Christine Barnard - Fontana Horror 2

[ghannah01]

Hi all, I wrote a review of this book ages ago for another forum but it suits this thread so I'm posting it here for your interest. Quickie reviews with a story rating out of 5.
Glen

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"The Second Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories"
Edited by Christine Bernard.

Generally disappointing short story collection with only a few highlights. Many stories are written in a dated, verbose style suiting the 1930s rather that 1967 when this volume was published. Perhaps that's when they originated. There's nothing about the authors or why these stories were selected for this volume. If Fontanna were trying to emulate the success of the "Pan Books of Horror Stories" edited by Herbert Van Thal, then they couldn't have been further off the mark.

"The Spider" by Elizabeth Walter.
A man with a phobia for spiders is terrorised by one. Not as good as it sounds. Wordy and overlong. (2/5)

"The Book" by Margaret Irwin.
A Strange book gains a supernatural hold over its reader. Again, not as good as it sounds. (2/5)

"Something Strange" by Kingsley Amis.
Impenetrable. I couldn't get into this story at all and nearly quit reading the book because of it. Not rated.

"Satan's Circus" by Lady Eleanor Smith.
The shroud of death hangs over a circus run by a mysterious couple. Atmospheric chiller. One of the highlights of the collection. (4/5)

"The Photograph" by Nigel Kneale.
A photograph has supernatural qualities. Haunting but not as good as it could have been. (2/5)

"The Beast with Five Fingers" by William Fryer Harvey.
A decapitated hand returns for revenge. Dated and not nearly as good as it sounds, especially when it tries to be funny. (2/5)

"As Gay as Cheese" by Joan Aitken.
Odd but effective tale of a barber with paranormal powers. (4/5)

"The Hound of Death" by Agatha Christie.
Is a Belgian nun hallucinating or is she able to draw great destructive power into the world? Christie ventures into Lovecraft territory with this solid supernatural tale. (3/5)

"Judith" by Hjalmer Bergman.
A soldier takes refuge in an enemy household. Judith is surprisingly hospitable considering her husband lies dead in another room. Builds nicely but leads nowhere special. (2/5)

"The Victim" by May Sinclair.
An English chauffeur murders his employer and is haunted by his ghost. Uneven ghost story that goes awry. (2/5)

"The House on Big Faraway" by Norman Matson.
The Tragic tale of two sisters is part of the history of an old house occupied by new owners. Another fizzer. (2/5)

"The Killing Bottle" by L.P. Hartley.
A butterfly collector is the guest of two mysterious brothers at Verden Castle. Curious gothic mystery that doesn't sustain it's length but still intrigues. (3/5)


Overall rating for this collection. 2/5

Glen Hannah.

[Johnlprobert]

A completely unmemorable volume as far as i can recall.

How about a list of odd horror story titles, though? We could start with 'As Gay As Cheese'

[dem]

I don't think the Christine Barnard edited ones hang together so good with the exception of #4. I love the series from then onward with Mary Danby taking over on #5.

Don't forget! For all your Fontana needs check: gloomysundae.wordpress.com/

John, if you give odd titles it's own thread I'll try and come up with a few. As to Gay As Cheese, I love that story just above the rather dated but still fun Satan's Circus and - sorry Glen - The Beast With Five Fingers.

[redbrain]

johnlprobert said:

A completely unmemorable volume as far as i can recall.

I agree - I'm not sure how many of the stories I ever read, but the only story that sticks in my mind is The Beast With Five Fingers. A disappointing tale from the author of August Heat.

contribute said:

How about a list of odd horror story titles, though? We could start with 'As Gay As Cheese'

An excellent idea - but it'll be a challenge to top As Gay As Cheese.

[Steve]

I'll agree to changing the name of Filthy Creations...

but only if we can change it to As Gay As Cheese: Random Tales of Terror & The Supernatural!

[dem]

Christine Barnard (ed.) - The 2nd Fontana Book Of Great Horror Stories (1967)

Elizabeth Walter - The Spider
Margaret Irwin - The Book
Kingsley Amis - Something Strange
Lady Eleanor Smith - Satan's Circus
Nigel Kneale - The Photograph
William Fryer Harvey - The Beast With Five Fingers
Joan Aiken - As Gay As Cheese
Agatha Christie - The Hound Of Death
Hjalmar Bergman - Judith
May Sinclair - The Victim
Norman Watson - The House On Big Faraway
L. P. Hartley - The Killing Bottle

Elizabeth Walter - The Spider: Bad enough that luvvy journalist Justus Ancorwen (he writes for a 'sixties equivalent of OK) recklessly embarked on a romance with virginal Isabel Bishop, even worse that she occupies the rooms below. Now that he's ended their affair it's seldom he can avoid her. Tonight Justus is almost grateful for her close proximity: a spider "big as a coal scuttle" is out for vengeance after he flushed one of its brethren down the sink. Justus can't abide spiders at the best of times, but this thing! Isabel mockingly wonders if it comes from Mars and generally uses the opportunity to humiliate him for his caddish behaviour. When a chastened Justus eventually braves his room the following morning, Isabel locks him in with his "imaginary" eight-legged friend ...


Joan Aiken - As Gay As Cheese: Mr. Pol the barber has a unique gift. Merely by laying his hands on a customer’s head he can tell all there is to know about them, what they’ve done and what they’ll go on to do. Living in a small Cornish town the potential horror of it all rarely troubles him as the transgressions of this clients are invariably mundane … until the angry, overbearing Brian and his timid wife Fanny travel down on the night train from Paddington.

Margaret Irwin - The Book: Mr. Corbett, a mild-mannered stockbroker, inherits his late uncle’s library. Among its contents, a hand-written Latin manuscript which, on translation, proves to be a DIY black magic manual. His career prospers even as he loses his grip, alienating his family and colleagues. As the book takes over, it demands more and more of him, to the point where it orders him to murder the baby.

Nigel Kneale - The Photograph: Mother is convinced that little Raymond is dying and arranges for him to leave his sick bed and travel into town to have his photograph taken. It doesn’t do his fever any good and in his delirium he’s tormented by the ghastly face in the picture threatening him that they will soon change places.

Lady Eleanor Smith - Satan’s Circus: The famous, ever-travelling Circus Brandt has a terrible name among those who’ve toured with them and this entirely due to the antics of the saturnine Carl Brandt and his Morticia Adamms of a wife, Lya. Hired hand Anatole, a deserter from the Foreign Legion, learns too late that you cross the latter at your peril when she gives him the choice of either filling in for the absconded lion-tamer or being handed in to the authorities. No animals react well to Lya passing near them and at that night’s performance she deliberately causes Anatole’s gory death. Hints of vampirism in the pay-off.

Hjalmar Bergman - Judith: The old man stands in the doorway waving away the enemy soldiers, explaining that there is death in his house and it's contagious. One young man doesn't believe him and barges his way in demanding a bed for the night, only to find a young woman tending her husband who has had his throat cut in battle. Judith explains that her dad's a bit of a drama queen, and demonstrates that she's not one to hold grudges by plying the uninvited guest with more food and wine than she can afford to share. Her manner is even flirtatious. But once he's fallen asleep ...

William Fryer Harvey - The Beast With Five Fingers: “Eustace watched it grimly, as it hung from the cornice with three fingers and flicked thumb and forefinger at him in an expression of scornful derision.”

Shortly before his death, the blind Adrian Borlsover became prolific at automatic hand-writing, and the messages from the other side seemed to be directed at his cousin, Eustace. When Uncle Adrian died, the right hand used it’s skilled penmanship to fake a dying request from the old man - that it be severed from the corpse and sent to Eustace. The entity manipulating the hand - possibly a stray elemental or the spirit of someone Eustace has swindled - is not without a sense of fun and is even spotted sliding down the banister. But it also has a supremely vindictive streak and finally, stabbed, burnt, but refusing to lie down, it tires of toying with him …

May Sinclair - The Victim: Steven Acroyd, a young chauffeur to old Mr. Greathead at Easthwaithe Lodge on the moors, is possessed of a dreadful temper, so when he catches the harmless Ned Oldishaw mucking around with his girl, Dorsy, he beats the lad to a pulp. This overreaction leads to his being cold-shouldered in The King's Head, but far worse than that, Dorsy declines his marriage proposal on the grounds that she's frightened he'll kill somebody.

A year later, Dorsy returns. She’s had a change of heart and is now set on becoming Mrs. Acroyd. Steven would be delighted … were it not for the fact that Mr. Greathead has chosen the same moment to put in a reappearance. But the old boy’s ghost isn’t out for revenge. He just wants a little clear the air chat …