In tribute to this once ubiquitous set of books, here’s the cover art, accompanied in each case by a listing of the stories, and featuring also an index of the stories, listed by author. This is the first of four stories by Walter Winward which would appear in early volumes of this series. He was a British-born novelist, who lived in the United States, North Africa, France, Malta, Mexico, Turkey, and Sweden, and worked at a variety of different occupations ranging from Royal Marine Commando to professional gambler. The thing that first attracted me to the books was the lurid cover design that would sometimes thrill, occasionally titillate but usually disgust and intrigue. Combine the strong, vivid cover designs together with stories from new authors as well as classic authors and you had a winning combination. Other than the fact the reader is able to indulge in the slightly dubious pleasure of witnessing a deranged sadist get his comeuppance, this is a disappointingly disposable read.

The fact Brookes is prepared the ditch the love of his life on the suspicion that his genes may have in some unspecified way been tampered with, appears anachronistically outdated. Surely coming clean with the lady and offering to go for the snip would have been far more gentlemanly. The Bats’ (David Grant). A boy who is brought up by distant parents gets his love from rearing animals in the garden shed. A good, dark family story with only a rather predictable and flattish ending spoiling the effect. Serial Killer Chiller that pre-dates "Silence of the Lambs," a story that played with similar themes. Elevated by a cold, detached writing style. Memorable.(5/5)

The Fly’ (by George Langelaan). Published in 1957, this is the story on which the films are based (the first being in 1958). A man experimenting with transferring matter from one place to another uses himself as a subject. It makes no difference that we know the outcome of the experiments early on because it’s the clear and lively prose, and the manner of the tale’s telling which makes this an enjoyable read. A hospital patient recalls a train trip that took him to a mysterious shed where he was tortured and blinded. Intriguing first person set up is let down by an unsatisfactory second half that explains the mystery. (3/5)

MY LITTLE MAN, by Abraham Ridley: A literal "madwoman in the attic" story. Unfortunately, the terrible quality of the writing makes this one virtually unreadable. 1/5 The highlight of the collection would have to be the opening story 'The Hunter' by David Cass. As I read it, I could really picture this being made as an Amicus production in the 1960s with Cushing and Lee in the roles of Wetherby and Byron respectively. This volume may seem to have had fewer stand-out stories in it than the five that came before it, but it was still a joy to read. Reading a well-written old fashioned horror story is like settling into a comfortable chair at the end of a hard day. Not that there aren't some unsettlingly tales in this volume - some which remind us that the dividing line between ourselves and madness might not be so far away, others inspired by real-life atrocities, and yet others whose eye for the grisly detail makes us just that little bit less likely to dismiss them as too far-fetched. Dulcie Gray (1915-2011) was a British singer and actress, on the stage, in movies and on television, who also wrote mystery novels, radio plays and short stories. She was a lepidopterist and Vice President of the British Butterfly Conservation Society. She had two stories in 7TH (SEVENTH) PAN BOOK OF HORROR STORIES.THE OLD ADAM, by Martin Waddell: In a futuristic world, an entity called Adam exists inside a bottle. The author's best effort yet: a sci-fi romance with an unexpectedly macabre climax. Very weird, but it works somehow. 4/5 THE THING, by R. Chetwynd-Hayes: A man enters a pub with the Grim Reaper behind him, much to the consternation of the patrons. Not a bad idea behind this one, but there's too much waffle and the humour is decidedly iffy. 2/5 THE COFFIN MAKERS, by Raymond Williams: In Victorian times, two coffin makers have a falling out. Another disappointment, going for the gore but with no discernable atmosphere or decent plotting. 2/5

The Bean-Nighe’ by Dorothy K. Haynes. A woman who lives a tough life runs into a hag-like apparition on her remote journey to work. Her domestic life (constant work, living in a small house with her mother, ill brother and sister who keeps her awake at nights) is every bit as horrific as the apparition she sees. This is a doom-laden tale from one of the most consistent writers in the genre. I have yet to read a bad story from her. The cover of my edition (a head in a hat-box) is clearly inspired by this one. The authors, most of whom were of obscure origin and who remained obscure, had several obsessions. Darkest Africa and the mysterious East was one (cue immeasurable fathomless cruelty); in case you think they were all racist blighters, they also seemed to think that behind the façade of every English country house was a retired surgeon just aching to graft your normal legs onto the body of his stunted daughter. Or chain you in the library and gradually eat bits of you. The ‘bean-nighe’ or ‘washerwoman’ is a figure of Scottish folklore - a female spirit who is a harbinger of death. When a girl encounters this being she thinks it is obvious who is going to die, but, of course, you can’t count on the obvious in a horror story. A well-written slice of folk horror. Also, they must have had some bad experiences with horticulture because there are quite a few killer plant stories.

A Woman becomes fascinated by a gorilla that her husband has in captivity. A matter of taste. (3/5) My favourite story was 'Man Skin'. The pathetic quality of the creature contrasts very well with the gruesomeness implied by the title. As I'm working through a list of short fiction authors in the early W's (Karl Edward Wagner through Ian Watson, if you must know), I'm currently reading some Elizabeth Walter pieces, and pulled this off the shelf to read "The Isle of Regrets" You bloody ponce! That’s what you are! If you can’t do right by me, why don’t you go out and get yourself some pretty, sweet little queer to have your sex with?” Ocr tesseract 5.0.0-1-g862e Ocr_detected_lang en Ocr_detected_lang_conf 1.0000 Ocr_detected_script Latin Ocr_detected_script_conf 0.9892 Ocr_module_version 0.0.15 Ocr_parameters -l eng Old_pallet IA-WL-2000085 Openlibrary_edition

A young girl writes a desperate series of letters to her adult brother in which she pleads for help as she becomes aware of threats against she and her middle brother from her new stepmother. The voice of the young protagonist is engaging, even if the story, as a whole, may not be entirely satisfying. Voodoo and juju are apparently interchangeable in this story of revenge among colonial folks in Africa. John D. Keefauver had a story each in the fifth and sixth volumes in this series. He is also known for the bisexual-themed pulp novel Tormented Virgin (1962). One to be approached with caution by animal-lovers. A man sadistically kills his pets before turning his eye on his wife. This is another one which is not a good story, being noteworthy mainly for its sadism, but it does provide a bit of variety and is very short. The Tsantsa’ by Maurice Sandoz. A man falls hoplessly for a woman and will do anything for her, including getting her that which she desires – the shrunken head of a white person. Superbly weird and atmospheric tale that is beautifully written, and has a strong sense of character.

The Fontana Series

Party Games’ by John Burke. Boys and girls are invited to a birthday party that ends horribly. Apart from a slightly messy handling of the end (less would have been better), the clear prose and storytelling is what makes this such a memorable read. The Tunnel’ by Raymond Harvey. A railway signalman discovers his wife is having an affair. Even though this is a very straightforward tale that leads to a cliched and obvious end, it’s nevertheless a cosily enjoyable romp with a funny lead character who enjoys looking at dirty mag’s on the job! A physicist starts having remarkably realistic dreams in which he is transported to an Asian beach in the distant past. This longer story creates a powerful sense of encroaching terror. While the ending is not unexpected, it is very powerful. A reprint of the initial Pan Book of Horror was published in October 2010, with an introduction by Pan expert Johnny Mains.