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Post by cropseymaniac on Dec 21, 2013 20:19:28 GMT
One of my favourite sub-genres in horror is the story of a town at the mercy of a crazed serial killer or the person who hears on the radio that a lunatic has escaped from the asylum. It's very popular in movies and TV and I've been trying to compile a list for myself in all media. I thought there would be many more examples in literature, but all I've managed to round up are the following:
Thomas Burke - Hands of Mr Ottermole
Ray Bradbury - The Whole Town’s Sleeping
Marie Lowndes Belloc - The Lodger
Robert Bloch - Yours Truly Jack The Ripper
Fredric Brown - No Sanctuary (aka The Dangerous People)
Stephen King - Strawberry Spring
David Morell - Black And White And Red All Over
David S. Garnett - Red Christmas
Flannery O'Connor - A Good Man is Hard to Find
Charles Birkin - Some New Pleasures Prove
Edgar Allan Poe - The Murders in the Rue Morgue
Mary Elizabeth Counselman - Accursed Isle
Maurice Leblanc - The Lady With The Hatchet
Anonymous - Horror: A True Tale
Charles Beaumont - The Hunger
Ethel Lina White - The Unlocked Window
Robert Bloch - The Gloating Place
Arthur Conan Doyle - The Silver Hatchet
The Phantom Footsteps from Ivor Pelham Morley's Tales Of Terror For Tiny Tots (The story-within-a-story in Michael Arlen's Gentleman From America)
Doe anyone have more to add?
For what it's worth, some great examples of this genre appeared on TV in Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Creeper, Don't Look Behind You, The Cuckoo Clock (which was apparently adapted by Robert Bloch from an obscure British short story that appeared in London Mystery Selection called "The Man in the Raincoat" by Frank Mace) as well as adaptations of The Hands of Mr. Ottermole, The Unlocked Window and The Dangerous People.
Old Time Radio seemed to love this genre. Suspense had "The Creeper", "On a Country Road", "Return Trip", "The Shelter", "The Long Night", "The White Rose Murders", "Summer Night", "The Whole Town’s Sleeping", "The Red-Headed Woman" and adaptations of "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole", "Summer Night" and "The Whole Town's Sleeping". Inner Sanctum had "Song of the Slasher" and The Creaking Door had "The White Scarf Strangler".
EC Comics also had some crackers: "And All Through the House", "The Escaped Lunatic", "The Giggling Killer" and "Came the Dawn".
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Post by dem bones on Dec 21, 2013 21:52:46 GMT
hello there cropseymaniac, thanks for joining and contributing such an intriguing thread. Been a while since I read any of the following, but i'm pretty sure they qualify. Erckmann-Chatrian - The Child Stealer ( Reign Of Terror: The 2nd Corgi Book Of Victorian Horror Stories) William Sanson - Various Temptations ( 4th Pan Book of Horror Stories) Hugh Reid - Dulcie ( 4th Pan Book of Horror Stories) Alex White - Never Talk To Strangers ( 7th Pan Book of Horror Stories) Pamela Vincent - Homicidal Maniac! ( Frighteners) Robinson's recently published Stephen Jones' Pycho-Mania! which ought to include a few (hope to have a copy soon). Richard Laymon has a few, including The Hunt, Mess Hall and The Good Deed, and the short snuff movie novel, Out Are The Lights. in fact, lone or multiple maniac killing sprees account for much of his prodigious output. Thwere's a prose version of And All Around The House in Jack Oleck's novelisation of Tales From The Crypt. And, of course, there are many examples in Jack the Ripper fiction. Hope this is of some help. |
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Post by Michael Connolly on Dec 23, 2013 12:35:58 GMT
When was very young I was allowed to sit up late to watch television. When I saw "An Unlocked Window", I literally jumped with fright at the shock ending. It has affected me for life.
It is available on YouTube as: The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: "An Unlocked Window" (1965).
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Post by cropseymaniac on Jan 4, 2014 8:07:35 GMT
Thanks Dem. I haven't read any of those stories, but luckily I have all of them in my anthologies, so I'll have to pull them out and get reading. I didn't realize the Psycho-Mania book was coming out. After taking a look, it will definitely be on my TO BUY list. Just thought of another story to add to the list: Anonymous - In The Slaughteryard (which is a Jack the Ripper story) When was very young I was allowed to sit up late to watch television. When I saw "An Unlocked Window", I literally jumped with fright at the shock ending. It has affected me for life. It is available on YouTube as: The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: "An Unlocked Window" (1965). Yes, Codex, many people remember it as being the scariest episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. As I recall, they actually used the iconic house from Psycho in it too. It was based on a story by Ethel Lina White who wrote a lot of "Hitchcockian" novels like "The Lady Vanishes" and "The Spiral Staircase". She's more of a crime/mystery writer than a horror writer though. |
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