What's on Svengoolie's bookshelf?

The horror host has some surprising reading selections in his lair.

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Svengoolie's stone lair is decorated with skeletons, skulls, candelabras and rubber chickens (naturally), but have you ever taken a close look at his shelves? We were curious to see what the horror host reads when not watching werewolf flicks — and the answer might surprise you! Here's a rundown of the books sitting on Svengoolie's shelf.


Well, this one seems like a no-brainer. (Actually, the brain is kept in a jar on another shelf.) For decades, Hitchcock licensed his name to dozens of anthologies. This one comes from 1973 — perhaps the prior Svengoolie left it lying around. Some big name contributed to this collection, like Patricia Highsmith and Raymond Chandler.

Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs

Though the title implies the book is about witches, that is not the case. Burroughs is best known for airing his painful personal experiences in the memoir Running with Scissors (which would make for another great B-movie title). In this collection of anecdotes of his life, the author recalls a Tang commercial from his youth and slaughtering a rodent.


Sounds like a great Abbott & Costello set-up, no? Conniff draws analogies between the simian world and the business world. 

American Gothic by Steven Biel

One of the great American paintings is dissected and detailed in this art biography. What's the farmer going to do with that pitchfork? Guess we'll have to read to find out!

Sins of the Fathers by Susan Howatch

In perhaps the least likely find from Svengoolie's stash, a rich and powerful family struggles to maintain its hold. Howatch, who largely published novels about the Anglican church, penned this one in 1980. Maybe it's like Hammer horror but without any of the horror?

Have any suggestions of what Svengoolie should read? Leave them in the comments below!


Watch Svengoolie on Saturdays at 10PM | 9C on MeTV.

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3 Comments

Woowoo 61 months ago
And here my bookshelf of higher learning. Watching Sven tonight in Canada. Great show even though he said "I'm feeling a little horse!"🤔🤓
Tconstantine900 61 months ago
Here's my bookshelf. Can find most of these Hitchcock collections on Amazon. Couldn't check these out often enough from the school library back in the day!
Tconstantine900 61 months ago
That Hitchcock collection is seminal. A pretty "mature" collection for junior readers. The two H.R. Wakefield stories alone left a lasting impact on this young reader. I'll never forget the image of a bloody child's face pressed against a window in "The Triumph Of Death", nor a swarm of unholy moths viewed thru a keyhole in "Mr. Ash's Studio".
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