Ketchum s books included 1980s off season, 1989s the girl next door, and 1995s red, the latter two of which were both adapted for the big screen. Now awardwinning specialty publisher dark regions press has brought ketchum s debut novel back in its best form. Off season is a horror novel written by jack ketchum and initially published by ballantine books in 1980. His the girl next door is rightly a modernday horror classic. It was my first novel and i was delighted to have the contract.
Theres a famous quote about jack ketchum that goes like this. No less notorious is his 1980 novel off season, now available in the authors uncut, uncensored version from leisure. But off season, the first novel from jack ketchum longstanding pen name of dallas mayr and published in july 1981 by ballantine, features some of the most primal images of human fear in the starkest terms just like that cover art so primal that they are nearly mythic. And thats about it except for what happened to off season. The novels sequels offspring and the woman would be adapted into films lucky mckees the woman would find controversy and. When marc jaffe at ballantine bought the book it was on the condition that id be willing to rewrite. Stephen king said in his acceptance speech at the 2003 national book awards that off season set off a furor in my supposed field, that of horror, that was unequaled until the advent of clive barker. However, he has many other novels, a number of which i still have not read, but most examine the evil which lurk in the heart of man. Jan 24, 2018 jack ketchum, whose real name is dallas mayr, died on wednesday, january 24. Buy the secret life of souls by jack ketchum, lucky mckee online at alibris. Four essential novels by jack ketchum wicked horror.
This is where jack ketchum and off season separate from the bunch. Horror author jack ketchum has died bloody disgusting. Jack ketchum published his first novel in 1980 titled off season, a version of the sawney beane story. Id never read any jack ketchum before this, but id heard good things, and so, intrigued by the sawney bean clan style premise, and its heavily censored. Ketchum s work, i am going to have to say yep you have nailed it with his tales. Prior to its release off season dealt with some censorship issues, especially in regards to the novels conclusion. Jack ketchums debut novel off season made a huge impact on the horror scene with its initial publication in 1980. Following the release of the all female helmed horror anthology xx on february 17 th, diabolique magazine caught up with writer jack ketchum to discuss his original short story the box which inspired one of the installments. Jack ketchum s first novel, off season, was published in 1980, and he further established himself as a master of horror with the lost, the woman, the girl next door, offspring and red. Buy a cheap copy of off season book by jack ketchum. His first novel, off season, an updating of the sawney beane story, prompted the village voice to publicly scold its publisher in print for publishing violent. Based on the legend of sawney bean, off season introduces readers to a violent, inbred family of feral cannibals that lives in the coastal hills of maine. You know, i try to finish the books i start, and i did finish this one kinda, i skimmed the last twenty or so pages, but good grief. If you want more plasma and hemoglobin, you would need to rob a blood bank.
The original trailer for my feature off season anger of the dead. As known, afterward you door a book, one to recall is not by yourself the. Just read off season by jack ketchum and it is perhaps. It shocked horror fans everywhere jack ketchum s off season, the brutal and harrowing story of an inbred family of cannibals in presentday maine. Ketchum 19462018 was a highly respected name in horror, described by stephen king as the scariest guy in america and the winner of four bram stoker. Stream off season by jack ketchum, narrated by richard davidson by audible from desktop or your mobile device. Before his death earlier this year, i had not read anything by dallas mayr, better known by the pseudonym jack ketchum. Buy off season unexpurgated hard cover edition limited by jack ketchum. It was ketchum s first novel 2 and was partially based upon the legend of sawney bean, which also inspired wes craven s 1977 cult classic horror film the hills have eyes. Apr 11, 2018 off season itself has yet to be adapted for the screen. Practically banned back in 1981 for its disgusting content and mainly for its use of children as villains instead of victims.
Jack ketchum has published twelve novels and several short story collections. He cowrote a second sequel with lucky mckee in 2010 called the woman. A beautiful new york editor retreats to a lonely cabin on a. It was ketchums first novel and was partially based. Im loathe to admit it, but hes one of those writers synonymous with the horror genre whose work, for whatever reason, i just hadnt read yet. For those of you out there who like jack ketchum and his work, i figure you would probably enjoy them as well.
If you read it on thanksgiving, you probably wont sleep until christmas. Off season is jack ketchum s debut novel, first published in 1980 to much controversy over the graphic violence depicted on the pages. Jack ketchum was a wellknown writer of horror fiction. Like all of ketchums early novels, off season was a paperback original, and. As a selfconfessed jack ketchum fan, i like reading interviews about what makes him tick as a writer and as a person. Jan 24, 2018 jack ketchums first novel, off season, was published in 1980, and he further established himself as a master of horror with the lost, the woman, the girl next door, offspring and red. The actor and writer, bestknown for penning the girl next door, passed away following a battle with cancer. Jack ketchum audio books, best sellers, author bio.
Jack ketchum books list of books by author jack ketchum. Because of jack ketchums notoriety for writing off season and the girl next door, cover is often listed within the horror genre. Jack ketchum aka dallas mayr is a prolific horror author whose lifelong fear of the beast that lurks within has propelled him to eschew the vampires, zombies, and devils that have traditionally. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading off season. Off season is a gore streaked feast for those inclined to gruesome horror. Off season unexpurgated ist ein roman des amerikanischen autors jack ketchum. His novels included off season, offspring, and red, which were adapted to film. However, the original edition was edited and content was removed from the. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Probably jack ketchum, the outlaw horror writer whose terrifying first novel is finally available uncut from overlook connection press. He was the recipient of four bram stoker awards and three further nominations. Off season was his introduction into the horror world and boy, did he make a fantastic entrance.
Cover, by jack ketchum, is first and foremost a suspense novel. Im jack ketchum, writer, and off season, the girl next door, and a bunch of other novels and stories are entirely my fault. Im jack ketchum, writer, and off season, the girl next door. The novel was subsequently slated by the village voice as violent pornography but, undeterred, the author continued to write fiction that deals with the cruelty and. Examples of his works range from off season and the girl next door to red and the woman, both of which have been turned into movies. Yes, their novels often are creepy and i love them all, but never have their books ever truly terrified me at least not until adapted into a film. Jack ketchums first horror novel, off season is one of the authors most popular works.
Dallas william mayr november 10, 1946 january 24, 2018, better known by his pen name jack ketchum, was an american horror fiction author. It was ketchum s first novel and was partially based upon the legend of sawney bean, which also inspired wes cravens 1977 cult classic horror film the hills have eyes. The initial publication for ketchums off season was edited to remove much of the gore as well as to give it a happier ending. When off season, a novel of horror and cannibalism in modern day maine, was first released in 1980, it took readers by storm and sold over 250,000 copies. See all books authored by jack ketchum, including the girl next door, and off season, and more on.
His novels included off season, offspring, and red, which were adapted to. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Off season 35th anniversary edition by jack ketchum dark. Just read off season by jack ketchum and it is perhaps the most terrifying and disgusting horror book ive ever read, but also the best ive ever read. He burst onto the scene in 1981 with the devilishly horrid off seasonthe story of a clan of cannibals living in a cave off the coast of maine. The novel was instantly reviled and censored by all of the right people. In 1980, jack ketchum published his first novel off season. Jack ketchum is an author whose works have been in my digital toread pile for ages. Now awardwinning specialty publisher dark regions press has brought ketchums debut novel back in its best form.
The landscape of horror would not be in the same shape without th. It became so controversial that the original publisher withdrew their support of the novel. The novel was subsequently slated by the village voice as violent pornography but, undeterred, the author continued to write fiction that deals with the cruelty and violence so often apparent in everyday life. Ketchumwho, in person, is amiable and personable enough to have once been a successful literary agent he managed the career of literary icon henry miller, among othershas always walked a unique. When one thinks of ketchum off season, its sequel offspring, or the notorious the girl next door are the titles which might naturally spring to mind. Published in 1980, the extreme violence and bleak vision of the novel is still as vivid and influential as ever. Unfortunately, ketchum passed away on january 24 of 2018, having succumbed to cancer at the age of 71. Jack ketchum is the pseudonym for a former actor, singer, teacher, literary agent, lumber salesman, and soda jerk a former flower child and baby boomer who figures that in 1956 elvis, dinosaurs and horror probably saved his life.
He burst onto the scene in 1981 with the devilishly horrid off season the story of a clan of cannibals living in a cave off the coast of maine. The plot of offspring has retired sheriff george peters, who survived the events of off season, becoming embroiled in a subsequent killing spree by the cannibals. Nov 15, 1991 dallas william mayr, better known by his pen name jack ketchum, was an american horror fiction author. Jan 12, 2016 ginger nuts of horror is honoured to bring you an interview with jack ketchum, one of the true giants of the genre, a man who has been an inspiration and an influence on countless writers. A not to be missed early piece by the master, jack ketchum, pick up a copy of this if you can find it. Jack ketchum, whose real name is dallas mayr, died on wednesday, january 24. Award winning zombie short film 20 hd sub eng duration. Buy off season unexpurgated hard cover edition limited by ketchum, jack, mcpheeters, neal, winter, douglas e. According to the back of the book, five civilized, sophisticated people and one tired old country sheriff will learn just how primitive we all are beneath the surfaceand that there are no limits at all to the will to survive. In its first incarnation, it was filled to the brim with blood, but now its cup truly runneth over with gore.
I sold film rights to off season quite a few years ago but thus far the buyer hasnt been able to finance the. But apparently no one ever explained this difference to jack ketchum. Jack ketchum s debut novel off season made a huge impact on the horror scene with its initial publication in 1980. The secret life of souls by jack ketchum, lucky mckee. Better yet, though, is ketchum s afterword, which explains off season s bumpy, corporatecompromised history from inception to its original, censored printing. Off season unexpurgated edition by jack ketchum, neal. May 01, 2018 off season was not ketchums only foray into dead river.
Jack ketchum on human monsters and writing horror scifinow. He has won numerous bram stoker awards, and four of his books were recently filmed as movies. Reviewed by johnny butane written by jack ketchum published by leisure horror off season is one of those books, for me at least, thats always been. When off season returned to print in 1999, sponsored by a new and less squeamish publishing house, ketchum put back much of the disputed material. Im jack ketchum, writer, and off season, the girl next. There is a short story, winter child, that bridges the two novels. He first burst onto the scene in 1980 with the brutal, stunning off season, in which a group of holidaying yuppies fall victim to a family of savages living in the woods. Off season is my first venture into the novels of jack ketchum. Jack ketchum began the dead river series, set in the small coastal town of dead river, maine, with his first published novel, off season 1980. And certainly if horror could be achieved simply by multiplying mutilations, he would be the master of the idiom.
Dallas mayr, better known to us as jack ketchum, was a novelist who during a. But here, you can acquire it easily this offspring the sequel to off season jack ketchum to read. Jack ketchum is the pseudonym for a former actor, singer, teacher, literary agent, lumber salesman and soda jerk a former flower child and baby boomer who who figures that in 1956 elvis, dinosaurs, and horror probably saved his life. Probably jack ketchum, the outlaw horror writer whose terrifying first novel is finally available uncut from overlook connection. Off season by jack ketchum, narrated by richard davidson by.
His first novel, off season, prompted the village voice to publicly scold its publisher of violent. Jack ketchum was a horror legend, multiple winner of the bram stoker award and has many notable fans, including stephen king. Published in 1980, the extreme violence and bleak vision of the novel is. Instead his work stands as an example of how turn a horror book into a horrible book.
The only other titles in the dead river series are offspring 1991 and the woman 2010, although his short story winter child 2006 is linked to the. Jack ketchum s first horror novel, off season is one of the authors most popular works. Just read off season by jack ketchum and it is perhaps the. The novel certainly has horror elements, including gore and nonconsensual sex acts, but these items are far lessdetailed when compared to other. If you create a free account and sign in, you will be able to customize what is displayed. Its eyeopening to see how watereddown ballantine initially made it. Jack ketchum is the author that stephen king referred to as the scariest guy in america. Oct 15, 20 jack ketchum is an author whose works have been in my digital toread pile for ages.
Off season is the tale of a woman who is renting a house for a summer to work on her writing. Off season reads like the winning entry in a grossout contest. In 1980, he published his first novel as jack ketchum, off season, which he proudly notes prompted the village voice to publicly scold its publisher in print for publishing violent pornography. The lost 2001, the girl next door 2005, red 2008 and offspring 2009. A dash of fear from ghoulies and ghosties and long legged beasties, good lord, deliver usold scottish prayer some time ago a woman with an angelic face asked me if i had ever read anything by jack ketchum. Ketchums work, i am going to have to say yep you have nailed it with his tales. Author jack ketchum talks about off season, the woman and being.
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