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Horror Pseudonyms

Like any genre, horror fiction has its share of pseudonymous authors. Some of these are well known, such as the use of the name Richard Bachman by Stephen King, but many are more obscure. Here's an attempt to list as many pseudonyms as possible of writers working in the horror genre on one single page, for reference purposes. The books mentioned are unlikely to be complete bibliographies, though I've tried to be as complete as possible with pseudonymous works. Please mail me with corrections or if you know further pseudonyms that I've missed.

Marc Alexander Marc Alexander wrote a number of nasties for Hamlyn Horror under the pseudonym of Mark Ronson, including Bloodthirst (1979), Ghoul and Ogre (both 1980) and The Plague Pit (1981). He also wrote a calmer work, Whispering Corner (1989) and a novel called The Dark Domain, about which I know nothing. C. Dean Andersson The pseudonym Asa Drake belongs mostly to C. Dean Andersson, though two of the five books bearing the name were co-written by Nina Romberg. Together they wrote Crimson Kisses (1981) and The Lair of Ancient Dreams (1982), but three fantasy novels were solo efforts. C. Dean Andersson also wrote novels under his real name, such as the Dallas trilogy of Torture Tomb (1987), Raw Pain Max (1988) and Fiend (1994). Other horror novels include I am Dracula (1993), I am Frankenstein and Buried Screams. All this is confirmed at C. Dean Andersson's official website. Michael Avallone The veteran writer Michael Avallone used many pseudonyms and house names over a long career, including Sydney Stuart for a horror novel called The Night Walker. W. Howard Baker W. Howard Baker used a number of other names. As W. A. Ballinger he wrote Drums of the Dark Gods (1966) and, using the house name Peter Saxon, he wrote two entries in the Guardians series, The Killing Bone (1968) and Vampire's Moon (1972). He also wrote under his real name in other genres. Dulan Barber Dulan Barber was behind a series of horror novels in the eighties under the pseudonym of Owen Brookes. These include Inheritance and The Widow of Ratchets (both 1980), The Gatherer (1982), Deadly Communion (1984), Forget-Me-Knots (1986) and The Touch (date unknown). Edwina Berkman The string of novels throughout the 80s and 90s under the pseudonym of Dana Reed were the work of Edwina Berkman. These include Deathbringer (1984), The Gatekeeper (1987), The Summoning (1988), Hellborn (1990), Demon Within (1993), as well as Margo and Sister Satan for which I have no date. Campbell Black The versatile writer Campbell Black has used a couple of pseudonyms in his time. As Jeffrey Campbell he wrote The Homing (1980), and as Thomas Altman, he wrote a string of eighties horror novels including Kiss Daddy Goodbye (1980), The True Bride (1982), Black Christmas and Dark Places (both 1984) and The Intruder (1985). He also wrote under his own name. John Brosnan Australian John Brosnan has been responsible for some of the most interesting pseudonyms in horror. He was both Simon Ian Childer and Harry Adam Knight, sometimes in conjunction with LeRoy Kettle. The initials read SIC and HAK, which fit the material they were writing. He was also half of James Blackstone, with John Baxter. Ramsey Campbell Ramsey Campbell is one of the most highly regarded English authors working in the horror genre. In his early days, however, he wrote a trio of novelisations as Carl Dreadstone: The Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula's Daughter and The Wolfman (all 1977). As Jay Ramsey, he also wrote Claw (1983) which was re-released as Night of the Claw (1985). J. is his first initial. Eli Cantor The novels The Rite (1979) and The Nest (1980) carried the name of Gregory A. Douglas, a pseudonym for Eli Cantor. Douglas Clegg Douglas Clegg has written a number of well regarded horror novels under his own name, such as Ghost Dance (1990), but he also wrote Bad Karma as Andrew Harper. Rex Dolphin Rex Dolphin was another writer to use the Peter Saxon house name. He wrote one of the best Guardians novels, The Vampires of Finistère (1968). Daniel Easterman The highly regarded thriller writer Daniel Easterman wrote some intriguing horror novels as Jonathan Aycliffe, including The Vanishment (1994), The Matrix (1995) and Naomi's Room and Whispers in the Dark, for which I have no date. Peter Berresford Ellis The long string of horror novels under the name of Peter Tremayne were the work of noted historian Peter Berresford Ellis. These include a Dracula trilogy: Dracula Unborn (1977), The Revenge of Dracula (1978) and Dracula, My Love (1980); a Frankenstein novel, Hound of Frankenstein (1977); and an Allan Quatermain sequel called The Vengeance of She (1978). The rest mostly have their roots in mythology: The Ants and Curse of Loch Ness (both 1979), Zombie! (1981), The Morgow Rises! (1982), Snowbeast! (1983), Kiss of the Cobra (1984), Angelus! (1985), Nicor! and Trollnight (both 1987). Ellis also published fantasy under this pseudonym. Christopher Evans According to Trash Fiction, Christopher Evans was the man behind Plasmid, a novelisation of a film that never happened. The name on the cover was Jo Gannon, but the title page proclaims 'a novelisation by Robert Knight, based on the screenplay by Jo Gannon'. Whichever, it's Christopher Evans. Dennis Etchison Dennis Etchison has written plenty of varied work under his own name but wrote most of his novelisations as Jack Martin. These include Halloween II (1981), Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) and Videodrome (1983). Stephen D. Frances Stephen D. Frances also wrote under the Peter Saxon house name, though he didn't write Guardians books. He was responsible for The Disorientated Man (which was filmed as Scream and Scream Again, the book's subsequent title for rerelease), and Black Honey and Corruption (both 1968). Corruption was also filmed. David Garnett David Garnett used the name David Ferring for his novelisation of The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 (1984). Stephen R. George The 80s and 90s saw many books carrying the name of Stephen R. George. He was also responsible for Mirror, Mirror, as Valerie Stephens, and Seeing Eye (1995) and Nightlife (1996), both as Jack Ellis. Scott Grønmark Scott Grønmark wrote the horror novel Steel Gods (1990), as well as plenty more under the pseudonym Nick Sharman. These include The Cats (date unknown), Childmare, The Scourge and The Surrogate (all 1980), Judgement Day (1982), The Switch (1984) and You're Next (1986). I have also been told that he was responsible for Eat Them Alive, under the pseudonym of Pierce Nace but Grønmark himself denies this in an e-mail to Jim McLennan of Trash City. Robert Holdstock Robert Holdstock is a much lauded writer working mostly in the fantasy genre, but wrote a few horror novels too, as Robert Black: The Legend of the Werewolf (1976), Death Angel (1988) and The Satanists (date unknown). He was Robert Faulcon for the six books of the Nighthunter series: The Stalking, The Talisman and The Ghost Dance (all 1983), The Shrine (1984) and The Hexing (both 1984) and The Labyrinth (1987). In the fantasy genre, he was half of Richard Kirk (the other half was Angus Wells). They co-wrote the first book in the Raven series and then alternated authorship of the rest. Shaun Hutson The name of Shaun Hutson will be well known to horror fans. He has also worked under many pseudonyms, some of which he refuses to make public. Those that are known about include Nick Blake for Chainsaw Terror (1984), which was rereleased in a heavily censored form as Come the Night (1985); and Frank Taylor for The Visitation (1984) and The Abduction (1985), which were sequels to The Uninvited, a 'supposedly true story' by Clive Harold. All these are confirmed at Shaun Hutson's official website, along with many other non-horror books under other pseudonyms. Some bibliography sites, such as Fantastic Fiction list Hutson's novel Deathday as having been released first under the name of Robert Neville in 1986. Christopher Hyde Christopher Hyde made his name writing a long line of horror thrillers, but he also wrote a book called Locksley as Nicholas Chase. Laurence James The former NEL editor Laurence James wrote many books in many genres, sometimes under his own name but more often using pseudonyms. In the horror genre, he wrote The City (1986) and its sequel The Farm as Richard Haigh, and the eight novels with lurid covers in the Witches series as James Darke. These include The Prisoner, The Trial and The Torture (all 1983), The Escape (1984), The Meeting and The Killing (1985), and The Feud and The Plague (both 1986). Both of these series featured characters based on the novelist Guy N. Smith.

Garry Kilworth Garry Kilworth is one of the most versatile and respected writers working today. He has published books in many genres, including horror, where he also wrote The Street (date unknown) as Garry Douglas. Stephen King Richard Bachman is probably the most well known pseudonym in modern fiction. Stephen King wrote a number of his shorter works under this name, including Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), The Running Man (1982) and Thinner (1984). Dean R. Koontz Other well known pseudonyms today belong to Dean R. Koontz, now working without his middle initial. They are well known because most, if not all, of his pseudonymous work has been rereleased under his real name. As K. R. Dwyer (note the reversal of initials), he wrote Chase (1972), Shattered (1973) and The Face of Fear (1978); as Owen West he wrote The Funhouse (1980) and The Mask (1981); and as Leigh Nichols he wrote The Key to Midnight (1979), The House of Thunder (1982), The Servants of Twilight (1984) and The Eyes of Darkness (date unknown). R. Karl Largent R. Karl Largent mostly worked under his own name, but also wrote The Nightmare Continues (1991) as Robin Karl. André Launay André Launay wrote a novel called The Latchkey Children. As Drew Lamark he also wrote The Snake Orchards (1982) and The Medusa Horror (1983). Richard Laymon Richard Laymon was one of the highest selling horror authors in England for many years, working mostly under his own name. However he also wrote Tread Softly (1987) and the wonderful Midnight's Lair under the pseudonym Richard Kelly. He also wrote 'young adult' horror under the name Carl Laymon, including Your Secret Admirer (1980) and Nightmare Lake (1983). Gene Lazuta Gene Lazuta, the author of Blood Flies (1990) also wrote a novel called The Shinglo (1989 - thanks, Rick Weller!) using the pseudonym Alex Kane. Norah Lofts Norah Lofts, the highly respected writer of historical fiction, also wrote horror novels. Some were under her own name but The Devil's Own (1960), and The Little Wax Doll and The Witches (dates unknown) were under the name of Peter Curtis. Christopher Lowder I know the name Jack Hamilton Teed from the horror novel The Blood of Dracula for Mills & Boon, as well as other non-horror works such as the Gunships series. BookIT (link expired) listed Christopher Lowder as the name behind Teed on the Gunships books, so it's at least a good possibility that he also wrote the Dracula book too. Graham Masterton The prolific and successful novelist Graham Masterton wrote a whole slew of novels, mostly horror, under his own name. He also used Thomas Luke for The Hell Candidate and the novelisation of John Huston's Phobia (both 1980). Richard Matheson Richard Matheson is a well known name to both horror and fantasy readers, having written the classics I am Legend (1956) and The Shrinking Man, among others. He also used the name Logan Swanson for the novel Earthbound (1982). Michael McDowell Michael McDowell, writer of the Blackwater series, also wrote a couple of novels as Axel Young, namely Blood Rubies and Wicked Stepmother (both 1982). Neil McMahon Daniel Rhodes, who wrote Next, After Lucifer (1987) and its sequel Adversary (1989), as well as Kiss of Death (1990), was the pseudonym of Neil McMahon. Wilfred McNeilly Wilfred McNeilly was yet another writer to use the Peter Saxon house name, writing The Darkest Night and Dark Ways to Death (both 1966), Satan's Child and The Torturer (both 1967) and The Haunting of Alan Mais (1969). As Errol Lecale he also wrote the six books in The Specialist series: Tigerman of Terrahpur (1973), Castledoom, The Severed Hand and The Death Box (all 1974), and Zombie and Blood of My Blood (both 1975). James Moffatt James Moffatt is one of the most prolific novelists of all time, writing books in almost every conceivable genre. As a horror writer he wrote The Naked Light (1970) and the novelisation of the unmade film Queen Kong (1977), as well as a couple of flamboyant titles under the pseudonym Etienne Aubin. These were Dracula and the Virgins of the Undead and The Terror of the Seven Crypts (both 1974). Kim Newman Though already well regarded as a film critic and historian, Kim Newman subsequently became a bestselling horror novelist with books such as Anno Dracula (1992). He also wrote the wonderfully titled Orgy of the Blood Parasites (1994) and other non-horror fiction as Jack Yeovil. Kathryn Ptacek As Les Simons, the novelist Kathryn Ptacek was responsible for Gila!, a very different work to what she is generally known for. Alan Radnor Alan Radnor was prolific in a few genres, even writing Dick Barton stories, but was also responsible for the Hamlyn nasties under the name of Richard Lewis, as well as some more traditional horror novels, The Force (1979) and Possessed (1982), which was rereleased under the Richard Lewis pseudonym. The nasties include Rabid, a novelisation of the David Cronenberg film; Spiders (1978) and its sequel The Web (1981); and Devil's Coach Horse (1979), Parasite (1980) and Night Killers (1983). Nicholas Randers Nicholas Randers, who wrote Prey Serpents Prey (1988), also wrote a novelisation of Halloween IV the same year, as Nicholas Grabowsky. Kit Reed Kit Reed wrote Blood Fever (date unknown) using the name Shelley Hyde. Ross Richards Ross Richards was the name behind Peter Saxon for the Guardians novel Through the Dark Curtain (1967). Guy N. Smith The massively prolific writer of 'nature's revenge' stories, Guy N. Smith also wrote a horror thriller called The Hangman under the name Gavin Newman, which he also used on other non-horror material. This is confirmed at Smithland. Katina Strauch Katina Alexis, the name behind Witch (1990) and Souls (1992), is a pseudonym of Katina Strauch. Somtow Sucharitkul Possibly because his name is not easy for western readers to pronounce, the Thai writer Somtow Sucharitkul used the pseudonym S. P. Somtow for his horror novels. These include Vampire Junction (1984) and its sequel Valentine (1992), as well as Moondance (date unknown). Martin Thomas Martin Thomas used the Peter Saxon house name for The Curse of Rathlaw (1968). John Tigges John Tigges, who wrote many horror novels throughout the 80s using his own name, was also responsible for a few more under the name William Essex. These include Slime (1988), From Below (1989) and The Pack (date unknown). Phillipe van Rjndt The thriller writer Phillipe van Rjndt also used the name Philip Michaels for two horror novels, Grail (1982) and Come Follow Me (1983). Robert W. Walker Robert W. Walker, who also used his real name, wrote the Abe Stroud series under the pseudonym of Geoffrey Caine. These include Curse of the Vampire (date unknown), Wake of the Werewolf (1991) and Legion of the Dead (1992). T. M. Wright The premier writer of modern ghost stories, T. M. Wright, also wrote The Devouring (1987) as F. W. Armstrong.

Pseudonym Table

Pseudonym	Real Name
Thomas Altman	Campbell Black
Etienne Aubin	James Moffatt
Richard Bachman	Stephen King
W. A. Ballinger	W. Howard Baker
Robert Black	Robert Holdstock
James Blackstone	John Baxter & John Brosnan
Nick Blake	Shaun Hutson
Geoffrey Caine	Robert Wayne Walker
Nicholas Chase	Christopher Hyde
Simon Ian Childer	John Brosnan & LeRoy Kettle
Peter Curtis	Norah Lofts
James Darke	Laurence James
Garry Douglas	Garry Kilworth
Asa Drake	C. Dean Andersson & Nina Romberg
Carl Dreadstone	Ramsey Campbell
K. R. Dwyer	Dean R. Koontz
William Essex	John Tigges
Robert Faulcon	Robert Holdstock
David Ferring	David Garnett
Nicholas Grabowsky	Nicholas Randers
Richard Haigh	Laurence James
Shelley Hyde	Kit Reed
Alex Kane	Gene Lazuta
Richard Kelly	Richard Laymon
Harry Adam Knight	John Brosnan & LeRoy Kettle
Drew Lamark	André Launay
Carl Laymon	Richard Laymon
Errol Lecale	Wilfred McNeilly
Richard Lewis	Alan Radnor
Thomas Luke	Graham Masterton
Jack Martin	Dennis Etchison
Philip Michaels	Philippe van Rjndt
Pierce Nace	Not Scott Grønmark
Robert Neville	Shaun Hutson
Gavin Newman	Guy N. Smith
Leigh Nichols	Dean R. Koontz
Christopher Pike	Kevin McFadden
Jay Ramsey	Ramsey Campbell
Peter Saxon	W Howard Baker Rex Dolphin Stephen D. Frances Wilfred McNeilly Ross Richards Martin Thomas
Nick Sharman	Scott Grønmark
Les Simons	Kathryn Ptacek
Ray Slater	Joe R. Lansdale
Sydney Stuart	Michael Avallone
Frank Taylor	Shaun Hutson
Jack Hamilton Teed	Christopher Lowder?
Peter Tremayne	Peter Beresford Ellis
Owen West	Dean R. Koontz
Jack Yeovil	Kim Newman

Last update: 25th April, 2021