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Rick Hautala

1949 – 2013

American writer

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About Rick Hautala

Lived 1949 – 2013 (aged 64). Rick Hautala was an American writer, novelist and screenwriter.

Rick Hautala (February 3, 1949 – March 21, 2013) was an American speculative fiction and horror writer. He graduated from the University of Maine in 1974, Hautala arrived on the horror scene in 1980 with several of his early novels published by Zebra books. He wrote and published over 90 novels and short stories since the early 1980s. A number of his books have been translated to other languages and sold internationally. Cold Whisper, published in October, 1991 by Zebra Books, Inc. was also published in Finnish as Haamu by Werner Söderström, Helsinki, Finland, in August, 1994. Toward the end of his life, many of his works were published with specialty press and small press publishers like Cemetery Dance Publications and Dark Harvest. His novel The Wildman, was chosen to be Full Moon Press' debut limited edition title.

Rick Hautala's third novel, 1986's Night Stone, was one of the first books to feature a holographic cover and it became an international best-seller, selling well over one million copies. "Knocking" was a part of the Bram Stoker Award winning anthology 999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense ("Best Anthology of 1999"). His short story collection, Bedbugs (1999) was selected by Barnes & Noble as one of the most distinguished horror publications of the year 2000.

Hautala also wrote screenplays, including a 2008 adaptation of Kealan Patrick Burke's short story "Peekers". He also wrote the screenplay for the 2007 short film Dead@17 based on Josh Howard's graphic novel series of the same name, and The Ugly File, directed by Mark Steensland, based on the short story by Ed Gorman.

The Horror Writers Association gave him and Joe R. Lansdale the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement for 2011, which they received at the Bram Stoker Awards Banquet in Salt Lake City, Utah on 31 March 2012.

He died of a heart attack on March 21, 2013.

Selected bibliography

Novels and novellas

Moondeath (Zebra Books, 1980) Moonbog (Zebra Books, 1982) Night Stone (Zebra Books, 1986) Little Brothers (Zebra Books, 1988) Moon Walker (Zebra Books, 1989) Winter Wake (Zebra Books, 1989) Dead Voices (Zebra Books, 1990) Cold Whisper (Zebra Books, 1991) Dark Silence (Zebra Books, 1992) Ghost Light (Zebra Books, 1993) Twilight Time (Zebra Books, 1994) Shades of Night (Zebra Books, 1995) Beyond the Shroud (White Wolf Publishing, 1995) The Mountain King (Cemetery Dance Publications, 1996) Impulse (Kensington Publishing, 1996) Poltergeist: The Legacy – The Hidden Saint (Berkley/Putnam, 1999) The Wildman (Full Moon Press, 2008) – artwork by Alan M. Clark Reunion (PS Publishing, 2009) Rough Winds (Necon ebooks, 2012) Indian Summer (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2013) Chills (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2014) The Demon's Wife (JournalStone, 2013) Star Road, with Matthew Costello (Thomas Dunne Books, 2014) Waiting (Haverhill House Publishing, 2017)

Chapbooks Oilman (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2005) -released as a double chapbook with Gary A. Braunbeck's Our Things Chrysalis (Ghostwriter Publications, 2010) – A Little Brothers related story. Scared Crows (Ghostwriter Publications, 2010) – with Jim Connolly. A HELLBOY story.

The Jenna Blake Body of Evidence series All books in the Body of Evidence series are co-authored with Christopher Golden Skin Deep (Pocket Books, 2000) Burning Bones (Pocket, 2001) Brain Trust (Pocket, 2001) Last Breath (Pocket, 2004) Throat Culture (Pocket, 2005)

As A. J. Matthews Books published under the pseudonym A. J. Matthews: The White Room (Berkley Books, 2001) Looking Glass (Berkley/Putnam, 2003) Follow (Berkley/Putnam, 2005) Unbroken (Berkley/Putnam, 2007)

Screenplays Lovecraft's Pillow (2006) – based on a suggestion by Stephen King Dead@17 (2007) – based on Josh Howard's graphic novel series Peekers (2008) – based on the short story by Kealan Patrick Burke The Ugly File – based on the short story by Ed Gorman

Collections Bedbugs (Cemetery Dance Publications, 1999) – Short story collection illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne Four Octobers (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2006) – Novella collection that includes: Tin Can Telephone, Miss Henry's Bottles, Blood Ledge, and Cold River Untcigahunk: Stories and Myths of the Little Brothers (Delirium Books, 2007) – Contains the novel Little Brothers and collects all of the Little Brothers related short stories to date. Also released as Untcigahunk: The Complete Little Brothers in e-book format from Macabre Ink in 2012. Occasional Demons (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2010) – Short story collection that includes some of his Little Brothers related stories Also released in e-book format from Macabre Ink in 2012. Glimpses: The Best Short Stories of Rick Hautala (Dark Regions Press, 2013)

Anthology appearances 999, edited by Al Sarrantonio (Cemetery Dance Publications, 1999) – Contains the short story "Knocking" Night Visions 9 (Dark Harvest, 1991) – Includes the short stories "The Birch Whistle", "Chrysalis", and "Deal with the Devils" Eulogies: A Horror World Yearbook, edited by Nanci Kalanta (NYX Publications/HW Press, 2006) – Includes the Little Brothers Story "The Witch House" Evermore, edited by James Robert Smith and Stephen Mark Rainey (Arkham House, 2006) – Contains the short story "They Call Me Eddie", co-authored with Thomas F. Monteleone October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween, edited by Richard Chizmar (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2000) – Contains the essay "My Favorite Halloween Memory" Exotic Gothic, edited by Danel Olson (Ash-Tree Press, 2007). – Contains the short story co-authored with Mark Steensland and inspired by a comment from Stephen King, "Lovecraft's Pillow"

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Maine
Awards
Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement
Also known as
A. J. Matthews

People in Rick Hautala's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Rick Hautala's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Rick Hautala?

American writer (1949-2013)

When was Rick Hautala born?

Rick Hautala was born on 3 February 1949 in Rockport.

When did Rick Hautala die?

Rick Hautala died on 21 March 2013 in Westbrook.

What was Rick Hautala's occupation?

Rick Hautala was a writer, novelist and screenwriter.

What nationality was Rick Hautala?

Rick Hautala was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Rick Hautala

· Wikidata: Q8108590

· DBpedia: Rick Hautala

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Rick Hautala. https://biography.guide/rick-hautala/

MLA: "Rick Hautala." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/rick-hautala/.

Chicago: "Rick Hautala." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/rick-hautala/.

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