Editing Horror fiction (section)

===20th century===
A proliferation of cheap periodicals around the turn of the century led to a boom in horror writing. For example, [[Gaston Leroux]] serialized his ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (novel)|Le Fantôme de l'Opéra]]'' before it became a novel in 1910. One writer who specialized in horror fiction for mainstream pulps, such as ''[[Argosy (magazine)|All-Story Magazine]],'' was [[Tod Robbins]], whose fiction deals with themes of madness and cruelty.<ref>[[Brian Stableford]], "Robbins, Tod", in [[David Pringle]], ed., ''St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers'' (London: St. James Press, 1998) {{ISBN|1558622063}} (pp. 480–1).</ref><ref>[[Lee Server]]. ''Encyclopedia of Pulp Fiction Writers''. New York: Facts On File, 2002. {{ISBN|978-0-8160-4578-5}} (pp. 223–224).</ref>  In Russia, the writer [[Alexander Belyaev]] popularized these themes in his story ''[[Professor Dowell's Head]]'' (1925), in which a mad doctor performs experimental head transplants and reanimations on bodies stolen from the morgue and which was first published as a magazine serial before being turned into a novel.  Later, specialist publications emerged to give horror writers an outlet, prominent among them was ''[[Weird Tales]]''<ref>[[Robert Weinberg (author)|Robert Weinberg]], "Weird Tales" in M.B Tymn and Mike Ashley, ''Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Weird Fiction Magazines''. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1985.{{ISBN|0-313-21221-X}} (pp. 727–736).</ref> and ''[[Unknown Worlds]]''.<ref>"Unknown". in: M.B. Tymn and Mike Ashley, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Weird Fiction Magazines. Westport: Greenwood, 1985. pp.694-698. {{ISBN|0-313-21221-X}}</ref>

[[File:Howard Phillips Lovecraft in 1915.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[H. P. Lovecraft]] in 1915]]
Influential horror writers of the early 20th century made inroads in these mediums. Particularly, the venerated horror author [[H. P. Lovecraft]], and his enduring [[Cthulhu Mythos]] transformed and popularized the genre of [[cosmic horror]], and [[M. R. James]] is credited with redefining the [[ghost story]] in that era.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-07771-0.html|title=Medieval Studies and the Ghost Stories of M. R. James By Patrick J. Murphy|website=www.psupress.org|access-date=2020-03-17|archive-date=17 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317165713/http://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-07771-0.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[serial murderer]] became a recurring theme. [[Yellow journalism]] and [[sensationalism]] of various murderers, such as [[Jack the Ripper]], and lesser so, [[Carl Panzram]], [[Fritz Haarman]], and [[Albert Fish]], all perpetuated this phenomenon. The trend continued in the postwar era, partly renewed after the murders committed by [[Ed Gein]]. In 1959, [[Robert Bloch]], inspired by the murders, wrote ''[[Psycho (novel)|Psycho]]''. The crimes committed in 1969 by the [[Manson Family]] influenced the slasher theme in horror fiction of the 1970s. In 1981, [[Thomas Harris]] wrote ''[[Red Dragon (novel)|Red Dragon]]'', introducing [[Dr. Hannibal Lecter]]. In 1988, the sequel to that novel, ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (novel)|The Silence of the Lambs]]'', was published.

Early cinema was inspired by many aspects of horror literature, and started a strong tradition of [[horror film]]s and subgenres that continues to this day. Up until the graphic depictions of violence and gore on the screen commonly associated with 1960s and 1970s [[slasher film]]s and [[splatter film]]s, [[comic books]] such as those published by [[EC Comics]] (most notably ''[[Tales from the Crypt (comics)|Tales From The Crypt]]'') in the 1950s satisfied readers' quests for horror imagery that the [[silver screen]] could not provide.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hutchings|first1=Peter|title=The A to Z of Horror Cinema|series=The A to Z Guide Series|volume=100|year=2008|publisher=The Scarecrow Press, Inc.|location=Lanham, MD|isbn=978-0-8108-6887-8|page=72|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N_5DPHOVG7YC|access-date=29 October 2015}}</ref> This imagery made these comics controversial, and as a consequence, they were frequently censored.<ref>[[Collins, Max Allan]] (28 February 2013). [https://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-allan-collins/11-most-controversial-com_b_2774592.html "11 Most Controversial Comic Books"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218231630/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-allan-collins/11-most-controversial-com_b_2774592.html |date=18 December 2018 }}. ''[[HuffPost]]''. Retrieved 5 February 2019.</ref><ref>Hansen, Kelli (1 October 2012). [http://library.missouri.edu/news/special-collections/banned-books-week-comics-and-controversy "Banned Books Week: Comics and Controversy"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015400/http://library.missouri.edu/news/special-collections/banned-books-week-comics-and-controversy |date=7 February 2019 }}. [[University of Missouri]]. Retrieved 5 February 2019.</ref>

The modern [[zombie]] tale dealing with the motif of the living dead harks back to works including H. P. Lovecraft's stories "[[Cool Air]]" (1925), "In The Vault" (1926), and "[[The Outsider (short story)|The Outsider]]" (1926), and [[Dennis Wheatley]]'s "Strange Conflict" (1941). [[Richard Matheson]]'s novel ''[[I Am Legend (novel)|I Am Legend]]'' (1954) influenced an entire genre of apocalyptic zombie fiction emblematized by the films of [[George A. Romero]].

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the enormous commercial success of three books – ''[[Rosemary's Baby (novel)|Rosemary's Baby]]'' (1967) by [[Ira Levin]], ''[[The Exorcist (novel)|The Exorcist]]'' by [[William Peter Blatty]], and ''[[The Other (Tryon novel)|The Other]]'' by [[Tom Tryon|Thomas Tryon]] – encouraged publishers to begin releasing numerous other horror novels, thus creating a "horror boom".<ref>"Ira Levin's ''Rosemary's Baby'' (1967), Thomas Tyron's ''The Other'' (1971), and William Peter Blatty's ''The Exorcist'' (1971) were all released within a few years of one another...and their immense combined sales indicted to many publishers that horror was now a profitable marketing niche." Simmons, David, ''American Horror Fiction and Class: From Poe to Twilight''. London: Palgrave Macmillan  2017 {{ISBN|9781137532800}} (p.119)</ref><ref>[[David Pringle|Pringle,David]], "Rosemary's Baby", in Pringle (ed.) ''Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels''. London, Grafton, 1988. {{ISBN|0246132140}} (p.103-5)</ref>

[[File:Stephen King, Comicon.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Stephen King|[[Stephen King]] in 2007]]
One of the best-known late-20th century horror writers is [[Stephen King]], known for ''[[Carrie (novel)|Carrie]]'', ''[[The Shining (novel)|The Shining]]'', ''[[It (novel)|It]]'', ''[[Misery (novel)|Misery]]'', and several dozen other novels and about [[Stephen King short fiction bibliography|200 short stories]].<ref>Barone, Matt (8 November 2011). [https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2011/11/the-25-best-stephen-king-stories/ "The 25 Best Stephen King Stories"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207020116/https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2011/11/the-25-best-stephen-king-stories/ |date=7 February 2019 }}. ''[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]''. Retrieved 5 February 2019.</ref><ref name=Thrillist>Jackson, Dan (18 February 2016). [https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/stephen-king-books-a-beginners-guide "A Beginner's Guide to Stephen King Books"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207020140/https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/stephen-king-books-a-beginners-guide |date=7 February 2019 }}. [[Thrillist]]. Retrieved 5 February 2019.</ref><ref>[[Richard Bleiler]], "Stephen King" in: Bleiler, Ed. ''Supernatural Fiction Writers: Contemporary Fantasy and Horror.'' New York: Thomson/Gale, 2003, {{ISBN|9780684312507}}. (pp. 525-540).</ref> Beginning in the 1970s, King's stories have attracted a large audience, for which he was awarded by the U.S. National Book Foundation in 2003.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Uj4fAAAAIBAJ&pg=1529,1684719&dq=national+book+award+stephen+king&hl=en| title = Stephen King receives honorary National Book Award| author = Hillel Italie| work = Ellensburg Daily Record| date = 18 September 2003| access-date = 12 September 2010| quote = Stephen King, brand-name writer, master of the horror story and e-book pioneer, has received an unexpected literary honor: a National Book Award for lifetime achievement.| archive-date = 16 April 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210416221954/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Uj4fAAAAIBAJ&pg=1529,1684719&dq=national+book+award+stephen+king&hl=en| url-status = live}}</ref> Other popular horror authors of the period included [[Anne Rice]], [[Shaun Hutson]], [[Brian Lumley]], [[Graham Masterton]], [[James Herbert]], [[Dean Koontz]], [[Richard Laymon]], [[Clive Barker]],<ref>K.A. Laity "Clive Barker" in Richard Bleiler, ed. ''Supernatural Fiction Writers: Contemporary Fantasy and Horror''. New York: Thomson/Gale, 2003.
{{ISBN|9780684312507}} (pp. 61–70).</ref> [[Ramsey Campbell]],<ref>K.A. Laity, "Ramsey Campbell", in Richard Bleiler, ed. ''Supernatural Fiction Writers: Contemporary Fantasy and Horror''. New York: Thomson/Gale, 2003. {{ISBN|9780684312507}} (pp. 177–188.)</ref> and [[Peter Straub]].