Renowned Horror Author Ray Garton Dies at 61

April 22, 2024
Renowned Horror Author Ray Garton Dies at 61

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of the renowned horror author, Ray Garton. Known for his prolific writing career spanning nearly 70 books, Garton has sadly succumbed to lung cancer.

Ray Garton was just 61 years old.

Stephen King, a fellow horror novelist and friend, expressed his sorrow on Twitter, “I’m hearing that Ray Garton, horror novelist and friend, died yesterday. This is a devastating loss, especially for those who relished his witty and often surreal Twitter posts.”

Garton’s impressive repertoire includes novels such as Seductions, Darklings, Live Girls, Night Life, and Crucifax from the 1980s, and later works like A Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting, Trade Secrets, The New Neighbor, Lot Lizards, Dark Channel, Shackled, The Girl in the Basement, The Loveliest Dead, Ravenous, Bestial, and his most recent work, Trailer Park Noir.

Under the pseudonym Joseph Locke, Garton also penned young adult novels, including the novelizations for A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Master and The Dream Child. He also wrote novelizations for Tobe Hooper’s Invaders from Mars and Warlock, and contributed to the Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.

Other young adult horror novels by Joseph Locke that you might recognize include Petrified, Kiss of Death, Game Over, 1-900-Killer, Vengeance, and Kill the Teacher’s Pet.

For a comprehensive list of Ray Garton’s works, you can visit his official website.

Upon launching his website, Garton shared, “Since I was eight years old, all I’ve wanted to be was a writer, and since 1984, I have been blessed to make a living doing what I love. I’ve written over 60 books—novels and novellas in the horror and suspense genres, collections of short stories, movie novelizations, and TV tie-ins—with more in the pipeline.”

“I am deeply grateful to my readers for allowing me to pursue my passion for writing, and I derive immense joy from interacting with them,” Garton added.

Garton is survived by his beloved wife, Dawn.

Active in the horror community since 2008. Editor in Chief of Bloody Disgusting. Possesses Eli Roth’s prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Proud parent of four amazing cats. Still enjoys playing with toys.

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Anika Patel

Anika holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Michigan and specializes in subcultures and fandom communities. She explores the intersection of technology and culture in her pieces for Hypernova.

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