Interview: Del Howison Reflects on 30 Years of Dark Delicacies and Discusses His New Book WHAT FRESH HELL IS THIS?

Dark Delicacies, the iconic Los Angeles horror book and gift store, is a globally respected staple of Los Angeles horror culture. In 1994, Del Howison and Sue Howison opened Dark Delicacies, creating a playground of ghoulish delights for horror fans selling everything from books to movies to memorabilia to children’s gifts for our favorite little monsters.

Best known for their signing events, Dark Delicacies has featured an endless array of talent like Sara Karloff, Mick Garris, Joe Dante, and Roger Corman. During the Dark Delicacies over thirty-year history, with Del and Sue at the helm, they created a fun yet comforting environment for everyone at their countless memorable events.

This April, Dark Delicacies will be closing their brick-and-mortar storefront, with the final signing on Saturday, March 22nd at 3:00 PDT for Del’s book What Fresh Hell is This? In honor of this signing, Del shares with us what inspired their beloved signings, some of the store’s fun and quirky memories, how What Fresh Hell is This? came to be, and future plans.

Part 1: 30 Years of Dark Delicacies

Bonilla: What inspired the idea of having signings at Dark Delicacies?

Del Howison: We wanted to do it right from the beginning, and Sara Karloff was our first signer. But, in fact, we just had her [last November] because we were bookending the thirty years of business with Sarah on each end, which was cool.

I got the idea from my wife, Sue. Sue and I used to go to book signings at a place called Dangerous Visions, which was named after Harlan Ellison and his collection Dangerous Visions. And I loved them. To me, it was magical meeting the authors and it really impressed me, so when we opened our store, I said, “You know what? We have to do this.”

You mentioned that Sarah was the first signer. What was it that made you want to start with her?

Del Howison: When you do a signing, it comes down to a lot of things, number one being availability. Number two, being somebody who is noted quite well in horror. Remember, when we started, there weren't horror conventions. There weren't many of the horror items that we carry in the store. They didn't even exist, and, in fact, when we started, it actually was with our own collection and $5,000 that we opened the store. It grew from there.

But we would have to do a little six-foot table at the local comic con, like in a hotel banquet room or something, and somehow that connection with Sarah just happened. She certainly was noted in the horror world. She had been talking about her dad and selling photos, so it seemed like a logical place to start, and we've been friends for the last thirty years.

How did customers react to that first signing?

Del Howison: We did pretty good. And, in fact, the local paper wrote an article on it because some of the money was going to charity. They had a picture of a little kid with Sarah getting his Frankenstein thing signed. So it turned out pretty good, and over the years, of course, we've had large turnout signings and very tiny turnout signings, because that's just the name of the game.

But in thirty years, it grew from Sarah the first month to never having a month without a signing. It grew to the point that in the last, say, ten years, we've had a signing every weekend, and sometimes a signing on Saturday and another signing on Sunday. So it really grew at that point.

How are your signings different from the conventions?

Del Howison: The signers feel much more comfortable. They can talk or fart around as much as they want, and at the end of the signing, they get to go sleep in their own bed. They didn't have to get on a plane. They're not staying in a hotel, which is fine with most of them. And as far as the customers go, there's no admittance. You can just buy whatever it is they're [selling], so they sign that, and many times you can bring other things and get them signed.

Also, people don't have to pay for parking, admittance... none of those extra fees that you do at a horror convention. The way we run... it's organized, as you know. When you get there, you come in, get the thing, get in the line along the wall, go over, get it signed, and boom, you're done. It's just smooth. It's the most inexpensive way to go, and people have fun because they don't feel pressured.

If I recall correctly, you've had four different locations.

Del Howison: Yeah, we're in our fourth now. We started on Magnolia, in that first block west of Hollywood Way. We were there five years and we got rained out. That time was the year of the big El Niño, about 1997; the streets flooded, and the place flooded. I was sleeping in the store with buckets everywhere, emptying buckets all night long, and covering everything in plastic.

And then after that, we went up on Burbank Boulevard, a block away from Mucho Mas. We were there for ten or eleven years, and during that time, the place caught on fire, and they tried to burn us out. So that was an interesting one.

Oh geez! What happened?

Del Howison: We came back from dinner one night. The store was closed, and the doors were open, and smoke was pouring out. The firemen were there, and big fans were blowing. I had a signing the next day, and we pulled it off.

How did you pull off that signing?

Del Howison: Our biggest problem was the fire. It had started in one of those blue recycled plastic cans against our back wall. Someone lit the cardboard boxes on fire, and it burned up the wall of the store and then the wooden back door. But it burned out the phone lines, and your credit card machine is hooked to your phone lines. I still had my swiper from doing conventions, so we ran things on that.

With all of those books, the paper absorbs smells, so I had to figure something out. So that night, after things were done, I went to the 99 Cent Store. I bought every box of Arm & Hammer baking soda that they had, and I covered the floor with twenty-five boxes of Arm & Hammer, locked the place up, and went home. I came in the next morning, the morning of the signing, vacuumed it all up, and the majority of the smell was out at that time, so that was a treat.

Then we moved from there to Magnolia, just two blocks east of Hollywood Way. There was a Rocket Fizz on the corner. We were in the middle of the block, and we were there for nine years. Then we went to where we are now. What actually happens is, every time a lease ends, and they jack the rent through the roof, then we have to move. I mean, how many more books and stuff can I sell?

Exactly.

Del Howison: Just to give you an idea, when we were on Magnolia, our rent was $3,700 a month, which was pretty correct for the size of the store and where it was located. The next lease came in, and it was $7,000.

Woah!  

Del Howison: Yeah, so we had to move. We couldn't jack up money anyhow. So, that's what happened all over Magnolia. In fact, there was a gal that came in that used to work in the cosmetics store across the street from us. She worked there for like seven years, then they got a new lease, and it was like, "That's it, business is done. We can't afford to do that." It happened all over the street.

Geez. What are they renting out, Sunset Boulevard?

Del Howison: Yeah, it's crazy. We moved into the place where we currently are in 2019, like six months before the pandemic broke out. Great timing on our part, but we were escaping that $7,000 rent. [When we first moved into the new place, it was] like a dump. It was cement floors with divots out of it. There was piping all wrong. The walls had big holes. We had to basically start from scratch, but we only had a month to do it. We were working the store on Magnolia while we were building the store on Hollywood Way. So we did that in thirty days. We rebuilt the store where it is now, where you know it.

Wow. That's incredible. Thirty days.

Del Howison: So it's been a crazy run, and now here comes thirty years, and our lease is up in the end of April. Thirty years seemed like a great number to retire because that's a long run for a mom-and-pop store, especially in LA. I just renewed the trademark with the government for another ten years. So we'll be doing conventions, pop-ups, online, my own personal books, and the new ones that are constantly coming out. They're selling pretty good.

I have a SAG card, and I can't even go to auditions because I'm stuck with the store stuff going on. So I'll be able to go back into acting. I've got things in like thirty films at this point, but it'll be fun. It'll be a different life, but it's another step.

Have there been other people that you've been able to get in the thirty years, and you've said to yourself, “Wow, how was I able to get this person?”

Del Howison: There was Ernest Borgnine, who is an Academy Award winner for Marty. He had a hit TV series back when they were black & white, called McHale's Navy, which was a big comedy my dad used to watch all the time. He wrote his autobiography, and he had done a couple of horror films. So we thought, “Well, that's cool," because he was touring for the autobiography.

He even had us come pick him up at his house. He lived up on Mulholland Drive on the ridge up there, overlooking Hollywood on one side and the valley on the other side. When we went back to drop him off after the signing, he said, “Hey, you want to see the place? Come on in.” So he gave us a tour of his house. It was really cool.

We've had some wonderful signings, some deadly signings, and there's been some crazy signings. So, yeah, we've had everything go on at one point or another.

I was looking back at some of your other interviews, and you mentioned having Wes Craven?

Del Howison: We didn't have him for a signing. We had him for a filming in there. Dave Parker and Mike Mendez were doing a documentary called Masters of Horror. Nothing to do with the television series that was on HBO or Showtime. They shot about five of those in the store, so it was Wes and John Carpenter and a bunch of the other people.

At the time that came out, it was very difficult to get any airplay. I feel like it should come back out on streaming because people have missed a really good documentary. We were all just people trying to make something in the genre that we loved. Mike has signed in the store many, many times with Big Ass Spider, and his film with Adrienne Barbeau, called The Covenant.

Who else comes to mind when you think about signings at Dark Delicacies?

Del Howison: Alejandro Brugués has signed in my store two or three times, usually in the company of Mick Garris. He's a really nice guy. Alejandro, too. [Mick] has probably done more than anybody to support the store and worked with us to help get emails for people we wanted to get at the store and stuff like that. He's really been a giant supporter. He’s one of the compadres (Spanish for a dear friend) of Dark Delicacies. He's been there for a long time, just like one of our other original big supporters, Clive Barker. They've been there.

Mick Garris has mentioned doing several signings at Dark Delicacies.

Del Howison: More than I can count, and many times he was accompanied by Joe Dante. They've both done a ton of signings for us. I remember one time I took some new Gremlin figures that had come out, and we went over to Joe’s house. Because he was going to sign them instead of doing an official signing. And I said, “Man, these toys just are great. There's always something Gremlins, it seems, coming out on the market.” And he said, “The gift that keeps on giving.”

When you had Chris Alexander for his Corman/Poe book, Roger Corman and Joe Dante were there. Were Roger and Joe expected to be there, or was that by surprise?

Del Howison: No, they were expected. Roger was getting up there in years at that point, so we did a special thing where we got Chris' book, and we took it to Roger’s secretary's house, and the secretary took them into work. Roger had two or three days to pre-sign, and then they gave him back to us. It actually was signed by him.

So, when Roger got there, Chris was the only one signing that book. Roger would sign other things, but that gave Roger time to talk with the people who came up because he was more interested in the person coming up to the table than signing his book. So we got the signing part out of the way, and people got it.

Were there any other special surprises at events or signings you hosted? Like, somebody showed up that you weren't expecting?

Del Howison: Guillermo del Toro was at the Sarah [Karloff] signing [last November]. If I'm not mistaken, they had just started post-production on Frankenstein, and he wanted to meet Sarah, so he just came in. He didn’t know Sarah before.

Really?

Del Howison: He wanted to meet Sarah and they're good friends. That's incredible. I get this in my head from being there thirty years that everybody knows everybody, but it's not true at all. They all travel in a small world, but it's really separate circles. And if you're working, you're not out meeting anybody. You're busy working on whatever the project is.

Have you had any unusual signing experiences?

Del Howison: We had another big signing when Haiti was in desperate need of blood after they had riots. We had a bloodmobile pull out front and we filled all of the slots. A lot of them were people like Kevin Tenney and different directors and actors. [They] were going in and giving blood because it was right there, so we've had a lot of diverse cool stuff.

What were some of the other stand-out events that come to mind?

Del Howison: Well, we've had weird things. I remember Gravediggers, the goth band, did a concert in the store, so we've had two concerts. We've had two weddings, we've had a wake.... we've had all kinds of things. We've had so many unusual kinds of things.

I have a photo of composer Christopher Young, who was the composer for Hellraiser. He was on a crutch at the time. He was signing, but he was playing around with this other guy. I have a picture of him chasing the other guy with his crutch, swinging at him. That was fun.

99% of the signings... whether they're slow or whether they're really busy, they're good times. That's because of not only the signers who have been so generous to put up with us, but the people coming to get stuff signed. They're just so cool. I haven't had any real problems. Anything has been small enough just to handle it there. Nobody knows it's going on and we take care of it.

Every time I've been there, the signers and customers always look so happy to be there.

Del Howison: Sometimes, it's a reunion, and it's the first time that the talent has seen each other since they did the film twenty-five years ago. We did a signing for the re-release of Christine and Carpenter wasn't there. But everybody else was there; the entire gang of boys, all of the leads, and we had the car parked out front of the store. They were doing photo ops, so you could have a picture of you running with the car behind you. That was a fun one. There had to be fifteen or twenty people signing that day.

How do you put together the signing list?

Del Howison: Sue, my wife, is the one responsible for putting together the signing list. I don't do any of that stuff. I'm the happy, cheerful, smiling face. And she's not big on getting her picture taken, but she likes to put together the signings and ordering stock. She's the business. I'm just a happy Clarabell the Clown kind of guy.

Sue has excellent taste. It's amazing the diversity that you have, whether it be something like Christine or Satanic Hispanic.

Del Howison: We did the soundtrack of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and had the composer in. So, the variety that she manages to put together, and the fact that we want to have X amount of signings in a month... signings really did turn into the bread and butter. She'll go out and create an event. That’s the beauty of Southern California. We couldn't do this in Des Moines. It's because all the people are here.

What would you say was one of your personal favorite signings?

Del Howison: I really did enjoy Ernest Borgnine a lot. We were doing a signing one time with Lance Hendrickson. He signed for us a couple of times and at the same time Tim Thomerson was shooting a film called Bring Me the Head of Lance Henriksen. His whole film crew came in during the signing, and then I shot an impromptu scene with them. And they shot tons of [actors like] Adrienne Barbeau; everybody was in this thing, and it has never been completed. But it’s still up on IMDb. We were shooting movies at the same time we were conducting a signing. We did that with Whitley Strieber too, the guy who did Communion and some great horror like Wolfen. They wanted to shoot Whitley in an actual signing, so it all came together.

That sounds amazing. You’ve had some crazy adventures at Dark Delicacies.

Del Howison: Well worth it, and you know what... What a cool way to spend a life? It beats stocking store shelves or digging a ditch. I got to live my dream. I could work there till I dropped, but I gotta go on with other things now.

What do you see as the lasting impact of Dark Delicacies?

Del Howison: We’ve made so many wonderful friends in the customers and the signers that every time we see each other, it's like an entire neighborhood of friends. Every day you're seeing somebody you know and say, “Hey, how have you been? How's it going?”

It changed the pop culture of horror, in what we were doing. People coming to the shop from Sweden or Germany say, “I made sure I stopped by on my vacation because we've heard all about the shop over there.” It's amazing. We never thought that this thing would turn out. But there it is. Thirty years is a good number to leave it at.

You mentioned people coming to the store from Sweden. Have you had anyone from another country you never expected to visit the shop, like Japan?

Del Howison: Now Japan I expected, because they’re big on horror and Kaijū and all of that stuff. We've had [visitors] from all over, obviously England and all over Europe. When you start getting into the Eastern Bloc, it's amazing to me that news about us even gets through, let alone that they want to come visit.

I have had a lot of South and Central Americans, which makes sense. A lot of filmmakers, and especially with people like Guillermo and Jorge Gutierrez who have signed in the store, create a buzz going that direction. The ones from Australia traveled a long ways [too].

In the beginning it was amazing because there wasn't the internet doing its thing. We announced the store by going to the AMC in downtown Burbank and putting flyers under the windshield washers to let people know the store opened up. That was the beginning. Opening with $5,000 in your own collection is not a lot of backing, but my wife worked really, really hard to make it work. And I just kept saying hi to everybody, and it was good. It worked.

Part 2: What Fresh Hell is This?

What’s your latest book about?

Del Howison: My new book is a retrospective short story collection of every short story that I've had published through 2023. I've already got four [in 2024], but they'll be in the next book. So, they've never been compiled before, because they were in anthologies, or they were in magazines, or wherever. So I compiled them in this book, and Clive wrote an original foreword for the book for me. It's called What Fresh Hell is This? which is usually what I say when I step out of bed in the morning and go, “Oh, what fresh hell is this?”

Since Clive wrote the foreword for your book, what is your favorite book or short story by him?

Del Howison: Without a second thought: My favorite book by Clive is Damnation Game.

What initially inspired you to write these short stories?

Del Howison: Different stories were inspired by different reasons, which I talk about in the introduction to each story. This book is a retrospective of all my published dark tales through 2023, and I added a couple of new ones in case someone has read all the published stuff (which I doubt). Some were work for hire, some were inspired by true events, and some came out of my dreams. Each one was different.

As a writer, what do you see as the biggest challenge of writing a short story?

Del Howison: The biggest challenge is to write a story. By that, I mean an arc, with a beginning, middle, and end. Too many times I read a story, and it is an incident and not a story; there is no depth of character or place. Readers need to relate to the characters to care about what happens to them.

How does it feel to be the final signer of the brick-and-mortar Dark Delicacies?

Del Howison: Apropos, I guess. Sue and I started, and it is only appropriate that we should end it.

If one of your short stories became either a feature horror movie or a horror short, would you be open to acting in it? And if so, what would be your ideal role?

Del Howison: Of course, I would. What a treat to act in your own story. Ideally, I would love to be a psychological killer. But if not, then I would like to be killed. Guillermo del Toro said to me one time when he was still onboard to direct a Lord of the Rings [movie], "If you come over to New Zealand, I will put you in the movie (of course he meant as an extra) and you will die well." Magical words to me.

You have so many amazing stories. Have you ever considered writing a memoir?

Del Howison: I could, but I'm enjoying my fiction. I should have another book done by spring.

[Editor's Note: Details on Del's Signing on March 22nd]

Part 3: For Del and Sue

You two have so many friends and admirers who have come through your doors throughout the years as both customers and signers. Here are a few signers who wanted to share what Dark Delicacies mean to them.

“It was never about what was on the shelf at Dark Delicacies, although the selection of media was always carefully curated and awesome. No, it was the sense of community, stemming from a place of passion. It was the warmth and care and kindness that emanated from that store, no matter its location. In fact, DD's could have re-opened on Jupiter and it would still have the same warmth. And that's because of two driving forces - Del and Sue.

Dark Del's was a mom and pop joint, one of the last that I know of. It was their vision, the extension of who they are as people, as artists, thinkers, shopkeepers and human beings. It was an extension of their relationship, one they shared with everyone who walked through those doors. I have many life changing memories of that store, of those glorious signings! And I had to always travel from the exotic land of Toronto, Canada to visit, sometimes exclusively just to visit that hallowed ground. So it was the rare case of that "El Dorado" quest actually ending in a destination you dream of. Anyway, there will never be another place like Dark Delicacies and I am just so happy that I managed to play even a small part in its important story. It will be missed.” – Chris Alexander, Author Corman/Poe

“Going to Dark Delicacies has always been like going to a sacred place. Even before moving here, I’d heard how it was one of the coolest places. [The] first signing I did there was like crossing something off my bucket list. One of my happiest moments, surrounded by the finest people.” – Alejandro Brugués, Co-Director Satanic Hispanics.

“Dark Delicacies was an oasis of genre fandom, a place where disparate filmmakers could band together to support the kind of cinema we all love. Over the years there have been previous memorabilia stores, but Del and Sue promoted a congenial family vibe that drew an assortment of like-minded creatives, some of whom were meeting for the first time, and many friendships ensued or were solidified.

I was always happy to show up to whatever events I was invited, and I'll miss those signings and conviviality.

Best of luck to Sue and Del.” – Joe Dante, Director Gremlins

“Dark Delicacies has been an indispensable element of the genre community since its inception lo these many years ago. It will be missed as much as a Karloff or Lugosi!” – Mick Garris, Director Sleepwalkers

“Having a signing for my book at Dark Delicacies was, honestly, one of the best moments of my life. Dark Delicacies is synonymous with the horror community and celebrating the beautiful artists that write books, make films, and make the world of horror the vibrant place it is. To think that Sue and Del believed in my book enough to include me in that cadre of amazing people is something I will always be grateful to them for. They don't just run a bookstore; they foster an entire local community of people who love horror by supporting artists and fans. We are lucky to have had Dark Delicacies as long as we have. But Del and Sue are more than the bookstore; as individuals they will always be important members of the horror community, whether they're retired or not.” – Heidi Honeycutt, Author I Spit On Your Celluloid

“There’s no replacement for Dark Delicacies, not as a store, a venue, or a community. Dark Delicacies was the beacon to horror weirdos everywhere. I’m eternally grateful to Del & Sue for having me be a part of the Dark Delicacies family, hosting so many wonderful signings and events for my films and the films and books from countless friends & colleagues. Dark Delicacies was the place that glued the horror community together and it will sorely be missed. Thank you so much for 30 wonderful years, thousands of signings, 3 locations, and a lifetime of memories.” – Mike Mendez, Filmmaker Masters of Horror (2002)

[Editor's Note: Interview edited for clarity. To keep up with all things Dark Delicacies, visit: https://www.darkdel.com/]