The March/April 85th anniversary issue of Weird Tales features our big list of “The 85 Weirdest Storytellers of the Past 85 Years.” We’re breaking it down online, too: one honoree per day, in no particular order, for 85 days!

Lemony Snicket may be all the rage now, but it was ROALD DAHL (1916–1990) who proved once and for all that kids need weird, too. Dahl’s work knew no boundaries. His books introduced us to the concept of gargantuan mutant foodstuffs and spun us up into the cosmos in a flying glass elevator. As for filmed Dahl, we bet Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory still gives you nightmares — and that Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode you’ve never been able to shake (the one with Steve McQueen and the lighter) is based on one of his short stories. There’s even an erotic novel… but let’s not go there.