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Gaslight, Ghosts & Ghouls: A Centenary Celebration
ABOUT THIS BOOK During the 1970s and 80s, R. Chetwynd-Hayes (1919 2001) was one of the most important horror writers and editors working in Britain. Not only was he happy to write about such genre standards as ghosts, demons, ghouls, vampires and werewolves, but he also delighted in making up his own bizarre monster variations that managed to stretch the imaginations of both author and reader alike. During his lifetime, Ronald published twenty-four collections of short fiction, twenty-four anthologies (including twelve volumes of the influential Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories series), thirteen novels and more than 220 short stories. His work was adapted for the movies, television, radio and comics, and reprinted in various languages around the world. One of his publishers described him as Britain s Prince of Chill , and his volumes of ghost stories and humo¬rous tales of terror once filled the shelves of nearly every public library in the UK. Now, the celebrate the centenary of his birth, his long-time friend an colleague, World Fantasy Award-winning editor Stephen Jones, has compiled Gaslight, Ghosts & A Centenary Celebration , a stunning volume of stories and non-fiction that truly does justice to R. Chetwynd-Hayes s work and his enduring legacy. This massive volume contains sixteen of the author s highly original tales of terror and the supernatural, which invariably combined horror and humour in equal measure, giving them a style that was uniquely Ronald s own. These not only include a rare reprint of one of his novellas featuring the world s only practising psychic detective Francis St. Clare and his vivacious assistant Frederica ( Fred ) Masters, but also two tales that have never been reprinted since their original publication, plus a vampire novella that is appearing in print for the very first time! There is also the longest interview with Ron ever published, conducted by Stephen Jones and Jo Fletcher, and the editor also teamed up with Chetwynd-Hayes aficionado Marc Damian Lawler to compile the most complete and detailed Working Bibliography of the author s work ever assembled. Additionally, the book includes a dust-jacket and a full-colour portfolio of book-cover paintings by the masterful Les Edwards, a photographic section with many rare photos that have never been seen before (many supplied by the author s family), plus two stunning endpapers by John Bolton and Graham Humphreys, and a back cover painting by Walter Velez, all inspired by The Monster Club , the 1980 movie based on Ronald s stories and starring Vincent Price and John Carradine.
- GenresHorror
446 pages, Hardcover
Published December 1, 2020
About the author
R. Chetwynd-Hayes
141 books59 followersRonald Henry Glynn Chetwynd-Hayes aka Angus Campbell.
Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes was an author, best known for his ghost stories. His first published work was the science fiction novel The Man From The Bomb in 1959. He went on to publish many collections and ten other novels including The Grange, The Haunted Grange, And Love Survived and The Curse of the Snake God. He also edited over 20 anthologies. Several of his short works were adapted into anthology style movies in the United Kingdom, including The Monster Club and From Beyond the Grave. Chetwynd-Hayes' book The Monster Club contains references to a film-maker called Vinke Rocnnor, an anagram of Kevin Connor, the director of From Beyond the Grave.
He won the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement for 1988, and the British Fantasy Society Special Award in 1989.
Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes was an author, best known for his ghost stories. His first published work was the science fiction novel The Man From The Bomb in 1959. He went on to publish many collections and ten other novels including The Grange, The Haunted Grange, And Love Survived and The Curse of the Snake God. He also edited over 20 anthologies. Several of his short works were adapted into anthology style movies in the United Kingdom, including The Monster Club and From Beyond the Grave. Chetwynd-Hayes' book The Monster Club contains references to a film-maker called Vinke Rocnnor, an anagram of Kevin Connor, the director of From Beyond the Grave.
He won the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement for 1988, and the British Fantasy Society Special Award in 1989.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 21, 2024
I bought this book mainly because of my love for an obscure movie based on the author's work called THE MONSTER CLUB. I tend to buy a lot of books and comics that I feel are historically significant, and therefore NEED to be read, and I almost invariably end up disappointed. Glad to have had the experience of reading them, but disappointed that it wasn't an ENJOYABLE experience.
GASLIGHT, GHOSTS, & GHOULS: A CENTENARY CELEBRATION was an enjoyable experience.
But one that also saddened me. Why isn't R. Chetwynd-Hayes better known, better remembered, and better represented on book shelves and digitally? Almost nothing of the man's prolific body of work remains in print, aside from two collections by the always-reliable Valancourt Books, and this volume, which seems to be out-of-print already.
I was immediately struck by Chetwynd-Hayes' vast imagination and playful sense of humor. The man seems to have had a boundless capacity for dreaming up new varieties of monsters ("The Humgoo", "The Jumpity-Jim"), unusual situations ("The Day That Father Brought Something Home", which is unlike anything that this jaded Horror reader has ever encountered before), and stuff that is just head-smackingly weird and awesome (The "Solar Suit" worn by the young vampire forced to attend "Day School")....There was only one story in this collection/appreciation that I wasn't absolutely blown away by, and I hope that this review will spur other Horror fans to check out what is available from the Chetwynd-Hayes catalog and give some of it a try. I've already contacted Valancourt and asked about the possibility of them resurrecting more of his body of work, and I'm going to do the same with PS Publishing, who did such a wonderful job on this volume.
I can't recommend this book, and this author, highly enough.
GASLIGHT, GHOSTS, & GHOULS: A CENTENARY CELEBRATION was an enjoyable experience.
But one that also saddened me. Why isn't R. Chetwynd-Hayes better known, better remembered, and better represented on book shelves and digitally? Almost nothing of the man's prolific body of work remains in print, aside from two collections by the always-reliable Valancourt Books, and this volume, which seems to be out-of-print already.
I was immediately struck by Chetwynd-Hayes' vast imagination and playful sense of humor. The man seems to have had a boundless capacity for dreaming up new varieties of monsters ("The Humgoo", "The Jumpity-Jim"), unusual situations ("The Day That Father Brought Something Home", which is unlike anything that this jaded Horror reader has ever encountered before), and stuff that is just head-smackingly weird and awesome (The "Solar Suit" worn by the young vampire forced to attend "Day School")....There was only one story in this collection/appreciation that I wasn't absolutely blown away by, and I hope that this review will spur other Horror fans to check out what is available from the Chetwynd-Hayes catalog and give some of it a try. I've already contacted Valancourt and asked about the possibility of them resurrecting more of his body of work, and I'm going to do the same with PS Publishing, who did such a wonderful job on this volume.
I can't recommend this book, and this author, highly enough.
January 12, 2020
GASLIGHT, GHOSTS & GHOULS
by R. Chetwynd-Hayes, edited by Stephen Jones.
Review by John Gilbert for Phantasmagoria Special Edition Series #1: R. Chetwynd-Hayes Centenary.
In 2001, The Guardian newspaper published the obituary of Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes, a British writer and short story anthologist who had recently passed away in a nursing home in Twickenham.
Devoted fans of horror fiction and films may have paused for a few moments to remember him but, I suspect, others will have read his name amongst many others on that day and their gaze will have moved on. If his name caused only a ripple of interest or gentle murmur of surprise amongst some readers why are we now celebrating the centenary of his birth? Well, he may not be as famous as Stephen King, Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman or James Herbert but there is no doubt that many of the luminaries of the horror genre will cite him as an influence in their careers. He was quite simply a prolific master of the macabre and, despite his genteel appearance, nestled many a gruesome shock amongst the words of his short stories and novels and provided the basis for several classic Amicus portmanteau movies including The Monster Club and From Beyond the Grave.
Several books have been released to mark his centenary this year (see elsewhere in this issue) but I would particularly recommend this illustrated anthology, edited by Stephen Jones. Not only has it been sumptuously produced - as usual by PS Publishing - and contains some of the seminal tales written by Chetwynd-Hayes but also it has the advantage of being collated by one of the author’s closest friends. There is no better pedigree than that.
So, it is with a deep insider knowledge that Jones pens his introduction, drawing out the character and fiction that made the man. This is followed by A Writer in the Dark Lands, an in-depth interview conducted by Steve and Jo Fletcher which charts the important events in Ronald’s life and literary career combined with revelations from the man himself which provides an intriguing preface to the first of the collection’s stories, ‘Housebound’.
Jones has carefully collated this collection to include the more well-known tales - such as ‘The Gatecrasher’, ‘The Door’, ‘The Elemental’, ‘The Jumpity Jim’ (which features one of Ronald's favourite creature creations), ‘The Humgoo’, and my personal favourite ‘The Cradle Demon’ - many of which have been adapted for the aforementioned movies, together with stories that are not so well-known or downright rare.
Newcomers to the Chetwynd-Hayes canon will find no better introduction to the British Prince of Chill’s work. Hardened horror fans will find a plethora of Appendices - including an illustrated working biography with commentary by the author, an obituary from Chetwynd-Hayes’ local paper and a catalogue of unpublished works.
Gaslight, Ghosts & Ghouls is a well researched, brilliantly put together literary portrait of a Master of Darkness who dearly wished better treatment by posterity. Maybe, that wish will now be granted. Stephen Jones and PS Publishing have done this late and lamented genre master respectful homage.
Gaslight, Ghosts & Ghouls is published by PS Publishing and is available to purchase from Amazon and many other retailers.
by R. Chetwynd-Hayes, edited by Stephen Jones.
Review by John Gilbert for Phantasmagoria Special Edition Series #1: R. Chetwynd-Hayes Centenary.
In 2001, The Guardian newspaper published the obituary of Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes, a British writer and short story anthologist who had recently passed away in a nursing home in Twickenham.
Devoted fans of horror fiction and films may have paused for a few moments to remember him but, I suspect, others will have read his name amongst many others on that day and their gaze will have moved on. If his name caused only a ripple of interest or gentle murmur of surprise amongst some readers why are we now celebrating the centenary of his birth? Well, he may not be as famous as Stephen King, Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman or James Herbert but there is no doubt that many of the luminaries of the horror genre will cite him as an influence in their careers. He was quite simply a prolific master of the macabre and, despite his genteel appearance, nestled many a gruesome shock amongst the words of his short stories and novels and provided the basis for several classic Amicus portmanteau movies including The Monster Club and From Beyond the Grave.
Several books have been released to mark his centenary this year (see elsewhere in this issue) but I would particularly recommend this illustrated anthology, edited by Stephen Jones. Not only has it been sumptuously produced - as usual by PS Publishing - and contains some of the seminal tales written by Chetwynd-Hayes but also it has the advantage of being collated by one of the author’s closest friends. There is no better pedigree than that.
So, it is with a deep insider knowledge that Jones pens his introduction, drawing out the character and fiction that made the man. This is followed by A Writer in the Dark Lands, an in-depth interview conducted by Steve and Jo Fletcher which charts the important events in Ronald’s life and literary career combined with revelations from the man himself which provides an intriguing preface to the first of the collection’s stories, ‘Housebound’.
Jones has carefully collated this collection to include the more well-known tales - such as ‘The Gatecrasher’, ‘The Door’, ‘The Elemental’, ‘The Jumpity Jim’ (which features one of Ronald's favourite creature creations), ‘The Humgoo’, and my personal favourite ‘The Cradle Demon’ - many of which have been adapted for the aforementioned movies, together with stories that are not so well-known or downright rare.
Newcomers to the Chetwynd-Hayes canon will find no better introduction to the British Prince of Chill’s work. Hardened horror fans will find a plethora of Appendices - including an illustrated working biography with commentary by the author, an obituary from Chetwynd-Hayes’ local paper and a catalogue of unpublished works.
Gaslight, Ghosts & Ghouls is a well researched, brilliantly put together literary portrait of a Master of Darkness who dearly wished better treatment by posterity. Maybe, that wish will now be granted. Stephen Jones and PS Publishing have done this late and lamented genre master respectful homage.
Gaslight, Ghosts & Ghouls is published by PS Publishing and is available to purchase from Amazon and many other retailers.
April 19, 2020
Excellent tribute and a solid survey/sampling of R. Chetwynd-Hayes stories. The highly detailed working bibliography should delight RCH collectors. All beautifully presented by PS Publishing in a gorgeous hardcover and slip-cased edition.
Want to Read
December 11, 2025PLACEHOLDER REVIEWS
In Lady Eleanor Smith's "Mrs. Raeburn's Waxwork" a Mr. Lamb takes a position as attendant at a waxworks, but find himself fixated on the only female figure in the Chamber of Horrors, the poisoner Mrs. Raeburn... Not a particularly inventive story, pretty much what you'd expect, but oddly effective for all that.
In Lady Eleanor Smith's "Mrs. Raeburn's Waxwork" a Mr. Lamb takes a position as attendant at a waxworks, but find himself fixated on the only female figure in the Chamber of Horrors, the poisoner Mrs. Raeburn... Not a particularly inventive story, pretty much what you'd expect, but oddly effective for all that.
January 14, 2020
In 2001, The Guardian newspaper published the obituary of Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes, a British writer and short story anthologist who had recently passed away in a nursing home in Twickenham.
Devoted fans of horror fiction and films may have paused for a few moments to remember him but, I suspect, others will have read his name amongst many others on that day and their gaze will have moved on. If his name caused only a ripple of interest or gentle murmur of surprise amongst some readers why are we now celebrating the centenary of his birth? Well, he may not be as famous as Stephen King, Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman or James Herbert but there is no doubt that many of the luminaries of the horror genre will cite him as an influence in their careers. He was quite simply a prolific master of the macabre and, despite his genteel appearance, nestled many a gruesome shock amongst the words of his short stories and novels and provided the basis for several classic Amicus portmanteau movies including The Monster Club and From Beyond the Grave.
Several books have been released to mark his centenary this year (see elsewhere in this issue) but I would particularly recommend this illustrated anthology, edited by Stephen Jones. Not only has it been sumptuously produced - as usual by PS Publishing - and contains some of the seminal tales written by Chetwynd-Hayes but also it has the advantage of being collated by one of the author’s closest friends. There is no better pedigree than that.
So, it is with a deep insider knowledge that Jones pens his introduction, drawing out the character and fiction that made the man. This is followed by A Writer in the Dark Lands, an in-depth interview conducted by Steve and Jo Fletcher which charts the important events in Ronald’s life and literary career combined with revelations from the man himself which provides an intriguing preface to the first of the collection’s stories, ‘Housebound’.
Jones has carefully collated this collection to include the more well-known tales - such as ‘The Gatecrasher’, ‘The Door’, ‘The Elemental’, ‘The Jumpity Jim’ (which features one of Ronald's favourite creature creations), ‘The Humgoo’, and my personal favourite ‘The Cradle Demon’ - many of which have been adapted for the aforementioned movies, together with stories that are not so well-known or downright rare.
Newcomers to the Chetwynd-Hayes canon will find no better introduction to the British Prince of Chill’s work. Hardened horror fans will find a plethora of Appendices - including an illustrated working biography with commentary by the author, an obituary from Chetwynd-Hayes’ local paper and a catalogue of unpublished works.
Gaslight, Ghosts & Ghouls is a well researched, brilliantly put together literary portrait of a Master of Darkness who dearly wished better treatment by posterity. Maybe, that wish will now be granted. Stephen Jones and PS Publishing have done this late and lamented genre master respectful homage.
Gaslight, Ghosts & Ghouls is published by PS Publishing and is available to purchase from Amazon and many other retailers. For your chance to win a copy, simply turn the page…
Devoted fans of horror fiction and films may have paused for a few moments to remember him but, I suspect, others will have read his name amongst many others on that day and their gaze will have moved on. If his name caused only a ripple of interest or gentle murmur of surprise amongst some readers why are we now celebrating the centenary of his birth? Well, he may not be as famous as Stephen King, Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman or James Herbert but there is no doubt that many of the luminaries of the horror genre will cite him as an influence in their careers. He was quite simply a prolific master of the macabre and, despite his genteel appearance, nestled many a gruesome shock amongst the words of his short stories and novels and provided the basis for several classic Amicus portmanteau movies including The Monster Club and From Beyond the Grave.
Several books have been released to mark his centenary this year (see elsewhere in this issue) but I would particularly recommend this illustrated anthology, edited by Stephen Jones. Not only has it been sumptuously produced - as usual by PS Publishing - and contains some of the seminal tales written by Chetwynd-Hayes but also it has the advantage of being collated by one of the author’s closest friends. There is no better pedigree than that.
So, it is with a deep insider knowledge that Jones pens his introduction, drawing out the character and fiction that made the man. This is followed by A Writer in the Dark Lands, an in-depth interview conducted by Steve and Jo Fletcher which charts the important events in Ronald’s life and literary career combined with revelations from the man himself which provides an intriguing preface to the first of the collection’s stories, ‘Housebound’.
Jones has carefully collated this collection to include the more well-known tales - such as ‘The Gatecrasher’, ‘The Door’, ‘The Elemental’, ‘The Jumpity Jim’ (which features one of Ronald's favourite creature creations), ‘The Humgoo’, and my personal favourite ‘The Cradle Demon’ - many of which have been adapted for the aforementioned movies, together with stories that are not so well-known or downright rare.
Newcomers to the Chetwynd-Hayes canon will find no better introduction to the British Prince of Chill’s work. Hardened horror fans will find a plethora of Appendices - including an illustrated working biography with commentary by the author, an obituary from Chetwynd-Hayes’ local paper and a catalogue of unpublished works.
Gaslight, Ghosts & Ghouls is a well researched, brilliantly put together literary portrait of a Master of Darkness who dearly wished better treatment by posterity. Maybe, that wish will now be granted. Stephen Jones and PS Publishing have done this late and lamented genre master respectful homage.
Gaslight, Ghosts & Ghouls is published by PS Publishing and is available to purchase from Amazon and many other retailers. For your chance to win a copy, simply turn the page…
July 11, 2025
R Chetwyn-Hayes is such a forgotten king of British horror writing. His short stories have been made into films, and with the new fan based funded resurrection of Amicus films there is still a treasure trove of stories that can be adapted. By far my favourite was Jumping Jiminy written in beautiful prose and an excellent for a Ghost Stories at Christmas. Chetwyn-Hayes was in the same league as MR James, yet he is never included in Horror Omnibuses or the British Library collections, which is truly a shame as his work is vastly superior to some of the stories used in these collections or the same old collection of antique stories that are already in several omnibuses on ghost stories. Let us hope he will find a new readership soon?
March 28, 2026
Chetwynd-Hayes, described by one of his publishers as "Britain's Prince of Chills, was responsible for 24 collections, 24 anthologies, 13 novels, and more than 220 short stories (Jones, "A Writer in the Dark Lands", May 2019, "Gaslight, Ghosts and Ghouls").
The first story I ever remeber readiing by Chetwynd-Hayes was "The Werewolf and the Vampire", first published in 1975 - which I think rather showcases his sense of humor - alas this story is not reprsented in this collection.
"Gaslight: is a splendid retrospection of Chetwynd-Hayes short stories, interspaced with a lenthy bibliography of his pubished works, a short photo gallery, and an iinterview ith Cheywybnd-Hayes, who passed in 2001.
My favorite stories herein were "The Day that Father brought Something Home", "The Elemental", "Day School", and "The Gibbering Ghoul of Gomershal".....are there more stories of Francis St. Claire and Fred?
A worthy volume from a british master.
Jeff Mc
The first story I ever remeber readiing by Chetwynd-Hayes was "The Werewolf and the Vampire", first published in 1975 - which I think rather showcases his sense of humor - alas this story is not reprsented in this collection.
"Gaslight: is a splendid retrospection of Chetwynd-Hayes short stories, interspaced with a lenthy bibliography of his pubished works, a short photo gallery, and an iinterview ith Cheywybnd-Hayes, who passed in 2001.
My favorite stories herein were "The Day that Father brought Something Home", "The Elemental", "Day School", and "The Gibbering Ghoul of Gomershal".....are there more stories of Francis St. Claire and Fred?
A worthy volume from a british master.
Jeff Mc
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews