''Throat Sprockets'' is an erotic horror novel by

Tim Lucas Timothy Ray Lucas (born May 30, 1956) is an American film critic, biographer, novelist, screenwriter and blogger, best known for publishing and editing the video review magazine ''Video Watchdog''. Biography and early career Lucas, born in Cinc ...

, published in 1994.

Plot

It concerns an unnamed protagonist's obsessive quest to learn all he can about a mysterious film called ''Throat Sprockets''. As fixation on the film consumes his personal life, he develops a sexual fetish for women's throats, an affinity which begins spreading to global and apocalyptic proportions, as the film's cult status and legend grows.

''Throat Sprockets'' in ''Taboo''

''Throat Sprockets'' began life as a graphic novel, written by Lucas and illustrated by Mike Hoffman. Two chapters of the comics project appeared in Stephen R. Bissette's horror anthology comic ''

Taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

'', issues #1 and #3. A third chapter, illustrated by David Lloyd was published in issue #8.

Editions

* November, 1994, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc paperback, * 1994, Fourth Estate Limited, hardcover * 1997, as "Salles Obscures", Pocket "Collection Terreur" (France), paperback, French translation by Simon Lhopiteau

Recognition

Since its publication, ''Throat Sprockets'' has been singled out as one of the outstanding works of contemporary horror fiction by two reference books, ''Dark Thoughts'' by Stanley Wiater and ''Horror: Another 100 Best Books'' edited by Stephen Jones and

Kim Newman Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic, and fiction writer. He is interested in film history and horror fiction – both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's ''Dracula'' at the age of eleven & ...

. In October 2006, '' Rue Morgue'' magazine included ''Throat Sprockets'' on their list of 50 essential alternative horror novels. Ellen Datlow selected it as the best first horror novel of 1994, describing ''Throat Sprockets'' as "an unnerving, sophisticated, and passionate novel. . . . Suspenseful and terrifying, with some beautiful writing.""Summation 1994: Horror," ''

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror ''The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror'' was a reprint anthology published annually by St. Martin's Press from 1988 to 2007. In addition to the short stories, supplemented by a list of honorable mentions, each edition included a number of retrospect ...

: Eighth Annual Collection'', p.xl

References

1994 American novels American horror novels American erotic novels Doubleday (publisher) books {{1990s-erotic-novel-stub