Tuesday, July 26, 2005

EERIE PUBLICATIONS

Never heard of Eerie publications? That's OK, Few people have......Here now, sit a spell, and let's find out a little about one of the most mysterious publishers of Horror material in the USA.

Eerie Publications were probably the nastiest, most psychotic (and obscure) horror magazines published in America in the 60's and 70's.
They were the grindhouse of the genre. Less intellectual than Warren or Skywald, the stories read like H. G. Lewis films on steriods. Body counts are high, and justice rarely prevails. In coming posts i'll be talking in more detail about these books, but since i'm going to see the new Rob Zombie flick tomorrow, let's just "enjoy" some of the unbelievable covers to help get me in the right "Horror-Mood".....and let's remember, this stuff used to be on display at your (seedier) corner newstand....my how times have changed...




Most of these featured a mix of pre-code horror reprints combined with newer stories in a similar vein. Frequently stories would be reprinted often many times in a year, and the covers were also mercilessly recycled. Some of the cover imagery has that Ed Daddy Roth kinda vibe to it though....




As you can see above, in the early 70's a slightly different cover style emerged, a little more realistic, and definitely more surreal, and often with an SF bent.

And don't even ask what the cover above has to do with Voodoo!

These Science Fiction/Horror titles from the early 70's are some of my favorite Eerie books, as they just STEAL whole stories from classic precode books and re-draw and re-dialogue them! Amazing stuff, with a mean-spirited, nihilistic bent.
The books limped along into the 80's, continuing to recycle their pretty small inventory of stuff, but it wasn't too long before they disappeared from the comic racks entirely...


Here's some interior black and white stuff for your additional perusal...




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