penny dreadful

Etymology
From their low price and the lower-class British use of.

Noun

 * 1)  A cheap paperback book, particularly those concerning lurid depictions of crime in the Victorian era.
 * 2) * 1861 July 29, North American Review:
 * They can read the ‘penny dreadful’, but they cannot darn their stockings or mend their shoes.
 * 1)  Pulp fiction: stories written in the lurid style of the penny dreadfuls.

Usage notes
Also used attributively as an adjective.