Fear Flashbacks! – Chas. Balun wants to meet you on “Ninth and Hell Street” (1990)

For those not in the know, Chas. Balun was a premier horror journalist back in the 1980s and 1990s. His insightful and sometimes hilarious articles in Fangoria and Gorezone overflowed with a jubilant love of the genre, but he never shied away from ripping on the latest pile of shit that was undeservedly raking in $40 million at the box office. Chas. was one of us.

In addition to his horror critiques, I saw him appear on television a number of times to debate the merits of the genre for mainstream talk shows and news exposés. By the early 1990s, he was ready to move into the area of horror fiction. Today’s entry is a promo flyer from circa late 1988 announcing the arrival of what was to be his only novel, “Ninth and Hell Street”, published by Fantaco in 1990 (not 1989 as the advert originally estimated).

After contributing so much to horror criticism, Balun was taken from us far too soon, dying of cancer in 2009 at the age of 61. However, his gutsy, informative work will live on for new generations to discover. Even the beginnings of UBHB drew inspiration from his work, in particular his Gorezone “Piece O’ Mind” column. If you like my writing, definitely do yourself a favor and check out Chas.

#fearflashbacks #chasblaun #ninthandhellstreet #fangoria #gorezone #journalism #pieceomind #fantaco