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Fengriffen: A Chilling Tale
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Mr. Case wrote The Cell: Three Tales of Horror which appeared in 1969 and even without the prescriptive subtitle, you'll know where you're at right on the first page--glowering in the gloaming of the 19th century. Fengriffen House, all towers and spires and moors, is also the scene of an older legend or curse materializing as Catherine Fengriffen is having a baby and losin
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Here's the cover of the 1970 Lancer Books mass-market paperback ...more
A fairly delightful Gothic tale that inspired the 1973 Amicus film And Now the Screaming Starts! (which remains one of the best titles around). Fengriffen is a little less lurid and a little less unpleasant than its cinematic counterpart, whether that's a plus or a minus, and it also eschews the crawling hand angle, though makes good use of some severed fingers in its place. A quick and atmospheric read in the "learned men dismiss a woman as hysterical, inadvertently enable a much worse tragedy"
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Aug 26, 2012
Michael
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Lovecraftians, Horror Fans, Goths
Recommended to Michael by:
Roy Ward Baker
Shelves:
literature
This odd little novella was the source for the Amicus studios horror film called "And Now the Screaming Starts." The actors were somewhat put out (evidently) when they learned about the title change, somehow being in a movie called "Fengriffen" was more respectable, although the reality is that "Fengriffen" would not have sold well in the film market of the 1970s. The movie has a small cult following today, but the novella would probably be utterly forgotten had not the movie been made. I certai
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Often a film will lead me to its source material - such is the case with FENGRIFFEN, which was filmed by Amicus in 1972 and, after a title change, released in 1973 as ...AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS - it wasn't a half-bad gothic thriller with, according to audio-commentator Darren Gross, supernatural elements (such as a dismembered hand) added for the film.
The book (actually, at 133 pages, more of a novella) is long out-of-print, but to my surprise I discovered that it's still in my library's sy ...more
The book (actually, at 133 pages, more of a novella) is long out-of-print, but to my surprise I discovered that it's still in my library's sy ...more
My all time favourite gothic horror that can send chills down the spine.
Catherine is newly married and looking forward to life with Charles Fengriffin at his family home but things are not as they seem.
Stretching back generations a curse has afflicted the Fengriffins and any virgin bride a Fengriffin brings home.
Catherine finds out their secret and it's slowly driving her mad, can the doctor from London Charles has hired to help really save Catherine or is he up against demonic forces?
Brilliant ...more
Catherine is newly married and looking forward to life with Charles Fengriffin at his family home but things are not as they seem.
Stretching back generations a curse has afflicted the Fengriffins and any virgin bride a Fengriffin brings home.
Catherine finds out their secret and it's slowly driving her mad, can the doctor from London Charles has hired to help really save Catherine or is he up against demonic forces?
Brilliant ...more
This little novel deserves far wider acclaim. This is gothic in the classic sense of the word, both regarding the imagery employed and the core psychological element. While truly classic in its themes and delivery, it is just masterfully executed, with not a iota of its compact size being wasted.
It's a subtle tale whose essentially well-meaning narrator finds his science and rational materialism useless - primarily in a way that they severely limit his understanding of humanity, and then seconda ...more
It's a subtle tale whose essentially well-meaning narrator finds his science and rational materialism useless - primarily in a way that they severely limit his understanding of humanity, and then seconda ...more
3.9-4* (I want to give this a solid 4 !)
There's no doubt that Fengriffen is a good Gothic horror. The writing's beautiful, not unnecessarily cluttered with abstract images. It's difficult to rate this one. I could predict what would happen after the child was born, but the tension between the psychological and supernatural, and supernatural beating the former hands down wasn't what I was expecting. That revealed the true meaning of the curse and the cyclical nature of the story. The back story's ...more
There's no doubt that Fengriffen is a good Gothic horror. The writing's beautiful, not unnecessarily cluttered with abstract images. It's difficult to rate this one. I could predict what would happen after the child was born, but the tension between the psychological and supernatural, and supernatural beating the former hands down wasn't what I was expecting. That revealed the true meaning of the curse and the cyclical nature of the story. The back story's ...more
gothic horror with tons of suspense
Read as part of The Mammoth Book of Short Horror Novels
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The lord of Fengriffen comes home with a new bride, so all should be well within the great hall. 'Tis not to be. Upon her wedding night, the bride is attacked by a mysterious figure. She notices husband pats on her head and tries to assure her all is well, but incident upon incident tells her something sinister walls the corridors of Fengriffen.
Cracking good dark house tale. ...more
Cracking good dark house tale. ...more
Enjoyable, fairly short gothic tale of terror, similar in tone to Poe et al. It kept me hooked to the end, even thought it was fairly predictable. As another reviewer mentioned, the vocabulary sent me to the dictionary more than once - I do love learning new, if arcane, words!
I really enjoyed this book I read it because of Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire a writer I love recommend it. It is scary and has some really nice poetic language in it. Here is a link to Mr. Wilum's review of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kevwDR...
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Spine Chilling... Devoures the pages of this book.
Awesome Gothic Horror
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David Case (1937-2018) was born in upstate New York. Since the early 1960s he lived in London, as well as spending time in Greece and Spain. His acclaimed collection The Cell: Three Tales of Horror appeared in 1969, and it was followed by the novels Fengriffen: A Chilling Tale, Wolf Tracks, and The Third Grave. His other collections include Brotherly Love and Other Tales of Trust and Knowledge, Pe
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