Two spooky Halloween-appropriate novellas for ominous fall nights

 

This fall I probably watched about 50 Halloween-appropriate films as Oct. 31 approached.  But I also read a couple of Halloween-appropriate novellas. It’s time to share those with Plan9Crunch readers.

The Turn of the Screw

First, here’s a mini-review of Henry James’ “ The Turn of the Screw.” The tale of a governess convinced that her young, brother/sister charges are in deadly peril from two malevolent spirits has been often adapted to stage and screen. I really enjoy the 1961 adaptation, “The Innocents,” and my wife and I enjoyed Netflix’s recent mini-series adaptation, “The Haunting ofBly Manor.”

The adaptations tend to assume that there really are ghosts at Bly Manor. James’ novella, which I find refreshingly creepy, creates a tale in which all that’s going on could just be in the mind of the governess. That adds to the horror as events reach tragedy. However, James’ also offers us the possibility that the hauntings are real. I got chills reading this book as our narrator/governess would set a scenario where the “evil” man and former “governess,” both dead, would reappear, eager to enter the souls of the children.

I don't think James wanted us to know if it all was real, or not.

Memoirs of Murder: A Prequel to the 1932 Classic, White Zombie

And now, on to the next spooky novella I read this Halloween season. It’s Memoirs of Murder: A Prequel to the 1932 Classic, White Zombie.” It’s penned by a fellow I know, Brad Braddock, who runs Arcane ShadowsPress. Here is more about the film White Zombie.

Here’s my review:

It tells of the early life of Murder Legendre, the satanic, evil antagonist of the classic film, White Zombie. The novel takes an already evil man, living in Haiti, and shows how he embraces Satanism and energetically collects souls to turn into zombies to run and increase his empire.

I particularly like Braddock's dialogue. He presents Legendre speaking in a consistent matter-of-fact tone of an evil genius, justifying every evil deed as an accumulation of his earthly kingdom. It contrasts well with characters who represent good, some who know how evil he is but are simply unable to best Legendre on his own turf.

This is a dark novel. There are are scenes of torture, murder and even worse. It can be tough and at times I was wishing for some relief. However, it is a prequel to the story of a man who has accumulated an empire in White Zombie. And it's fascinating to have a novel that sets up perfectly a viewing of White Zombie. And, Braddock does make sure that Legendre learns, to his eternal disappointment, that he can't have everything he wants.

These are great, inexpensive reads. Here is a link to “The Turn of the Screw” and another to “Memoirs of Murder ….”

--- Doug Gibson