Linda Lovecraft [Michel Parry] (ed.) - The Devil's Kisses (Corgi, 1976)
"From the publishers of THE EXORCIST - the world's first collection of erotic horror stories."Introduction - Linda Lovecraft
Adobe James - The Ohio Love Sculpture
Edogawa Rampo - The Human Chair
Christianna Brand - Akin To Love
Andre Pieyre de Mandiargues - The Diamond
Charles Beaumont - The Love-Master
Poul Anderson - Operation Incubus
Mindret Lord - Naked Lady
C. L. Moore - Shambleau
John Blackburn - Jenny Cut-Throat
Ramsey Campbell - The Other Woman
Chris Miller - Boxed InWith The Devil's Kisses I took the notion of using a pen-name a step further by writing the introduction in the persona of the putative editor ...l would have liked to have extended the deception further by hiring an actress to 'be' Linda Lovecraft and go out and promote the book and do signings and the like. Needless to say, Corgi's promotional budget (it there was one) didn't extend to such surreal endeavours. The Devil's Kisses was a collection that I thought might be developed into an anthology film in the same way that my Beware Of The Cat collection evolved into a film called The Uncanny.[!]"
- Michel Parry talking to Justin Marriott, The Kiss Of The Devil, Pulpmania #1, 2006. Elsewhere in the same interview, Michel is dismissive of the whole tradition of introductions. I can't say I agree: provided the author has made an effort not only do I enjoy reading them, but I consider his (most notably the essay on Victorian horror and ghost literature that begins the 'Reign Of Terror' series and the Ripper round-up in
Jack The Knife) incentive enough to buy the book!
Anyhow. As he rightly points out,
The Devil's Kisses was the first 'erotic horror' series and the Johnny-come-lately
Hot Blood's can go screw themselves. Ramsey Campbell, fresh from spicing up Parry's
Mayflower Black Magic is by now revelling in his sultan of steaminess role which is just as well - subtract his, Chris Miller (more of him later) and John Blackburn's contributions and there wouldn't be anything much left to bring a blush to innocent cheeks.
Adobe James - The Ohio Love Sculpture:
The figures were of three young girls about fifteen or sixteen years of age, sculptured out of some unknown substance ... Andrew, a connoisseur of erotica has amassed a collection of 15, 000 pieces before he learns of his latest must-have of all must-haves. Unfortunately, the mad genius responsible for the masterpiece is a grubby hick with a gun and itchy fingers - no amount of money will part him from his "beauties". Andrew's charm offensive eventually wears down his resistance but now the police are interested. When they find out the raw materials that went into "sculpture" he'll be stuffed!
Edogawa Rampo - The Human Chair: Oshiko, popular authoress, is used to receiving manuscripts from her admirers and struggling authors who wish to emulate her success, but this one is different and survives the bin. The author is clearly deranged. He wishes to confide his "dreadful crime" and beg her forgiveness. Despite herself, she can't help but read on ... and on ... until, with mounting horror, she realises just
what it is she's sitting on ....
John Blackburn - Jenny Cut-Throat: Jennifer was raped by her drunken husband and three fellow louts then ordered to replenish their glasses or suffer a beating. She complied, laced their drinks with laudanum, and slit their throats when they passed out. Then she turned the razor on herself.
Her present-day descendant is a man-pig hating virgin who has found gainful employment as a Madam Whiplash. When, in the cemetery, Jenny's hand reaches out of the earth to clutch hers, the two set up shop together and a razor is added to the impressive collection of paddles, switches and plastic thumbscrews.
Christianna Brand - Akin To Love: The bedroom has an appalling reputation dating back to the Seventeenth Century when the young man who lived there joined the Hellfire Club. Even in relatively recent times his evil presence has driven two women to suicide. Now he appears to the virginal Sam, and it transpires that all it will take to set him free is for a woman to listen to his confession and forgive him. Not used to being chatted up by a Satanic corpse, Sam falls for it, even going so far as to romp with him on the four poster. Only then does she realise the soul destroying truth.
Mindret Lord - Naked Lady: Jeremiah Von Orton, aging millionaire and art collector, commissions the talented but unknown Michael Bonze to paint a nude portrait of his faithless, gold-digging young wife, using Gilda Ransome as the model as she is a dead ringer for Mrs. Von Orton. In the paint he must agree to mix samples of her hair, nail-clippings & co., as, unknown to Bonze, the portrait is to serve the purpose of a voodoo doll.
Charles Beaumont - The Love-Master: Cubbison consults Salvadori, the aged Love-Master, for his assistance in defeating wife Beatrice's frigidity. When every infallible technique fails, there is nothing else for it - the ultra-wrinkly sex-God must come out of retirement, something no woman has managed to lure him into doing for decades.
Chris Miller - Boxed-In: Part smut fest, part EC comic and featuring another out and out pervert in Mr. Kornfeld, whose daughter Benny is doing his damnedest to get off with (so is Mr. Kornfeld).
You think you know what's coming, and you do ... sort of.
