickass, horrifying, and smart as hell. It certainly earns my two horns up."--Dread Central
"Wild and fun, genuinely terrifying in places, and also somehow heartfelt."--Tor.com "A fast-paced ride, firmly rooted in the pulp horror tradition...Hendrix's darkest novel yet will leave readers begging for an encore."--Booklist, starred review "Hendrix's pulpy love letter to heavy metal music is a gloriously over-the-top scare fest that has hidden depths. Readers will root for Kris all the way to the explosive, poignant finale."--Publishers Weekly
"Horror and humor play off each other in a delicate dance."--Nightmare Magazine
Praise for My Best Friend's Exorcism
"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
"Take The Exorcist, add some hair spray and wine coolers, and enroll it in high school in 1988 -- that'll give you My Best Friend's Exorcism...Campy. Heartfelt. Horrifying."--Minnesota Public Radio
"Clever, heartfelt, and get-under-your-skin unnerving."--Fangoria
"A touching story of high school friendship and, well, demonic possession."--Bloody Disgusting "Terrific...Sharply written...[My Best Friend's Exorcism] makes a convincing case for [Hendrix's] powers as a sharp observer of human behavior, filtered through a fun genre conceit that doesn't skimp on the spooky--or the bodily fluids."--The A.V. Club Praise for Horrorstor
"Horrorstör delivers a crisp terror-tale...[and] Hendrix strikes a nice balance between comedy and horror."--The Washington Post
"Disarming."--The Wall Street Journal
"Hendrix conjures up some wonderfully gruesome imagery."--Nerdist "An inventive, hilarious haunted house tale."--Bustle "If you've ever been frustrated trying to put together furniture from IKEA, you'll get a laugh out of Hendrix's spoof mystery."--New York Post
