Penny dreadful is a pejorative term used to refer to cheap popular serial literature produced during the nineteenth century in the
United Kingdom. The term is roughly interchangeable with
penny horrible,
penny awful, and
penny blood. The term typically referred to a story published in weekly parts, each costing one (
old)
penny. The subject matter of these stories was typically sensational, focusing on the exploits of detectives, criminals, or supernatural entities. Whilst the term "penny dreadful" was originally used in reference to a specific type of literature circulating in mid-Victorian Britain, it latterly encompassed a variety of publications that featured cheap sensational fiction, such as
story papers and booklet "libraries". The penny dreadfuls were printed on cheap
wood pulp paper and were aimed at young
working class males.