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The Cellar (Beast House Chronicles #1)

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 2,777 ratings · 148 reviews

Visitors flock to see the Beast House with its blood-soaked corridors and creaky doors. Armed with video camcorders, these poor souls enter the forbidden house, never to return. The deeper they go into the house, the darker their nightmares become. Don't even think about going into the cellar.

Mass Market Paperback, 309 pages

Published October 6th 2006 by Leisure Books (first published 1980)

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Jun 08, 2011 mark monday rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: horrortime

unnecessary descriptions of child molestation in an odd subplot that is completely inessential to the narrative... sort of makes me question the author's motives. overall, an incredibly overrated piece of crap. however, taken by itself, "giant human/rat monsters who are obsessed with sex" is sort of an amusing concept. the description of a pair of these fellows earnestly double-teaming their landlady was certainly a first for me.

richard laymon inspires intense debate!

(view spoiler)...more unnecessary descriptions of child molestation in an odd subplot that is completely inessential to the narrative... sort of makes me question the author's motives. overall, an incredibly overrated piece of crap. however, taken by itself, "giant human/rat monsters who are obsessed with sex" is sort of an amusing concept. the description of a pair of these fellows earnestly double-teaming their landlady was certainly a first for me.

richard laymon inspires intense debate!

(view spoiler)(less)

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Mar 06, 2013 BarkLessWagMore rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

This is about a house rumored to contain a blood-thirsty beast. It starts out with a triple murder, then more murder, and as a topper an innocent child is abused and molested in typical Laymon style. It's hard to stomach the kiddie stuff, it really is, and I don't understand the need to put it in the book (there are other way to allude to it without the graphics) but I plodded on hoping it wouldn't continue in this vein.

I resisted the urge to DNF and finished every last word but I can't really s...more This is about a house rumored to contain a blood-thirsty beast. It starts out with a triple murder, then more murder, and as a topper an innocent child is abused and molested in typical Laymon style. It's hard to stomach the kiddie stuff, it really is, and I don't understand the need to put it in the book (there are other way to allude to it without the graphics) but I plodded on hoping it wouldn't continue in this vein.

I resisted the urge to DNF and finished every last word but I can't really say that I'm proud of the fact. Laymon's writing has a way of sucking you in and not letting you go, right? Right?! It's not just me. It can't be.

Still I'd be lying if I said I thought this was one of his best (The Travelling Vampire Show is by far his best). I thought The Cellar was ridiculous and riddled with plot holes. Basically it forces us to follow around a nasty pedophile as he commits atrocities, two horny dummies hot for the pedophile's wife and Donna (and her child) who is the wife on the run. She has run-ins with every lecherous man on the planet and ultimately ends up meeting the beast who resides in "The Cellar". There's lots of rape and some piss poor characterization to add some spice. A little past a third of the way through the book delves into the past of the "beast" because, well we had to know, didn't we? It's so silly that it's unintentionally hilarious.

Don't even get me started on the WTF ending. What did I just read?! I'm doing my best not to spoil things if you are inclined to check out this monstrosity for yourself. But, damnitall, the last chapter made no sense when given the fact that the woman/child had been abused throughout the entire book. When on earth did they develop a weird, unearthly attraction to white hairless,be-jowled beasts with lots of teeth and huge male parts? Ew, no. Please god no.I'll never get those scenes out of my head. Sexy? I think not . . . Gross? You betcha. If this sounds like fun give it a go but don't say I didn't warn you.(less)

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Jan 19, 2009 Rebecca McDowell rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: hated-it

Load of Crap - Part One

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Feb 26, 2009 Dreadlocksmile rated it 4 of 5 stars

First published back in 1980, “The Cellar” introduced the world to the horror author Richard Laymon and formed the first instalment of the four part ‘Beast House’ series.

The tale sets out in a typical clique manner, introducing the reader to what appears to be a somewhat standard ‘horror novel’ style opening. The novel’s title and subject matter don’t help to dissuade the reader from the feeling that the novel is likely to turn out to be yet another attempt at a basic book to simply slide into t...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Brian rated it 1 of 5 stars

Don't read this. Don't let your friends read this.

I mean, unless you like scenes of child rape, adult rape, general misogyny, a one-note villain whose plot just sort of sputters out and stops rather than being resolved, and more rape.

This book also has the stupidest plot twist you can imagine. Seriously, think of a stupid plot twist. Now, imagine that this is stupider than that. MUCH.

I found myself reading this book out of inertia, hoping that it would somehow resolve into something that, whil...more

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May 02, 2012 Patrick rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Laymon uses a typewriter ribbon soaked in cold blood," praises Burt Hirschfeld on the cover of my paperback. Perhaps, but not in a good way.

There are many goofy/sleazy things to like in The Cellar: the way it tries to mishmash a horror plot with an action movie; the way the hero is loath to litter; the way ridiculous anxiety is tossed upon ridiculous anxiety when a car crashes off a road; the way Beast House, a tourist-trap attraction, has seen scores of people murdered in it throughout the yea...more "Laymon uses a typewriter ribbon soaked in cold blood," praises Burt Hirschfeld on the cover of my paperback. Perhaps, but not in a good way.

There are many goofy/sleazy things to like in The Cellar: the way it tries to mishmash a horror plot with an action movie; the way the hero is loath to litter; the way ridiculous anxiety is tossed upon ridiculous anxiety when a car crashes off a road; the way Beast House, a tourist-trap attraction, has seen scores of people murdered in it throughout the years, yet has never been condemned or investigated by authorities; the way a sex scene is described thusly: "He became part of her hair, the quiet sounds she made in her throat, her dry places and her slippery places, the many smells of her, the tastes. And finally the slick scabbord that took him, taunted him until he ached for release. / Aching his back, he thrust deeper, deeper than ever. Again Crying out, Donna lurched up and grabbed him. He fell on her, ramming and ramming, and all of the tight ache blasted out of him."

And, of course, the way the beast at the center of Beast House is described as having a penis "hinged like a jaw, possessing a tonguelike member with a two-inch extention."

Yet there is something too disturbing about this book for me to take any joy from reading it, and that disturbing essence lies not with the cheap thrills of the plot but from the author himself.

There are many graphic depictions of child molestation in this book, perpetrated by the heroine's ex-boyfriend as he stalks the coast looking for her.

It would be one thing if these molestations scenes were used in a literary way, such as a way to compare/contrast the beast of Beast House with an actual, human monster. But there is nothing literary about the Cellar: its central aims are to titillate and produce cheap thrills. The child molestation scenes are artless and excessive and gross. I am not the most tasteful person but even I considered them tasteless and revolting; and considering the child molester doesn't meet nearly as bad an end as he deserves, and considering the ending itself continues this child-molestation fantasy, I see something in the Cellar very disturbing.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm far from a prude, but you've got to draw the line somewhere. For me, murder, rape and dismemberment is fine as long as it's between two consenting adults. But you walk a fine line when you bring kids into the equation, and you better know what you're doing, and what you're doing better not be using kid-rape as a cheap way to make things more disturbing or (worse) as a way to get yourself off.

But as someone who knows fetish writing, I think the Cellar is fetish writing disguised as a trashy horror novel. There are way too many descriptions of the bodies of prepubescent girls; way too many descriptions of female bodies in general. Misogyny is nothing new to any genre, especially horror, but it usually doesn't bother me as much as it does in the Cellar. After all, the crux of the Cellar is [spoiler] rape, rape by animalistic monsters which women are first revolted by but secretly want and crave and need. It is the most disgusting and crude rendering of women imaginable, and its inclusion coupled with the gratuitous molestation scenes perpetrated by the ex-boyfriend (who, after all this buildup, just sort of phases out as a character) confirm my view that Laymon is slime, getting off on his dirty writing and making a quick buck off it in the process.

Which would be one thing, if the dirty writing didn't include sex with ten-year old girls who talk like they're 5.

There is true horror in The Cellar, the kind that makes me want to take a shower.(less)

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Apr 10, 2012 Bill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

The following review is from my old website...this didn't make the initial migration to Goodreads for some reason.

It wasn't until finishing this novel that I decided to "skull" this review. But the ending was very good, and it was quite shocking in parts.
However...the heroine of the story, Donna, supposedly a caring mother, pissed me off so often that I was tempted to throw the book through a window. I mean, here's a woman on the run with her 12 year old daughter. Her husband, Roy, a child-rapi...more

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Dec 07, 2011 Boothy rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a relative fan of Richard Laymon's work, it was interesting to go back to his very first outing in "The Cellar". I went in expecting some very cautious writing with a lack of risks and intense detail. This was not the case. The Cellar is pure Laymon and only set the bar for all his later works.

A brief overview of the story, then. Donna and her daughter Sandy are driving as far away from Sandy's father as possible (who happens to be abusive and criminally insane). They meet two men, Judge and...more As a relative fan of Richard Laymon's work, it was interesting to go back to his very first outing in "The Cellar". I went in expecting some very cautious writing with a lack of risks and intense detail. This was not the case. The Cellar is pure Laymon and only set the bar for all his later works.

A brief overview of the story, then. Donna and her daughter Sandy are driving as far away from Sandy's father as possible (who happens to be abusive and criminally insane). They meet two men, Judge and Larry. Larry tells of a tale which involves an encounter with a beast, which Judge chooses to seek and kill to save Larry from his inner demons. The beast supposedly lives in "The Beast House". A tourist attraction, run by a previous resident named Maggie, which may or may not still have the legendary beast lurking inside it during the night. Meanwhile, Donna's ex is killing and raping his way across the trail toward Donna and Sandy.

A formula that I was familiar with, turns out to have been present right from Laymon's beginnings. This book contains graphic detail of violence and sex scenes. Imagine a book designed specifically for men and you'll have one by Laymon. Consider however, that this book involves child rape. Disregarding his usual approach, Laymon thankfully skims over these scenes, leaving you free from picturing them in your head. The beast itself is a joy for the imagination. Its imagery is something that one has to think hard about, since it cannot be compared to any animal I can think of. Maybe a gorilla coated in ectoplasm with a large penis. It plays like an odd, sick fantasy, with the beast attacking the males and "pleasuring" the females.

Laymon has often been credited with believable characters and dialogue. Indeed, his step into authoring even lives up to this phrase. What has always been most intriguing, however, is when we enter the mind of the book's psychopath, Roy. This character is what you'd imagine; takes joyous pleasure out of torture/murder and is mostly fearless. What disappoints me though is the similarity between Roy and most other antagonists in Laymon's collection. Apart from being a paedophile, Laymon has imitated this character's traits in future books. All of Laymon's nutcases are the same to me. I also feel that The Cellar claims too much on the graphic scenes (which also change the pace of the story, making things hard to follow at times). I would like to be more interested in the romantic chemistry between Judge and Donna but I find myself waiting for the action.

Still. With a twist ending, masculinity-satisfying scenes, Laymon's trademark fast paced narrative and likeable characters, The Cellar was certainly a fun read. It's quite a short story, especially compared to its sequels, so speed through it and enjoy the ride. (less)

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Dec 22, 2011 Ruthy rated it 2 of 5 stars

If the ending wasn't so crappy, I would have given this novel three stars. I know that some say that the child rapes scenes were unnecessary and too obscene and I would have to agree but you have to understand that so is murder! I find it hypocritical how some people can stand violence and death of humans as long as they are not little kids being rape, but go ahead and straight up kill them, we can handle death just not rape. What the heck. The book did the job of making you feel uncomfortable a...more If the ending wasn't so crappy, I would have given this novel three stars. I know that some say that the child rapes scenes were unnecessary and too obscene and I would have to agree but you have to understand that so is murder! I find it hypocritical how some people can stand violence and death of humans as long as they are not little kids being rape, but go ahead and straight up kill them, we can handle death just not rape. What the heck. The book did the job of making you feel uncomfortable and spooked maybe not so much for the actual monster in the cellar which I thought its history was dumb and this book was too sex driven--not that there's anything wrong with that.

Jud was the only character in the book I actually kinda liked because Donna was as dumb as they get. I hate women heroine who aren't even that. It would have been nice if she had killed Roy or even Sandy had killed her father or even Joni, anyone he'd hurt in the past but no, the monster did it and the monster didn't even do to him half the things he did to others. Roy's death could have been the best way of redeeming the book and yet, he got what I like to call, a decent death. I hardly knew he died when he was dead. So, my question is, why waste time detailing the terrible deeds of a madman if he won't actually pay for any of it? In other words, when Laymon was wasting his time with child rape scenes did he do it just to write about little girl body parts and messed up thoughts for the hell of it or did he have a purpose? Another thing, I hate to think about all the sickos who read this and got off on it, so why put it out there if you are not going to at least make Roy pay dearly, so dearly that anyone who read this and wanted to try it out for themselves could be second guessing the whole thing. Maybe I'm over thinking it--I do that from time to time--but geez, I didn't get the point of Roy's subplot.

I did sorta liked the book, however, whether it looks like I did or not. It was a fast pace, page turner that I was able to read in two days. I like when I'm anxious to get to the finish line. My only hope was that the ending was as good as the intrigue to get there. It was not.

(less)

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Aug 05, 2011 Shawn rated it 1 of 5 stars

I don't get why people like this guy. Maybe he gets better in later books? I was ready for gore (ya call yourself splatterpunk, you need it, right?) but it wasn't that gory. I'd chalk it up to being published in 1980, but Ketchum was too and his didn't lack anything in the blood and guts department. Laymon seems to rely on rape, specifically child rape, to give you that uncomfortable feeling. But its not uncomfortable as in scary and you can't wait to experience it again, but more like gross and...more I don't get why people like this guy. Maybe he gets better in later books? I was ready for gore (ya call yourself splatterpunk, you need it, right?) but it wasn't that gory. I'd chalk it up to being published in 1980, but Ketchum was too and his didn't lack anything in the blood and guts department. Laymon seems to rely on rape, specifically child rape, to give you that uncomfortable feeling. But its not uncomfortable as in scary and you can't wait to experience it again, but more like gross and you need to take a shower afterwards. The only thing to be grateful for is that Laymon doesn't actually describe the rape scenes, but they occur frequently enough that I'd bet that pages with graphic depictions exist and were edited out.

Spoiler time:

Want to know why I finished the book? Because in one of the reviews here at Goodreads, someone made a point to the effect that the bad guys are justly punished in the end. And we do have another, actual monster that also rapes people, so I figured his was coming, you know. But huh? Justly punished? I don't see it. To be fair, the rapist is killed I guess, but it happens off page. There are pages devoted to child molestation, and the monster at the end jumps on the rapist's back and we hear the rapist screaming and that's it. It lacks balance. And decency, but that's different. I mean, we assuume the monster raped him, because the monster is, as I already pointed out, a rapist too (yeah everyone is in for some rape in this one) but its not confirmed that he actually rapes the human rapist. And just to point out one more time, the author sure as hell confirms child rape, so why not this too? The actual end felt like the author was tired of writing and just threw some crap on the page to wrap it up. And to head of any complaints, I'm all for so-called "bad" endings. The movie, Martyrs, has the complete opposite of a happy movie ending in every way, shape, and form, and I'm fine with that. In fact, I love it. That movie is in my top five, not horror, but all time list. But this? This is just crap. Dear God please, read Ketchum, read Landsdale, read Brite. Hell, read Stephanie Meyer if you have to, but stay away from this crap. (less)

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May 07, 2012 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Richard Laymon is not an author for people that cannot handle gore and so-called taboo topics. He does not hold back in his writings and intertwins tales of the paranormal world with those of the worst of human kind.

In The Cellar he takes us on the journey of a mother who is running away from her husband who has just been released from prison. The husband was in prison for raping their young daughter. He has promised he will come after the pair once they get out of prison.

While on the run, they...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Tara rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'd heard good things about this book. So much so, that it seems to almost be a "classic" in the horror novel genre. Richard Laymon is pretty well known as a horror novelist as well, so I figured this would be a good place to start with my first Laymon book. I can now safely say that I probably will not be reading anymore Laymon books.

This book was awful. Between the unlikeable characters and the unnecessary, stomach-churning depictions of child rape, I just couldn't believe how many people rec...more I'd heard good things about this book. So much so, that it seems to almost be a "classic" in the horror novel genre. Richard Laymon is pretty well known as a horror novelist as well, so I figured this would be a good place to start with my first Laymon book. I can now safely say that I probably will not be reading anymore Laymon books.

This book was awful. Between the unlikeable characters and the unnecessary, stomach-churning depictions of child rape, I just couldn't believe how many people recommended this book. I was expecting a scary creature in the cellar type book. Well, there was a creature in the cellar (or sometimes in the attic, or the bedrooms, so I'm not quite sure why it wasn't just called "The House" or something). I'm still not quite sure what the heck this "creature" was. Was he an alien? A mutant human? Half animal? Science experiment gone wrong? I have no clue. It would have been nice to have some sort of background on this thing.

But the creature only is half of the plot. The other half is about a woman and her 12-year-old daughter who are on the run from her ex-husband who was just released from prison. He was in prison for raping his daughter and now the reader is being punished by having to read a bunch of graphic scenes of him child-raping his way up the California coast to find his ex-wife and daughter. Ugh. I know it's a horror novel and horror novels don't always have likable characters, but my God, it would have been horrifying enough to allude to the child abuse instead of telling us every detail.

These two plots are linked because the mom who is on the run ends up sleeping with some guy who is trying to kill the creature in the cellar of "Beast House". Oh yeah, Beast House is the house where the creature lives that the owners conduct tours of due to to all the murders that have happened there. I think Laymon was trying to write two different stories and came up with the most nonsensical way to link the two plots. There is no character development between the mom and her new lover (I can't even remember their names!). They just start sleeping with each other and when they are having sex THEY LEAVE HER DAUGHTER WITH THE GUY'S ADULT MALE FRIEND. Yes, she leaves her daughter WHO WAS RAPED BY HER FATHER with a strange, older male. Great parenting, lady.

Anyways, I would not really recommend this book unless you're a sick person who needs some new pedophilia material, and even then it's probably not worth wading through the rest of the book for that. (less)

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Jun 19, 2011 Katy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: die-hard horror fans

For those who are put off by such things, this book includes child molestation, (basically) bestiality and several near-rape scenes. But ... it is Laymon - honestly, what else should you expect? Also, many of those who do these acts get what is coming to them. Like many Laymon books, this is PURE horror - which means, no happy ending. Once again, if that bothers you, perhaps you should skip this book. However, I was riveted - Laymon can put out horror like no other and for horror enthusiasts, th...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Lily rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is my first Richard Laymon book. Seemed very interesting based on the back cover. Storyline seemed right up my alley...

Very high action packed story, and I got through this book quickly. This author does not hold back while telling it, getting into enough detail of the gruesome parts of this book to make you cringe but not so much you want to drop it.

I only gave it two stars because this book played out like a high action movie with a very scattered storyline. Very interesting characters th...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-from-library, fiction, horror

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 07, 2011 Lawn2000 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook

This was a typical Laymon story. He has a very twisted imagination. The book was not bad but could have been better. The ending just fell apart and some of the violence was just too much, not scary at all. The characters were not well developed, especially the women. You get the impression he doesn't like women very much as he makes all of them very stupid and shallow. Having read alot of horror stories that don't have much plot, I still found this entertaining or I would not have finished the b...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Jeremy Less rated it 1 of 5 stars

My second Laymon novel, after checking out "The Woods are Dark." I was intrigued to check out his classic debut, thinking woods may have just been a dud. This novel sounded really interesting based on the description and reviews I saw, but the execution was poor. Laymon gives us two storylines that eventually come together, neither amounting to anything interesting in the end. Characters are cardboard, Laymon seems to opt for half baked shock value rather than fleshing them out. I've learned not...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Elizabeth Nesbit-comer rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is not really a scary book. It did not give me good goosebumps and it certainly was not my nice Halloween read that I planned. Instead this book just made me feel disturbed. I love a good creepy story full of ghosts and madmen, but this really didn't have any of those. What it does have is a bunch of characters with no back history or personalities, a not scary at all monster who sounds mostly comical with its white fur (I kept thinking yeti) and strange relationship with the lady of the h...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Scott Vandrick rated it 2 of 5 stars

Huh? Although cleanly crafted, this novel, apparently one of many about Beast House, left me unsatisfied. I found the horror aspects standard fare except for the claustrophobic descriptions of the tunnels connecting the houses which had my palms damp. Laymon does touch on all senses which I appreciate as I tried to get more involved in this simple tale. The most fascinating character was Roy, the insane parolee out to find his wife and daughter to “teach them a lesson” which will include rape an...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Rowan MacBean rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm not usually a squeamish reader but I really could've done without the detailed child molestation in this book. It was a subplot that got at least as much page time as the main plot, without actually mattering. It could've been almost completely removed without having any effect on the main story line. Honestly, it could've been flat-out omitted with only one or two minor adjustments.

And by the way... The main plot? Not actually as interesting as it sounds.

I doubt I'll ever pick up another Ri...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Matt rated it 2 of 5 stars

An incredibly overrated book that somehow warranted a trilogy. I actually started reading this book again and it took me about 30 pages to realize I'd already read it. It was that unmemorable. I'm a huge fan of Laymon, and his stories are usually just the right combination of gore, ridiculousness, sex, and plot to hold my attention. However, this one was just not an exciting book. I didn't hate it, so it gets two stars, but it was completely unmemorable and with all the other, better Laymon book...more

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Sep 30, 2011 Reese Copeland rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed the book. It's the first in the series of the Beast House Series. (#2 is The Beast House, #3 is The Midnight Tour and #4 is Friday Night at Beast House). Reads quickly, a bit too much sex for me, as I found it to kind of challenge the rest of the story, and was more of a distraction than adding anything to it. Disappointed with the ending. Have already started reading book 2 and it does not pick up directly from book 1, so, you're kind of left in this limbo of "well, what happened then...more

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Dec 04, 2010 Alejandro rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

What a horrendous disappointment. I looked up Richard Laymon because I had heard he was a huge inspiration for Brian Keene, one of my favorite horror authors. Stephen King and Dean Koontz have both praised the man, and I've heard generally good things about his fairly large catalogue of horror novels.

Again, I repeat... What a horrendous disappointment.

Not a single fully developed character, just galavanting stereotypes and smudges. The women in this book are demented, children, or just plain stu...more

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Mar 16, 2011 Craig rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 11, 2013 Randolph Carter rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, horror

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is the worst book I've ever read, seriously I wish there was a way to give it zero stars and make it stick. There are so many things bad about this book.

1. The prose is written at a Jethro Bodeen sixth grade edecation level.

2. Pedophilia. I'm not against pedophilia as a plot device; its unfortunately a conceivable and real part of our world and therefore acceptably part of writing, both fiction and non-fiction. After establishing that Roy is a really bad guy (he raped his six year old daugh...more This is the worst book I've ever read, seriously I wish there was a way to give it zero stars and make it stick. There are so many things bad about this book.

1. The prose is written at a Jethro Bodeen sixth grade edecation level.

2. Pedophilia. I'm not against pedophilia as a plot device; its unfortunately a conceivable and real part of our world and therefore acceptably part of writing, both fiction and non-fiction. After establishing that Roy is a really bad guy (he raped his six year old daughter), Laymon gives us the bathroom implied sex, and definitely not implied, murder scene (he lays with a naked 12-year old girl in a blood filled bathtub). Okay, now we know he's a REALLY bad guy. I can dig it. But Laymon has to go that extra mile and with a complete lack of any subtlety or decency describe the actual sex act with the child. This is now the writing of a seriously disturbed person. Let me make one thing perfectly clear, I'm not a prude when it comes to explicit sex or violence in writing (as long as its not purely gratuitous). Does anyone think, for instance, that showing this scene in a film, even if you knew it was all CGI, would be a thing anyone but a person in desperate need of incarceration would want to watch?

3. The plot is absolutely ludicrous. It tests even the most gullible person's suspension of disbelief. The "Beast House." - Somebody would have burned this m-f down a LONG time before the setting of this novel. Or the FBI would have taken it apart board by board already. Nobody in over half a century had ever thought to look for anything in the basement? Geez. And nobody ever thought to look in that weird house with no windows that's RIGHT NEXT TO the Beast House? In over 50 years? Vacation tours of the Beast House where a murder was committed just the day before and the body and perpetrator remain missing? Stupid.

Roy leaves a trail as wide as Texas. The law would have been all over him before he got the Malacasa.

The diary - This has to be the most clumsy plot device ever imagined. It is so poorly written into the plot and so, so unbelievable.

The ending. The "twist" ending with Sandy and Donna is as dumb as dog dookie (like that alliteration?); nobody, but nobody buys it.

This novel is just 300 pages of bad, bad, bad.

(less)

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Jun 02, 2012 Paulo "paper books always" Carvalho rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 19, 2012 Daisy*•.♥.•* rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror-paranormal

This was a pretty fast smooth read. The story takes place in Northern California where an unknown “beast” has been killing people at a house known as “The Beast House”, for over 50 years. One of the families of the victims buys the house where the killings have occurred and makes it into a tourist attraction. Donna and her daughter Sandy flee their home to head up North to try to run away from Donna’s ex-husband and Sandy’s father Roy who has just been released from prison after serving 6 years...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Will Errickson rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: too-much-horror-fiction

I've been reading horror fiction for almost 30 years and THE CELLAR is easily one of the very worst books in the genre that I've ever read. Laymon's reputation as some sort of extreme horror writer would be more understandable if he didn't write like a complete amateur with no understanding of human motivation, personality, or interaction. I've rarely if ever thought that writers who work in this field have "issues" with sex and violence and women, but I had to wonder with Laymon. The whole chil...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Grant Murray rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: richard-laymon

I remember reading Stephen King's "Danse Macabre" book years ago and being absolutely outraged that he completely dismissed Richard Laymon's horror debut, "The Cellar". While Richard Laymon books may be the furthest thing from literature, his understanding of pacing and sucker-punching his audience is really unmatched in the genre. No topic is taboo in his books, and while some could see the story as romanticizing beastiality and incest, the utter shock and horror brought out by the stories is r...more

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May 09, 2010 chucklesthescot rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Laymon fans

Shelves: horror, fiction

When Donna finds out that her child molesting ex is getting out of prison, she and daughter Sandy flee for safety. A car accident strands them in a town with a gory history and a tourist attraction called The Beast House, where monsters murdered innocent people. Rumour has it that these monsters still come out at night in the house so an attack survivor pays a man to go and kill the beasts. Their paths collide with Donna and now everyone will see if these rumours about the beasts are true.
At th...more

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About Richard Laymon

Richard Laymon was born in Chicago and grew up in California. He earned a BA in English Literature from Willamette, and an MA from Loyola University. He worked as a schoolteacher, a librarian, and a report writer for a law firm, and was the author of more than thirty acclaimed novels.

He also published more than sixty short stories in magazines such as Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, and Cavalier,...more

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145152.The_Cellar?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348693584l/145152.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145152.The_Cellar?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Cellar by Richard Laymon[/url]

The Cellar (Beast House Chronicles #1)

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