Weird menace is the name given to a sub-genre of horror fiction that was popular in the pulp magazines of the 1930s and early '40s. The weird menace pulps, also known as "shudder pulps", generally featured stories in which the hero was pitted against evil or sadistic villains, with graphic scenes of torture and brutal murder. In general, weird menace stories featured eerie, atmospheric situations and placed ordinary people in situations of bizarre threat. Most weird menace stories were resolved with rational explanations, although the occasional supernatural story was used.