BOOK REVIEW: Charnel House and other stories by Graham Masterton ★★★☆☆

Of course, they thought he was crazy... But Seymour Willis insisted his house was breathing and that he heard someone's - or something's - heartbeat pounding within the walls. So, the disbelievers investigated, doubting the existence of ghosts or demons - until their reason was shattered by the shrieking unseen creature who threatened to claim their lives. By then it was too late to stop the fiendish force from wreaking vengeance upon those denying its very existence. One by one, they must die - in exchange for its eternally evil soul.
This is the third time I’m reading something by Masterton and for some reason Charnel House seemed like the right choice to read after reading Scarlet Widow and Figures of Fear. Awarded for the special Edgar by the Mystery Writers of America, Charnel House promises to deliver a unique horror story with a worthy twist, suspense and thrills.

I took out this title because of the other stories written by the author. I’ll review the other stories separately

Underbed

Martin, a young and imaginative boy, loves to play before going to sleep. His souring imagination takes him to the outstretch of outer space to the deepest ocean’s depth. In this tense tale, Martin gets more than he hoped for when he goes Underbed, a place made up for nightmares and tries to rescue a girl abducted by ‘the darkest things’.

The start was slow with verbose descriptions of Martin’s imaginary playtime. The story only starts to pick up by about seven pages in, when Martin meets a fisherman whose daughter has been taken to the Under-underbed. It’s a truly terrifying story, with sharp claws, torn ligaments and awful creatures of the underbed. I loved this story, despite the morbid and tragic ending. This gets a four-star rating.

Gray Madonna

Dean, a grieving widower returns to Belgium three years after his wife Karen was murdered there. He looks to the mysterious Gray Madonna for answers.

I think Masterton was trying to do something different as this isn’t a haunted house story, more like a haunted statue. I liked the way it was set up, but I wasn’t engaged with the mystery. This gets a three-star rating.

The Ballyhooly Boy

Jerry Flynn inherits a rather shabby house from a woman he’s never heard of. Figuring its an unexpected, albeit modest windfall, he decides to make the most of it. He could use a little extra money. But then Jerry learns the history that comes with the house and why its next owner could be no one other than him.

I loved this one. Exceptionally scary, I really don’t like creepy kids in horror. Everything was great, the setup, the reveal. This was perfect as a short story. Way better than the previous one. This one gets a full five star rating.

Charnel House

In San Francisco, Seymour Willis insists his house is breathing and that he heard someone's - or something's - heartbeat pounding within the walls. John Hyatt, the city sanitation worker investigates, doubting the existence of the supernatural – until they come face to face with a nightmarish demon, hell bent to claim their lives. With the help of an occult book seller, a Doctor and a Shaman/Witch Doctor, can they combat the ancient Native American demon before it destroys mankind?

My excitement fluctuated over the course of reading this novelette. The positive aspects about this story was the gruesome descriptions that was genuinely creepy which made my skin crawl like a man having his have ripped off. The blurb is misleading, it had nothing to do with homicide.

The next point is a bit iffy. Because this book was written in the 70s, there’s blatant racism, sexism, unrepentantly chauvinism, booze, smoking, amongst other things. So, reading this was annoying, to the point of eye rolling because John, honest to God was the Worst, unlikeable character. I think this would make a better 70s or 80s movie you would watch on tv late at night on the Horror Channel. The plot isn't terrible, but this isn’t one of Masterton’s best work. If the Native American subject matter were handled more delicately, this would probably get a higher rating.

Summary

Charnel House a quick, entertaining novel although I preferred The Ballyhooly Boy the best one. I highly recommend for horror enthusiasts, or really anyone looking for a fast, fun, scary read. Not recommended for those who are want to read a book free from the 70s era chauvinism, racism and general sexism.

Rating: 3/5
Publishers: Five Star (First Edition Mystery Series)
Publication Date: September 1st 2002 (First Published 1978)
Genre: Horror/ Suspense