Paperbacks from Hell

1. The Horror Paperback Boom Was Sparked by an Unholy Trinity

Between April 1967 and December 1973, everything changed.

A genre reborn. Before the late 1960s, horror fiction was largely confined to pulp magazines and gothic romances, seen as juvenile or niche. However, three groundbreaking novels—Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby (1967), Thomas Tryon's The Other (1971), and William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist (1971)—shattered this perception. These books became massive bestsellers, proving horror could be mainstream, adult, and incredibly profitable.

Cultural impact. The success of these novels was amplified by their blockbuster film adaptations, particularly Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist. These films generated immense cultural buzz, controversy, and box office revenue, further driving book sales and signaling to publishers that horror was a hot commodity. The "Unholy Trinity" established a new tone for horror:

• Rosemary's Baby: Subtle, psychological, urban dread.
• The Exorcist: Blood-and-thunder religious horror, demonic possession.
• The Other: Baroque, lyrical, evil twins, killer kids.

Setting the trend. The immense sales and cultural penetration of these three books created a template for the horror boom that followed. Publishers rushed to capitalize, slapping "Satanic" themes and blurbs comparing new books to the "Unholy Trinity" on covers, regardless of the actual content. This era marked horror's transition from a dusty relic to a dynamic, commercially viable genre.

2. Gothic Romance Paved the Way for Horror's Domestic Invasion

Between 1960 and 1974, thousands of these covers appeared on paperback racks as gothic romances became the missing link between the gothic literature of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and the paperback horror of the ’70s and ’80s.

The "Women Running from Houses" phenomenon. Gothic romances, featuring terrified heroines fleeing dark mansions, dominated paperback covers for over a decade. Ace editor Jerry Gross recognized their appeal to female readers and revived the genre, selling millions of copies by authors like Victoria Holt and Barbara Michaels. These books, while romantic, introduced themes of confinement, dark secrets, brooding figures, and menacing houses.

Visual and thematic influence. The iconic gothic cover formula—a woman in a flowing gown, a dark house with a single lit window, stormy skies—directly influenced the first wave of horror paperback covers. Beyond aesthetics, gothic romances relocated brooding mysteries to the domestic sphere, turning homes into haunted castles and potential brides into potential victims. This focus on domestic dread and resilient female protagonists laid groundwork for later horror heroines.

A transitional genre. Though eventually supplanted by the more explicit "bodice rippers," gothic romances seeded readers' imaginations with atmospheric tension and a sense that danger could lurk within familiar settings. They were training wheels, getting readers comfortable with themes of psychological unease and the uncanny before the full-blown demonic and monstrous onslaught of the horror boom.

3. Satan Sold: The Occult Dominated the Devil's Decade

Whether it was a reprint from 1949, a reissue of Dennis Wheatley black magic books from 1953, or a brand-new novel, soon every paperback needed Satan on the cover and a blurb comparing it to The Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby or The Other.

Capitalizing on the craze. Following the success of The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby, publishers discovered that "Satan sold." The occult became the dominant theme, moving from remote locations to everyday life. The devil was no longer just an external threat; he was within, corrupting individuals and families. Marketing departments eagerly embraced this, plastering Satanic imagery and hyperbolic blurbs on covers.

Cults and conspiracies. The Manson murders and subsequent trial fueled a fascination with satanic cults, providing horror novelists with a timely antagonist. Books depicted cults engaged in ritual murder, often involving celebrities or wealthy elites. Examples include:

• Joy Fielding's The Transformation: Actresses in a cult led by "great god Tony."
• Barney Parrish's The Closed Circle: Hollywood stars murdering hitchhikers.
• Russ Martin's series: A global "Satanic Organization" using mind control and body swapping.

Diverse takes on the demonic. The occult trend spawned a variety of sub-themes, from demonic possession and impregnation to occult detectives (like Michael Avallone's "Satan Sleuth") and explorations of priestly celibacy and Vatican conspiracies. Even blaxploitation got in on the act with Joseph Nazel's The Black Exorcist. The era was marked by a jocular, often explicit, approach to sex and the demonic, reflecting the Swinging '70s and pre-AIDS era.

4. Beware the Terrible Tyke: Killer Kids and Creepy Toys Terrorized Readers

As long as they belong to someone else, homicidal children can be a joy.

A long literary history. Evil children have been a source of horror for centuries, from Henry James's Turn of the Screw to William March's The Bad Seed. The 1950s saw a surge with works like Jerome Bixby's "It's a Good Life" and John Wyndham's The Midwich Cuckoos. However, Thomas Tryon's The Other (1971) and the massive success of The Omen (1976) and its sequels cemented the killer kid as a horror paperback staple.

Varieties of evil offspring. Horror novels explored numerous origins for homicidal children:

• Satan spawn (The Omen series, Seed of Evil)
• Adopted (The Godsend)
• Chemically altered (Childmare)
• Possessed (The Moonchild)
• Reincarnated (The Children)
• Psychic powers (The Savior)
• Poorly parented (Mama's Little Girl)

Toys of terror. The fear of evil children extended to their inanimate companions. Dolls, puppets, mannequins, and even teddy bears became instruments of death. Books like Keeper of the Children and Ghost Child featured hordes of killer toys. Brenda Brown Canary's The Voice of the Clown chillingly depicted a girl and her malevolent clown doll. This trope tapped into automatonophobia and the unsettling nature of objects resembling humans.

5. Nature Bites Back: Animals Attacked Humanity with Ferocious Appetite

Let’s face it, humans are delicious.

The Jaws effect. Peter Benchley's Jaws (1974) and Steven Spielberg's subsequent film adaptation ignited a massive trend in "nature run wild" horror. Suddenly, animals weren't just victims of human pollution; they were vengeful predators. This tapped into growing environmental anxieties of the era, symbolized by events like oil spills and polluted rivers.

Creature feature free-for-all. Following Jaws, a menagerie of animals turned on humanity:

• Rats (The Rats by James Herbert)
• Dogs (Cujo by Stephen King, The Dogs, The Pack)
• Cats (The Cats by Nick Sharman)
• Killer whales (Orca, Killer)
• Crabs (Night of the Crabs series)
• Insects (ants, maggots, slugs, praying mantises, moths)
• Other creatures (rabbits, bulls, pigs, geese, jellyfish, lampreys, gila monsters)

Humans on the menu. These books often depicted humans as arrogant, careless, or polluting, deserving of nature's wrath. The focus was often on gruesome, detailed descriptions of characters being eaten alive. While some authors attempted to humanize the animals or explore ecological themes, many were simply gleeful exercises in finding new ways for creatures, no matter how small or seemingly harmless, to devour people.

6. Real Estate Nightmares Reflected Economic Anxiety

If social and political anxiety spawns zombies, then economic anxiety births haunted houses.

The haunted house revival. While haunted house stories existed before, Robert Marasco's Burnt Offerings (1973) pioneered a new focus: the economic burden and psychological toll of a haunted home. This resonated with the high inflation and rising interest rates of the 1970s. The trope centered on cash-strapped families getting a too-good-to-be-true deal on a property, only to find it demanded their sanity, lives, and souls.

Anxiety in the architecture. Haunted house novels became metaphors for the anxieties of homeownership and the American Dream gone wrong. The house itself became a character, feeding on the inhabitants' energy and turning them against each other. Examples include:

• Burnt Offerings: A summer rental that consumes the family.
• The Shining: A hotel that drives a family to madness.
• The House Next Door: A brand-new suburban home that is evil.

The Amityville phenomenon. Jay Anson's The Amityville Horror (1979), marketed as a true story, became the most iconic (and arguably ridiculous) example. Its success spawned numerous sequels and imitators, featuring increasingly outlandish claims of demonic activity tied to the property. The true horror, as suggested by the book's adaptation and Daniel Lutz's account, may have been the child abuse within the family, using the "haunting" as a cover.

7. Mad Science and Medical Mayhem Exploited Fears of the Body

Suddenly, science was exciting—because scientists wanted you dead.

The medical thriller boom. Robin Cook's Coma (1977) kicked off a wave of medical thrillers and science-gone-wrong horror. These books tapped into public anxieties about the medical establishment, technological advancements in reproduction (test tube babies, IVF), and invisible environmental hazards like radiation and toxic waste. Doctors were often depicted as cold, unethical, or outright insane.

Experiments gone wrong. The plots frequently involved secret hospital experiments, often on vulnerable patients like those in comas or mental institutions. Themes included:

• Organ harvesting (Coma)
• Creating master races or clones (Embryo)
• Brain experiments (Allison's Baby, Brain Watch)
• Mutant creatures from labs (The Orpheus Process)
• Dangerous cosmetics or pharmaceuticals (Fatal Beauty)

Pseudoscience and paranoia. Many books incorporated pseudoscience popular in the era, such as ESP, hypnosis, and astrology, often linking them to sinister experiments or conspiracies. The underlying message was a deep distrust of authority and technology, suggesting that the greatest threats might come from within the institutions meant to protect us or from the very advancements we celebrated.

8. Inhumanoids Invaded, But Homegrown Monsters Were the Scariest

Because every time an American goes abroad, a monster hitches a ride on the return trip.

Foreign threats. Horror novels featured a variety of non-human or monstrous creatures, often with foreign origins. These "inhumanoids" were typically depicted as smelly, dirty, ill-mannered invaders threatening American soil. Examples included:

• Yetis from Tibet (Snowman)
• Viking berserkers in Manhattan (Berserker)
• Egyptian mummies (Obelisk)
• Demonic possessions linked to foreign wars (The Shinglo)

Native American curses. Despite the influx of overseas monsters, a particularly potent and cynical subgenre focused on threats originating from within America's past: vengeful Native American spirits and curses. These were often tied to desecrated burial grounds or historical massacres, unleashed by greedy developers or insensitive newcomers.

Apocalypse deferred. Native American curses were depicted as powerful, ancient forces capable of mass destruction, often resulting in "blast zones" or contained apocalypses. Authors like Graham Masterton (The Manitou) and Robert C. Wilson (Crooked Tree) explored these themes, often portraying white characters as deserving of the retribution. These stories, while sometimes stereotypical, tapped into the country's original sin and anxieties about unresolved historical trauma, often ending with the threat contained but not destroyed, waiting to reawaken.

9. Splatterpunk Unleashed Extreme Gore and Nihilism

Horror responded in the most metal way possible.

A reaction to the mainstream. By the mid-1980s, horror was becoming more commercial and, in some corners, seen as tame. Inspired by the extreme content of heavy metal music and a rejection of conservative backlash (the Satanic Panic, PMRC), a new movement emerged: splatterpunk. Coined by David Schow, it embraced graphic gore, nihilism, and a stripped-down, aggressive style.

Clive Barker's influence. Clive Barker's Books of Blood (1984/1986) was a key catalyst, showcasing a forensic eye for grotesque detail and a willingness to "go there." This inspired a group of young male writers, including Schow, John Skipp, Craig Spector, and Ray Garton, to push the boundaries of explicit violence and transgressive themes.

Metal and mayhem. Splatterpunk was deeply intertwined with heavy metal culture, sharing its anti-establishment attitude, focus on shock value, and often misogynistic tendencies. Books like Schow's The Kill Riff explicitly linked killer rock bands and extreme violence. While proponents saw it as a vital, rebellious force, critics often dismissed it as juvenile and gratuitous. The movement was short-lived but left a lasting mark on horror's willingness to depict extreme content.

10. Female Authors Redefined Horror with Family and Romance

Horror is a woman’s genre, and it has been all the way back to the oldest horror novel still widely read today: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley...

A strong female lineage. Despite the male-dominated image of the 1980s horror boom, women have always been central to the genre, from Mary Shelley and Ann Radcliffe to Shirley Jackson. The boom saw the rise of major female brand names who redefined horror's themes and audience.

V.C. Andrews' gothic empire. V.C. Andrews became a phenomenon with Flowers in the Attic (1979), reviving gothic horror with a focus on toxic families, child abuse, incest, and dark secrets within the home. Her books, often ghostwritten after her death, tapped into primal fears of helplessness and confinement, resonating strongly with female readers and popularizing die-cut covers.

Anne Rice's romantic vampires. Anne Rice revolutionized the vampire trope with Interview with the Vampire (1976), giving vampires sympathetic voices and focusing on their alienation, loneliness, and complex relationships. Her later books, particularly The Vampire Lestat, depicted vampires as glamorous, powerful rock stars. Rice's work, coinciding with the AIDS epidemic, offered a complex metaphor for otherness and desire, transforming vampires from simple monsters into romantic, cultured figures.

Diverse female voices. Other female authors like Elizabeth Engstrom explored horror from the perspective of marginalized women, focusing on the grim realities of poverty and dysfunctional families, often blending the mundane with the monstrous. These writers brought a focus on domesticity, relationships, and psychological depth that complemented the era's more external, gore-focused horror.

11. Publishing Changes Led to Blockbusters and the Market Crash

Blockbuster books permanently changed the publishing landscape, and it was all thanks to power tools.

The Thor Power Tool decision. A 1979 Supreme Court ruling, the Thor Power Tool Co. case, significantly impacted publishing economics. By preventing publishers from writing down the value of unsold inventory, it put immense pressure on books to sell quickly or be pulped. This effectively killed the "midlist" novel—books with steady but not spectacular sales—and favored blockbusters.

The rise of the brand name. The new economic reality meant publishers focused on authors who could guarantee massive sales based on name recognition alone, like Stephen King, V.C. Andrews, and Anne Rice. Marketing efforts became more aggressive, using flashy covers (foil, embossing, die-cuts) and hyperbolic blurbs to make books stand out. Art directors gained significant power in shaping a book's visual appeal.

Market glut and collapse. The focus on churning out blockbusters led to a saturated market. Publishers flooded shelves with horror titles, many of which were derivative imitations. Returns from bookstores skyrocketed (often reaching 60% or more). This unsustainable model led to the rapid collapse of the horror paperback market in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with imprints closing and authors struggling to get published.

12. The Boom Died, But Its Legacy Lives On in Dusty Aisles

Darkness may have fallen over the hellscape these books once illuminated, but there are still some candles burning out there in the night...

The end of an era. By the early 1990s, the horror paperback boom was over. Serial killer thrillers, fueled by the success of The Silence of the Lambs, became the dominant trend, often pushing supernatural horror aside. Many horror imprints folded, and adult horror authors struggled to find publishers.

A last gasp: The Abyss line. In the early 1990s, Dell's Abyss imprint attempted to revive horror with original, literary, and psychological titles by authors like Kathe Koja, Melanie Tem, and Poppy Z. Brite. These books were critically acclaimed and pushed boundaries, but the line was short-lived, ultimately succumbing to the market's decline.

Shifting to YA horror. As the adult market collapsed, horror found a new audience in younger readers. Authors like R.L. Stine (Fear Street, Goosebumps) and Christopher Pike capitalized on this, creating massively successful teen horror series that became the genre's primary commercial outlet.

The enduring appeal. Despite their often lurid covers and uneven quality, the paperbacks from hell captured the anxieties, obsessions, and wild creativity of their era. Though consigned to thrift stores and used bookstores, they remain fascinating artifacts. A small community of collectors, academics, and enthusiasts continues to celebrate these forgotten books, ensuring that the weird, wild world of the horror paperback boom is not entirely lost to darkness.

Last updated: May 5, 2025