I Read My First Richard Laymon Book...
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Today, I am reviewing my first Richard Laymon read: Flesh, a horror novel that is quite different, in that it barely has any horror in it. Absolutely groundbreaking.
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That is a fantastic parallel between Stine and Laymon. It makes a lot of sense since there are certain threads between young horror readers and their adult counterparts that like the thrill and the fun and the simplicity if not the pedestrian writing style being a vehicle for creeping terror - and then gore with Laymon. It’s the weird thing with Laymon that you nailed: despite the dumb characters and ridiculous plot it’s a page-turner that doesn’t even hinge on the blockbuster model. It’s a raunchy B-horror on the page. At first I was sad to see Flesh as your first, but it works since you are not going to bin him based on that haha! Thank you for the mention
The parallels between Stine and Laymon are definitely there! It is horror that delivers on that once-in-a-while need for brainless fun, and I do not regret reading this in the least! I was thinking about how strange it is that none of his novels (to the extent of my knowledge) have been adapted into film, but then I think, there’s definitely something about them that ONLY works in text form.
Thank you for your valuable insights regarding his representations of women. I can definitely see that, and all the same, cis men seem to enjoy very similar tastes when it comes to masculinity. I mean, what are Rambo and the Fast & Furious characters, if not a burlesque performance of masculinity?
Thanks for watching, Lydia, as always! Your Laymon treasure trove most certainly inspired me to finally give him a shot. I’ll be getting to The Cellar soon!
Laymon writes the best 80s video nasties that were never filmed 😂. Every novel is like a bad VHS in the best way, I love it! If you want a film recommendation of the back of this try Frank Hennenlotters Brain Damage from 1988 it’s basically a more ‘Flesh’ed out version… (drum roll) Top review, loved that intro!
I absolutely love Brain Damage! And I do agree Laymon brings the “shoddy” and “goofy” qualities to the page unlike any other! Perhaps because he lacks self-awareness? 😂
I've got all of Laymon's books. Get used to the horniness and jiggling because it's in pretty much all of his books. He's a guilty pleasure writer for me. He's the literary equivalent of cheesy 70s and 80s horror films. Dumb, gory fun not to be taken seriously..
“Guilty pleasure” incarnate indeed! I think that’s what I enjoyed the most about him: He inhabits that b-movie style, but makes it very much a work whose magic can only exist in written form. We will see how The Cellar goes! I’m not particularly bothered by horniness (and since I’m gay it doesn’t do much for me anyway lmao), but I can see this being not for everyone! Lol.
To be fair those who claim his writing is "simple" apparently don't read 98% of mainstream novels. Tons of writers write simple. As long as the story is good, that's all that matters to me
When I was getting more into horror literature, I read reviews from his super fans that made him sound like an Edgar Allen Poe or Steven King. Then I read one and said, "What the hell?"
That’s the power of being good friends with Horror Writers Association people! 😂
@@PlaguedbyVisions Ah-ha
I'm only as far as the intro , but I'm already rooting for the mutant worm.
The worm is definitely the most compelling character, much like in Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke!
I love Laymon's books, I guess it's a guilty pleasure. My favorites of his are The Traveling Vampire Show, The Beast House books, In the Dark and Night in the Lonesome October and I plan on reading more of his books. I enjoyed your take on Laymon and I haven't read Flesh. Deron
I always hear good things about the Traveling Vampire Show and Night in the Lonesome October! I guess there's more to explore. I will be getting to The Cellar soon, but maybe not too soon, lol. "Guilty pleasure" is a phrase I don't often enjoy using, because I don't believe in feeling guilty about the things we enjoy. However, Laymon might be the one exception lmao.
Thanks for watching! I'm glad my first impressions on Laymon were enjoyable! Best to you, Deron!
I love Night in the Lonesome October. There's another book by the same name, written by Roger Zelazny. The narrator is Jack the Ripper's dog. There's a reading of it on TH-cam, thoroughly enjoyed it.
okay but 'he looked at his watch, but didnt know why. then, he remembered that he wanted to know what time it was' is the most ADHD statement ive ever heard. painfully relateable for me personally
Yes, he is an acquired taste. Back in the '80s and 90's his books were pretty good reads. I will have to revisit his books.
"Acquired taste" is right! Maybe I was only able to bear him because of how much cheese and pulp I've slogged through in the past, lol. I'll read The Cellar soon. Maybe then I'll let you know if he's really worth revisiting or not!
Richard Laymon's reaction from his grave at when he sees 11:10: Damn dawg
I was crying laughing at the intro. This review makes me even more curious to read Night in the Lonesome October. How many jiggles will be had? Only one way to find out...
The difference is that Richard Laymon seems like the kind of guy who would just be happy to have anyone read his books.
I knew you’d be more “curious” after this review. There will definitely be jiggling. Look out for his use of the word “rump.” I suspect it was his favorite word.
I'm glad you included the 6 inch pole line! Lol, didn't think about the Bechdel test, but I do see a lot of women giving praise to Laymon. I don't know that I'll finish Flesh but I do want to keep reading him, I think I'll go with Woods are Dark next, been in a cannibal mood since Off Season. Glad you did a full video of this, fantastic review!
That’s right! You are to thank for catching that amazing passage, Toby! Wish I would’ve remembered so I could’ve thanked you. :(
Justin from This Just In! Did an amazing and hilarious review series on The Woods Are Dark in case you haven’t seen it yet! I believe the crazed cannibal thirst will be quenched.
Thanks as always for the support, my friend!
That intro, and the passages you were reading had me laughing out loud 😂
I can confirm from the 3 Laymon books I've read that it's typical for him to be more concerned with the "romance" and sex than it is the actual horror elements 🙄
But I totally agree, there is something about his style of writing that is captivating and spellbinding as you put it. I do think he's a very talented author who has a unique voice... every book I've read by him, even though I ended up kind of disappointed with them, I managed to read them all fairly quickly. Dark Mountain was read in like 2 or 3 days. Also, those "beat by beat" scene descriptions is definitely something that he employs sometimes, and it does work at times but also becomes repetitive and drags the story, I have found.
Just to clarify, I've read Funland (many years ago, don't remember well but I know I didn't care for it)
In the Dark (Liked it starting out, disappointing 2nd act)
And my most recent one of course Dark Mountain. As you can see even though i haven't exactly liked any of these books I'm still willing to give him another chance just because his writing is so magical. I just wish he didn't focus so much on sex and nudity. I would read an erotica if I were interested in that lol. I get that some is played for laughs and I'm okay with that; but he surpasses the amount of smut even in 80s slashers by a long shot.
I’ve watched it more than once now! 😆
@@Jeremy-tc9be I had to go back and watch it a second time as well! Is that weird?? 😂
There’s definitely a certain quality about Laymon that keeps you coming back for more, and you don’t even feel like it’s a waste of time because they read so quick. Raunchiness is definitely out of left field because that’s not what a lot of us horror lovers come looking for lol, but I think it just adds to the overall vibe “this man truly doesn’t care.”
Juan, you inspiring me to make a booktube channel. Gimme some time I’ll be on yo level.
Consider me a faithful viewer, Byron!
"He hardly goes into any detail regards what's going on." Yes! Thank you! Exactly! That is what I found in the two books of his that I read. He really skimped on plot, and I mean SKIMPED:
I read a few of Laymon's novels a number of years ago, planning to read more in the coming months. He had a Master's degree in English literature, but I wouldn't know it from reading his stories.
I knew he had a Master’s Degree in English because a character in Flesh quotes Shakespeare twice! Now THAT is a true mastery of literary form. 😂 I riff on Laymon too hard. He entertained and fascinated me. What else can we ask of an author?
I always liked the Richard Laymon books. When I was was young he was one of my favorite authors. Try Bentley Little if you haven't already. Great video. 👍
The Beast House is one of Laymon's best imo.
I definitely want to give all these horror maestros a shot, and Bentley Little is definitely a name I keep hearing. He’s within my sight, and so is the Beast House trilogy!
Thank you for watching!
laymon's books can be found in the cheap-old-shit-boxes of austrian "Libro"-shops which i find amusing because they mainly sell school-related stuff.
(I wonder what this kind of shop is called in English: unsorted stuff, bestseller books, CDs and DVDs, stationery, and whatever other shops couldn't sell this month)
Hahahaha! I think it’s similar to what here in the US we’d call “dollar stores.”
That intro, I SCREAMED. Some hilarity for a dark world. Now I gotta read this!
Read this only if you’re ready for the book equivalent of a terrible B-movie.
Like the subtle touch of background music [giggle] 🤭
😏 as subtle as a Laymon novel!
Richard Laymon describes walking down the street... "I saw a stop sign - it looked like a flushed, swollen, firm breast. Then I saw a lamp post - it reminded me of a stiff erection I was getting from seeing the stop sign". Guy, just take a break for a while. Let it gooooooo.
Laymon was truly the horniest writer ever! I do find it strangely endearing, or perhaps the word is, “fascinating.”
Richard Laymon is the prime example of the fact that no matter how badly you write, how absurd, boring, ridiculous, inept your storyline is, there is someone willing to print your garbage...and read it.
He is, if anything, an inspiration for us aspiring writers! I recall a story about how David Foster Wallace used to teach a course on creative writing, and he assigned terrible books for his class to read as a learning experience. Laymon would most certainly aid in that!
That intro was flawless 👏🏽😂 I think Flesh might be a pass for me 😕🤣 haha
It’s truly a pass to many! I thrive in cheese and grime and crappy writing, but I understand not everyone’s a trash goblin like me. 😂
I’ve read a couple of his books, After Midnight, One rainy night, The Cellar & The Beast House. Not impressed with his writing at all, so much so that I’m now selling all the books of his that I have. What do you think of his writing? 😎😁
Lol, it’s most definitely not good writing! But I was captivated, enthralled, appalled. I didn’t hate it by any means!
Richard Laymon was my first horror author that I read, not read him for a long time.
Curiously, I HAVE heard many times that he is a lot of horror lovers’ first! I can’t imagine that. He really would have made me think twice about the genre. 😂 But I admit, he is tons of fun.
@@PlaguedbyVisions Bentley Little is my favourite author now. Just can't put them down. Thanks for the reply 😁
Great video 😂 The intro killed me ahha
I have a question. I saw Blood Red Sky yesterday (have you seen it? It's great!!) And I was wondering if there's any good horror book with the "mother protecting her children" trope. Like Babadook and Mama, and now this movie. Do you know any?
Oh, if you haven't watch the movie, try doing it without any info about it. The poster has spoilers 😒
That’s most definitely an intriguing and prevalent subgenre of horror! I believe Bird Box dealt with similar subject matter, though I’ve never read it. For some reason, I keep thinking of works with fathers defending their children (Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes), but am drawing a blank on mothers. I’ll let you know if anything comes up!
@@PlaguedbyVisions I just read one! The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires".
Join the Richard Laymon Appreciation Club
The Cellar is downright nasty. Funland is another great novel of Laymon
I’m honored to be accepted as a member! 😂 The Cellar promises to be great fun! Can’t wait! His prose is hypnotically cheesy and pulpy. It’s quite a ride.
@@PlaguedbyVisions The Cellar is the one book that pushes the envelope beyond "this is problematic, but also pulpy fun". But then again it has instances where you are like "wtf am I reading?" and you will know what I am talking about the moment you read that tidbit of info.
I’m hyped!
omg the intro!!!
😏🎷
This doesn't sound like Pride and Prejudice, I don't remember a mutant worm or so much jiggling in Jane Austen.
I read the expanded edition printed by Tor.
@@PlaguedbyVisions That explains it 😆
Did...did you steal my glasses? Okay, well, we'll get to that. I think you perfectly summed up Laymon in the first five minutes. Don't expect anything more or less from any of his writing. It's smutty, ridiculous, and oddly entertaining.
I did not steal your glasses! These are the ones I was born with.
Yes, Laymon is weirdly fascinating. Maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment, but I want to submit myself more to this idiosyncratic train-wreck of an author.
My one and so far only Laymon read was the novel Bite. It wasn't so bad that I couldn't finish it, but it was bad. I have many of his novels yet haven't been able to bring myself to do it yet. I imagine that I will try another, but am in no hurry. LOL
I am in the exact same spot, my friend. I bought a bunch of his stuff, and now I just stare at the spines. 😂 I did read the Cellar, and it was pretty okay!
Have read a small few. Half have been great. The other half not so. Have enjoyed endless night, bite, one rainy night, midnights lair, the glory bus. They were all good reads
I spent so long on my videos for The Woods Are Dark that I began to resent the book and Laymon LOL. But I still think about it and the crazy things that went down in the book... and something is pulling me back to him. And clearly something inspired me to spend all that time and effort....
I'm glad you pointed out the female presence. He might make some of them stupid as hell but they are there and, at least in Woods Are Dark, there is more than just a token one or two.
I tend to give "b-movies" the benefit of the doubt and I realize that directors are intentionally making these choices for people to laugh at or just to have fun making a stupid movie. I need to acquire that same taste in literature. Also, it's a fine line to write something that is shocking for the sake of being shocking or to give it purpose or if it's just tongue in cheek. I'm still not sure where Laymon falls...
It's a unique experience. At least it was for me.
Fantastic video! I appreciate your honest approach to this controversial figure in horror literature.
And sorry for the wall of text... ;P
Your Woods are Dark saga is truly what made me go, "This Justin is something else," so not all was lost, and it was worth your psychological torture.
Lydia and Kristine down in the comment section here raised super fascinating points about Laymon's women: It really feels like a burlesque portrayal of womanhood, to the point that it is laughable, yet there is still something recognizable about it that resonates with many female readers. On top of that, the oversexualization is to the point of exhaustion, and that exhaustion, in a weird way, helps to empathize with these women more, whether intentional or not. They are always the object of a gaze, the receptors of violence, and yet they are often strong and triumphant characters.
He is definitely an author of B-books. I say B-books, because they exist entirely within literature, and would probably lose their charm if turned into films. I don't know how, but Laymon really managed to create B-books. It's weird.
Also, I love walls of text. Keep 'em coming!
Good morning I have come out tonight by Richard layman but at the moment I am reading Douglas Clegg the nightmare chronicles seeya😁😊😄😆
I hope you enjoy Laymon! He’s definitely an acquired taste. Having slugged through so much cheese and pulp in my life, I found him bearable lol.
I see I’ve stumbled into the late-night Plagued by Visions programming.
Plagued by 18+ Visions ;)
Apparently Laymon’s first and last thirds of his career are a little cringeworthy but his middle third is fun and well written and approaches the better King novels. Flesh is apparently when he started to improve out of initial phase into his middle period.
I’ll have to keep that in mind when picking my next Laymon title!
@@PlaguedbyVisions just finished Travelling Vampire Show minutes ago and it’s quite good. A shorter version of It, coming of age story.
You got it completely the wrong way around. Flesh is considerably better than his early works like the cellar. In fact, the cellar is his first published novel and it really shows in how little description he uses and how little effort he puts into building characters.
I’ve recently started reading Laymons books and I’ve been reading them in publication order. I can tell you for a fact that he gets better over the passage of time and really it was with the sequel novel of the cellar titled the beast house that I started to really see improvement. Then came Dark mountain, once again I’d say that this book was better written and then with the next published book Flesh which I just finished reading I’d say he’s improved yet again. I’m now really looking forward to reading midnights lair and his subsequent novels as he was supposedly on a really good run that lasted a few years and several books from Flesh onwards.
The cellar and his other early works are still fun, fast paced books but they are very amateurish and poor compared to the other books I’ve mentioned.
"Such poetry in motion"🤣🤣🤣🤣. I feel the same way about Richard Laymon. It's a love/hate thing. I'd love version's of his books with all the sex taken out, which would just leave novellas honestly. I just skim over those scenes now which makes his books much quicker reads. He does however write some tough woman that end up really kicking ass. The Cellar is part 1of a 3 part series, and I accidentally read the 2nd one called "Beast House". I do plan on reading the other 2. The only other book of his I read is "Darness,Tell Us". I loved/hated both lol. I would recommend them though. The amount of times he uses the word 'rump' is absolutely hilarious!
I think all the sex and needless romp (or “rump” in this case) being taken out would leave about a 15-page short story in the case of Flesh.
That is something that I failed to mention in this review but I really should have! The main female character, Allison, never gives in to her boyfriend’s constant coercing, and she remains true to herself and strong in a significant way, in a way I actually see very few women in horror act. Laymon is most definitely not as one-dimensional as he seems!
The Cellar is next! I look forward to more rumpin’ fun!
@@PlaguedbyVisions @Plagued by Visions Yeah, I was kindof torn reading Beast House. I would think "even though there's tons of sexualization of the women, he's not really disrespecting them, they're pretty kick ass actually". I had a thought and I hope I can explain it.....it seems like he could be showing men (who read his books) what women actually go through on a day to day basis. The way the men are constantly focusing on their bodies, even when there are much more (life threatening) situations to be focusing on. I can picture a guy reading one of his books saying "wow, do women really have to put up with this every day?" It was just a thought. Of course Richard Laymon could simply just be a perv and I'm trying to give him too much credit.
@@kristinestaples7607 you know, I can totally see that! The sexualization really reaches a point of exhaustion, at least for me, and the women in his books are much more devoted to NAVIGATING THROUGH objectification rather than give into it. Laymon is surely mystifying. The most simple answer is usually the most accurate, but he really does open up discussions like these, so does that not make him significant in some way?
@@PlaguedbyVisions I feel like you, as a man, says that the sexualization gets to the point of exhaustion means that it could be true. It certainly opens up some discussions. I mean, there are so many women that love his books. I'm definitely going to skip over the one you read. It sounds like it's much worse than the others, and there's only so much I can take lol.
Yeah, this is truly not his best, and his best seems to already be iffy lol. Also, as a gay man, it might be a different experience for me, but I've certainly also heard many straight men call his writing absolutely appalling and stupid. When they speak of the sexualization, they usually do it in a ridiculing manner. It's interesting. I don't know what to make of Laymon yet. He's polarizing as hell!
I just finished Flesh minutes ago and yes, you’re more or less right. The cheesy, oversexed, politically incorrect thoughts and speech is right at home in the 1980s Stephen King universe. It’s a brisk thriller in the Koontz/King frame. It’s a 3.5 star book for me but doesn’t approach cannibal horror like Brother by Ahlborn or Kin by Burke. He wrote Alison fairly well but other women and men are pretty one dimensionally hypersexed. Next is Travelling Vampire Show since it’s supposed to be a bit more like It by King as a coming of age story.
Thank you for watching! I do want to read more Laymon eventually, although I do think I need a brief break from his writing.
If I can suggest one, Endless Night is one of the greatest! :D
Thank you! I keep hearing Endless Night, The Cellar, Funland. I guess those three are next!
And Savage
The plot is stupid! The characters are dumb! It’s a Laymon novel alright. I might have read…a couple of his books….
I really like your new background music. I’m going to use that music for all my videos.
I’m definitely going to end up reading more than a couple!
I can send you the music I used. I can share some… tapes as well.
I recommend The Traveling Vampire Show. That’s a good book
I have that one! I’ll definitely give it a read.
@@PlaguedbyVisions To me it shows the writer Richard could have been it’s got some fleshed out characters. It’s got a great sense of place it depicts 60s life.
Its not good... it's terrible but it's enjoyable. I guess that's a compliment lol. Love the background music. Damn dawg.
I think it is a compliment! I wouldn’t be opposed to reading more by him. I wanna see where else his train wreck of an imagination takes me.
I have never read Mr. Laymon, but I am aware of his fame AND infamy. Judging by your review, I think it would be fun to read his books while drunk to kill some time.
Definitely, this would be greatly enjoyed while intoxicated! Thanks for watching as always, Jeremy!
I've only read/listened to The Woods Are Dark and Savage. Decent books.
I got into Richard laymon due to reading Bentley little if you havent read any of his books I recommend him
I’ve heard the name of course, but I’ve never actually read any Bentley Little. Do you have any recommendations?
@@PlaguedbyVisions the store ,dominion, the mailman,the association are just a few 🙂
@@evelynbouchard9036 Thank you!
@@PlaguedbyVisions your welcome 🙂
That intro!!! L M A O !!!
Thank you, thank you! 😂
I've read this book alled The Resurrectionist by Wrath James White and it did kind of remind me of this book. It mixes sex and horror well but it's not offensive. However, comma!!!! it's written by a dude... Was is trying to be feminist, I don't think so but there's definitely some women empowerment on that book. Definitely mixes that sexual themes and gore too. This was supposed to be the episode 1 of cadaver podcast... let's not talk about that.
Female empowerment can certainly come from a variety of directions. Womanhood is not tethered to a single experience or trajectory, not even to physicality, so I think horror especially is adept at deconstructing what exactly female empowerment can be. Not everything is pristine and neatly wrapped-up under a squeaky clean label of “white hetero feminism.” Survival is a lot more freeform than that!
I still await the Cadaver podcast and I will die waiting if I have to!
How despicable! Now excuse me as I buy this book… for research purposes.
Yes, research is at hand! Try to keep both hands on the book, though ;)
I tried Laymon a twice in the 90s )don't remember the names of the books) but gave up on him after that. Found the stories didn't make a lot of sense and were a bit too focused on horny teens shagging. Subbed, I like this sort of content.
Wait until r/menwritingwomen gets ahold of this!
I’m sure Richard Laymon is the poster child of that subreddit!
I love this author
That intro 😳 I’m a little riled up 😂 this book sounds awful! I must read it immediately.
My exact same thoughts for the rest of his bibliography! 🤣
Everyone’s getting hot and bothered in the comments. Next video is going to be me hurling a bucket of water at the camera!
My first Laymon, maybe because its of a different era...but was a major letdown. His sex/erotic themes soooo boring & bland. Its stuff for teens, and its still insulting.
I agree with all of this! And yet I'm compelled to read more, lol. It really is that "trainwreck" effect. I guess that kind of atrocity definitely helps to sell books! lol
Can you please react to “The lady of heaven trailer?”❤️
Aw, man, reacting might not be my stronghold 😅 I would seriously just sit there watching stonefaced haha.
hahaha...I love Laymon's stupid books.
Me too from time to time! Have you read The Stake?
Wait until the novocaine wears off before making videos , huh?
What’s novocaine