Supernatural Fiction of the 70s & 80s discussion

Hello, everyone! I'm Chad (Goodreads identifies me as C., my pen name), and I love the horror, dark fantasy, supernatural thrillers of the 70s and 80s, before the proliferation of all the subgenres mentioned above in this group description. Not that there's anything wrong with those subgenres, I'm just extremely partial to the supernatural stories that came before all that.

So, welcome to the group, introduce yourself, and let's see how far this thing goes!

Hey, Chad!!

I saw this group and immediately joined. I seem to be on an 80's horror kick right now and I'm enjoying myself immensely.
I've knocked out a couple of James Herberts. Two of Michael McDowell's-The Elementals and The Amulet. I'm planning to start McDowell's Blackwater series at some point next week.

I know that you love McCammon's works from the 80's, but what else do you or did you like back then?

I read a lot of short stories back then--Dennis Etchison, Ramsey Campbell, T.E.D. Klein, Steve Rasnic Tem, The Twilight Zone Magazine, the Dark Forces anthology edited by Kirby MacCauley, the Horrors, Terrors, and Shadows anthologies, and of course loads of short stories by King.

Some specific works that I read back then and would like to reread--Crooked Tree by Robert C. Wilson, The Nest by Gregory Douglas, The Keep and The Tomb (The Adversary Cycle, #2) by F. Paul Wilson to name a few.

Some works from that time period I remember seeing while I was in junior high/high school, never read, but would love to--The Portent by Marilyn Harris, The Kill by Alan Ryan, Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco, The Hour of the Oxrun Dead and the other books in this series by Charles L Grant, a few Koontz books from that time period including Shadow Fires, Whispers, and Darkfall, and a bunch of Rick Hautala's stuff, including Moondeath (the paperback is one of my all-time favorite book covers, don't really know why--and that's something would could discuss too, book covers from back then) and The Mountain King, again, too name a few.

There are so many works from that era that I want to delve into, both reading and discussing them. I haven't read anything by McDowell, nor Herbert if you can believe it.

Valancourt Books is releasing Burnt Offerings in 2015. I'm psyched about that!

Those F. Paul Wilson books you mentioned were excellent.
Back in the day, I, too, read a lot of short story collections, as a way to track down new authors and books. I think I've read all those authors you mentioned like Rasnic Tem and Dennis Etchison.

It seems like we have a fair amount of books in common, even if you haven't checked out any Herbert or McDowell. :)

I scored a hard copy of Boy's Life at the UBS. It has the cover that I remember from the first time I read it, which is the one with Corey's bicycle with its golden eye. $1.99, can you believe it? Everyone in there looked at me, because I squeaked with delight. I'm such a geek. :(

That's funny about Boy's Life, because I snagged the same hardcover at our library's book sale last year. Yeah, the one with the bike and the yellow light coming out of the single headlight, with the eye in it. That whole part of the story was amazing. I keep asking myself, every time I read it, "Is the bike really alive? Is there a supernatural power inside it?" Just like childhood should, wondering that kind of stuff.

Yep. Magical. :)

Hi Chad and Charlene!

As a used book store junkie I think I've found a good group!

I just found and read Boy's Life too, and I loved it! I think my hardcover(with the eye headlight) was $3.00. I did a little happy dance.

I buy a lot of my books by cover only, but since joining GR I now have a better idea of what to look for.

Here are some titles I hope to get to soon.
The Brownstone by Ken Eulo
The Surrogate by Nick Sharman
Stinger by Robert McCammon
The Portent by Marilyn Harris
The Abyss by Jere Cunningham
The Black Castle by Les Daniels
The Pariah by Graham Masterton
They Thirst by Robert McCammon
The Nameless by Ramsey Campbell

OK, maybe that's enough for now. If you've read any of them, let me know which ones you liked, and which ones suck. lol

Very happy to have a place to discuss these and get some recommendations for my next trip to the bookstore. :)

Hi, Kirstin!

I love anything and everything from Robert McCammon. Anything you get by him will be excellent. I think the only book of his that I was so so on was Baal, and I think that might have been his first. The 80's horror ones like Swan Song, They Thirst, Night Boat, Mine, Stinger, and The Wolf's Hour are all good and lots of fun.
His newer books are historical fiction and those are all good too.
But, BUT, he is returning to horror (can I get an AMEN?), in the spring...and epic horror/sci-fi novel by him shall be released and I'm totally psyched!

Charlene have you read The Five? That one's sitting on my shelf too.

Haha! Never mind. I just looked it up and saw your review. :) Looks so good!

Hi Randolph! I couldn't pick a favourite book. I do like Clive Barker and that's one I haven't read yet. There are many others. Welcome. :)

Welcome, Kirstin and Randolph. Nice to have you in this very specific, niche GR group.

Kirstin wrote: "Hi Chad and Charlene!

As a used book store junkie I think I've found a good group!

I just found and read Boy's Life too, and I loved it! I think my hardcover(with the eye headlight) was $3.00. I..."

Kirstin, I've read Stinger (just finished rereading the other day) and They Thirst by McCammon on the list and loved both of them. Granted, I read They Thirst back in the day of junior high school when it came out in the early 80s. I have wanted to read The Portent by Harris for decades, ever since I saw the cover of it in my library as a junior high schooler. Wish I had read it then, but it's one I keep my eye open for at used book stores and yard sales and flea markets. I have not read any of the others on your list. And it's a good list!

Thanks Chad, I picked up The Portent because it was written by a woman. A rare thing in horror. There are books I keep an eye out for too, but I'll buy almost anything from the 70's-80's just for the cover.

80's horror covers are the bomb. I love looking at them. :)

Check this out for horror covers from the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

http://toomuchhorrorfiction.blogspot....

That blog is a good one.:)

Oh wow. I just got lost in that blog. :)

Yeah, when I discovered it a year ago or so, I found myself spending looking at all the covers, reading summaries and reviews, and living in nostalgia for a couple hours at a time. It's a very dangerous place to visit.

I haven't read a lot of the books you guys have mentioned, but I am a voracious reader and not picky. I read labels when there is nothing else at hand!

I can see that blog about the horror covers could become a complete time suck! Thanks for the link.

Hi and welcome, Kandice!

Kirstin wrote: "Hi and welcome, Kandice!"

Thanks! I guess I need to click on profiles and "compare books" to get my TBR in order for this group. I know I read a LOT during those decades, but I'm not sure how much overlap I have. Any excuse to read a book...

Welcome, Kandice! "I read labels..." Totally identify! Hate it when I forget to bring a book to the doctor's office or someplace like that, then I get stuck reading the old, boring health magazines, yet, I can't just sit there and not read something!

Hi, Kandice!

Hi, I'm Bryce! This sounds like a great group.

While I will read absolutely anything, I have a special fondness for the more lurid horror novels to come out of the 80s. Looking forward to recommendations and discussions here.

Hi, Bryce!

Welcome, Bryce. I too am looking forward to discussions that will arise from our new group. Great to have you!

Ha Ha! My formative reading years were all about the horror, the more scary the better! I know I have read a bunch of these titles but most I unfortunately cant remember. Finding these groups on Goodreads has reminded me of so much I loved back then and now I keep my eyes peeled at the used book stores.

Tom, I so hear ya! I was in junior high when I read my first horror novel, Stephen King's The Stand. From then on it was horror short stories and novels. I also, along with others in this group, am constantly on the lookout at used book store, flea markets, and yard sales for all those old horror novels I used to have but got rid of (I'm such an idiot!).

By the way, welcome to the group, Tom!

Welcome Tom and Bryce!

I believe my introduction to horror was also a King book: 'Salem's Lot.

Hello and welcome, Tom!

Tom wrote: "I believe my introduction to horror was also a King book: 'Salem's Lot."

That was mine as well!

Gosh we're old!

Haha! I guess the name of the group says it all! :)

My introduction to horror was probably Night Shift by King and then Firestarter. My dad let me watch the movie when it came out too(I was 12). I was in awe of Drew Barrymore.

Kirstin wrote: "Haha! I guess the name of the group says it all! :)

My introduction to horror was probably Night Shift by King and then Firestarter. My dad let me watch the movie when it came out too(I was 12). I..."

I still love that movie. I know a lot of people don't, but I will always stop and watch if I am flipping channels and it's on.

It's been so long since I've seen it, I could not judge. I just remember being a little jealous of this little girl who got to be in scary movies. :)

That movie is kinda cheesy by today's (even by the 80s) standards, but I still love watching it. Love watching those fireballs incinerate The Shop and its workers at the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sRzk...

Gotta love it, in all its cheesiness. Go Charlie!!

I could not agree more! I often enjoy a bit of cheez and don't feel guilty about it at all.

I just caught the end of Firestarter a few weeks ago. I was flipping and when I caught it, I just had to watch the rest of it. :)

I would stop and watch it. I love the Tangerine Dream soundtrack to it.

I just happily stumbled on Cujo. It was only about 25 minutes in. I had forgotten how little of the movie actually takes place with Donna and Todd stuck in the car at the Camber's.

I love the old King movies.

Haven't seen Cujo in forever.

King said he wrote the entire novel of Cujo high on cocaine. There are absolutely no chapter breaks in the novel.

I know. I am a fan of both his drug fiction and what he writes now. It's certainly written in a different way, obviously, but his style is the same then and now. The way he fleshes out characters, descriptions, foreshadowing, etc.

I'm always confused when people emphatically prefer his writing either then or now. It's different, but no tthat different.

Or maybe I'm just too big a stalker fan to see what others do.

I just watched Firestarter on AMC last night. The 'wha-wha-wha' music when the father did his mind thing was awesome.

Hi all!

I recently joined the group.

I grew up on 1970s horror films, the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, and the lyrics of heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath.

A couple years ago I began avidly reading dark fiction, inspired largely by Stephen King (my favorite fiction author). More recently, I’ve been reading Peter Straub and Joe Hill, and a little bit of Dean Koontz.

I’m a philosopher by academic training and profession, but King reignited my love of fiction and creative writing. I’m currently nearing completion of two of my own dark fiction novels. Very interested in psychopathology and ostensible paranormal phenomena.

I’m looking to add new friends to my Goodreads list, especially dark fiction enthusiasts. Please feel free to send me a friend request!

Nice to meet everyone.

Michael Sudduth

Hello everybody. I just HAD to join this group, as I am a HUGE fan of horror and supernatural fiction, esp of the 70s and 80s.

I grew up reading the classic horror novels of such giants in the genre as James Herbert (who is my all time favourite horror author), Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Clive Barker, Graham Masterton and Guy N. Smith. When I first read Herbert's THE RATS way back in 1975, it scared the living daylights out of me! Though rather a short novel, it certainly packed a power punch, to the extent that I instantly became an avid James Herbert fan and went on to buy EVERY new novel he published. So sad that the great man is no longer with us to bring out more fantastic horror books. Not only did James impress and entertaing me so much with his brilliant evocations of horror, but he was the man who was a big influence on me in regard to taking up horror writing myself!

In regard to Stephen King, well, my favourite books of his are Carrie, The Shining, It, Misery and Pet Semetary. I love his short story collections.

I would love to interact with other fans, so please feel free to contact me to discuss our mutual love of this genre.

Please also check out my two websites: www.alantoner.com and www.trueghoststories.co.uk