Lucifer Cove, Book 3 - The Devil's Virgin (Virginia Coffman's Thrilling Occult Gothic Series)

"Diane Deeth visited the Cove in innocence ... and was trapped in eternal evil." (cover blurb)

 

The occult Gothic series authored by Virginia Coffman continues in this third installment of the series.  The book was originally published in 1971, with this second edition printed in 1973.  I can't help but repeat how much I love these stylized covers, with the unique logo and the consistent cover art, each depicting a young woman standing in front of the tudor-style spa building. The occult aspects are definitely there in this book, but thankfully they are toned back a bit from the previous story.  Instead, we are treated to more of the continuing saga of the Deeth family - and although Christine Deeth, the protagonist from the first book, is not the continuing main character in the series, she does appear in each book (thus far), and her presence definitely has an impact on the characters involved in the stories.

 

The Devil's Virgin brings Christine Deeth's first born - her daughter, Diane - to Lucifer Cove. Diane is definitely a child of the '70s - a rebel, whose mindset is that the system must be bucked, and the new up-and-coming generation of young adults are the ones to do it.  That being said, she comes to the Cove to see her mother, concerned that her mother has not left and wondering if she really is happy there.  But what she finds is nothing at all what she expects!  It begins on a dark night, as she waits for a bus to take her to the Cove.  A mysterious stranger is watching her, and when she boards the bus, he boards right behind her.  The bus does not stop at the Cove itself, but it does have a stop on the lonely canyon road, not far from the hidden lane that leads to the Cove.  When she gets off, so does the stranger. She lets him head off first, and she is shocked to discover he is heading in the same direction she is.  Luckily, a gorgeously handsome man with dark hair and dark eyes pulls up in his fancy car and offers her a ride.  Once again, Marc Meridon is in the right place at the right time to save a damsel in distress...

 

Coffman gives readers a deeper feel for Lucifer Cove in this book, as Diane makes the keen observation that the Cove is set up to tempt even the most innocent of souls, as everything in sight is a temptation - from the gold plated silverware to the aphrodisiac being pumped in through the air vents.  While Diane is by no means the "innocent" girl that the cover says she is, she does manage to keep herself from giving into the temptations that surround her.  And the mysterious stranger, who turns out to be Bill Janocek, the brother of Nadine (you remember her, don't you?  the devil priestess who presides over the satanic rituals that take place in the Greek cathedral just up the side of the mountain that borders Lucifer Cove...), seems pretty much immune to any of the temptations.  In fact, he has an ulterior motive for coming to Lucifer Cove, other than just to see his sister, and that focus is what helps him see people and things for what they truly are.  That ulterior motive, of course, is something that does not sit well at all with Marc Meridon.

 

And speaking of Marc (should we call him by his real name yet?  Coffman hasn't revealed it at this point, but let's face it - by now, every reader knows exactly who he is!), Diane become instantly infatuated with the man, and she cannot figure out why her mother tries so hard to keep her from associating with the man.  As Diane develops a friendship with Bill Janocek and learns his true purpose for being there (after he rescues her from almost becoming the next victim of a group of murderers who are staying at the Cove to avoid going to jail), she finds herself becoming more and more curious about what is really going on at the Cove.  If her mother is so unhappy, as she seems to by, why does she stay?  Why does the Cove allow known murderers to stay at the spa, instead of turning them over to the police?  Do people really believe in the satanic nonsense spouted by Bill's sister?  And what is up with that annoying cat that seems to pop up at the most inopportune times - Kinkajou?  

 

It all comes to a head when Nadine is injured (conveniently after Diane tells Marc that Nadine was plotting with Christine to keep Diane and Marc apart!) and Diane agrees to take over as "priestess" for that night's ceremony, so that Bill can fulfill his purpose in coming to Lucifer Cove and Diane can see some real justice done.  But their secret plot is revealed, and Diane ends up in very real danger as a killer takes her off, ready to end her life for nearly betraying him and his friends!  (An interesting side note here - as Diane and Bill are finalizing their plans, a woman named only as "Miss Benedict" arrives with her suitcases to check in to the spa; it is only a very brief mention, where she has a short encounter with Nadine's Irish boyfriend, O'Flannery [p. 203] - but it is clearly a set up for the next book, where Miss Benedict is the main character.) 

 

Once again, this book was published in three different editions, each with their own cover art.  My copy of the book, with the light blue sky and the blond woman glancing back over her shoulder at the tudor-style spa that is the centerpiece of Lucifer Cove. The artist for this edition is not identified (as with the first and second books in this format), and once again, the main character is incorrectly portrayed.  In the book, Diane is described as having dark hair, yet the cover shows Diane with flowing blonde hair.  Not sure if all the covers were painted at the same time, and the publisher simply did not bother to properly match them with the books, or if the artist was not given any details about the actual characters in the book to know how to properly represent them on the cover.  The art is gorgeous, there is no denying that; I just wish they had gotten the details right!  The cover art for the Pinnacle Books edition (shown above) correctly shows Diane with her dark hair - just not sure if the man behind her is supposed to represent Marc Maridon or Bill Janocek.  Either way, this cover is a slight bit creepier, with the midnight black sky and the spa further back in the scene.

 

The third edition of the book, published by Lancer, is somewhat similar to the later Lancer "Easy Eye" edition that I have.  The light blue sky, the blond haired beauty (rather than dark-haired), and the tudor-style building; however, in this instance, the spa is depicted as desolate and somewhat dilapidated, with a thin fog rolling in front of it.  And the ghostly image of Marc Meridon looking down over the spa building seems to intimate the control he has over his "domain" at Lucifer Cove, that he is always watching, and you cannot escape him.  I would be hesitant to say which of the three book covers offers the most "Gothic" version - the edition I own is obviously my favorite, but the Pinnacle Books cover is definitely darker, even if Diane does not really seem frightened at all.  This original Lancer edition comes across too stilted to me, although this rendition of Marc is probably the most powerful and frightening to date.

 

It is definitely clear with this book that the Lucifer Cove saga is the ongoing story of Marc Meridon and Christine Deeth - all of the other women who take center stage in the books that have come after that first story are mere supporting characters that give the reader a greater insight into Lucifer Cove itself and more hints at just who Marc Meridon is ... although I am still waiting to find out what his endgame with Christine Deeth really is.  I hope Coffman resolves that by the end of the sixth book and does not leave the reader hanging!  These books are not strong in the Gothic elements, but definitely fall more into the occult category.  It was the 1970s, though, so every publisher wanted to cash in on the Gothic craze, and thus, Lucifer Cove became Virginia Coffman's "Thrilling Occult Gothic Series" (at least they had the decency to put occult before Gothic!).

 

RATING:  8 miniature spy cameras out of 10 for proving that some people are above even the strongest of temptations - no matter how enticing and beautiful that temptation may be! 

Lucifer Cove, Book 2 - Priestess of the Damned (Virginia Coffman's Thrilling Occult Gothic Series)

"Nadine Janos became queen of the Cove's 'devil-cult' ... and reigned in satanic terror!" (cover blurb) 

 

Gothic-queen author Virginia Coffman's series set in Lucifer Cove continues in this second book.  First published in 1970, my edition of the book came out in 1973 with the stylized logo and gorgeous cover art.  While the first book dabbled somewhat into the occult aspect of the series (i.e. the devil, a Satan-cult, those eyes in the mirror, etc.), this second book walks into the occult / supernatural aspect in full force.The reader is no longer left with any questions as to whether demonic forces are at work in Lucifer Cove, and as such, the impact that has on the characters in the story (and the reader's expectations and hopes for those characters) is increased ten-fold!

 

Priestess of the Damned switches the focus from Christine Deeth (who was the main character from the first book, and who did not have so happy an ending) to Nadine Janos, who leads the cult in Lucifer's Cove that allegedly worships Satan himself ... but is nothing more than a fraudulent means by which Janos takes in quite the income through so-called donations to the devil himself, while the cult members and attendees simply satisfy their basest desires.  While readers of the first book wondered if the devil worshipers were sincere in their beliefs, or if it was all a front, readers of this book quickly learn that it is all fake, with Janos and her cohort, Sean O'Flannery, using special effects and theatrics to make it all seem dark and supernatural within the classic Greek temple located on the side of the mountain in Lucifer Cover.  After all, she was not really hurting anyone - if wealthy people wanted to pay her money under the guise of donations in order to indulge in animal-like lust, what crime was she committing?

 

But, as readers of the first book know, something is not right at Lucifer Cove.  O'Flannery suspects there is something wrong, and while Nadine has refused to see it up until now, even she is beginning to realize there is more to the owner, Marc Meridon, than meets the eye.  Why else would she have had O'Flannery do digging into the man's past - digging that led to no new information whatsoever.  Meridon's past is a complete blank, and his present hints at something more than just an investor in a secluded spa.  The more Nadine's curiosity gets the best of her, the more she starts to suspect, and the more she learns, the more she realizes just how much danger she (and everyone else) at Lucifer Cover could be in!  A supporting character seen only in brief snippets in The Devil's Mistress, Nadine takes the full spotlight, and while she is far from an innocent, I thoroughly enjoyed her snooping around and sneaky attempts to try and uncover what is really going on at the spa.  In a lot of ways, she could be considered a Nancy Drew-type character in this book (albeit a very flawed and selfish version!).

 

A number of subplots that began in the first book are continued here.  Nadine discovers, along with the reader, some of the secrets regarding all of those tudor-style houses that line the main street of Lucifer's Cove, which, of course, only opens up more questions.  Why are the houses simply facades, to give the effect they are more than just empty shells, not even completed in the back?  And what in the world is up with the urn of ashes Nadine finds in one of the houses - ashes of a famous actress who is known to have died years prior?  Christine Deeth is back in some small part, as she is coerced by Meridon to bring her sickly young son to the spa, under the guise that the springs might help him recover (although Christine begs Nadine to help her keep her son away, unaware Nadine has already promised Meridon to convince her to bring him there).  Christine's love for Meridone is obvious, yet Nadine picks up on an undercurrent, hinting that Christine has other motives and plans. of which Meridon is completely unaware.  In addition to that, Nadine uncovers the source of that black smoke that comes up from the sulfur springs on occasion, a discovery that turns out to be very deadly and nearly costs Nadine and a young boy their lives!  Thankfully, a certain black cat by the name of Kinkajou (affectionately referred to as "Kinky" in this book) leads them to safety.  And speaking of that darn cat, the reader gets more hints as to the true nature of the cat, and something I suspected to be true in the first book is pretty much confirmed (although not outright) in this book. Nadine certainly suspects it, and I have no doubt it is going to be revealed in a later book.  Last, but not least, by the end of the story, Nadine finds herself seeing visions - not only of a man dying (who later does die), but also of a sinister pair of eyes looking out from behind that upside down cross in her temple.  What will come of that, only time will tell...

 

While Nadine nearly meets her maker by the end of the story, her timely rescue leaves her in the arms of O'Flannery, wondering as Meridon tells her with a grin that she is one of his greatest allies. Nadine can't help but be concerned - is that a good thing, or a bad thing?

 

As with the first book, this second entry into the series went through three different printings with three different covers.  I love the one edition that I have, even if the depiction of Nadine Janos is inaccurate (since the story makes it clear she has dark hair, and the cover shows her with blond hair); yet, it has the same tudor building in the background, with the same light on in the second story window.  In fact, comparing the cover art, it appears the house IS the exact same image, with simply a different female lead painted in the foregoing over the house.  An earlier cover (of which I do not have an image) gives a more accurate picture of Nadine, with the dark hair and not-so-pretty face, with a background scene depicting a black-robed figure standing over  man kneeling before her on the ground.  A third cover art (from Pinnacle Books, which I also do not have an image) again shows Nadine in the foreground with dark hair (and a much sexier red dress) with a man who could be Meridon standing behind her and a different version of the tudor-style spa behind them, a second story window lit.  This cover is not bad at all, and probably the most Gothic-looking of the three, spouting a tagline that reads, "Would she enter the gates of heaven - or the portals of hell?"  These other two images can be found online, but are definitely not in the best of condition.

 

I will admit, I was uncomfortable reading this book, because of the heavy emphasis on the devil worshiping and constant references to "My lord Satan."  Although I know this is fiction, and even though the character in the story admits she is a fraud and merely leading the cult for the money, it still did not sit well with my Christian beliefs, and I was glad to finish it.  I'm hoping the next four books in the series will be similar to the first and rely more on the mystery aspect, and less on the occult and Satanic references.

 

RATING:  7 ghostly apparitions of Adolf Hitler out of 10 for an ever-increasing suspense-filled story that builds upon the mythos of Lucifer's Cove and its growing cast of characters.

Lucifer Cove, Book 1 - The Devil's Mistress (Virginia Coffman's Thrilling Occult Gothic Series)

"Christie Deeth found a paradise at the cover ... or was it the domain of Satan himself?" (cover blurb)

 

With the Harlequin Gothic Romance series now read, it is time to move on to another series, and this is one that took me quite a while to complete - and surprisingly, it was the first book in the series that was the most difficult to find (in the particular format I wanted), rather than the last, which is usually the case.  But I absolutely fell in love with the cover art and design of the Lancer Easy-Eye editions with the stylized logo and the blue sky over the Tudor style black and white house with the girl in the foreground.  Like with the consistency of cover style for the Harlequin Gothic line, I wanted to complete this series with the same cover format - and I was finally able to get this final book I needed at the end of last year at a price I was willing to pay (I mean, seriously, the prices I have seen copies of this book selling for is outrageous!).  Virginia Coffman (1914 - 2005) was one of the leading Gothic novelists, with more than 100 books to her name, most of which were Gothic romances.  It was her first novel, Moura, published in 1959, that is said to have started the "Gothic Wave" of the 1960s and '70s.  If you are going to read Gothics, then sooner or later, you will likely read one or more of Coffman's books.  More can be found about this author in the University of Nevada, Reno Virginia Coffman Papers.

 

The Devil's Mistress is the first of a six-book series set in Lucifer Cove, a small town nestled in a secluded valley of California.  First published in 1969, the book has gone through a number of printings and has had three different covers.  While the Lancer Easy-Eye editions tout the books as "Virginia Coffman's Thrilling Occult Gothic Series," I found the book to be more mystery than Gothic. That's not to say the book was not a great read; I just did not see that many Gothic elements in the story itself.  The "occult" label is probably a more accurate description of the story.  Lucifer Cove is basically a resort, centered around a hot springs spa that offers its guests their heart's desires.  But, as the saying goes, too much of a good thing ... the resort is place where people go to get away from it all ... to open themselves up to new experiences, where the only rules are that you must enjoy yourself to your heart's content.  Any pleasure imaginable can be found here.  For some, Lucifer Cove truly is a paradise, a dream come true.  For the soon-to-be divorced Christine ("Christie") Deeth, however, the Cove is a place of mystery, unexplained deaths, and temptation that could lead to destruction.

 

Coffman's main character is an auburn-haired beauty who receives an invitation to Lucifer Cove from an unexpected source.  An old heiress had visited her at the clinic in San Francisco, where Christie had been recovering from a mental breakdown.  She had left her husband and two children for a love affair with a younger man who quickly dumped her for the next young beauty to come his way. Her actions, though, had consequences, and she not only faced divorce from her husband, but she lost custody of her two children, and her husband refused to let her see them (gee, sounds like a somewhat current storyline on General Hospital!).  Christie would do anything to see her children again, and when the spinster tells her that spending a few weeks at Lucifer Cove could result in her getting her children, as well as her husband, back, Christie decides to take the chance.  After all, what did she have to lose?

 

The story opens with a slow build, as Christie is trying to locate the entrance to Lucifer Cover, some two hours south of San Franciso.  She happens across a lone man who is heading there, and he shows her the way through the cloudy entrance.  After following a maze of roads, she arrives in the small community, which contains not only the spa and the hot springs, but also some cottages, some shops, and a rather out-of-place temple that would likely fit in back in ancient Rome.  The man knows her name, even though she never told him, and as she gets checked in, she gets the odd feeling that she was expected here for weeks, even though she just made her reservations the day before.  There are plenty of warning signals that something is very wrong in Lucifer Cove, but like any good Gothic heroine, Christie ignores those signs, thinking she can face any problems that come her way.  Besides, Marc Meridon, the man she picked up on the road, and who appears to have an ownership interest in the spa, seems to have taken an interest in her, and she cannot deny the strange attraction she feels for him.

 

Then the woman in the room next to her turns up dead from an apparent suicide.  The guests and employees of Lucifer Cove seem to have more than a healthy respect for Meridon - from everything Christie can tell, they actually fear him.  What kind of power does he have over these people?  And what is up with those strange, glowing eyes that she, and others, can just barely make out in the mirrors that are everywhere in every room of the place?  And are those devil worshipers who attend nightly ceremonies in the temple for real, or is it all just for show, so the woman running it (Nadine Janos) can make some easy money?  And what is up with that cat, Kinkajou, who just seems to appear and disappear, just like Marc Meridon himself?  Strange things are afoot, and the longer Christie stays at the spa, the more she realizes there is a dark power that takes a hold of those who give in to their base desires.  When Christie's almost ex-husband shows up with the family's housekeeper, Christie realizes she must do whatever it takes to get them away from Lucifer Cove before they are sucked into whatever is really going on there!

 

Coffman truly surprised me with this book.  The story was engaging, and I found myself rooting for Christie to get to the bottom of everything, reveal the truth behind Lucifer Cove, and leave (whether with her former husband or a new love interest), never to look back.  But that did not happen.  Coffman presents her characters with choices, and each choice made has consequences, some of which are heavy and others of which are deadly.  In the end, Christie must make a choice between her own freedom and her love of her children, and let's just say the story does not end at all the way I had expected or hoped.  While one may think at first that the events transpiring in this spa are all simply manipulations of some mastermind behind the scenes, Coffman leaves it very much open to interpretation as to whether there is black magic, or even Satanic powers, at work, or whether everything is simply coincidence and the over-active imaginations of already troubled people.  I have my suspicions, particularly about Meridon and Klinkajou - but I'm guessing I will have to wait for future books to reveal those truths (if they ever do at all!).

 

As I said above, the book lacks a lot of the standard tropes that one usually finds in these Gothic novels.  There are no secret passages, no young woman trying to uncover some mystery in the dark house where she finds herself.  There are no two men, both vying for the heroine's affections, with one turning out to be the villain after all.  No ghosts, no haunting sounds, no long-hid secrets to be revealed.  Instead, we get a small community that seems to be controlled by one man, who may or may not be using occult or demonic powers to do so.  There is a scene near the end of the book where the reader is given a rather frightening description of what Christie sees (and which, I believe, gives a very strong hint as to who and what Meridon really is!), but whether that is meant to be what she really saw, or what she only imagined she saw in her heightened state of fear ... well, that remains to be seen in later books (I hope!).

 

Not sure who provided the cover art for the edition I have (the cover depicted first above), but I find that cover to be the most attractive and alluring - even if the artist incorrectly portrayed Christie with dark hair rather than the reddish hair she is described as having in the book.  The spa building in the background, however, is a perfect capture of how it, all the other buildings in Lucifer Cove, are described in the story.  There is even a light on in the second story window, keeping with the tradition of Gothic covers from this era. Another printing of the book (see above, middle) is a bit more Gothic in nature, with the dark, brooding house in the background, the mist rolling in, the night sky; however, I do not like how Christie appears to be standing in grass up to her neck, and honestly, that woman on the cover is not attractive at all!  The third cover (the cover to the right, here) accurately shows Christie with her auburn hair, and it has the spa more accurately painted.  Not sure about the red sky thing going on, unless that color was chosen to match the lettering of the title, or to give readers the color of blood on the cover as an enticement to see what the story inside holds.  I do think the tagline for this edition is appropriate:  "Was he the man of her dreams - or the prince of darkness?"  That question makes one think this is more of a nocturnal romance rather than an "occult Gothic."

 

While not at all the type of story I was expecting, and definitely not a happy ending I'm used to with these Gothics, I did enjoy the book for what it was.  And looking ahead at the description of the next book, it seems the characters do carry over from one book to the next - book two contains a story that centers around Nadine Janos, the devil worshiping priestess who appears a few times in this first book.  With that in mind, I'm hoping Coffman builds upon an over-arching story with each book, so that by the sixth and final book, we will see a satisfying resolution, with all questions answered and the villain either redeemed or vanquished.  Looking forward to see what the next five books have waiting for me when I read them!

 

RATING:  9 black gowns and pointed hoods out of 10 for a completely different kind of Gothic tale hinting at a dark power that could come from the one named in the title of both the series and this first book! 

Jason 3-D: A Comprehensive Expose on Friday the 13th Part 3

Of the twelve Friday the 13th films (including Freddy v. Jason), the third installment rates pretty close to the bottom in my book. Yes, it will always hold a special place in my heart as the first Friday the 13th film I ever actually saw in the theater, having seen the first two movies on cable television.  Yes, I can still remember my Dad taking me and my best friend at the time to the small theater out on Dixie Highway in front of the K-Mart to see the film.  Yes, the 3-D effects in the films were done well enough that a couple of times in the movie I unashamedly raised my hand to ward off the clothes-line pole or to try and touch the handle of the pitchfork that was stick out towards me.  Yes, I did like the final girl of the film, who was not only pretty and smart, but she proved herself capable of overcoming her fear to brandish that final death blow to Jason Voorhees' head with an ax.  Despite all of that, the film just has too many plot holes, too many inconsistencies, and too bad of acting for me to consider it a great movie.  However, after author R.G. Henning's retrospective look at Friday the 13th, Part 2, I had to pick up his comprehensive expose on the third film to see if he could give me some idea as to why so many fans of the series seem to love this movie.

 

Jason 3-D: A Comprehensive Expose on Friday the 13th Part 3 provides considerably more details about the film, its actors, its directors, and its history than Peter M. Bracke's Crystal Lake Memories.  While Bracke's book does a fantastic job of looking at the first eleven films, with countless interviews from so many of the actors, directors, producers, and other behind-the-scenes people, Henning, in this book, narrows down the scope to just this one film.  As with his prior book (Sackhead), which dug deep into the first sequel, this book goes in-depth into the second sequel and its enormous impact on the series as a whole.  While Part 2 introduced film-goers and fans to Jason Voorhees as a somewhat crazed adult seeking revenge for the death of his mother, Part 3 established Jason as not only a one-man killing machine, but created the iconic look of the deformed, bald-headed killer hiding behind a hockey mask.  And just like in his previous retrospective, Henning gives readers story details for each of the characters, detailed descriptions of the various victims (and survivor!), interviews with many of the cast members, lots of photos and fun facts, and some well-thought-out answers to questions that have plagued fans for years.

 

I give Henning credit - he does acknowledge that this film, despite its fan-following and the love that so many seem to have for it, is the worst of the first four films (which all center around a more "human" Jason Voorhees, before he is revived as a zombie in Part VI).  Despite having some great looking actors, the actual acting itself leaves a lot to be desired, and the film seems to focus more on the visual 3-D effects that were the big thing at the time than on any of the acting skills of its cast.  He also acknowledges the number of plot holes and inconsistencies in the story (such as how Jason's attack on Chris in the woods several years prior shows him in the same appearance as he is in this movie - bald! - while in Part 2, which supposedly took place just two days prior to the events in this film, Jason had long hair; and how could Chris imagine/dream Mrs. Voorhees coming out of the lake to grab her, when she had no idea who Mrs. Voorhees was; and how come Jason's face changes visually throughout the film [thanks to three different face molds]; and so many other things).  So, since he notices the same exact things in this film that I did, how in the world can this be such a popular film in the series' mythos?

 

Henning answers that question in this book, and after considering everything he lays out amid the behind-the-scenes discussions, the fan reactions, and the cast interviews, it all seems to come down to this one fact - despite the bad acting, despite the careless story, despite the focus on the 3-D effects, there is one thing this film does manage to do very successfully: Part 3 defined Jason Voorhees in both look and character, firmly establishing his presence for the rest of the series.  And looking back at the film, I have to agree.  Despite all of its flaws, actor Richard Brooker's portrayal of Jason definitely cemented his character, defining not only the hockey-mask appearance, but also moving him beyond just the "young child in a man's body crying out for revenge over his mother's death" motivation.  In this film, Henning points out that Jason becomes determined, he becomes purposeful, and he even becomes emotional (such as the scene where his frustration has him throwing aside boxes and bales of hay searching for Chris in the barn).  In this film, Jason actually HAS character, something that does not get further evolution until Part VII, when Kane Hodder takes over the role and becomes the consummate Jason Voorhees.  And in so thinking, I have begun to open my mind a little bit more to the film and have decided to go back and re-watch it (yet again!) with a new perspective.

 

The interviewed provided some surprising information - such as the fact that Catherine Parks is originally from Orlando, Florida and graduated from University of South Florida - my current home state and my alma mater!  I wish I had known that when I met her some years ago at a Spooky Empire, as I would have loved to have talked to her about that.  The interviews also revealed that both Paul Kratka and David Katims both had roles on General Hospital before landing parts in Friday the 13th Part 3!  Of course, I was not watching GH back then, but I'd be curious to see their scenes from the soap to see just how different they appeared than in the movie!  And the fact that many of these actors were newbies to the industry when they took these roles, and many of them also left Hollywood not long after the film to pursue careers as doctors, lawyers, journalists, and other "professional" careers.  Sadly, several of the actors have since died (Richard Brooker, Gloria Charles, Steve Susskind), so I'll never have the opportunity to meet any of them.

 

I love Henning's careful look at some of the unanswered questions about the film, and his very plausible explanations and answers - such as, did Jason sexually assault Chris in the flashback scene?  Why did he not kill her back then?  Is Jason right-handed or left-handed (which seems to change from film to film)?  Whose blood-soaked clothing did Chris find in the upstairs bathroom?  Where did Chuck and Chili get the pot they smoked at the house, when they ate it all in the van when they thought the police were after them?  How did the biker gang find Higgins Haven (and know that's where Shelly and Vera had come from)?  Why did the newscaster at the beginning refer to the murderer as an "ax-wielding killer," when Jason never killed anyone with an ax in the second film? And one thing I don't recall ever noticing, but which Henning brought up in this book - why is it the name of Jason Voorhees is never mentioned anywhere in this film?  It played such an important part of the ending of the first film, and was the main focus of the second film; yet, despite how important this film was to the enduring legacy of the character, not one time in this film is his name said.  Just another reason to go back and watch the film!

 

One important fact Henning does bring out about this film, something that I have always thought was glossed over, is that the character of Debbie, played by Tracey Savage, was pregnant.  It is made clear several times in the film (with Debbie refusing to smoke weed or drink alcohol due to her pregnancy), so the fact that Jason murders her while she lies in the hammock with the dead body of her boyfriend (the unborn child's father) hanging above her in the rafters is much more horrific, as it means that Jason not only murdered an adult woman, but he also killed her unborn child.  In Part 2, he unceremoniously swings a machete into the face of a man in a wheelchair, and now in Part 3, he without remorse shoves a knife through the neck of a mother-to-be.  It definitely establishes a practice and pattern that anyone can be a potential victim of Jason Voorhees. 

 

So, to my friends Wayne, and Marcus, and David, who all just LOVE Friday the 13th Part 3 - you can thank R.G. Henning for making me take another look at this film from a different perspective and give it a chance I've never given it up till now.

 

RATING:  10 iconic hockey-masks out of 10 for once again giving fans an outstandingly well-researched and fact-filled look at this long-enduring fan-favorite film of the series.

Berryhill - an Old Fashioned Blood-Curdling Gothic

This book definitely borderlines more on the horror side of things than it does the Gothic side.  Published back in 1979 by Manor Books, just two years before the publisher ceased its activities (the same publisher who put out the "King Size Gothic" line, ripping off Popular Library's line of "Queen Size Gothics"), the book promotes itself as "Editor's Gothic Choice," and claims to be "An Old Fashioned Blood Curdling Gothic."  This is one of the very few Gothics that I have read that actually crosses over into the supernatural and delves into witchcraft and ghosts.  It is also one of the few that puts forth very detailed descriptions of some gory and horrific deaths.  The author was Barbara Curry Bennett (1938-2024), and this appears to be her one and only Gothic novel.  Bennett lived in Tennessee, so it should come as no surprise that her story is set deep in the woods of the southern state.

 

Berryhill takes its title from the house in the story, which is set at the bottom of a hill where berries once grew in abundance.  Unfortunately, the ground upon which the house was built has a horrific background, as it was the site of a terrifying massacre of some outcast Indians, the last of whom put a curse on the land - a curse that managed to endure from year to year and generation to generation.  The author takes readers from the time of the early settlers in America in the opening prologue to the current time (well, current when the book was written!) in the epilogue, telling a terrifying tale that lasts over a century.  It opens with a young boy coming across a group of Indians while he is playing in the woods - a group he mistakenly believes are a threat to his family.  He is unaware that the Indians are merely a rag-tag group of misfits, kicked of other tribes for one reason or another and banded together to live a peaceful existence away from everyone.  But the young boy's family, and the other settlers that are with them, come back with blood-thirst in their veins, and they viciously wipe out all of the Indians, from the youngest child to the oldest woman - an old woman who puts a curse on "all white men who dare to walk on this land where the blood of the innocent is shed!" (p. 8),  Half a century later, a man by the name of Aaron DeGault comes across this clearing and decides it is the perfect spot to build a home for his wife and newborn son.  Unfortunately, the curse begins, as Aaron and his wife are tragically killed in a wagon accident, leaving their six-year old son to be raised far away by distant relatives...

 

Until Jason DeGault grew up, married Abigail, and returned to his family's homestead to start a family.  They had two sons, but the War Between the States claimed Abigail's husband and oldest son, and her youngest son, Paul, was missing in action.  That left Abigail to run the farm and care for her sickly daughter-in-law and her grandchild, Alicia.  The horrors of the Indian curse continue when a vile Union soldier shows up, forces his way into the house, brutally rapes and kills Clarice, throwing the infant child across the room in the process.  Abigail finds an inner strength to fight back and takes an ax to the soldier's head, killing him instantly.  She has just enough time to bury the man in the basement before the nearest neighbor, Harry Hunnicutt shows up.  From here, the story moves forward with the Default family, the years pass, and Paul returns home with a wife, step-daughter, and son, moving in with his mother and niece.  The only problem is, Alicia has been raised alone by Abigail, and she is not happy about these people intruding upon what she feels to be her home.  She pushes her new Aunt Sarah down the stairs, killing her without remorse.  You see, little Alicia has discovered the secret in the basement ... and for her, that dead soldier has suddenly become her closest friend and confidant ... someone who is more than willing to help her rid the house of these unwanted interlopers!

 

After Sarah's death, the girls are sent to a boarding school, from which they do not return until they are teenagers.  Alicia's malevolent nature continues, as she not only scares her grandmother to death using the skull of the dead soldier in the basement, but she also seduces her uncle and leads him to commit suicide.  One by one, Alicia removes the obstacles out of her way so that Berryhill can her hers, and hers alone.  All that remains are her cousins, Julie and Michael.  And never you fear, as she has plans for them as well.  Dark, malicious plans that stem from the very evil of the house itself - evil that only Abigail's slaves, Belle and Sally, have the sense to see.  The curse remains within the halls of Berryhill, and that curse has taken complete control of the soldier's spirit and the once-innocent baby that was so casually thrown across the room by his violent rage.  The two form a symbiotic relationship to carry out that Indian woman's curse, and it seems no member of the DeGault family is safe.

 

Flash-forward some more years, and Julie returns to Berryhill with her husband, Phillip Hunnicutt.  It does not take long, though, for Alicia to frighten Julie to her death, which, in turn, leads to Phillip's depression and his ultimate death.  Which leaves only young Michael, who is far removed from the horrors of that house, taken by his grandparents on his mother's side to be raised away from the memories that could scar him forever.   Michael - who has no real memories of the terrors and tragedies that have overtaken his family for generations.  Michael - who is all grown up and ready to return to Berryhill as a married man, to take over control of the farm and start a new family, bringing joy to a house with a history of darkness and sadness.  Michael - who Alicia is none-too-happy to see, and who she is determined to force out of her house.  It all comes down to these last two DeGaults, and the suspense rises to its highest level yet, as readers wait to see whether good will win over evil, or if the dark curse that has held Berryhill and its inhabitants in its sway for so long will have the ultimate victory.

 

Of course, Bennett gives readers a teaser at the end, with a four-page epilogue, set in the present, in which a new generation of DeGaults arrive in a Porsche, set to take over this land that no one in the family even knew existed until a member of the family died, and a long-hidden deed reveals ownership of the land.  Thus, a new family is ready to take over the farm - is the curse gone, or has it simply lain dormant, ready to spring to life again when these latest white men dare to walk the land where innocent blood was shed?

 

Bennett has no qualms introducing the supernatural into the story, and the spirit of the Union soldier gradually taking more and more control of Alicia's decisions (at one point even interacting with her sexually!) is startling to read.  She is a girl-turned-woman without a conscience, and her systematic destruction of her own family is hard to watch. The house is simply filled with evil, and one has to wonder if Abigail had never buried the soldier in the basement, would all of those horrific deaths still occurred?  Was that one incident - the killing and burying of the soldier - the catalyst that released the curse upon the DeGault family?  Or was it merely the means to an end for that dying Indian's curse?  Either way, the story is extremely sad, and there is no happy ending for anyone in this book!

 

No identification of the artist for the cover art, so I have no way of knowing who painted the cover.  It is as creepy as the story itself, with the foreboding house superimposed over a slowly melting candle, while the young woman in the forefront is running away, her long gown flowing in the wind as she runs.  It is sort of an eerie foreshadowing of the story inside - as the candle slowly burns down, so do the lives of those who live inside Berryhill.  It is also a symbol of those rituals that take place in the basement, as Alicia, and eventually the old witch woman who comes to live with her, perform rites over the grave of the long-dead soldier by candlelight - a picture of the evil being released in the house and on the family that lives within it.  This book, by far, as the darkest one I've read to date.

 

RATING:  8 long strands of glimmering pearls out of 10 for an aptly described "blood-curdling" Gothic tale of terror! 

Ripped to Shreds - a retro-'80s horror graphic novelization

I am a HUGE fan of '80s horror/slasher flicks.  Ever since I watched my first Friday the 13th film on cable TV back in the early '80s, I was hooked.  As the years went by, I watched every slasher film I could get my hands on - Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Prom Night, My Bloody Valentine, Terror Train, New Year's Evil, Silent Night, Deadly Night, Happy Birthday to Me, Final Exam, The Funhouse, Chopping Mall, and the list goes on.  Some were great, some were good, some were bad, and some were just plain awful. The love of this genre has continued on till today, with films like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Happy Death Day, Wrong Turn, and so on - but, honestly, nothing compares to the zany stories that made up those '80s films.  I mean, anyone who has ever seen the Sleepaway Camp films knows exactly what I'm talking about.  So, when I saw the Kickstarter for this graphic novel, there was no doubt that I was going to get it.

 

Ripped to Shreds is a love letter to fans of those '80s slasher films.  In fact, it was originally supposed to BE one of those '80s slasher films!  Ripped to Shreds is based upon a screenplay written by Michael Johnson, which was initially advertised to begin filming in late 1980.  Unfortunately, the project remained in what is affectionately referred to in Hollywood as "development hell" for three years, and ultimately it was scrapped, thought to become just another in a long line of "lost" slasher films never to be made.  Flash forward more than forty years later, and a collector happened to come across the one and only surviving copy of the Ripped to Shreds script - a copy that Apostrophe Comics has brilliantly turned into a beautifully bound, fantastically drawn, and superbly scripted graphic novel that captures the true essence of the film and the genre!  Adapted by Scott Alan Gregory (writer), Thiago Motta (illustrator), and Karla Aguilar (colorist), the graphic novel is the ultimate must-have for die-hard fans of 1980s' slashers!

 

The story is actually a mix of elements that would have turned out an amazingly great film!  An opening flashback to a campfire, where teens are getting drunk, and where three girls take off in a car, only to pick up a lone hitchhiker - a man who slashes them with his metal claw, causing them to crash - and only one girl survives!  Years later (the present - 1980s), another group of teens are around a campfire, talking about the legend of the clawed killer and the fatal car crash.  Some people believe if you drive that same road at night, the ghost of the murdered girls will appear in your car and force you off the road.  Needless to say, one young couple have to put the legend to the test - and they pay the price for it.

 

The two main characters - Madeline (modeled after Lauren Marie-Taylor from Friday the 13th, Part 2) and Richard (modeled after Russell Todd from Friday the 13th, Part 2) set about to uncover the truth.  Is the legend true?  Is there a clawed killer our there?  Or did their friends merely die as a a result of a freak accident?  Like any good slasher movie, there are any number of suspects - the suspicious gardener who is uber-religious and is keeping his daughter (the only survivor of that original accident all those years ago) captive in her own home; the juvenile crime detective, who seems to have an unhealthy interest in the investigation and the teens; or even that girl who survived the original crash, whose mind is now fractured.  Before you can say "booze, sex, and drugs," the bodies start to pile up, ripped to shreds by that deadly claw (hence, the title!), and Scott and Vickie ... er, I mean Madeline and Richard have to work harder to uncover the truth.

 

Fans will enjoy the ultimate revelation and backstory, as you learn the truth about what really happened all those years ago and who was really at fault for the death of those girls.  Madeline gets a fantastic final girl battle against the killer in a darkened house, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her (she was, after all, in the shower when the lights went out!).  I love the ingenuity the character uses to lure the killer into a deadly trap, so just when you think he has her, she turns the tables and kills the killer!  There is a nice wrap-up scene as Richard accompanies Madeline in the ambulance to the hospital, explaining to her the truth about the killer identity and why the murders were taking place ... only to get that one final shock at the end - a surprising twist that would have left the door open for a sequel (of course, that would have necessitated the first film ever being made in the first place!).  

 

The hardcover book contains no only the full adaptation of the script, but plenty of special features in the back to make you feel like you were enjoying a DVD / BluRay version of the story.  From an interview with the original screenplay writer, Michael Johnson, to interviews with both actors (Russell Todd and Lauren Marie-Taylor) about their involvement in the project, to production designs of the killer claw, as well as commentary about the overall production of the graphic novel, character design pages, and a cover gallery.   

 

This book deserves the greatest of all accolades for successfully bringing back a 1980s film in a format that is both visually and artistically pleasing, and will satisfy any fan's appetite for a "new" '80s slasher!

 

RATING:  10 mutilated bodies hanging upside down out of 10 for a true '80s classic - the perfect horror / slasher flick that, sadly, was never made!

Tree of Evil - a Paperback Library Gothic

This is one of those books where, from the very first page, there is tension and suspense that holds strong throughout the entire story!  I was not familiar with the author Roberta Morrison prior to picking up this book, and it turns out this is Morrison's only book - although it is NOT the author's only book.  How, you ask, can that be?  Well, obviously, "Roberta Morrison" turns out to be just one of many pseudonyms used by prolific author Jean Francis Webb III (1910-1991), which is a name I have seen before.  Webb wrote mysteries (1930s), nurse romances (1950s), and a number of Gothics (1960s), using not only the pen name Ethel Hamill (his mother's name), but also his own name (which many probably mistook for a woman's name).  He also wrote a short story for the first issue of Dell's Gothic Romances magazine published in 1970.  You can find out more about Webb from this vintage nurse romance novel blog page (Jean Francis Webb III).

 

Tree of Evil was published in 1966 by Paperback Library, Inc. as "A Paperback Library Gothic."  This is the only Gothic that Webb wrote using the pseudonym Roberta Morrison, which was  play on his maternal grandfather's name (Robert Morrison).  The story is set on a remote island in Hawaii, where young Nell Jordan goes to perform research for a book she has been hired to write about the history of the Drakewood family.  The family patriarch, Calvin Drakewood, has hired her to go through all of the family's papers and compile a comprehensive history - but upon her arrival at the isolated Drakewood mansion, she is met with outright hostility by members of the family who clearly do not want her there. Calvin is back on the main island, and the only person who could possibly help Nell, Roy Walker (a friend of Calvin who ferried Nell through the treacherous waters to the remote island), is unable to stay on the island.  Thus, our poor heroine is left to face the regal yet austere Cornelia Drakewood, her adopted son Dr. Horton McGrath, and her niece Bernice "Bunty" Drakewood, all by herself.

 

Despite the resentment towards her intrusion into their private lives, Nell is determined to move forward with her work.  But, from the moment she arrives at the dark estate, she is plagued by uncertainty and fear.  The horrific screams that haunt the night ... the cloaked figure that seems to stare up at her room from the garden ... that dark, foreboding tree on the lanai that seems to keep the house in darkness ... the strange drums that sound at night, frightening the native staff ... and the ghost of Bunty's dead sister, Lila, who seems to haunt the halls of the mansion.  Nell realizes there is a deeper mystery to be solved here on the island, and the longer she stays in the house, the more danger she finds she faces!  Soon enough, Nell starts to suspect that accident that took Lila's life was not necessarily and accident - and perhaps it did not even take her life at all!

 

Webb (a/k/a Morrison) truly plays up Nell's fears throughout the whole story, using the bumps in the night, shadowy figures, and the menacing tree to increase the terror of what his main character faces.  The isolation she feels in a house where she is not wanted, surrounded by strangers who seem to menace her at every turn - the morbid curiosity that continually grows within her concerning Lila Drakewood's death and the possibility that the girl may be alive, yet somehow mentally damaged by her accident - and the mystery surrounding the Drakewood's history and exactly what it is within those family papers that could warrant the deadly attacks on her person - all of it combines to make for a very suspenseful tale of true Gothic terror.

 

The author does a nice job of misleading the reader in a number of ways; however, any true fan of these '6s and '70s Gothic novels will immediately start to pick up on the clues and figure out that the real villain or villains will not be the most obvious suspects (rarely does it play out so conveniently in these books). The  mystery surrounding Lila Drakewood (is she, or isn't she, alive?) is very well done, and the climax provides the readers with some nice and somewhat unexpected surprises.  

 

The cover, with its heavy use of black shadows, features Nell looking back tentatively at a house barely visible through the branches of that ever-menacing tree.  A light is visible in an upstairs room (of course, what Gothic cover would not have that?), and the sky is a dark shade of blue.  There is no signature on the cover art, and the copyright page does not identify the artist.   

 

I definitely want to find more of Webb's books, as this was a fantastic read, and I suspect his other books will be just as enjoyable.

 

RATING:  10 garnet-colored, velvet gowns out of 10 for a wonderfully crafted tale of Gothic horror and mystery that keeps the readers on the edge of his or her seat until the very end! 

 

Sackhead: The Definitive Retrospective on Friday the 13th, Part 2

When the film Friday the 13th was first released in 1980, I did not want to go see it (even though my mom was willing to take a pre-teen boy to see the movie, I refused to see a horror movie!).  It was not until 1981, during the summer, that I first saw the film when it was released on cable television.  Even watching it in the middle of the day, the movie made me jump.  Once it was over, I thought that was it.  So, imagine my surprise, when looking through the movie channel guide (yes, way back then, we would get monthly guides from the movie channels, letting us know what movies would be airing that particular month), I happened across airings of a film titled Friday the 13th, Part 2!  Having enjoyed the first film, despite the jump scares and gore, I was anxious to see this second film.  After all, the killer had been beheaded in the first movie, so where could they go from there?  Well, that second film and the introduction of Jason Voorhees as the Crystal Lake killer cemented my love for this series of films.  Now, here we are some forty-plus years and a total of 12 films later, and my love for the Friday the 13th series has only grown.  Books, action figures, multiple versions of DVD box sets, posters, and other assorted collectibles give visible proof of my devotion to the films and characters.  Thus, when I happened across this retrospective while scrolling through Amazon, I did not hesitate to buy it.  After all, Part 2 was the film that gave the world one of the most iconic horror movie killers of all time - Jason!  Ki-ki-ki, ma-ma-ma...

 

Sackhead: The Definitive Retrospective on Friday the 13th, Part 2 does exactly what the title says it will do - it provides fans with the only, truly in-depth look at the first sequel in the franchise. I'm not familiar at all with the author, R. G. Henning.  His bio on the back cover indicates he created and runs a Facebook forum (Packanack Lodge) that is dedicated solely to the second film.  He also is a talent handler, representing many of the cast members from the movie franchise, which I can imagine must be an utter thrill!  And based on this book, the man clearly knows his stuff.  The amount of information contained in this book just about this one film is staggering.  Yes, the Crystal Lake Memories book by Peter M. Bracke offers an intense look at all of the films (up through Freddy v. Jason); but this book digs deep into just the first sequel, offering interviews with most of the cast, detailed character descriptions, a plethora of photos, tons of fun facts, and some long-awaited answers to questions that have been plaguing fans for decades.

 

The interviews provide some insight into not only the actors themselves, but also into the filming of the movie, the characters, and why the film has become such an important part of the Friday the 13th mythos for fans.  Some of the information is already out there in other sources, such as Steve Dash's feelings about Warrington Gilette being credited as Jason, when Dash actually performed more of the role under the hood; Adrienne King coming back for only a minor scene, partially due to the stalker situation that came to be after the first movie came out; Amy Steel's later regrets about not returning for Part 3; etc.  However, there was a lot of new information to be gleaned from the interviews. I was not aware that Adrienne King did not know her character was going to be killed off when she agreed to do the opening scene; nor that the opening sequence was the last thing filmed, and that the rush of filming it resulted in her near injury with the ice pick that killed Alice.  I was also not aware that Marta Kober was only 16 years old when she did the movie, and so Paramount set certain parameters revolving intimate scenes involving her character (Sandra).  I found it amusing to learn that Jack Marks (who played the deputy) had never driven when he got this part and had to be taught how to drive the police car for his scenes in the film - I also had never paid attention to the fact that his character is never actually named in the movie, and that his name was not established until the Simon Hawke novelization years later.  There is so much more, I could go on for paragraph after paragraph after paragraph!

 

Each chapter focuses on a different actor/character, and Henning opens each chapter with a narrative that provides the reader details about each character and his or her appearance in the film.  These narratives provide some insight into the motivations of the characters, and I'm assuming Henning gleaned some of this from Hawke's novelization (which added details not seen in the movie), or perhaps simply from the actions and dialogue of the characters themselves in the film. At the end of each chapter, Henning addresses a number of questions that fans have raised about seeming inconsistencies or impossible events that happen within the film, and he provides some well-thought out and reasoned answers that, in most cases, make perfect sense.  What happened to Paul Holt at the end of the film - did he survive or was he killed? Why did Jason use the dull side of the machete to kill Scott? Why was Terry killed off-screen, when all the other deaths were filmed? What dog did Jeff and Sandra find mutilated, since Muffy turns up alive and well at the end? Where were Ted and the other surviving counselors at the end of the film? Was Crazy Ralph's death unrealistic and illogically filmed? How did Jason find Alice in her house at the beginning of the film? And how did he know her number to call her (and for that matter, how did he know how to use a phone)? And why did he remove the whistling tea kettle from the stove burner after he killed Alice?  These questions, and more, find answers at long last in this book!

 

As if all of this were not enough, Henning also throws in a number of "Fun Facts" in each chapter, little tidbits about the movie, its actors, and the Friday the 13th series itself that provide an even wider understanding and knowledge for fans to appreciate.  Did you know the working title of the moving during filming was simply "Jason"? Or, were you aware that the name "Ginny Field" was inspired by the original Friday the 13th's art director, Virginia Field? Or even more surprising, that actor Bill Randolph ("Jeff") made another appearance (albeit from the back) in the film after his character was killed? And did you realize that the character of "Mark" was the only handicapped character to ever be killed in the entire franchise?  Henning offers so many more fun tidbits like that that only enhance every fan's knowledge of the Friday the 13th series, and Part 2 in particular.  

I have fortunate enough to meet four of the cast members from the film over the years - Amy Steel, John Furey, Warrington Gillette, and Steve Dash (and Adrienne King, so technically I've met five) - and I hope to someday meet more of them.  This book opened my eyes to just how important this film is to the series as a whole, and it has prompted me to go back and watch the film (for the umpteenth time) with an entirely new perspective.  I mean, let's be serious - how many other films can boast having five different actors portray Jason Voorhees?  This book is a definite must have for any true Friday the 13th fan, and the amount of research that went into the book evidences the love Henning has for the film that only a real fan can understand!

 

RATING:  10 severed heads in a refrigerator out of 10 for providing such detailed and well-researched information about one of the best films in not only this franchise, but perhaps in all slasher film history!

Misty - 2024 Special

I was actually surprised when I saw this comic solicited in Previews.  I have several collection of the old Misty weekly comic from back in the '70s and '80s, as well as one of the original Annuals that was published in Britain; however, I was not aware that anyone was publishing new stories. Obviously, I ordered it, and when it arrived this month, I was not really sure what to expect.  What did surprise me is that three of the four stories were written by Gail Simone, a comic book writer, I have followed for years.  Her work on Birds of Prey for DC Comics is probably one of the best runs out there (outside of Chuck Dixon, of course), and I loved her run on Wonder Woman.  Thus, seeing her name headlining the creators for this special gave me high hopes - and she did NOT disappoint!

Misty 2024 Special features a beautifully painted cover by Tula Lotay (the pen name for English artist Lisa Wood).  The cover clearly pays homage to the classic images of the character Misty, who graced the covers and inside covers of the ongoing weekly comic, while at the same time giving readers a slight hint as to the first story once you dig inside.  I'm not familiar with Ms. Wood (a/k/a Ms. Lotay), nor do I recognize any of the artists for the four stories (Carola Borelli/Ellie Wright; Aly Fell; Marianna Ignazzi; and Letty Wilson), so I am assuming they are likely all European artists.  The work on the first three stories, all written by Simone, is magnificent (the second one being my favorite); the art on the fourth and final tale is a bit outside my normal likes, but I suppose it does fit the story.

The first tale, "Eleven Lonely Deaths," finds Misty herself walking the short of Syndon Lake, when she meets a photographer who is also a true crime podcaster.  He shares with Misty (and the readers) the tragic history of the lake and the eleven young girls who were murdered there.  A man was eventually arrested and charged with the crimes, but Misty surprises the photographer with news that the wrong man was convicted - and from there, the story takes a couple of surprising twists and turns ... and, well, I don't want to surprise the ending for you, but let's just say the irony is certainly fitting!

The second story, "The Pub at the End of the Road," is probably my favorite of the four tales.  Misty hosts the tale, but she only has a minor background role in the story itself.  A young woman named Willow, the daughter of a rather shady pub owner, is the star of this macabre tale.  While she may look and act like a Disney princess (even caring for the small critters that scurry around the back of the pub), she doesn't see herself as one, thanks to the cruelty of a father that uses her merely to increase his bank account.  Of course, there's the charming young man named David (who bears an uncanny resemblance to a young David Cassidy from back in the day!) who wants to save her from this life.  But, as with any good horror tale, things spiral out of control and ... well, by the end of this story, everyone really does get exactly what they deserve!

The third tale, "Happy Birthday, Mrs. Parker!," plays on the expectations of the reader. In this one, Misty takes on the role of a nurse at a small country hospital, where the nurses gather to celebrate the birthday of one very special nurse named Carina.  The patients refer to her as an angel because of her disposition and her willingness to work all hours of the day and night to help them.  But there's one nurse, Mika, who doesn't like her - in fact, she gets rather nasty to Misty as well!  Well, the story, of course, takes a dark turn when it is revealed the hospital has an unusually high death rate - and the tables get turned on one of the nurses who has been killing the patients!  Oh, and pay attention to the sign on the kitchen wall in the background, as it might give you a hint of what's to come...

The final story is definitely my least favorite of the four tales.  A young girl knows something strange has happened next door, as the neighbors have suddenly disappeared without cause.  When she goes to investigate, she discovers the house has been left with good on the counter and mail piling up at the door.  As she explores further, she comes across a mirror that is cracked ... a mirror that offers her an unusual escape ... or is it actually a trap?  And when she does finally find her way out of the mirror, is it her that comes back - or merely a mirror copy?  The art in this story just does not do it for me.  The story I can take - I like the idea of mirror/mirror worlds with alternate realities or other dimensions.  But I have a hard time appreciating the stylistic art of this tale - it takes away from my enjoyment of reading.

Overall, a pretty good issue, and it is capped off with a beautiful rendition of Misty by artist Shirley Bellwood on the back cover.  Hopefully this issue sells well so that maybe we will see some more specials in the coming years (or maybe even a regular series!).

RATING:  9 bottles of evening strange perfume out of 10 for some fantastic new tales of irony, horror, and Misty-loving fun!

The Darkness of Love - a Gothic novel of romance and terror

This is a book I picked up in a flea market in Kentucky earlier this year.  I had never heard of the author, but for only 50 cents, I figured why not.  As it turns out, this particular book is one of only three books written under the name of Vivian Stuart.  Vivian Stuart, as should not be surprising, is one of many pseudonyms used by British author Charles Roy Stuart-Vernon.  Oddly enough, this is revealed by looking at the copyright page of this book, which give copyright credit to Stuart-Vernon.  A little research reveals Stuart-Vernon wrote historical, romance, and other genre novels under a number of pseudonyms, including Charles MacKinnon, Graham Montrose, Barbara Lynn, Vivian Donald, Iain Torr, and others.  He was actually a hereditary chieftain and laird of Dunakin and of Dunakin Castle, Isle of Sky (Charles Stuart-Vernon); this, the Scottish backdrop to this story makes perfect sense.

The Darkness of Love is the last of three books written under the pen name of Vivian Stuart.  It tells the story of lovely young Kate Penrose who is about to live the dream of every young girl - she is off to Scotland, where she is going to marry the handsome Allan MacAllander, the thirty-third in a line of Scottish chieftans, and live in his stately family home, Gaildhu, set high atop the cliffs overlooking the sea.  Sure, the manor may be set far apart from its nearest neighbor, and sure, it may seem somewhat forlorn and foreboding - but Kate is in love, and she can't imagine anything other than spending the rest of her life with this amazing man.  But this is a gothic tale of romance and suspense, so we all know that perfect dream is about to be shattered...

Like shards of broken glass, Kate's dreams splinter and break apart one by one.  First, there's Allan's cousin who appears at Gaildhu without warning.  He seems happy and carefree, but Allan has questions about his veracity.  Is he really his family's cousin, or is he perpetrating a fraud for unknown reasons?  Then there is Mairi, the MacAllanders' maid.  From the moment Kate arrives, the young woman makes it clear she does not want her there; but when Mairi warns Kate away and tells her she does not belong there, Kate is left to wonder how far the maid will go.  There is also Allan's mother, Julia.  She is always calm and settled, always the voice of reason; however, to what length will she go to keep the family's secrets hidden?  And just who is that mysterious woman that Kate keeps seeing on the grounds, particularly around the charred remains of a gatehouse not far from the cliffs - and why does just mentioning her have such a strange affect on Allan and his mother?

When someone takes shots at Kate, and later, when someone beheads her two small dogs, the danger becomes all too real.  Then Kate is poisoned to the point of making her violently ill.  Someone is targeting Kate, and if she does not figure out who it is, she may wind up as dead as her dogs!  I give Stuart-Vernon credit, he knows how to build up some suspense.  Yet, this book definitely veers from the path of the standard gothic in several ways.  First, the truth about what is happening pretty much gets revealed just a little over half-way through the story - leaving the remainder of the book to deal with Kate's attempts to escape Gaildhu and the terror that lurks on its grounds.  The second is that the story contains some very brutal violence - between the beheading of the two dogs, the horrific way one of the characters is killed right in front of Kate, and the rough manner in which Kate is kidnapped, tied and locked in a pantry closet, and the plans with which she is to die - well, let's just say I have not read a gothic story yet that is quite this violent.

The third manner in which this book deviates from the "normal" gothic of the time is the cover.  Instead of the standard woman in the foreground and the castle with one light lit in an upper window in the background, we get a man and woman running, with the man in front, and a car chasing them along the cliff's edge.  There is a castle in the background, but it is completely dark, no light showing in the upper window.  And, even more surprising is that this scene is taken from the climactic fight scenes near the end of the book, with only a slight variation.  Published in 1977, it could be that the publisher felt breaking away from the norm might boost some of the sales, as this would have been near the time when the gothic paperback craze was starting to wind down, and sales were no longer what they were at the beginning of that decade.  In any event, there is no artist signature on the cover, nor any credit given on the copyright page, so no way to know who painted this car chase scene.

 

A couple of tidbits I took note of while reading -  (1) when Kate is asked to play a game of cards, the game of choice is Canasta (p. 36).  This is the first time I've actually seen this game referenced in any book I've read, that I can recall, and it made me smile, since I love playing Canasta! (2) Later in the story, Kate ends up playing another game, this time it is Scrabble (p. 78).  I'm surprised the author would pick specific games like this, rather than simply saying a "board game."  (3) This is a bit more obscure, but during a conversation between Kate and one of the male characters in the story regarding golf, and the conversation made me think of a certain author of children's series books:

...Kate was a competent golfer who had almost always played with men. She had realised [sic] from the outset that the average man was stronger than the average woman - in the muscular sense, at any rate - and that he therefore hits further, if he's good.  To compensate for this she had cultivated accuracy ... The other thing she had concentrated on was putting; points could be picked up on the green by someone who was otherwise outclassed.  (p. 87)

This description made me immediately think about Mildred Wirt Benson, who was known to be a better than average golfer, and who has been said to have beaten her fair share of male golfers in her time.  While the author was certainly not thinking about Benson when he wrote this scene, I did find it of interest that he clearly established the fact that Kate, as a woman, was skilled enough and crafty enough to figure out a way to beat a man at his own game without having to be a man herself!

Overall, a fairly decent read, although some of the elements are a bit obvious, so the ultimate reveal as to who is behind everything and why does not come as much of a surprise.

RATING:  8 pellets of weed killer out of 10 for giving readers a gothic heroine who is stronger than most, unafraid to speak her mind, even to the point of facing down an insane killer!

Penny Nichols - a Top Shelf Productions graphic novel

If you are a fan of vintage children's mystery series, and you know anything about Mildred Wirt, then you'll know right away why I picked up this graphic novel.  Way back in 1936, Mildred Wirt wrote a three book series of mysteries under the pseudonym of Joan Clark, with a fourth and final book being published in 1939.  The title character to this series?  Why, none other than Penny Nichols.  The daughter of a private investigator, Penny stumbles across one mystery after another that she must solve, helping people along the way.  So, when I happened to come across this graphic novel bearing the same exact name, well, there was no way I could pass this up!

Penny Nichols is the creation of MK Reed (writer), Greg Means (writer), and Matt Wiegle (artist).  Instead of a teenage amateur sleuth, this particular Penny Nichols is a 26-year old, single woman who is cynical, sarcastic, and sassy (oh, how I love her already!).  She has been meandering through life, working one temp job after another and babysitting her sister's two young daughters.  She is not looking for romance, she is not particularly searching for a career, and she is ... well, to put it bluntly, she is simply settled into a mundane life.  Until the fateful day she is stuck handing out free samples of her sister's new health juice (don't ask what it is made of - or better yet, listen to Penny's description of it:  "[a] vitamin rich, ProBio-Antijuice and professional strength floor cleaner" [p. 13]).  That should give you an idea of just how wonderfully snippy Penny is.  

 

And it happens to be just what Bobert and Sam are looking for!  After all, they are making a low-budget (VERY low budget, as in non-existent) horror flick, and they need someone who can help manage the books ... and help edit the script ... well, actually, write the dialogue ... and the scenes ... and organize it all ... and find some extras ... and find the costumes ... and assist in editing ... and, well, you get the drift.  Penny is suddenly thrust into a world of make-believe blood, exploding heads, excitable actresses, over-eager actors, gung-ho special effects artists, super-smooth and suave producers, and lazy, self-centered directors and writers.  And she finds that she loves every minute of it!  In fact, Blood Wedding (the name of the horror flick) is exactly the kick-in-the-pants Penny needs to find meaning in her life - as well as friends and a future!  Oh, there's plenty of mishaps, frustrations, and problems along the way, but Penny's attitude fits absolutely perfectly into all of it, and if it weren't for her, the movie would never have gotten made!

Reed and Means provide a fun story, but quite frankly, it's Penny's dialogue and quick wit that really steals the show for this book.  I can't begin to tell you how many times I smiled, snickered, and outright laughed at her comments to people.  Take the Vancome Lady from MadTV, add a little Karen from Will & Grace, and throw in a bit of Dorothy from The Golden Girls, and you've got Penny Nichols!  But what truly endears her to the reader (well, to me, at least), is that underneath all of those smart remarks likes a person who simply wants to find a place where she fits in - and find it she does amidst the group of misfits making this film.  By the end of the book, you're not only cheering for Penny, but for the entire crew.

The art by Matt Wiegle is somewhat cartoony and a bit rough around the edges, but it grows on you.  The more you read, the more you get a feel for the characters, the more you realize Wiegle has managed to capture the essence of each character in the way they look.  Penny's plain, frumpy appearance ... Bobert's slick, smooth look ... Spazzy's over-exuberant, teen image ... Sam's lazy, unkept manner ... Lix's almost-goth, grunge style ... each character truly LOOKS like their personality!  It's perfect.  And the panels that depict the movie being filmed - they are so gloriously bloody and gruesome, yet hilarious at the same time.  Which fits beautifully with the whole idea of the story.  Reed and Means definitely picked the perfect artist for this book.

I would love to see more stories of Penny and her cohorts.  This creative team needs to get back together and give us some more stories - after all, I have no doubt there are more low-budget films that Penny can help cobble together, while temping part time to pay her bills.  And who knows?  Maybe one day she can follow in her namesake's shoes and solve a mystery or two!

RATING:  9 melting and exploding heads out of 10 for utterly surprising me with a well-written, witty, wonderful tale of a woman simply trying to find her place in this world!