StephenKingman's thread of HORROR!

[Bighuey]

It wasnt Dracula in this one the vampire had a daughter or a wife, I forget which. It wasnt that bad of a show until the really stupid ending. If they ever have a poll for really stupid ending movies, that one would be no. 1

[Tralala]

It wasnt Dracula in this one the vampire had a daughter or a wife, I forget which. It wasnt that bad of a show until the really stupid ending. If they ever have a poll for really stupid ending movies, that one would be no. 1

Huh...nope, I've never even heard of that one. IMDB to the rescue! ....Okay, was it Mark of the Vampire, maybe? Kee-ripes, I think I might own that! I've got a bunch of horror DVD collections 'cause people keep buying 'em for me (kinda like the fake rats), so I've not gotten around to watching all of them yet. How weird would that be? I was gonna ask you what made the ending so dumb, but if I've got it, I wanna watch that sucker.
Pun definitely intended!

[Bighuey]

It wasnt Dracula in this one the vampire had a daughter or a wife, I forget which. It wasnt that bad of a show until the really stupid ending. If they ever have a poll for really stupid ending movies, that one would be no. 1

Huh...nope, I've never even heard of that one. IMDB to the rescue! ....Okay, was it Mark of the Vampire, maybe? Kee-ripes, I think I might own that! I've got a bunch of horror DVD collections 'cause people keep buying 'em for me (kinda like the fake rats), so I've not gotten around to watching all of them yet. How weird would that be? I was gonna ask you what made the ending so dumb, but if I've got it, I wanna watch that sucker.
Pun definitely intended!

Hope this dont ruin it for you, but the ending was the vampires were actors hired to scare somebody. I dont remember the whole plot its been years since I saw it, all I remember is the dumb ending. I think it was Mark Of The Vampire. The girl vampire was double-ugly.

[StephenKingman]

Well, still no sign of Hell House which i ordered nearly 2 weeks ago now so when im finished my current Woman in Black book, im moving on to the new psycho horror "Before I Go To Sleep".

[Gannon]

Been down that road before SKM. I order all my books over the net and sometimes they seem to have gotten lost. But nothing beats that feeling as you see the post van or scooter turn up. Hope it turns up for you soon.

[StephenKingman]

Last night i finished The Woman in Black by Susan Hill and here is my review (contains spoliers)

The first thing that surprised me about the book was how short it is- barely 150 pages long, it is practically a short story. Good thing its such a cracking story and also a superior haunted house tale to boot. That Hill has managed to create such a terrifying and affecting ghost story in 150 pages, which stays with the reader long afterwards, is a credit to her skills at building suspense and also a kick in the teeth for any critics who say women cannot write horror as effectively as men.

The story starts with wet-round-the-ears lawyer Arthur Kipps who is sent to the small village of Crythin Gillford in east England in order to sort through the belongings of a recently deceased elderly woman, Alice Drablow, and compile a legally binding will. He arrives at the villiage a bit unused to the ways and customs of country people and also, he finds the locals very evasive on the subject of the late Alice Drablow and at the funeral, he glimpses a shadowy woman in black amongst the few mourners, an event which prompts an hysterical reaction from his partner for the day and fellow lawyer. Convinced the townsfolk are silly superstitious people, he sets off for Eel Marsh House on pony and trap. Here. Kipps is astounded by the isolation and beuaty of the place which Hill gradually describes as the journey moves from bustling villiage to empty and lonely marshland with only the low wind and occasional birds cry for company. The reader is transported to a differnt world on arrival to the big stone house with its shadowy corridors, dusty furnishings and nearby burial plotland. Kipps is unnerved by yet another sighting of the woman near a grave but puts it down to his imagination and after sepnding a few hours there, he returns to the mainland more determined to go back the following day and sift through the documents.

Which is where the real horrpr begins. Taking a dog with him for company her spends 2 days and nights at Eel Marsh Hosue and its here where the house almost begins to come alive and he discovers its tragic secret. Hill creates a world where the protagonist is literlly trapped-cut off form the mainlain by high tide and marshes- and hence the suspense and terror builds quietly but effectively. Kipps is awoken in the dead of night by strange sounds coming from the one room in the house which is locked. He catches glimpses of shadowy figures passing down the upstairs corridor and he hears an anguished cry from the misty marshes duing the day, all of which climaxes when Kipps tries to save the dog, who has been lured into the marsh, and then as he is limping back to the house, he glances to an upstairs bedroom window to find the woman in black standing there staring right at him with an expression of malevolence and bitterness. He traces her to the room which was previously locked, and it turns out to be the nursery, which is decorated as if brand new and the room is filled with such an overwhelming sense of despair and morning that Kipps isnt able to breathe and retires downstairs until he is picked up by a local townsperson.

As in the best horror stories the real truth of the village isnt revealed until the end. Kipps spends several days in shock after his experiences and is then filled in on the tragic truth behind Alice Drablow, whose sister Jeannete gave birth outside of marriage and had to give up the child to her sister, an event which she accepts at first but over time she demands more time with her natural son, something denied by Alice Drablow who gradually cuts off all contact and portrays her sister as unsound of mind. The sister grows more and more angry and bitter and vows revenge if she cant see her son. Tragically, the son is drowned in the marsh one night in rough storms and the sister vows to never forgive Alice for keeping her son from her. She remains hateful to her death and ever since, anyone who even glimpses her has had their child killed shortly after....

Its a brutal and terrifying tale filled with images and descriptions which are hard to forget and the house itself is as much of a character as everyone else. The best bit for me, and the film does this just as well, is when the hauntings are explained and the body of the young child is unearthed from the marsh and left next to the mothers' grave, the reader now thinks everything is ok, the mother is at peace and the hauntings will stop...the story flits back to the big old empty house, dusty chairs, desolate nursery...and pans in on a letter from Jeanette to Alice in which she vows to "Never, ever forgive her for killing my son"...the words Never, Ever are repeated to such chilling perfection that the reader is now under no illusions that this spirit will never stop in her pursuit of revenge, which has dire consequences for Kipps.

Its not a happy story, its not an uplfiting story. It is excatly what it says on the cover, a dark and chilling ghost story. It of course helped that i read it late in the night and the haunting left my skin covered in goosebumps, something which hasnt happened for quite some time. A highly recommended ghost story and fantastic haunted house book. My only nagging point? Hill mentiond the fog of early 1900s London a little too much for my liking, the amount of times she described the types of fog (misty, coiled etc) didnt really add to the tale. Besides that i woud give it a solid 9 out of 10. Excellent.

[RuqeeD]

Excellent review Mike and I'm very glad you enjoyed it. Although there really wasn't anything in there that would actually make me jump out of my skin or even look uneasily behind me, I can easily forgive because of the way it was written which was chilling in of itself and the description of the house was amazing that you can actually see every room and nook and cranny. My only (slight) issue was I found the ending predictable but that was really only a very small thing

So how did it compare to the movie? Which was better iyo?

[Bighuey]

Ive got to read that. It sounds pretty much like a basic ghost story plot, Ive read similar storylines, and its a good storyline. Im going to try to find it at Alibris.

[StephenKingman]

@Ruquee, I would probably prefer the movie at a push as the budget and acting was put to great use to create a stunning set and great visuals/audio. The book comes a very close second, definitely the kind of book i would read again and again. Bighuey, i hope you get the chance to read it.

Im going to start Before I Go To Sleep later today.

[San1968]

Stephen Kingman if you have not seen the film Woman in Black yet please see the play first. It is brilliant & as I don't want to give away spoilers there is a part of the play that can not be done in a cinema. If you have seen it go & see the play anyway.

[StephenKingman]

^ Thanks a million, after seeing the movie and reading the play im well up for the play so i will keep an eye out for it if its playing in London or even if it makes its way to Ireland who knows!

I have finished Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson, much faster than i intended. I started it yesterday and read half of it in one sitting, it was that gripping. Its a fantastic and addictive tale of a woman, Christine, who wakes up every single morning with no memory of who she is, her husband, her house, her friends etc. Nothing, A clean slate every day due to an accident from years ago. She has to rely on her husband Ben's explanations as well as a doctor who is secretly visiting her and encouraging her to write down details of her life every day in a secret diary and refer to this every morning when her memory is wiped again, so she can try to fill in the blanks. Problem is, her husband and her doctor are being vague about parts of her life and pages of her diary start to go missing...

The plot thickens when Christine starts to get some flashbacks to her past and her accident which varies from what she is being told and when memories of her best friend start to emerge and are denied point blank by those around her, Christine realises she can trust nobody but herself and may be in danger as she races to find out the truth about her life before sleep catches up with her. Simply a brilliant and well executed thriller with a plot that demands you stick with Christine and root for her to find out the truth about her life. The suspense and mystery are woven excellently as the book goes on and I found the book so readable i put off getting the Sunday papers this morning in order to finish it and get to the ending which blew me away!! A fantastic debut thriller from Watson and for anyone who likes a thriller, you simply MUST read this book. 9 out of 10.

Also, the book is due to be made into a film from Ridley Scotts production company, with Rowan Jeffe as director, ill be there!

[ilovebooks2]

I read a great book sometime in the last 7 years. I can't remember what it was called, but I'm pretty sure it had "House" in the title. It was about a house that had a door leading to a dark passage where weird things happened. It was written like a textbook, with footnotes and notes in the margin. It had a black cover and it was really long. Does anyone know what book I'm talking about? It was really freaky.

[Tralala]

It wasnt Dracula in this one the vampire had a daughter or a wife, I forget which. It wasnt that bad of a show until the really stupid ending. If they ever have a poll for really stupid ending movies, that one would be no. 1

Huh...nope, I've never even heard of that one. IMDB to the rescue! ....Okay, was it Mark of the Vampire, maybe? Kee-ripes, I think I might own that! I've got a bunch of horror DVD collections 'cause people keep buying 'em for me (kinda like the fake rats), so I've not gotten around to watching all of them yet. How weird would that be? I was gonna ask you what made the ending so dumb, but if I've got it, I wanna watch that sucker.
Pun definitely intended!

Hope this dont ruin it for you, but the ending was the vampires were actors hired to scare somebody. I dont remember the whole plot its been years since I saw it, all I remember is the dumb ending. I think it was Mark Of The Vampire. The girl vampire was double-ugly.

Ugh, yep. You ruined it.
Doesn't sound like it's possible to ruin that movie! I'm still gonna hafta see it, though.

[Jacob]

^ Thanks a million, after seeing the movie and reading the play im well up for the play so i will keep an eye out for it if its playing in London or even if it makes its way to Ireland who knows!

I have finished Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson, much faster than i intended. I started it yesterday and read half of it in one sitting, it was that gripping. Its a fantastic and addictive tale of a woman, Christine, who wakes up every single morning with no memory of who she is, her husband, her house, her friends etc. Nothing, A clean slate every day due to an accident from years ago. She has to rely on her husband Ben's explanations as well as a doctor who is secretly visiting her and encouraging her to write down details of her life every day in a secret diary and refer to this every morning when her memory is wiped again, so she can try to fill in the blanks. Problem is, her husband and her doctor are being vague about parts of her life and pages of her diary start to go missing...

The plot thickens when Christine starts to get some flashbacks to her past and her accident which varies from what she is being told and when memories of her best friend start to emerge and are denied point blank by those around her, Christine realises she can trust nobody but herself and may be in danger as she races to find out the truth about her life before sleep catches up with her. Simply a brilliant and well executed thriller with a plot that demands you stick with Christine and root for her to find out the truth about her life. The suspense and mystery are woven excellently as the book goes on and I found the book so readable i put off getting the Sunday papers this morning in order to finish it and get to the ending which blew me away!! A fantastic debut thriller from Watson and for anyone who likes a thriller, you simply MUST read this book. 9 out of 10.

Also, the book is due to be made into a film from Ridley Scotts production company, with Rowan Jeffe as director, ill be there!

I don't know why, but it reminds me a bit of Groundhog day. With the wake up every morning without knowing or remembering. I want to really read this book, I'll see if I kind can find it anyway. I've been pretty picky about my horror books so far but this one looks like it can please my mind, I may do a review of it if I can get my hands on a copy.

[StephenKingman]

^ I would definitely recommend this book, Jacob, its a fast paced and edgy thriller which sucks you in to the last page!!