In 1961, Russell wrote his first screenplay, Mr. In this capacity Russell published a large amount of science fiction, fantasy and horror in the magazine Russell also encouraged and promoted the fiction of Charles Beaumont. In the 1950s, Russell began working for Playboy magazine as a fiction editor. Darrell Schweitzer described The Case Against Satan as 'a Catholic Turn of the Screw' and said the novel 'succeeded brilliantly' in making the concept of the Devil frightening to modern readers. It was published almost a decade before a more famous novel with a similar plot, The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. Russell's first novel was The Case Against Satan (1962), about a young girl possessed by a demon. Prior to becoming a writer, Russell worked for the United States Treasury. Air Force in the South Pacific from 1943 to 1946, after which he studied at the Chicago Conservatory of Music and the Goodman Memorial Institute. 'Sardonicus' was part of a trio of stories with 'Sanguinarius' and 'Sagittarius'.īorn in Chicago, Russell served in the U.S.

American writer Stephen King called 'Sardonicus' 'perhaps the finest example of the modern gothic ever written'. His most famous short fiction is 'Sardonicus', which appeared in the January 1961 issue of Playboy magazine, and was subsequently adapted by Russell into a screenplay for William Castle's film version, titled Mr. Russell is best known for his horror fiction, although he also wrote mystery and science fiction stories. Ray Russell (Septem– March 15, 1999) was an American editor and writer of short stories, novels, and screenplays.

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