This where I say- use what I have here or don't. Whatever.
There are many options for this kind of generational display. You could look for books published during a defined time period, for Gen X you could use the late 70's through late 90's. But don't be doctrinaire, there are plenty of books by members of Generation X that are set during that time period or which have the sense or flavor of that generation. If someone else on staff disagrees with your choices, invite them to add their own choices. Ask patrons for their suggestions on your social media or in your library.
You can add some non-fiction about significant events that took place in the 80's and 90's. There are plenty of examples of terrifying things that took place during those years. Also, check your DVD collection and add some of those. Goosebumps was first published in 1992...
For a passive program, add one for Baby Boomers, Millennials, and Gen Z. Let your patrons fight it out and read some great books. A more active program would involve putting on a short film festival and having plenty of books for people to check out.
Some great options for titles include:
My Best Friend's Exorcism, We Sold Our Souls, and Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix should all be on this kind of display Paperbacks is a non-fiction Stoker award winner and includes information about those paperbacks your parents read. My Best Friend's Exorcism is set in the Satanic panic era (Kirkus called it "The Exorcist by way of Heathers). We Sold Our Souls tells of a 90's metal band whose lead singer abandoned them to become a successful solo act. Kris finds out that he did this by selling her soul to a demon.Dark Ink Books issued an anthology called Generation Xed. A collection of twenty-two author's monster, folk, paranormal, and psychological horror short stories, this collection would be an obvious pick.
The Hunger by Whitley Strieber is on the list of influential vampire novels published in the 80's. It was also an influential film with David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve, and Susan Sarandon. The Wolfen is his 1978 debut novel about werewolves in NYC. Strieber is also known because of Communion, his 1987 non-fiction book about encountering aliens. He still maintains a website on the subject.
The Pallbearers Club by Paul Tremblay is a horror novel that includes an increasing sense of dread, a slacker lead character, and a woman with a sort of goth flavor who may or may not be a vampire. As Art Barbara looks back on his life, Mercy annotates his memoir, creating a sense of unease as readers decide who is a reliable narrator. Husker Du is the soundtrack for this book.
Clay McLeod Chapman is an author with several options for this display or list. The Remaking follows the same tale as it changes in how it is told every 20 years. With each retelling, there are terrifying consequences. The chapters about a film in the 70's and 90's have a wonderful sense of time and place. Whisper Down the Lane switches between the 1980's and thirty years later. Lies told in the past come back to haunt a teacher. Based upon the McMartin Preschool case and the Satanic Panic, this book explores parenthood, divorce in the 80's, and mass hysteria. Finally, Ghost Eaters is about addiction to people, relationships, and drugs. When her charismatic friend and former college boyfriend Silas dies after she tries to finally quit him for good, Erin falls apart. She learns of a drug that allows users to talk to the dead... This book has a gothic/punk feel that is appropriate for this display.
Gothic by Philip Fracassi is an option I will include because like Ghost Eaters, it has the right feel, tone, and atmosphere. Writer Tyson Parks is a bestselling author who fears his best years are behind him. He receives an ornate desk as a birthday gift and begins to write around the clock at a frantic pace. Friends and family begin to notice his strange, violent behavior while a mysterious woman begins making inquiries about an artifact... This book is like falling into a movie from the great late 70's horror boom. Gen Xers would have watched them on early cable or in cinema reissues.
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is very representative of the 90's. Patrick Bateman is a successful, wealthy, narcissistic stockbroker who is also a serial killer. It's a graphically violent book that was made into a successful film. Any works by Ellis would work on a GenX display.
Anne Rice had a huge fan base among my friends in the 1980's. The 1994 film version of Interview With a Vampire was also very popular. Rice's vampire tales are Gothic and sensual. She has a fairly large backlist and any can be put on a display, regardless of when they were released.
Nancy Collins' 1989 book Sunglasses After Dark introduced Sonja Blue to a wide audience. Sonja is a living vampire with a soul and was trained to hunt the vampires who prey upon innocent people. It has a punk sensibility and helped usher in other urban fantasy books.
Brian Keene came to prominence in the early 2000's but brings a solid Generation X feel to his fiction and non-fiction.
Clive Barker would be a perfect addition to this display. He became the "future of horror" after the US publication of Books of Blood in the mid-80's. Don't forget the film adaptations of his works.
John Saul was first published in the mid70's but produced many bestselling horror novels in the 80's and 90's. HIs novels have sold millions of copies and anyone reading horror in the 80's and 90's would have been familiar with his work.
Jack Ketchum and Peter Straub also published horror in the 80's and 90's.
Rewind or Die by Unnerving is a series of novellas with the distinctive feel of the horror movies you would pick up at the video store. There are plenty of authors whose works you have in your collection represented in the series.
Other ideas would include the novels by Stephen King which became movies in the 80's and 90's, horror novels about slashers like My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones and Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix, and the novels set in the Aliens franchise,
I will leave you with this hilarious list: Twitter is Sharing the Disturbing Books They Read When They Were Way Too Young.
my theory is every gen X person read a stephen king book way too young and that’s why they are the way they are
— Amy (@lolennui) April 6, 2022
Some Lists:
The Essential Gen X Book List from Penguin Random House - Notable because it does include American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. The movie and the book are both Gen X horror material.
When You're Strange: 5 GenX Films That Shaped My Goth Goth Heart from Popmatters- Don't forget your DVD collection. You also now have an excuse to put Lost Boys and Edward Scissorhands on a display.
GenX Horror from Letterboxd - A list from a user that includes many released between 92 and 02 that you likely have on the shelf.
Gen X Books from Goodreads - Not strictly horror but you can add some of these if your display must live past the horror in your collection.
