Paperbacks from Hell, Grady Hendrix
Paperbacks from Hell, Grady Hendrix
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Paperbacks from Hell
The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction

Author: Grady Hendrix

Narrator: Timothy Andrés Pabon

Unabridged: 5 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/26/2026

Synopsis

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.

About Grady Hendrix

Grady Hendrix is a novelist and screenwriter based in New York City. He is the Bram Stoker Award–winning author of Paperbacks from Hell, and the Shirley Jackson and Locus Award nominated author of Horrorstör, My Best Friend’s Exorcism, and We Sold Our Souls, which have received critical praise from such outlets as NPR, the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, the A.V. Club, Paste, Buzzfeed, and more. He has contributed to Playboy, The Village Voice, and Variety.

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Quotes

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

“Horrorstör delivers a crisp terror-tale...[and] Hendrix strikes a nice balance between comedy and horror.”—The Washington Post, on Horrorstör

“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 Horrorstör
 
“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

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