On a scale from 1-10, how scary is The Fifth Mask ending?
I'm not sure I can answer that because its different for everyone (what scares me may not scare you, and vice versa). Actually, there are very few horror stories have ever 'scared' me, and I'd not be surprised if that were the same with most people on here. Makes me wonder why we read them! But if you get a chance to read 'The Fifth Mask' let us know what you think of it!
From the first, I set myself against "literature"; the story was the thing, and no amount of style could persuade me to select a story that lacked genuine, unadulterated horror. For those who wanted something high-brow there was plenty. - Christine Campbell Thomson
Post by ramseycampbell on Feb 4, 2015 11:50:34 GMT
I first encountered "The Fifth Mask" in London Mystery Magazine (that infamous market) in the sixties and was delighted by the unexpected sense of terror.
I first encountered "The Fifth Mask" in London Mystery Magazine (that infamous market) in the sixties and was delighted by the unexpected sense of terror.
Its possibly fair to say that London Mystery got their hands on his best, and certainly best known stories as besides The Fifth Mask (London Mystery #33 June 1957) they also published Florinda (#29, June 1956) and The Yew Tree, (#39, December 1958). Sir Charles Birkin was evidently a big fan as he recycled all three, plus The Cyclops Juju, over his Tandem Book Of Horror and Tandem Book Of Ghost Stories anthologies.
From the first, I set myself against "literature"; the story was the thing, and no amount of style could persuade me to select a story that lacked genuine, unadulterated horror. For those who wanted something high-brow there was plenty. - Christine Campbell Thomson
Thanks for the comment about The Fifth Mask, Mr. Campbell.
I'll see if I can order Fine Frights soon or find it in Barnes and Noble. I'll review the book after and if I get it.
Two questions about The Fifth Mask...
1. Are there any stories like The Fifth Mask?
2. If the narrator ran away before the fifth mask was revealed, how did he know what the woman looked like? Or would the answer be too much of a spoiler?
I just purchased Fine Frights and I will review it as soon as possible.
I just completed reading Fine Frights. The review will contain spoilers.
1. Child's Play - A fun story. It seemed like the kind of story I would find in the Pan books. The ending was amusing. The author seemed to have told more than showed, but that's just me.
2. More Sinned Against - Good character descriptions. The movie titles were interesting. I pitied Candace when she was battered by the pimp. Poor Candace until the end. I was able to guess the ending, but it was still a good one.
3. Lost Memory - The story was a bit confusing. It didn't appeal to me.
4. The Fifth Mask - I remember hearing ''Remember, remember the 5th of November'' in V for Vendetta. V for Vendetta is how I found out about Guy Fawkes.
Now I understand about the scary masks.
There are a few words I'm not familiar with such as corteges, trundling, ribaldries, etc. Togged up?
The mask descriptions were good.
Good for a tanner?
The woman's white finger was a bit creepy. For some reason, I pictured her standing and approaching the boys instead of sitting.
Demonik, I misunderstood your summary about pennies on the woman's eyes. I thought she always wore them, but that's not true. THAT would have been interesting and scary.
Finding the pennies seems like a strange game, but the idea is interesting.
The scarred face was very good and creepy! I like the woman's dialogue about if the face/mask is naturally scarred or not.
I never heard ''Fauntleroy'' before.
I'm confused about how Fred wore Robin's mask.
The woman having the kids decide which one of them removed her mask was creepy and good.
Something white in her hands....creepy!
A thing crawling...sort of creepy!
Poor Fauntleroy.
Good story, but whatever happened to the pennies on the woman's eyes? It was a little confusing in some areas. NONE of my guesses were correct! I'm disappointed about never seeing the woman/thing's final face. At least I don't think I saw the final face.
At first I thought maybe the woman was a walking corpse due to the pennies over her eyes. The thought of pennies on her eyes was a bit more creepy than the ending.
What was the point of the penny game? I'm still a bit confused. Still interesting.
So the woman is a type of creature? I'm not exactly sure.
5. The Horror at Chilton Castle - I always like secret rooms in stories. I was a little bored during the middle of the story. I loved the entity's description. Interesting Lady Glanville tale. I really liked how the ending was worded.
The story seemed like something from House of Mystery or House of Secrets comics.
6. The Clerks of Domesday - I liked the thoughts of being dead instead of knowing what's to come. The observations of different people seemed okay. I lost interest in the middle of the story. The ending was so so.
7. Thurnley Abbey - The character descriptions were good. I loved the description of the creature near the bed.
8. Cutting Down - The variety of descriptions were good. Loved the ending - very Pan like.
9. The Necromancer - The start and middle weren't very interesting to me, but the ending was worth it.
10. The Greater Festival of Masks - I find present tense stories a bit jarring. Interesting ending.
11. The War Is Over - I thought the story was more tragic than scary. Poor wife and daughter! Interesting story.
12. Upon the Dull Earth - I have one of Philip K. Dick's stories called Beyond Lies the Wub. Not a scary story, but interesting.
I liked the different references to mythology. The story was a little difficult to follow.
Glad you enjoyed it! I re-read The Fifth Mask and, from my understanding of the story, the old woman is Death personified - Fred, the narrator, certainly seems to think so. What she looks like when she removes the final mask - and the pennies - is deliberately left to the reader's imagination.
Anyway, "Tanner" in this instance is slang for "sixpence," "togged up" is dressed up . Little Lord Fauntleroy originates from the Victorian children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett (I've never read it). It's used here as a derogatory term (Fred and Robin, being working class lads, regard this posh, well-groomed rich kid as a "Little Lord Fauntleroy" or a "cissy" though it turns out he's braver than the pair of them). The rest - "cortèges, trundling, ribaldries, etc" - you'll find easily enough in any dictionary.
Also revisited;
Bob Shaw - Cutting Down: Frustrated that the gorgeous woman he married has taken just eight years to metamorphose into a grease-guzzling, shapeless mound, Herley steals an untested miracle slimming drug from Dr. Hamish Corcoran, the brilliant mad scientist. When Corcoran challenges him to return his property, a struggle breaks out during the course of which the scientist suffers a fatal fall. Herley feels bad about that but its a small price to pay for getting his June back to her black bikini best!
From the first, I set myself against "literature"; the story was the thing, and no amount of style could persuade me to select a story that lacked genuine, unadulterated horror. For those who wanted something high-brow there was plenty. - Christine Campbell Thomson
Death personified does make sense now. I rarely see female Death in Western media.
At least I thought the lady had something to do with death. If I remember correctly, her eyes were described as ''dark'' or something suggesting the eyes weren't there.
It is indeed interesting how ''sissy'' Fauntleroy is a bit more brave than Fred and Robin. Too bad about his fate!
The old lady is kind of revealed when she is described as a thing crawling. I noticed how the author was a bit vague, which was most likely on purpose. He didn't say anything about her final face or the pennies.
A real slow-burner this next, at least as far as brains here is concerned. This must be at least the fourth time I've read it and only now has it clicked.
Arthur 'Ingulphus' Gray - The Necromancer: Set at Cambridge in 1663, the story concerns the death of Thomas Allen, a Fellow of Jesus College. Accepted wisdom has it that, Allen, distraught at the destruction of the chapel by Cromwell's henchmen, paid a final visit to his mother's grave and there "laid violent hands upon himself." That's the official verdict, but one religious maniac knows the truth!
Shortly after he was installed at Cambridge as chaplain, Adoniram Byfield was made aware of certain wild accusations against Allen and soon discovered that this so-called "mathematician" was, in truth, a necromancer with the ability to transform into a cat! What else for a man of God to do but gun him down? But its a dark night and although Byfield fires off a shot, he can't be sure he's hit his target. The following day Allen's corpse is discovered and carried back to his room. Byfield is overcome with doubt. Suppose he over-reacted? That would be - murder! It seems, however, that he did the right thing when, that same night, he hears the familiar sinister tread on the stairs ....
If there were such a thing as a typical Pan Horror fan, then my guess is 'Ingulphus' would be the disciple of M. R. James least likely to appeal to him or her. All very quiet and polite. No bad sex, nil gore. Language so archaic it can act as a soporific, etc. Which might explain why its taken until now for me to realise that, not only is The Necromancer a top notch ghost story (of sorts), its also bloody hilarious.
From the first, I set myself against "literature"; the story was the thing, and no amount of style could persuade me to select a story that lacked genuine, unadulterated horror. For those who wanted something high-brow there was plenty. - Christine Campbell Thomson
[...]Karl Wagner's dispassionate dissection of Candice Thornton's train-crash of an acting "career" which is just plain horrible. Six or seven pages in and it's already obvious that Candice will be subjected to degradation upon degradation, so now would be the time to walk away, read something else, but the voyeur inside us all won't stand for it.
Though it kept me reading, the KEW story was too much degradation for me--the brief payoff wasn't worth wading through all of the misanthropy.
I can see your point. But I couldn't help laughing out loud after the punchline. I am that superficial.
