Scream!

In March 1984, a new horror comic aimed at children arrived in British newsagents. Though it would only run for 15 issues, Scream! left a lasting impression, terrifying young readers and eventually earning a cult status that endures to this day.

The reception of horror comics in the UK had long been complicated. Since the 1955 ‘Children and Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act’ – legislation partly introduced in response to an influx of American horror comics in the 1950s – publishers were required to tread carefully.

The act sought to restrict material deemed damaging to children, making the horror genre a risky proposition.

Despite this, IPC’s managing editor Gil Page had long harboured ambitions to publish a horror title. Eventually, IPC’s management greenlit the project, but only under strict conditions about what the comic could – and could not – include.

A prototype issue was put together, but IPC’s senior management reacted harshly, insisting on significant revisions. Much of the original artwork and storytelling had to be toned down to meet internal standards and avoid breaching censorship concerns.

Once approved, the comic finally launched under the title Scream!, bearing the ominous tagline: “Just when you thought it was safe to sleep in the dark.”

Adding to its spooky appeal, the comic was “edited” by a fictional character named Ghastly McNasty – a robed, hooded figure who served as a ghoulish mascot. To hook young readers further, the first two issues came with gruesome novelty gifts: Dracula fangs in issue one and a creepy rubber spider in issue two.

Popular strips included:

• The Dracula Files – the classic Bram Stoker character, transposed to the present day.
• Fiends and Neighbours – A family of monsters living next door to an ordinary couple
• A Ghastly Tale – Standalone horror stories introduced by editor Ghastly McNasty
• Library of Death – One-off morality tales
• Monster – a scary and at times very moving tale about a disfigured man (“Uncle Terry”) who was confined to an attic by his family. Together with his nephew, he escaped and set off on a series of incredible adventures (and murders).
• The Nightcomers – A husband-and-wife investigator team are killed mysteriously at the haunted house Raven’s Meet. Their children, Rick and Bet,h are drawn to the house to solve the mystery, and have unusual abilities themselves
• Tales from the Grave – Short stories illustrating the depravity of Victorian-era London
• Terror of the Cats – An ill-fated experiment to harness the psychic energy of cats results in local felines becoming enraged and attacking people in a small town
• The Thirteenth Floor – the story of Max, a highly intelligent computer responsible for running a tower block, who was fiercely loyal to his tenants. If anyone dared threaten those tenants, they would be transported to the mysterious 13th floor, a terrifying domain inhabited by all manner of hideous creatures created by Max’s imagination.

The comic proved to be a big hit with its readers. But its success was to be short-lived. Industrial action by the National Union of Journalists caused problems for many IPC titles and Scream! did not return after the strike.

The general consensus was that IPC management – already ultra sensitive and nervous about what they were publishing – saw the strike as a good opportunity to ensure the title disappeared. The ‘Monster’ and ‘The Thirteenth Floor’ strips were absorbed into Eagle, another IPC comic.