Hell House by Richard Matheson

 Hell House by Richard Matheson

“Welcome to my house, I’m delighted you could come. I am certain you will find your stay here most illuminating. It is regrettable I cannot be with you, but I had to leave before your arrival. Do not let my physical absence disturb you, however. Think of me as your unseen host and believe that, during your stay here, I shall be with you in spirit.” ~ Emeric Belasco

Belasco House…Hell House…within these dark passages and cavernous rooms resides the residue of pure, unadulterated evil.

This book begins with the new owner of Belasco House assembling a crew to determine what, if anything, haunts this tomb-like mansion. The crew consists of Dr. Lionel Barrett (a scientist), his wife Edith, Benjamin Franklin Fischer (a physical medium whom had experienced the house previously), and Florence Tanner (a mental medium with a profound religious faith). We accompany the group on the third attempt to discover the source of ghostly disturbances within the house. The first two attempts resulted in the murder, suicide, or mental deterioration of the investigators involved…all those except Fischer that is.

Our introduction to the House is through brief glimpses as the thick, eerie fog surrounding the mansion and Bastard Bog clears. The tour through the house leaves us chilled to the bone. As we walk room to room, corridor to corridor, the foreboding feelings steadily increase. These walls have witnessed all manner of unspeakable events.

The House is dark and angry and soon begins its attack on its unwelcome guests. The House exploits the weaknesses that reside deep within one’s soul and employs those weaknesses to devour and utterly destroy the host of such vulnerabilities. Can anyone truly survive the horrors of Hell House?

Matheson is a true literary genius. He swiftly seizes the reader and propels you into a sinister world of appalling sexual exploitations, atrocious physical cruelties, and sickening mental molestations.

Hell House is one of the greatest haunted house stories I have encountered. This book is an older book, with its first publication in 1971. However, its age does not diminish its content or reduce its affect on those who face the challenge of Hell House itself.

Though the book draws you in and confronts you head on, do not look to the movie, The Legend of Hell House, to give you the same frightful sensations. The film was released in 19-seventy…something…and was not produced for the zombie-movie generation.

Hell House is not a book for you of weak character. Read it only if your soul is stout and sturdy enough to withstand the atrocities which dwell between these eerie covers.

“All your needs have been provided for, nothing has been overlooked. Go where you will, and do what you will – these are the cardinal precepts of my home. Feel free to function as you choose. There are no responsibilities, no rules. ‘Each to his own device’ shall be the only standard here. May you find the answer that you seek. It is here, I promise you. And now..,auf Wiedersehen.” ~ Emeric Belasco.

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

 Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

This is the debut novel by the author Joe Hill. One of the worst kept secrets in publishing history is that Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son.

When I first finished the book, I was talking to my hubby about it. My first impression was: “eh, it’s pretty good, nothing to rave about, but not a complete waste of time either…” Now that I have had a few hours to think about it I believe my initial reaction was a little hasty. In the words of Treebeard “Don’t be hasty, Barrum.” Hahaha…I know, I’m a goofball. I mean, I did finish the book in two days…I couldn’t put it down. So that must say something about it, right?

I began reading this book because a few of my friends had been enthusiastic about it. One of my friends told me not to read it at night because it was so spooky. The book is about an aging Death Metal vocalist who likes to collect things that are…less than ordinary. He learns of a ghost for sale through the internet. He decides not to bid on it and simply buys it outright. The owner sends him a suit the spirit is claimed to be attached to. Well, he definitely got what he paid for and more…

The beginning of the book, when the main character-Jude, sees the ghost is a little creepy, but if you are looking for a scary book, you will have to look elsewhere. Although, Otty says I have been ruined for scary stories…This was a good ghost story though. The book contained a few ghosts, an Ouija board, and a number of possessions.

Jude was a sarcastic ass, so naturally, I loved him! The character development was good. The book was well written and edited (I did not find any grammatical errors or typos).

Music was impressed upon the reader throughout the entire book, including the acknowledgements. Music seemed to be its own character after a while. One of the main concepts is that music helps keep a person grounded and helps them to remember who they are.

There was one thing I did not like about the book. The author seemed to believe that the only reason for the girls in the story to be “Goth” is because of some childhood trauma such as molestation or abuse. He claims that the piercings these girls get are to hide the pain of the unendurable abuse that they cannot face. To me, this is a stereotypical view of a culture the author, obviously, does not comprehend.

All in all I would have to say it was an enjoyable read. If Joe Hill continues in this vein, I suspect we can expect remarkable horror stories from him.

Books of Blood (Volumes one to three) by Clive Barker

Books of Blood (Volumes one to three) by Clive Barker

I must say that I was more than excited to read this book. I had been eyeing the book for many years. One, because it was Clive Barker…duh, and two, because it had a creepy, yet extremely cool, cover. I began to get serious about my relationship with this book when I read a review about it on Amazon.com. The review talked about how scary the book was and gave the first story “Midnight Meat Train” a stellar appraisal. I mentioned on my myspace page that I was beginning the book and received numerous exaltations from friends claiming it was a fantastic and terrorizing read.

I began my journey into the Books of Blood in early October, thinking that October was the perfect month for such a frightful endeavor. I read the introduction and was thrilled to learn that Clive Barker is gay. I also learned that this was his initial foray into published writing. Barker was quite young when he wrote these short stories and the book was a risky undertaking for the publishing company.

The three volume set of short stories opens with a somewhat cheesy line about people being books of blood because we are red when we are opened. The first story “Book of Blood” was a clever introduction to the book. This is the story that explains the title and the concept of the books of blood. Okay…I was intrigued and very eager to move on…

“Midnight Meat Train” was next on the agenda. Unfortunately, to my disappointment, I thought the story was…cute. Maybe it is my numbness to horror stories and the fact that everything is so overexposed now. I had to remember that these stories were old. These stories predate pretty much all horror stories out there today. So, I moved on…

It was when I reached the third story “The Yattering and Jack” that I began to lose heart. This story was also…cute. Though it was a little more fun than “Midnight Meat Train” what with the attack turkey and all, it still left me craving scariness and fright. “Pig Blood Blues” was kind of dorky…I mean, a flesh eating pig? Come on…that’s as bad as attack sheep. “Sex, Death, and Starshine” deserves a good nod though. This story was actually fairly interesting and maybe slightly eerie. The last book of volume one “In the Hills, the Cities” was difficult for me to grasp. This story was pretty much strictly blood and gore. Maybe I just have trouble figuring out the mechanics of, and imagining, hundreds of people tying themselves together to create one moving giant. Maybe it’s just me…

The second volume did improve. Maybe Barker began to find his voice and talent with this set of stories. Of course, it did help that the volume started out with “Dread” my absolutely favorite story in the entire book. Though, not a horror story per se, it was definitely psychologically chilling. The entire book is worth owning for this story alone.

We move on to “Hell’s Event” where the characters are literally running for their lives…in a race no less. “Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament” was basically about a woman scorned. However, having the ability to make a man fold in on himself would be a nifty talent to have. “The Skins of the Fathers” makes a person think twice about child abuse. And “New Murders in the Rue Morgue” deserves a read for naught but the remembrance of our beloved Mr. Poe.

Volume three was definitely full of more goodies than the first two. “Son of Celluloid” was a treat to read. Film lovers would enjoy this tale of a haunted movie theater that begins killing its employees. “Rawhead Rex” was delightfully gruesome, neither priest nor child was safe from being ripped to shreds in this account of a nine-foot monster released from its imprisonment by an idiotic farmer. “Confessions of a (Pornographer’s) Shroud” is another story that is a little far fetched for my taste. Can you really take a killer sheet seriously? I sure couldn’t. “Scape-Goats” is certainly worth perusing. Who can pass up a story about fools on a haunted island that leaves you feeling giddy because there is really no hope for any of them? The final story, “Human Remains” brings the book full circle. The first story in these books of blood was about human sacrifice and we end in a similar fashion.

All in all I thought the book was…cute. No other word really describes my take on these stories. But again, maybe I am just numbed to the culture and society in which I have been raised. Not much can scare me any more. Though, when reading these stories (my first venture into short story collections) I tried to remember that these were written before the true horror genre exploded. Clive Barker was one of the innovator’s of the field of terror and these stories were written prior to the publication “Hellbound Heart” and the production of “Hellraiser.” Therefore, I believe that this book is a must read for any lovers of the art of fright if only to pay homage to one of its masterminds.