Favourite Occult Covers

[dem]

Robert Neill - Witch Bane (Arrow 1968, 1970: originally Hutchinson, 1967)

Blurb:
Lancashire in the time of Cromwell, a county cursed, like the rest of England, by civil war and beliefs in witchcraft ....

Accused of the murder of her husband by witchcraft, Mary Standen is only saved from hanging by the intervention of a young commander of a Troop of Horse as she lies naked and bound hand and foot. That same night, as an unwilling witness to a graveyard orgy, she sees for herself that there is indeed a witch coven in the village. Refusing to betray the participants, some of whom she knows, she finds suspicion once more pointing at her, and as the scene is set for a double battle - between royalists and parliamentarians and the witches and their persecutors - Mary is forced to flee for safety at the same time as the Scots march into Preston and Cromwell comes through the hills from Skipton.

Neill formulates authentic accounts of Brit Witch Trial atrocities into a very readable novel. If you're looking for something to top the excesses of 'James Darke's The Witches series this isn't it, but Witch Bane is commendably unpleasant by normal standards.

anti-review: Witch Bane

Christopher Nicole - The Face Of Evil (Arrow, 1972)

Blurb:

...you must know that pain is nothing more than a part of pleasure. Pain and humility, and surrender, are as important as pride, and brutality, and mastership, in the experience of the ultimate fulfilment. In time you will be permitted to practice all of these upon us. But at the moment... your mind is too young, too inexperienced... We must deal with your mind first.'

And the way to her mind was through her body.

Not got around to it yet; subtle when compared to just about every other cover on this thread, but can the same be said of the novel? 'No!' is the resounding answer to that one if friend Alwyn who reviews it at Trash Fiction is any judge!

[dem]

Witchcraft, Magic & The Supernatural (Octopus, 1974)

Douglas Hill - The Supernatural At Work
Tessa Clarke - Devils, Demons & Evil Spirits
Pat Williams - The Practice Of Magic & Witchcraft
Tessa Clarke - The Forces Of Nature
Frank Smyth - Ritual & Ceremony
Frank Smyth - Magic In The Modern World

Further Reading
Acknowledgements
Index

Scavenged this Sunday gone, celebrity pin-ups of the Witchcraft & Satanism scenes circa late 'sixties, early seventies (Anton LaVey, loads of Alex & Maxine Sanders, Church of Satan, Chloe Franks in The House That Dripped Blood, a voodoo doll in action, etc). Added bonus, the participation of Frank Smyth, who famously invented the legend of a murderous 'Phantom Vicar of Ratcliffe Wharf' as a filler article for Man, Myth & Magic, only for the story to be taken at face value and included in Andrew Green's Our Haunted Kingdom (Wolfe, 1973), "More than 350 authenticated hauntings or case histories recorded in the UK over the past 25 years".

[helrunar]

I LOVE this entire thread.  The 1994 News of the world thing just gave me my first much-needed guffaw of the day.

Excellent work, gents all!

H.

[ohthehorror]

Jun 1, 2016 11:07:25 GMT dem said:

Witchcraft, Magic & The Supernatural (Octopus, 1974)


Douglas Hill - The Supernatural At Work
Tessa Clarke - Devils, Demons & Evil Spirits
Pat Williams - The Practice Of Magic & Witchcraft
Tessa Clarke - The Forces Of Nature
Frank Smyth - Ritual & Ceremony
Frank Smyth - Magic In The Modern World

Further Reading
Acknowledgements
Index

Scavenged this Sunday gone, celebrity pin-ups of the Witchcraft & Satanism scenes circa late 'sixties, early seventies (Anton LaVey, loads of Alex & Maxine Sanders, Church of Satan, Chloe Franks in The House That Dripped Blood, a voodoo doll in action, etc). Added bonus, the participation of Frank Smyth, who famously invented the legend of a murderous 'Phantom Vicar of Ratcliffe Wharf' as a filler article for Man, Myth & Magic, only for the story to be taken at face value and included in Andrew Green's Our Haunted Kingdom (Wolfe, 1973), "More than 350 authenticated hauntings or case histories recorded in the UK over the past 25 years".

Hah, I used to have that book. It's probably still at my dad's back in Essex.

[dem]

Jun 1, 2016 12:08:10 GMT helrunar said:

I LOVE this entire thread.  The 1994 News of the world thing just gave me my first much-needed guffaw of the day.

Excellent work, gents all!

H.

It's not something I ever saw myself typing, but sometimes I really miss the News of the World ...

Attachments:

[helrunar]

"Evil is a way of life for me--sex is all I think about."

Truly words to live by...

Thanks, Dem Bones!

H.

[dem]

'Kinky Vicars' were another of their specialities. Good clean salacious fun for sure - unless you happen to be one of the poor sods on the receiving end, in which case, probably not such a thrill. While at least one of the parties 'exposed' over the Sin, Sex & Satan series is an incorrigible publicity/ attention seeker, there's is little doubt that others, definitely Dr. Bogart, and probably the 'roly poly chef,' were royally stitched up by the journo's in a typically dubious sting operation.

[cromagnonman]

Here's a couple reclaimed from one of the danker darker corners of Cro-Magnonman's cave.

Note the resemblance of the Gurney to the McCammon BAAL. Some photo library somewhere obviously did well out of that particular session.

[dem]

Lovely! The David Gurney is worth 25p of anybody's money.

Meanwhile, the 'Witchcraft, Magic & Supernatural' cover star has resurfaced on the mighty Scarfolk public information blog ....

[droogie]

I agree about the Gurney book. If Cameron Diaz became a Satan worshipper back in the day, this might have been what she looked like. I find it quite funny that 2 of the countries with the heaviest censorship laws (the UK and Germany) seemed to have published more of these than any other country.

[dem]

Jun 3, 2016 20:54:33 GMT droogie said:

I agree about the Gurney book. If Cameron Diaz became a Satan worshipper back in the day, this might have been what she looked like. I find it quite funny that 2 of the countries with the heaviest censorship laws (the UK and Germany) seemed to have published more of these than any other country.

In Britain, I think it helped that, from the late 'sixties, possibly even before, the press couldn't get enough of the subject. Peter Haining certainly played his part. He'd *ahem* researched the subject, knew a good bandwagon when he saw one (think the Skinhead books), gauged the audience, and NEL in particular got the packaging spot on. Would LOVE to see contemporary reviews of Black Magic Today, Sexuality, Magic & Perversion, et al, if anyone can oblige.

[cromagnonman]

Jun 4, 2016 10:49:25 GMT dem said:

Jun 3, 2016 20:54:33 GMT droogie said:

I agree about the Gurney book. If Cameron Diaz became a Satan worshipper back in the day, this might have been what she looked like. I find it quite funny that 2 of the countries with the heaviest censorship laws (the UK and Germany) seemed to have published more of these than any other country.

In Britain, I think it helped that, from the late 'sixties, possibly even before, the press couldn't get enough of the subject. Peter Haining certainly played his part. He'd *ahem* researched the subject, knew a good bandwagon when he saw one (think the Skinhead books), gauged the audience, and NEL in particular got the packaging spot on. Would LOVE to see contemporary reviews of Black Magic Today, Sexuality, Magic & Perversion, et al, if anyone can oblige.


Personally, I blame Catweazle.

[dem]

Jun 4, 2016 11:47:37 GMT cromagnonman said:

Personally, I blame Catweazle.

No one was innocent, least of all this bestial coven.

[cromagnonman]

Jun 4, 2016 13:09:31 GMT dem said:

Jun 4, 2016 11:47:37 GMT cromagnonman said:

Personally, I blame Catweazle.

No one was innocent, least of all this bestial coven.

Lol.
Indeed. And this joker has a lot to answer for as well.

[helrunar]

STILL love this thread.

Thanks Kev and all!

Cheers, Steve