A review by madmooney
Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction by Grady Hendrix

5.0

“…for Herbert had revealed a great truth to aspiring horror novelists that would guide British Horror books for the next twenty years: human beings are delicious, and England is full of them.”

[a:Grady Hendrix|4826394|Grady Hendrix|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1542284521p2/4826394.jpg], you had shamed and reduced me!

I am a person who touts myself as a lifetime lover of horror. Ever since spent my 7th Thanksgiving on this planet watching back-to-back Romero's Night of the Living Dead and The Dunwich Horror, I knew that the thrills I derived from this new thing in my life was well worth the nightmares that would follow (and perhaps be what fuelled my childhood insomnia).

At a young age I was given an 'adult' library card, which meant that I would get little to no 'tuts of disapproval' when I came to the checkout area with paperbacks featuring vile and gory scenes.

I had thought that [b:Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction|33670466|Paperbacks from Hell The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction|Grady Hendrix|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1504436657l/33670466._SX50_.jpg|54542087] would be a recollecting tour de force of all the horror that I had read as a child/teen ... but I was WRONG! This history of horror fiction had dove deep into black oceans that I had never seen! Perhaps I was too young to coexist with these books (or perhaps the public libraries had limits on what they would allow into their hallowed stacks).

The upside here is that I get to learn anew and see the origins of the horror trend to which I was a latecomer.

The first feature of this title is the GORGEOUS|GRUESOME artwork. Do not feel guilty if this is how you initially consume this book – you are among friends and fans here. If you want more imagery after this, Goodreads has a couple of great Retro Horror lists:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/163459.Retro_Horror_Books_list_1_
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/163459.Retro_Horror_Books_list_1_

Following the gory feast for the eyes, there is also a well-chronicled history of 70’s and 80’s horror here as well – of both the books and the illustrators who designed the eye-catching covers. I found it interesting that some artists got tired from the one-man-upmanship with themselves in creating even more awful covers, and eventually would resign from horror themselves.

But this is a book that goes beyond the cover offerings, it also breaks down the history of horror’s evolution, citing interesting tropes like“Southern Deluge”, “Man’s Worst Friend”, “Toys R Death” and many more.

[b:Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction|33670466|Paperbacks from Hell The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction|Grady Hendrix|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1504436657l/33670466._SX50_.jpg|54542087] is a title to draw respect for the genre by those who have always watched from the outside deigning it ‘not for them’, but also to give bred-in-the-bone fans a reaffirmation and remembrance of why Horror is fantastic!

We know we cannot make these authors famous again. We know we cannot give their titles another chance at the bestseller list. But for those who love these impossible, unpredictable books, it's enough for us to imagine that somewhere out there, under the vast dome of the night, a few people are curled up on their couches, nestled in their beds, riding the bus or train holding a copy of {these titles}

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 is left at the bottom of the box.