Ray Russell

Ray Russell (September 4, 1924 – March 15, 1999) was an American editor and writer of short stories, novels, and screenplays. Russell is best known for his horror fiction, although he also wrote mystery and science fiction stories.

His most famous short fiction is "Sardonicus", which appeared in the January 1961 issue of Playboy magazine, and was subsequently adapted by Russell into a screenplay for William Castle's film version, titled Mr. Sardonicus. American writer Stephen King called "Sardonicus" "perhaps the finest example of the modern gothic ever written". Russell served in the U.S. Air Force in the South Pacific from 1943 to 1946, Darrell Schweitzer described The Case Against Satan as "a Catholic Turn of the Screw" and said the novel "succeeded brilliantly" in making the concept of the Devil frightening to modern readers. He also contributed to the Paris Review.

Death Russell died of complications resulting from a stroke at a nursing home in Los Angeles, California on March 15, 1999. He was survived by his wife, Ada Szczepanski, and their two children. and in 1992 he was presented the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement.