Richard Staines: An Anti-Weird Writer?

Richard Staines has resurfaced with a web presence lately. This man, whom some deem to be an entity akin to the Ed Wood of horror writing, may well also be a candidate for an anti-weird fiction writer. Staines' fiction is the sort of gory, erotic tripe that manifested itself most strongly in film during the latter 1970s and 1980s--also Staines' most prolific period. As a writer, it's unclear whether his style is intentionally or unintentionally humorous, but one thing is for certain: it's damned funny. Unfortunately, in almost every instance, one laughs at Staines rather than with him. Look no further than this passage from his newer book Lobster Holocaust to see what I mean:

From under the ice of a distant moon, across the solar system they came, ravening for human blood. They had eaten all the living things in the ocean of their own world and now they’ve landed in the English Channel. All that stands between them and world domination is Professor Robert Hawkins, world famous TV personality, biologist, ladies man and karate expert. With his sidekick Lady Rowena, pipe-smoking genius Hawkins battles the invasion that puts mankind on the menu…

What does this guy have to do with weird fiction? Richard Staines so thoroughly fuses himself with mundane horrors, poor humor, and attempts at making the reader wretch on a totally visceral level that his writing might be considered anti-weird. This does not mean there's any evidence Staines himself has intentionally generated this type of fiction, nor has any observed attack on great weird writers slithered from him his pen. However, the themes and stomach turning niche the author insists upon is the very personification of horror fiction that contrasts with everything weird fiction is understood to be.

In times of horror gluts where hundreds of cheaply written and cheaply published paperbacks burst onto the scene, Staines is just one more example of an anti-weird phenomena. Fortunately, the strength of weird literature at the small press and the comparative intelligence of large sectors of mainstream horror today with that of past decades means Staines is somewhat of a bizarre anachronism. Yes, there are plenty of bad horror writers, but Richard Staines is a unique case who may yet sell a few more books for comedic value in an age of remarkably dumb internet humor.

Should you wish to check out more of Staines' history and works, his website is here. Be forewarned: obviously, this content will not appeal to most readers of weird fiction, and some may find the more untoward aspects of Staines' writing offensive.

-Grim Blogger