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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated A Night Inn Hell in Books
Nov 21, 2019
This is the first book in a trilogy about a remote and haunted inn - the Hang Inn - where each book tells the story of how some of the souls came to be trapped there. The bulk of the story is set at the end of the 19th century, with the first and last chapters set in contemporary times and told from the point of view of one of the haunting spirits. In preparing to scare a couple of tourists visiting the notorious haunted in, the narrator tells the reader their story.
Peter and Stella have owned the Hang Inn for several months. The Inn is miles from the nearest town and sits among nearly impassable marshland. Trade is slow and they will soon need to think seriously about giving up the inn. Then they are given an offer they can't refuse by Jason, a police officer in a small and secretive unit that tracks down the worst murderers and serial killers in Victorian England and ensures that they are very quietly disposed of. The government will pay for the Hang Inn to be used for the executions. But this is a secret only a few can know, and Peter cannot even tell Stella what is really going on.
The first infamous murderer is executed and Peter begins to doubt he has made the right decision but it is too late. And when the second murderer arrives the ghost of the first torments both him and Peter. How long can Peter keep the secret and what impact will it have on his relationship with Stella?
This is not a ghost story in the conventional sense. The first murderer does haunt the inn some of the nights but most of the story is taken up the effect the situation has on Peter, Stella and Jason as it turns each of their lives upside down and tests each of them. The secret of the executions reveals deeper and darker secrets and the inner character of each of the main protagonists. There are night time chases across the marshes and murders are described and committed.
The plot twists and turns as each victim brought to the inn tells their own story and this has its inevitable effect on Peter and Stella as well as Jason. The relationship between the three of them changes as time goes on. We know that ultimately one of them will be left haunting the inn, but which one? Only the final climactic scenes reveal this.
The book is an enjoyable read, although the nights when the murderers are held in the inn are a lot more gripping and interesting than the periods between which can seem a little over-long with a lot of introspection from the main characters as they try to deal with what is going on around them (and within them). But this does allow the characters to grow, and the interactions between them and the state of their own minds plays a vital role in everything that happens.
The strength of the book lies in the twin strands of the overall story itself and of the murderers. Each is different and each is portrayed excellently by Powell from evil psychopaths to those who feel their actions are justified. Each tells their story in detail with some deft twists to enable this to happen.
Overall this was an enjoyable novel with enough action and twists to keep the reader's interest throughout.
Rating: Scenes of murder and some sexual references
Peter and Stella have owned the Hang Inn for several months. The Inn is miles from the nearest town and sits among nearly impassable marshland. Trade is slow and they will soon need to think seriously about giving up the inn. Then they are given an offer they can't refuse by Jason, a police officer in a small and secretive unit that tracks down the worst murderers and serial killers in Victorian England and ensures that they are very quietly disposed of. The government will pay for the Hang Inn to be used for the executions. But this is a secret only a few can know, and Peter cannot even tell Stella what is really going on.
The first infamous murderer is executed and Peter begins to doubt he has made the right decision but it is too late. And when the second murderer arrives the ghost of the first torments both him and Peter. How long can Peter keep the secret and what impact will it have on his relationship with Stella?
This is not a ghost story in the conventional sense. The first murderer does haunt the inn some of the nights but most of the story is taken up the effect the situation has on Peter, Stella and Jason as it turns each of their lives upside down and tests each of them. The secret of the executions reveals deeper and darker secrets and the inner character of each of the main protagonists. There are night time chases across the marshes and murders are described and committed.
The plot twists and turns as each victim brought to the inn tells their own story and this has its inevitable effect on Peter and Stella as well as Jason. The relationship between the three of them changes as time goes on. We know that ultimately one of them will be left haunting the inn, but which one? Only the final climactic scenes reveal this.
The book is an enjoyable read, although the nights when the murderers are held in the inn are a lot more gripping and interesting than the periods between which can seem a little over-long with a lot of introspection from the main characters as they try to deal with what is going on around them (and within them). But this does allow the characters to grow, and the interactions between them and the state of their own minds plays a vital role in everything that happens.
The strength of the book lies in the twin strands of the overall story itself and of the murderers. Each is different and each is portrayed excellently by Powell from evil psychopaths to those who feel their actions are justified. Each tells their story in detail with some deft twists to enable this to happen.
Overall this was an enjoyable novel with enough action and twists to keep the reader's interest throughout.
Rating: Scenes of murder and some sexual references
Fred (860 KP) rated The Haunting of Bly Manor in TV
Oct 11, 2020
Yet another re-telling of The Turn of the Screw
This is a re-telling of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, written in 1898. The last re-telling was 2020s The Turning, which was terrible. So how is this version?
In the last episode of this series, a character says, "This wasn't a ghost story, it was a love story." which is true. Sort of. It's a ghost story in the fact that it has ghosts in it. It's a love story in that two people fall in love. But it's really all about the characters. They are very good characters & acted out very well. I'll even give Henry Thomas credit for trying a British accent, even if his face contorted like someone was running a current through his face every time he talked. Entire episodes are sometimes devoted to a character. And this is the main problem. It's fine to give some character development, but this series is so stretched out. It's 9 episodes that could have been 3 or 4 episodes and worked out much better. Each person's story also jumps back in time, then forward, then back, then back again, then forward, then back. It's pacing can be real bad & quite frankly can be real boring at times.
Sometimes I think how can this story be remade 35 times now & still there's no great film version. It's a good story. It's an interesting idea. But, it's also weird & sometimes confusing & sometimes all over the place. It's got to be tight, but it's also got to be fleshed out enough that we care about the characters. Which as I said, is what it's all about.
Now, is it a ghost story? I already said yes. Is it a horror series? Well, I would say no. It's not scary. It's not creepy. It doesn't even have jump scares, which is normally good, but I would have enjoyed one or two to be honest. What it does have, as I've stated, is characters. But it also has atmosphere & great settings. The manor itself is almost it's own character. But as much as it is dark & there are things hiding in the corners or even in plain sight, it's just doesn't have that creep factor. Even the little girl shushes a ghost when it won't shut up. There's no sense of real evil or malevolence going on.
Now it sounds like I hated this series, but I didn't. I liked it. It was not what I expected, being the second season of the anthology "The Haunting" series, which started with the phenomenal "The Haunting of Hill House". But, if it had been just like Hill House, I probably would have been bored & just re-watched the first season again. So, I'm glad it was different. But like I said, it was stretched out far longer than it should have been.
Now, after we watched the entire series, my wife said that she liked it & would re-watch it maybe in 5 years. and gives it a 6 out of 10 as well. I'm sure a re-watch would be good for seeing things you did not catch the first time, but feel it'd be better to move on to something different. If you're looking for something scary to watch this Halloween series, then you can skip this. Unless you're in the mood to watch some good actors, playing good characters, with an interesting movie & have lots of free time. However, if you didn't see the first season "Hill House", then watch that instead.
In the last episode of this series, a character says, "This wasn't a ghost story, it was a love story." which is true. Sort of. It's a ghost story in the fact that it has ghosts in it. It's a love story in that two people fall in love. But it's really all about the characters. They are very good characters & acted out very well. I'll even give Henry Thomas credit for trying a British accent, even if his face contorted like someone was running a current through his face every time he talked. Entire episodes are sometimes devoted to a character. And this is the main problem. It's fine to give some character development, but this series is so stretched out. It's 9 episodes that could have been 3 or 4 episodes and worked out much better. Each person's story also jumps back in time, then forward, then back, then back again, then forward, then back. It's pacing can be real bad & quite frankly can be real boring at times.
Sometimes I think how can this story be remade 35 times now & still there's no great film version. It's a good story. It's an interesting idea. But, it's also weird & sometimes confusing & sometimes all over the place. It's got to be tight, but it's also got to be fleshed out enough that we care about the characters. Which as I said, is what it's all about.
Now, is it a ghost story? I already said yes. Is it a horror series? Well, I would say no. It's not scary. It's not creepy. It doesn't even have jump scares, which is normally good, but I would have enjoyed one or two to be honest. What it does have, as I've stated, is characters. But it also has atmosphere & great settings. The manor itself is almost it's own character. But as much as it is dark & there are things hiding in the corners or even in plain sight, it's just doesn't have that creep factor. Even the little girl shushes a ghost when it won't shut up. There's no sense of real evil or malevolence going on.
Now it sounds like I hated this series, but I didn't. I liked it. It was not what I expected, being the second season of the anthology "The Haunting" series, which started with the phenomenal "The Haunting of Hill House". But, if it had been just like Hill House, I probably would have been bored & just re-watched the first season again. So, I'm glad it was different. But like I said, it was stretched out far longer than it should have been.
Now, after we watched the entire series, my wife said that she liked it & would re-watch it maybe in 5 years. and gives it a 6 out of 10 as well. I'm sure a re-watch would be good for seeing things you did not catch the first time, but feel it'd be better to move on to something different. If you're looking for something scary to watch this Halloween series, then you can skip this. Unless you're in the mood to watch some good actors, playing good characters, with an interesting movie & have lots of free time. However, if you didn't see the first season "Hill House", then watch that instead.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated The Wicker Man (1973) in Movies
Sep 14, 2019
Where Is Rowan Morrison?
Trying to get into the "horror mood" this year I thought I would revisit a "cult classic" which I hadn't seen in 20+ years and it is still as haunting as I remember.
Police Sergeant Howie arrives to a small island community in search of a missing girl. His questions are immediately met with shrugs and denials any of the locals know the girl. He then visits the local pub where he quickly begins to surmise the situation is not what it seems and he is not being told the truth. The local barkeep sets him up with a meal and a room while his daughter sings a haunting song along with the rest of the barroom customers.
The next day Howie searches further about the island, questions more locals, visits the schoolhouse where he hears young girls being taught the finer points of the penis, but learns little about the fate of the missing girl. Eventually, he believes the girl has been murdered under suspicious circumstances and goes to visit the matriarch of the area, Lord Summerisle.
He finds out about the pagan beliefs the island dwellers believe as well as the history of Summerisle's ancestors when they first visited the island. He continues to see disturbing happenings around town including young naked girls dancing, singing and jumping through a fire as well as people wearing masks.
Once the "final reveal" has happened, he realizes he has been beguiled all along and the cult has a fate for him already planned out.
In watching some behind the scenes footage, Christopher Lee said this film is one of his personal favorites. He was eager to break out of the same old "Dracula" formula films he had been doing in the 1970s and accepted this part not knowing much about it ahead of time. The part was written for him in mind. Lee longtime film companion, Peter Cushing, was originally supposed to portray Sergeant Howie, but couldn't due to schedule conflicts.
Edward Woodward actually dons the part of Howie in a very interesting way. He makes the audience believe his naivety about his surroundings at the onset and slowly lets you figure things out along with him as the film goes. He actually did not even want to see the "Wicker Man" set until he filmed it so he could be surprised and his terror would be genuine.
This is the part Christopher Lee was born to play. Modern audiences will know him only from Star Wars and Lord of the Rings; however, he was one of the "Masters of the Macabre" in the 1970s and 1980s completing a ton of horror films most of which are cheesy but still worth watching due to their style and his charisma. He was just perfect for this role since you can believe almost anything he says and only watch in disbelief as he marches down the street dancing and singing with the rest of his cult members toward their final ritual.
I'm sure coming from the US, I don't know some of the history and wild popularity this film has had and continues to have in the UK, but it is still one of my favorites.
Police Sergeant Howie arrives to a small island community in search of a missing girl. His questions are immediately met with shrugs and denials any of the locals know the girl. He then visits the local pub where he quickly begins to surmise the situation is not what it seems and he is not being told the truth. The local barkeep sets him up with a meal and a room while his daughter sings a haunting song along with the rest of the barroom customers.
The next day Howie searches further about the island, questions more locals, visits the schoolhouse where he hears young girls being taught the finer points of the penis, but learns little about the fate of the missing girl. Eventually, he believes the girl has been murdered under suspicious circumstances and goes to visit the matriarch of the area, Lord Summerisle.
He finds out about the pagan beliefs the island dwellers believe as well as the history of Summerisle's ancestors when they first visited the island. He continues to see disturbing happenings around town including young naked girls dancing, singing and jumping through a fire as well as people wearing masks.
Once the "final reveal" has happened, he realizes he has been beguiled all along and the cult has a fate for him already planned out.
In watching some behind the scenes footage, Christopher Lee said this film is one of his personal favorites. He was eager to break out of the same old "Dracula" formula films he had been doing in the 1970s and accepted this part not knowing much about it ahead of time. The part was written for him in mind. Lee longtime film companion, Peter Cushing, was originally supposed to portray Sergeant Howie, but couldn't due to schedule conflicts.
Edward Woodward actually dons the part of Howie in a very interesting way. He makes the audience believe his naivety about his surroundings at the onset and slowly lets you figure things out along with him as the film goes. He actually did not even want to see the "Wicker Man" set until he filmed it so he could be surprised and his terror would be genuine.
This is the part Christopher Lee was born to play. Modern audiences will know him only from Star Wars and Lord of the Rings; however, he was one of the "Masters of the Macabre" in the 1970s and 1980s completing a ton of horror films most of which are cheesy but still worth watching due to their style and his charisma. He was just perfect for this role since you can believe almost anything he says and only watch in disbelief as he marches down the street dancing and singing with the rest of his cult members toward their final ritual.
I'm sure coming from the US, I don't know some of the history and wild popularity this film has had and continues to have in the UK, but it is still one of my favorites.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Grownup in Books
May 16, 2018
Ambiguity in a story isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there's also a point where it becomes too much. In Gillian Flynn's award winning short story, "The Grownup," the reader is presented with a perfect example of exactly what happens when there is simply too much story left unanswered.
I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn't admit that Flynn immediately snared my attention with the opening to her short story: a main character whose job is to... well... to pleasure men, but not by having sex with them (oral or otherwise). Of course, this profession of hers is masqueraded by a front as a psychic. Because of this need to cover up her actual job, the main character meets a troubled woman by the name of Susan Burke and from there, things get a little crazy to say the least.
Plot-wise, Flynn does a great job at sticking to what many horror fans might describe as a classic ghost story, only she doesn't really go too far in depth as to the details of the haunting - or lack thereof. Instead, she introduces several characters, a plausible chain of what might be paranormal events, and then an inconclusive ending where no fault is actually placed.
For a short story, "The Grownup" isn't all that bad, though I must admit that the title doesn't mesh well with its contents. I would much rather have read this as a full length novel, as Flynn undoubtedly has a knack for unexpected twists and turns. Even though I found "The Grownup" to be unsatisfying, Flynn's talent at the element of surprise still shined through brightly in this short work.
I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn't admit that Flynn immediately snared my attention with the opening to her short story: a main character whose job is to... well... to pleasure men, but not by having sex with them (oral or otherwise). Of course, this profession of hers is masqueraded by a front as a psychic. Because of this need to cover up her actual job, the main character meets a troubled woman by the name of Susan Burke and from there, things get a little crazy to say the least.
Plot-wise, Flynn does a great job at sticking to what many horror fans might describe as a classic ghost story, only she doesn't really go too far in depth as to the details of the haunting - or lack thereof. Instead, she introduces several characters, a plausible chain of what might be paranormal events, and then an inconclusive ending where no fault is actually placed.
For a short story, "The Grownup" isn't all that bad, though I must admit that the title doesn't mesh well with its contents. I would much rather have read this as a full length novel, as Flynn undoubtedly has a knack for unexpected twists and turns. Even though I found "The Grownup" to be unsatisfying, Flynn's talent at the element of surprise still shined through brightly in this short work.
ClareR (5556 KP) rated The Other People in Books
Feb 9, 2020 (Updated Feb 11, 2020)
This is the first book I’ve read by C J Tudor, and if I’d known that she could write such a disturbing, haunting thriller that would follow me around all day, I would have wised up and read her previous books!
Gabe drives up and down a motorway for three years, looking for his daughter. His supposedly dead daughter. Except on the day that she died, he saw her in the back of a car on the motorway. When he got home, it was to find out that his wife and daughter had been murdered in a botched burglary. But Gabe saw his daughter in the back of that car...
Two other stories become intertwined with Gabe’s: Katie, a woman who works in a coffee shop on the motorway, a single mother struggling to support her two children. She sees Gabe regularly and knows his story. She knows something of how he feels, because her father was murdered in another, unconnected, botched burglary nine years before. And then there’s Fran and Alice. A mother and her child, permanently on the run, knowing that if the people who are chasing them actually catch them, they will be dead. Quite how these people are connected is at first a mystery.
And then there’s the girl that Alice sees in the mirror, and the Other People...
Boy this was creepy. I LOVED how creepy it was. And there’s an underlying menace throughout the book. This is precisely my kind of book - and it’s well worth a read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for my copy of this book to read and review.
Gabe drives up and down a motorway for three years, looking for his daughter. His supposedly dead daughter. Except on the day that she died, he saw her in the back of a car on the motorway. When he got home, it was to find out that his wife and daughter had been murdered in a botched burglary. But Gabe saw his daughter in the back of that car...
Two other stories become intertwined with Gabe’s: Katie, a woman who works in a coffee shop on the motorway, a single mother struggling to support her two children. She sees Gabe regularly and knows his story. She knows something of how he feels, because her father was murdered in another, unconnected, botched burglary nine years before. And then there’s Fran and Alice. A mother and her child, permanently on the run, knowing that if the people who are chasing them actually catch them, they will be dead. Quite how these people are connected is at first a mystery.
And then there’s the girl that Alice sees in the mirror, and the Other People...
Boy this was creepy. I LOVED how creepy it was. And there’s an underlying menace throughout the book. This is precisely my kind of book - and it’s well worth a read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for my copy of this book to read and review.
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