Paperbacks from Hell

This book is like wandering into your weird uncle’s attic and finding a treasure trove of demon babies, haunted ventriloquist dolls, and cats that want you dead—and then having your funniest friend explain it all to you over drinks.

Grady Hendrix dives deep into the gloriously bonkers world of ’70s and ’80s horror paperbacks, uncovering forgotten gems and gloriously trashy nightmares with a mix of reverence and snark. He doesn’t just catalog these fever dreams—he celebrates them, pokes fun at them, and makes you kind of want to read every single one.

With outrageous cover art, insane plot summaries, and Hendrix’s razor-sharp wit, Paperbacks from Hell is part history lesson, part love letter, and part therapy session for anyone who ever thought a book called The Little People (about Nazi leprechauns) was a good idea.

Highly recommended for horror fans, nostalgia junkies, and anyone who’s ever judged a book by its cover—and been very confused.