Jack Ketchum is the pseudonym of American horror author Dallas Mayr. Born in 1946, Mayr grew up in suburban Livingston, New Jersey. graduating from Livingston High School in 1964.
He has been praised by such literary icons as Stephen King, and condemned by a Village Voice critic who dismissed his work as violent pornography. A onetime actor, teacher, literary agent, and lumber salesman, Ketchum credits his childhood love of Elvis Presley, dinosaurs, and the horror genre for instilling him with the foundation to build a respectable career.
His 1981 debut novel, Off Season, laid the groundwork for a series of novels and short stories (sometimes inspired by real-life events) in which humankind proves to be the most dreaded beast of all. Most notably, his novel The Girl Next Door was inspired by the 1965 murder of Sylvia Likens.
Over the years, Ketchum has received numerous Bram Stoker Awards for such works as The Box, Closing Time, and Peaceable Kingdom, and his short story Gone (which was first published in A Celebration of Halloween, a horror anthology edited by Richard Chizmar and Robert Morrish) was nominated for the 2000 Bram Stoker Award for Best Short Fiction. Several of his works have also been translated into feature film adaptations, including The Lost, The Girl Next Door , and Red.
The Lost was adapted for film in 2005 by director Chris Sivertson.
The Girl Next Door was adapted for film in 2007 by director Gregory Wilson.
Red was adapted for film in 2008 by directors Lucky McKee and Trygve Allister Diesen.
Offspring was adapted for film by director Andrew van den Houten and released direct-to-video in October 2009 and Offspring: The Woman in 2010 from Lucky McKee.
Interviews
Interview on wotmania.com
Interview on gravesidetales.com
"Learning to Trust the Tale and Question the Artist"