Happy Nightmares!



I love a scary book in October, and ESPECIALLY one that features an *old* maybe creepy couple! (No offense, by the definition in most books, I'm one of them!) Damn, if those *old* people don't continually throw down the scary with evil finesse that beats any long black wet-haired child crawling out of a well, reaching out through the TV. Sure, those are great jumper scares -- but put in a pair of seemingly sweet elderly people and you know you're dealing with some serious, well-seasoned soul suckers. Think of the sweet little old Minnie and Roman Castevet...from Rosemary's Baby. (Ruth Gordon, indisputable queen of the sweet old doddering minions of Satan.) Add an over the top Gothic mansion full of extravagant antiquities, tarnished, blanketed with cobwebs; a dilapidated greenhouse with rows of dead and twisted exotic plants; a swimming pool choked with dark muck; and a wing of the house occupied by an unseen old invalid...Yahoo! Let the wild ruckus start!



I can't even offer any review of the writing itself, or the narration...I was just enjoying myself too much listening to how this unfolded. You probably can figure out the plot, but you'll still be oblivious to forming any criticisms, busy instead yelling, "No! Stay out of the pool, out of the greenhouse; don't open that sitting room door, get your gray hair touched-up!" This is pure fun. Creepy, spooky, and I really did notice it is written well. Diserving of the caption: *Valancourt 20th Century Classics.* If you are a reader that needs at least a seasonal spooky-fix, reach back in time for this absolute classic. I thought I had exhausted all of the horror novels available in my youth; I'm glad I left this one to be discovered now -- like finding one more piece of candy in an exhausted trick-or-treat bag full of wrappers.