tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post3422234408681351650..comments2024-03-06T11:11:48.095-08:00Comments on Too Much Horror Fiction: John Halkin: The '80s Paperback CoversWill Erricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-75576106950182782832023-07-22T14:53:31.257-07:002023-07-22T14:53:31.257-07:00John Halkin's real name was John Parry. His la...John Halkin's real name was John Parry. His last known address was Richmond, Surrey. I'm not sure if he is still alive, but I used to live next door to him, and he gave me a hardback signed copy of Hantu for my 60th birthday. He and his wife Irmel were lovely people.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05743468885429891003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-67050096696524237812018-03-01T10:17:56.451-08:002018-03-01T10:17:56.451-08:00Dumb question (and I apologize for the necro post)...Dumb question (and I apologize for the necro post), but having seen the cover for "Slither" in "Paperbacks From Hell", was James Gunn's 2006 movie based on it?K. Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15136299705887104734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-80519158182554937742017-05-18T15:05:21.889-07:002017-05-18T15:05:21.889-07:00I'm right in the middle of reading a Halkin no...I'm right in the middle of reading a Halkin novel called 'The Unholy'. It's about this creepy arm some guy finds in a cave under a church just outside of Strausbourg in France, think of 'thing' from the Adams family and your not a million miles off.... except this thing is described as being all brown, thick & rough like tree bark. Now, what this arm does is it spots TheFrazz80https://www.blogger.com/profile/12408731752040952364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-71463751585822503822015-12-01T16:09:52.486-08:002015-12-01T16:09:52.486-08:00Currently enjoying your anthology, "Fine Frig...Currently enjoying your anthology, "Fine Frights" Mr Campbell. This is flanked by "Dark Companions" and "Waking Nightmares". Thank you. Tanjianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11364311281312800335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-1553814444963280762013-10-24T06:14:15.455-07:002013-10-24T06:14:15.455-07:00I recently discovered that all three books in the ...I recently discovered that all three books in the "Slime" series are now available for download through Kindle and, I'm sure, other devices. I have two of these in paperback and thoroughly enjoyed them back in the 80's. No pretense of high-art, but compulsively readable and technically proficient. Very Guy N. Smithy, if you ask me (though with the sex toned down some). High Dowderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09567588806379401305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-46583631201756242152012-07-18T03:39:36.560-07:002012-07-18T03:39:36.560-07:00Some UK versions of Halkin's book covers here:...Some UK versions of Halkin's book covers here:<br /><br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/reverb1971/7234515654/in/set-72157629815083760<br /><br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/reverb1971/7234516206/in/set-72157629815083760<br /><br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/reverb1971/7234516740/in/set-72157629815083760Grey Frequencyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14694517489061517977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-72092258501683686962012-07-18T03:37:45.701-07:002012-07-18T03:37:45.701-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Grey Frequencyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14694517489061517977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-63172645466679058072012-04-24T12:57:01.169-07:002012-04-24T12:57:01.169-07:00Thanks for the interesting factoid, Ramsey. My tee...Thanks for the interesting factoid, Ramsey. My teenage self was an ardent fan of Halkin's work. It's good to know that you, a discerning author and editor, bought one of his stories. Having read him, you may know that his prose wasn't nearly as bad as the covers of his books (which were really quite fun) might suggest.Baron von Wastelandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02483553294086420014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-46747268234230778282012-04-24T12:00:35.694-07:002012-04-24T12:00:35.694-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Baron von Wastelandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02483553294086420014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-24650578971843421982012-03-30T04:23:48.695-07:002012-03-30T04:23:48.695-07:00Halkin was the pseudonym of someone quite high up ...Halkin was the pseudonym of someone quite high up in BBC arts production in the early eighties. I'm not sure if I ever got his real name, but I did buy a tale of his for NEW TERRORS. Sadly, Sonny Mehta at Pan knocked it out of the manuscript, along with a couple of others.Ramsey Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01212350036758421940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-91038511831977585212012-01-10T23:20:05.953-08:002012-01-10T23:20:05.953-08:00I'm late to the party, but a link at the botto...I'm late to the party, but a link at the bottom of the most recent Hector Garrido post sent me here.<br /><br />Would you believe that <i>Slither</i> cover has been haunting me for decades?!! That graphic has been burned in my brain.<br /><br />I read both <i>Slither</i> and <i>Slime</i> as a teen in the 80s, but could never remember their titles or author. All I had to go on was "Justin S. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14881276106170920830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-16976511067679180982011-06-01T11:13:39.050-07:002011-06-01T11:13:39.050-07:00Never had the pleasure of finding any of Mr. Halki...Never had the pleasure of finding any of Mr. Halkin's work unfortunately. But, I can assure you as an unapologetic fan of those types of "British Nasties" back in their heyday, I'd have surely grabbed them all had I found them.<br />Which actually brings to mind a very fond memory of mine of one of my frequent trips to Maine back in the late '80s-early '90s. When I made Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-46659008568487159192011-05-30T02:17:37.221-07:002011-05-30T02:17:37.221-07:00I suffered no embarrassment reading Halkin's b...I suffered no embarrassment reading Halkin's books -- or Schoell's SPAWN OF HELL.<br /><br />Someone will need to explain book shame to me because I don't comprehend.<br /><br />I've never given a shit what anybody thinks. Such shame surely prevents access to many wonderful things.<br /><br />I enjoyed SLIME a great deal. His work is consciously B-movie, but he writes/wrote with aPhantom of Pulphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03684169251989469824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-44378087575843981672011-05-29T18:47:01.513-07:002011-05-29T18:47:01.513-07:00The first comment is funny as is the one about eig...The first comment is funny as is the one about eighth grade tattoo art. (Ha!). I think the creatures on Squelch are cute.Midnyte Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10411332857885069319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-39144883163080212832011-05-28T17:32:19.137-07:002011-05-28T17:32:19.137-07:00I may have read one of them and forgotten; those c...I may have read one of them and forgotten; those covers look familiar. <br /> From the same era is 'Spawn of Hell', by William Schoell. Similar ick factor as those Halkin books. I hated it when I was kid, and read it again whenever I wanted a good mad-on.<br /> Incidentally, why does my damn iPhone autocorrect 'hell' into 'he'll'? Is there something wrong with the Mac Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18025256806783821913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-58787647420964351642011-05-27T19:00:22.599-07:002011-05-27T19:00:22.599-07:00Ah, I always had a soft spot for John Halkin!
Of...Ah, I always had a soft spot for John Halkin! <br /><br />Of course, some might say that soft spot was my head... but, there's something really lovable about his trashy gore-laden critter-fiction. I remember taking Squelch with me in college to read in the library between classes. I'd never read anything like it. And it was kind of fun toting the book to my literature classes along Zwolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02364540771153476179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-34632666349260455392011-05-27T11:46:08.848-07:002011-05-27T11:46:08.848-07:00I've never heard of John Halkin but I've g...I've never heard of John Halkin but I've got to hand it to him for creating his own horror niche - "slimy horror".Luishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07631388281199815121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-91283295069844925542011-05-27T11:44:17.504-07:002011-05-27T11:44:17.504-07:00Pass the mashed potatoes.
On a side-note: Love th...Pass the mashed potatoes.<br /><br />On a side-note: Love that <i>Slime</i> cover.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15675220785164388203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-43736324821136212902011-05-27T05:03:46.166-07:002011-05-27T05:03:46.166-07:00That is an excellent point, and one I should have ...That is an <i>excellent</i> point, and one I should have made.Will Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-72354864266437785012011-05-27T00:14:34.173-07:002011-05-27T00:14:34.173-07:00Wow. Not a single blurb on any of them. No vague S...Wow. Not a single blurb on any of them. No vague Stephen King rave, not even a humble snatch of praise from some equally obscure source. I would've expected to see at least, for instance,<br /><br /><b>".... GREAT..."--Arnold V. Whistler, author of HELLSCREAM</b><br /><br />or something similar. But... nada. This means something. This is important.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com