Hostesses in Hell - Selected Stories of Russell Gray Vol 1

[Johnlprobert]

Hostesses in Hell - The Selected Stories of Russell Gray (ed John Pelan) Dancing Tuatara Press 2011

Jacket design by Gavin L. O'Keefe

This is a fairly recent book but all the tales of torture, sadism and mutilation within its pages date from 1936 - 1941 so I thought this would be the best place for it. I'm sure Mr D will shift it if appropriate, and he may also do whatever magic is required to provide us with a cover as that still seems to be beyond me.

But never mind that - look at these story titles!

Hostesses In Hell

The Cat Woman

Death Sends His Mannikins

Fresh Fiances for the Devil's Daughter

The Gargoyles of Madness

Girls for the Pain Dance

School Mistress of the Mad

Song of Evil Love

We Who Are Lost


I was about halfway through Fresh Fiances and thinking 'Good Lordy this is a bit much, even for me' when, in almost the same breath the thought 'But it would be ideal for Vault!' has caused me to bring it to the attention of those so inclined.

Considering how long ago these stories were written they really might qualify for the earliest examples of torture porn turned into pulp literature. The stories here are kind of extreme versions of pulpy crime stories, with some supernatural stuff occasionally thrown in. But Good Lord (there I go again) they really are extreme. Let's have a look at a couple, shall we?

Hostesses in Hell. An island asylum for the deformed monstrous offspring of rich couples? A boat stranded with seven gorgeous women aboard? And what's that? The monsters have escaped? This can't end well, or tastefully. The variety of mutated horrors on show here do all have one thing in common, though - they take care to rip their female victims' clothes off before subjecting them to a fate worse than death, and then death. There's a rugged male hero character in here but you'll barely notice him because you'll be too busy shaking your head at some of the descriptions. A class act to kick off the volume.

The Cat Woman: The ghost of an old lady haunts a tenement block. How does she do this? By tearing off the clothes of gorgeous women and slashing them to death. Of course.

Death Sends His Mannikins "Her torturer fetched an alcohol lamp and a long needle…Then, with the deliberation of an artist he…" The Club Mephistopheles offers dancing, orgies and torture, and a tenuous reason for it all

Fresh Fiances for the Devil's Daughter: Possibly one of the most ghastly stories I have ever read. Beautiful insane Tala Mag has aspirations to be a writer. When both she and her work are rejected by every sane publisher in town she invites them (and of course their sexy young wives) to a weekend at her house in the country where she proceeds to torture the women in ways I cannot bring myself to describe here. The ones who survive are them subjected to a Hounds of Zaroff-type nude hunt through the grounds pursued by their husbands who have been forced into using bullets filled with acid. Only the least acid-scarred wife will be allowed to go free at the end, or so Mala says. I'm still recovering from this one.

[Jojo Lapin X]

Dec 19, 2014 9:59:15 GMT Johnlprobert said:

I was about halfway through Fresh Fiances and thinking 'Good Lordy this is a bit much, even for me' when, in almost the same breath the thought 'But it would be ideal for Vault!' has caused me to bring it to the attention of those so inclined.

I believe it is already on here somewhere.

[dem bones]

First story on the début advent calender. We wanted to ease people in gently.

Does Hostesses In Hell reproduce the original illustrations, m'lud? The Gargoyles Of Madness is another cracker.

[andydecker]

I was quite baffled when I read this. American horror stories of this time I associate with at worst the he-male machismo of Bob Howard or the leering of Seabury Quinn where you just know that Dr. Trowbridge is dead beyond the waist and hasn't an eye for the harmless nudity of the robe losing dames in peril. Where on the screen Nick and Nora slept in different beds.

But Bruno Fischer aka R.Gray? I will never understand why nobody did a movie-version of Fresh Fiances, it has everything a splatter-fan could want. Even the story is better plotted then a lot of horror movies. For all his atrocities he even can write well. His later crime novels are also worth reading. Frankly, if I had know his work at the time of the so-called splatter punks and their backslapping I would have had even more scorn for them. Rebels, yeah right.

I truly wonder why especially Gray's stories didn't spark controversy at the time. Or why the editor had no problem to publish them. On the other hand, when you read a few of Norvel Page's Spider novels with their apocalyptic death toll of thousands in New York's streets every second month one wonders if it isn't time for a re-evaluation of genre literature of this era.

Edit: Unfortunatly no illustrations in the Dancing Tuatara Press editon, Dem.

[dem bones]

Dec 19, 2014 18:21:02 GMT andydecker said:

I was quite baffled when I read this. American horror stories of this time I associate with at worst the he-male machismo of Bob Howard or the leering of Seabury Quinn where you just know that Dr. Trowbridge is dead beyond the waist and hasn't an eye for the harmless nudity of the robe losing dames in peril.

Name of a little blue cat! Friend Trowbridge, "dead beyond the waist?" Are you sure you have incontrovertible evidence to back this, Mr. Decker? Fair enough, he was no lech, but the perpetually incredulous one had an eye for a pretty blonde, especially if she wore her hair in a bob and favoured silk pyjama's and very small slippers (luckily for him, this was the costume of choice for Harrisonville woman for three decades).

Anyway, back to 'Bruno' the beast. I think the only way you could get away with this stuff at the time was if you were prepared to go out on a happy ending, the villain gets his or her just desserts, the lovers triumph, etc. If Charles Birkin had written Fresh Fiancés ..., there's every likelihood Tala Mag would have worked her way through the whole ensemble. Very slowly.

Thanks for the confirmation re the (lack of) illustrations. I've a few scattered around so will maybe drift them up at a later date.

[andydecker]

Dec 19, 2014 18:58:17 GMT dem bones said:

Dec 19, 2014 18:21:02 GMT andydecker said:

I was quite baffled when I read this. American horror stories of this time I associate with at worst the he-male machismo of Bob Howard or the leering of Seabury Quinn where you just know that Dr. Trowbridge is dead beyond the waist and hasn't an eye for the harmless nudity of the robe losing dames in peril.

Name of a little blue cat! Friend Trowbridge, "dead beyond the waist?" Are you sure you have incontrovertible evidence to back this, Mr. Decker? Fair enough, he was no lech, but the perpetually astonished one had an eye for a pretty blonde, especially if she wore her hair in a bob and favoured silk pyjama's and very small slippers (luckily for him, this was the costume of choice for Harrisonville woman for three decades).  

Maybe I am being unfair here, but somehow I picture Trowbridge as this puritan uptight country doctor while DeGrandin has seen a lot of boudoirs in his younger days. There is no evidence, of course, and I think to remember that Trowbridge was a widower (?), but even Watson was married in his stories while the only mentioned woman in Trowbridge's life is his trusty housekeeper. Guess I am overthinking this

[Craig Herbertson]

Must admit after John's startling review I had to have a peek at Hostesses in Hell. Have I gone soft.That's pretty gruesome stuff.

[dem bones]

Here's the double-page illustration, artist sadly unknown to me (possibly Alex Schomburg?), for Gargoyles Of Madness as reprinted in Robert Weinberg's 1974 booklet, Pulp Classics #3: Revelry In Hell

[mcannon]

I've only become interested in the Weird Menace genre comparatively recently, largely through the corrupting influence of the Vault. For a long time, I accepted the claims that it was just sadistic rubbish - until I tried a few examples and realised that even if that were the case, it was wildly entertaining sadistic rubbish! I don't think I've read any "Russell Gray" as yet, but this collection is one of a number of ebooks I recently purchased from Ramble House. Looks like it'll be getting moved to the top of the e-stack - now, where's my hooded robe?

Mark

[Craig Herbertson]

Dec 19, 2014 22:21:47 GMT dem bones said:

Here's the double-page illustration, artist sadly unknown to me (possibly Alex Schomburg?), for Gargoyles Of Madness as reprinted in Robert Weinberg's 1974 booklet, Pulp Classics #3: Revelry In Hell

Looking at the illustration I'll put my neck on the line and guess that 'Gargoyles of Madness' bears a striking plot resemblance to 'Hostesses in Hell'.

[doug]

I like the blurb for Gargoyles of Madness.

I guess depression era audiences didn't mind seeing multi-millionaires suffer.

[doug]

I purchased this while ago for my Kindle.

There's some pretty god awfully entertaining "Shudder Pulp" material in it.

Pulp Fiction Megapack

At 0.39 Pounds it's a steal.

take care.
Doug

[glampunk]

Title heading doesn't even begin to say it all ...

From my small experience of his work, Donald Graham ran 'Russell Gray' a close second in the sex and mindless sadism stakes. Goes without saying that whips were the weird menace villains fashion accessory of choice.

- dem (can't be arsed being me today)

[mcannon]

Dec 23, 2014 6:54:06 GMT glampunk said:

Title heading doesn't even begin to say it all ...

From my small experience of his work, Donald Graham ran 'Russell Gray' a close second in the sex and mindless sadism stakes. Goes without saying that whips were the weird menace villains fashion accessory of choice.

- dem (can't be arsed being me today)

Still, from that blurb he does appear to have taken a strong stand against lax education standards, so he couldn't have been all bad.

Mark

[Johnlprobert]

I have to say I'm shocked / pleased at the illustrations that have been thoughtfully provided by Vault members to aid my reading should I have difficulty picturing what's going on.