The work of a writer so prolific and multifaceted as Campbell is difficult to encompass even in a broadly thematic or generic study. Inevitably, some works will fail to fit within the given rubrics, even though they may be significant in themselves; other works may simply be false starts or the product of external impetus rather than inner compulsion. Although the bulk of Campbell's work falls very clearly within the range of either supernatural horror or psychological suspense, he has experimented in nearly all phases of imaginative fiction, with the possible exception of pure fantasy (unless Needing Ghosts is to be so categorized). It may be of interest, then, to discuss briefly some of Campbell's works that are perhaps not central to his output but are of interest nonetheless, if only from a biographical perspective.

In 1976, when Campbell was making relatively little money from his fiction-writing, he accepted an offer to write novelizations of Universal horror films under a house name, Carl Dreadstone. Campbell produced three books, all written in 1976 and published the following year: The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolfman, and Dracula's Daughter. (Three other novelizations— The Mummy, The Werewolf of London, and Creature from the Black Lagoon—were written by other hands.) The attribution of these three books to Campbell had long been suspected, but only recently has Campbell acknowledged them as his.

Campbell performed his task with relish, not only because he genuinely enjoyed the three films he was to novelize but perhaps because he felt he might gain useful practice in writing a novel-length work: he had written only one full-length novel (The Doll Who Ate His Mother) at this time. No one should regard these items as masterworks, but they prove far more entertaining and substantial than the usual dreary hackwork of this kind.

It is scarcely worth examining these works in detail, for of course they follow the basic scenarios of the films on which they are based, with provocative alterations. In each instance Campbell based his novels on the screenplays, although he clearly derived many touches from the films themselves. Introductions to each of the volumes, written under Campbell's own name, provide clues as to how he went about his task.