In recent years horror and gothic themes have penetrated mainstream popular culture in a manner unseen since the horror boom of the 1970s. Primetime television viewers who before might not have shown interest in such late-night fare now happily settle down after dinner to watch zombie or serial killer shows. This collection of 54 biographical essays examines many overlooked and underrated figures who have played a role in the ever expanding world of horror and gothic entertainment. The contributors push the boundaries of how we define these terms, bringing into the discussion such diverse figures as singer-songwriter Tom Waits, occultist Dion Fortune, author Charles Beaumont, historian and bishop Gregory of Tours and video game designer Shinji Mikami.

Elizabeth McCarthy is a lecturer in English at Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art Design and Technology in Dublin, Ireland.
Bernice M. Murphy is a lecturer in popular literature at the School of English, Trinity College, Dublin, and director of the M.Phil in popular literature degree program.

Edited by Elizabeth McCarthy and Bernice M. Murphy
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 260
Bibliographic Info: 15 photos, bibliographies, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6314-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2653-6
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments v
Foreword: “Welcome to the Island of Lost Souls”
SIR CHRISTOPHER FRAYLING 1
Introduction 5

Evelyn Ankers
ELIZABETH MCCARTHY 11
Morris Ankrum
BILL WARREN 16
Theda Bara
MARIA PARSONS 20
Ralph Bates
PETER HUTCHINGS 26
Charles Beaumont
EDWARD O’HARE 30
Ingrid Bergman
MARK JANCOVICH 34
Guy Boothby
AILISE BULFIN 38
John Buchan
ANNA POWELL 43
Susan Cabot
TOM WEAVER 46
Oscar Cook
DARRYL JONES 50
Marie Corelli
CAITRIONA KIRBY 54
Aleister Crowley
CLIVE BLOOM 58
Danielle Dax
CATHERINE SPOONER 63
Dulcie Deamer
JIM ROCKHILL 68
Maya Deren
WENDY HASLEM 72
The Erkenwald Poet
BRENDAN O’CONNELL 76
John Farris
XAVIER ALDANA REYES 80
Nicholas Fisk
KATHERINE FARRIMOND 83
Charles Fort
TANIA SCOTT 86
Dion Fortune
KRISTINE LARSEN 90
Charles Gemora
MARK COFELL 94
Gregory of Tours
PETER DENDLE 100
Victor Halperin
MURRAY LEEDER 104
Edward Jerningham
PETER N. LINDFIELD
and DALE TOWNSHEND 107
Jerome K. Jerome
WILLIAM HUGHES 114
Skelton Knaggs
JOHN EXSHAW 117
Alfred Kubin
TRACY FAHEY 121
Francis Lathom
DAVID PUNTER 124
Ira Levin
BERNICE M. MURPHY 127
Jeff Lieberman
JON TOWLSON 130
Stephen Mallatratt
MADELON HOEDT 135
Carl Mayer
JIM ROCKHILL 139
Robert R. McCammon
NEIL MCROBERT 142
Shinji Mikami
EÓIN MURPHY 147
Joseph Minion
GEORGE TOLES 151
Paula Modersohn- Becker
WENDY MOONEY 155
Fitz-James O’Brien
KEVIN CORSTORPHINE 160
Sandy Petersen
RACHEL MIZSEI WARD 165
Leonora Piper
DARA DOWNEY 169
Edogawa Rampo
COLETTE BALMAIN 174
Charlotte Riddell
CLARE CLARKE 178
Philip Ridley
DOUGLAS KEESEY 182
Regina Maria Roche
CHRISTINA MORIN 186
Vincent Schiavelli
SORCHA NÍ FHLAINN 190
William Buehler Seabrook
ROGER LUCKHURST 193
Sidney Sime
MARIA BEVILLE 197
Tod Slaughter
JARLATH KILLEEN 200
Lionel Sparrow
JAMES DOIG 204
Montague Summers
FRANK FUREDI 209
Team Silent Hill
EWAN KIRKLAND 212
Peter Van Greenaway
EDWARD O’HARE 215
Stephen Volk
JAMES ROSE 220
Tom Waits
JENNY MCDONNELL 224
Fredric Wertham
SARAH CLEARY 227
About the Contributors 231
Index 239

• “The perfect primer for those who are interested in horror and want to venture just outside of the mainstream”—Killer Reviews