William Schoell

William Schoell (pronounced ) is an American author, biographer and film historian, born in Manhattan and educated in Vermont, earning a B.A. from Castleton University. A cult horror author known for his visceral, energetic and graphic style, he has written several horror and suspense novels, such as ''Late at Night'' (1986) and ''Saurian'' (1988), as well as more recent forays into the genre, such as ''Monster World'' and ''Posthumous''. He was the author of "Hidden Horrors," a column in the now defunct horror magazine ''The Scream Factory'', now writes for ''Bare Bones'' magazine, and was a contributor of articles and reviews to periodicals including ''Writer'', ''Writer's Digest'', ''Paris Notes'', ''Off Duty'', ''Library Journal'', and ''BBC Music''. He was also a talk show radio host and producer. More recently, he has published books that deal with film, and biographies, some of which were written together with Hollywood biographer Lawrence J. Quirk, his domestic partner. His play ''Joe and Janice'' premiered at the American Theater of Actors in 2000. He writes a popular blog on movies called Great Old Movies as well as one on B movies, B Movie Nightmare. Prominent in the Gay Rights Movement in the 1970s and later, he formerly had a blog called "Ask Gay "Dr." Bill," which answered questions about gay life and the LGBT community.

All of Schoell's vintage horror novels were reissued in brand new editions with new introductions by the author from Encyclopocalypse Publications in October 2024. These included: "Things That Go Bump in the Night," which deals with horrors created by recombinant DNA research. "Shivers" has a man trying to find his missing brother in the bowels of the New York City subway system. "Late at Night" takes place on an island where people discover a book which reveals their frightening and grisly fates. "Vicious" details graphic mayhem occurring on a film set, in a girls school, and in an ancient nunnery with a weird sect of sadistic nuns. "Saurian" features an unusual sea monster who is even more intelligent than the people it hunts. "The Pact" unveils a demonic force that is wreaking havoc in Hawaii. "The Dragon" presents an archeological expedition descending into caverns whose walls consist of living flesh. Finally "Fatal Beauty" examines an exciting new substance that will replace cosmetic surgery, only the test subjects discover how terribly wrong things can go. Provided by Wikipedia