Del Howison (born June 3, 1953) is an American
horror author, editor and actor.
[
]
Life and career
Howison was born in Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
but moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
to pursue a career in acting; with his distinctive long white hair, he was a natural for low-budget horror films, and has since played the character "Renfield" on four separate occasions (making him the actor who has portrayed this iconic character from Dracula more than any other).
In 1995, Howison and wife Sue Duncan started Dark Delicacies, a store devoted entirely to horror books, films and gifts.
[
Dark Delicacies, located in Burbank, California, is dedicated solely to horror.][ The store has also published a number of charity anthologies, including ''The Altruistic Alphabet'' and ''Conjuring Dark Delicacies'' (a horror-themed cookbook).
In 2005, Howison and co-editor Jeff Gelb published ''Dark Delicacies: Original Tales of Terror and the Macabre'' (Carroll and Graf), which included stories by ]Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery fictio ...
, Clive Barker
Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English novelist, playwright, author, film director, and visual artist who came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories, the ''Books of Blood'', which established him as a leading h ...
, F. Paul Wilson, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, David J. Schow, Steve Niles
Steve Niles (born June 21, 1965) is an American comic book author and novelist, known for works such as ''30 Days of Night'', '' Criminal Macabre: A Cal McDonald Mystery'', ''Simon Dark'', ''Mystery Society'', and '' Batman: Gotham County Line''.
...
, Roberta Lannes, Gahan Wilson
Gahan Allen Wilson (February 18, 1930 – November 21, 2019) was an American author, cartoonist and illustrator known for his cartoons depicting horror-fantasy situations.
Biography
Wilson was born in Evanston, Illinois, and was inspired by th ...
, and more. The book went on to win the 2005 Bram Stoker Award for Best Anthology The Bram Stoker Award for Best Anthology is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for an anthology.
Winners and nominees
Nominees are listed below the winner(s) for each year.
Refe ...
.
In January 2019, when Dark Delicacies was forced to relocate, film director Guillermo del Toro backed a fundraising campaign to save the bookstore.
In 2007, Howison and co-editor Jeff Gelb published ''Dark Delicacies II: Fear'' ( Carroll and Graf). In 2008 it was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award
The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing.
History
The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...
and a Shirley Jackson Award
The Shirley Jackson Awards are literary awards named after Shirley Jackson in recognition of her legacy in writing. These awards for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror and the dark fantastic are presented a ...
for Best Anthology.
Howison also co-edited ''The Book of Lists: Horror'' with Amy Wallace
Amy Wallace (July 3, 1955 – August 10, 2013) was an American writer. She was the daughter of writers Irving Wallace and Sylvia Wallace and the sister of writer and populist historian David Wallechinsky. She was co-author of the bestsellin ...
and Scott Bradley which was released in September 2008 by HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...
.
Howison has also written a number of non-fiction horror articles and interviews for such publications as ''Gauntlet'' and '' Rue Morgue'' magazine.
In 2008 his short story ''The Lost Herd'' (originally published in the erotic horror anthology ''Hot Blood 12: Strange Bedfellows'' 2004) was purchased for the television series ''Fear Itself''. It was scripted by Mick Garris
Mick Garris (born December 4, 1951) is an American filmmaker and screenwriter born in Santa Monica, California. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, as well as making Stephen King adaptations.
Early life
Garris was born in Sant ...
and the title changed to ''Red Snow''. The title was once again changed to ''The Sacrifice'' and it was directed by Breck Eisner
Michael Breckenridge Eisner (born December 24, 1970) is an American television and film director.
Early life
Eisner was born in California, the son of Jane Breckenridge, a business advisor and computer programmer, and Michael Eisner, the form ...
. The episode became the series premiere episode airing on June 5, 2008. His short story ''The Necrosis Factor'' was chosen for the anthology ''Traps'' which was released in December 2008.
In 2010 he co-authored the book ''Vampires Don't Sleep Alone'' with Elizabeth Barrial under the pseudonym of D. H. Altair. That year he also released the book ''When Werewolves Attack'' under his own name. Both books were published by Ulysses Press.
In 2019 he wrote the hardback western novel "The Survival of Margaret Thomas" which was released by Five Star Books and was a finalist for the Peacemaker Award for Best First Western Novel by the Western Fictioneers.
In 2023 "Margaret Thomas" was rereleased in trade paperback by Pandi Press
Filmography
*'' Big Freaking Rat''(2020)
*''Death House
''Death House'' is a 2017 American horror film written by Gunnar Hansen, who has a cameo in the film, and directed by Harrison Smith. The film features an ensemble cast of horror icons including Kane Hodder, Barbara Crampton, Bill Moseley, Dee Wa ...
'' (2017)
*'' Evil Bong 420''(2015)
*'' No Solicitors''(2015)
*'' Bring Me the Head of Lance Henriksen''(2010)
*'' Dahmer Vs. Gacy'' (2009)
*'' Ghost Hoax'' (2008)
*'' Blood Scarab'' (2008)
*''Horrorween'' (2008)
*'' Her Morbid Desires'' (2007)
*''The Naked Monster
''The Naked Monster'' is a 2005 American ultra low-budget science-fiction and horror comedy fan film written by Ted Newsom and directed by Newsom and Wayne Berwick as an homage to and spoof of the "giant monster-on-the-loose" films of the 1950s. ...
'' (2005)
*'' Countess Dracula's Orgy of Blood'' (2004)
*'' The Devil's Due at Midnight'' (2004)
*'' Boogie with the Undead'' (2003)
*'' Scarlet Countess'' (aka '' The Erotic Rites of Countess Dracula'') (2001)
*'' Horrorvision'' (2001)
*'' The Vampire Hunters Club'' (2001)
*'' Blood Slaves of the Vampire Wolf'' (1996)
*'' Limp Fangs'' (1996)
*''Lord of Illusions
''Lord of Illusions'' is a 1995 American neo-noir supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, based on his own short story "The Last Illusion" published in 1985 in the anthology '' Books of Blood'' Volume 6. The same story introd ...
'' (1995)
See also
*List of horror fiction authors
This is a list of some (not all) notable writers in the horror fiction genre.
Note that some writers listed below have also written in other genres, especially fantasy and science fiction.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
...
References
External links
Dark Delicacies
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howison, Del
1953 births
Living people
Male actors from Michigan
American male film actors
American horror writers
American short story writers
American male short story writers