Occultober Day 9: Devil's Island by Mark Lukens

Occultober Day 9: Devil’s Island by Mark Lukens

It’s time to get back to the genuinely spooky stories that are the heart of Occultober. To that end, I present Mark Lukens’ Devil’s Island. The plot is pretty straightforward. A dying billionaire has decided to make a documentary on a haunted island and the mansion that still stands on it. To accomplish this, he draws together some desperate individuals and pays them lots of money to help him make his film. The reader recognizes right from the beginning that the documentary is a scam and that there is something on this island that the billionaire thinks will save his life. Seeing as there is a lot of supernatural horror here (and in the opening chapter we actually witness demonic things kill and chase people) it feels like the unwitting employees are serving a role as primarily sacrifices or bait.

 

And that’s really where all the scariness comes from—investigating a haunted house where there is very real danger while we wait for the billionaire to betray everyone. Lukens builds a ton of tension and it’s really a great story, but what puts it over the top is the ending—very well thought out and exceedingly creepy. It’s always a relief when all of the tense buildup turns into a threat that is worthy of it.

 

There is a minor problem with the book which I feel should also point out. You should skip the first chapter. My guess is, an editor insisted it be written so that everyone would know that the island was really haunted, but it built up unfair expectations in me. The victims in chapter one appear to meet their end about 30 minutes after they reach the island and that made me expect people to start dying right away when the main story begins. Instead, Lukens takes his time, building tension and empathy with the characters. So just skip the first chapter and enjoy the real story on Devil’s Island.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06...