The Thrill of Horror: 22 Terrifying Tales

by Hugh Lamb (Editor), H.R. Wakefield, Charles Birkin

The accent of this collection of horror stories is on quality and rarity, and the twenty-two pieces more than fulfill both requirements. The book starts where most anthologies end. It is one of the most outstanding collections of its kind available today.

The torso in the bed ... the thing in the chimney ... the beast from the sea and the burial alive ... the cloven hoof-print and the midnight caller ... the skull in the basket and the ghost in the rain ... the lurking terror in the madhouse ... the wizard's ghost and the gouged-out eyes — these are some of the terrifying tales in the anthology.

Ghost story enthusiasts will be delighted to see a story by M.R. James making its first appearance in book form for over forty years. There are also stories from famous writers, like H.R. Wakefield and Charles Birkin, tales from neglected authors such as E.H. Visiak, A.C. Benson and Frederick Cowles, new unpublished chillers from L.T.C. Rolt, Joy Burnett and A. Erskine Ellis, and unexpected terrors from H. Rider Haggard and Valery Bryusov.

CONTENTS:

• Introduction (The Thrill of Horror) • by Hugh Lamb
• Only a Dream • (1905) • by H. Rider Haggard
• The Meerschaum Pipe • (1934) • by L.A. Lewis
• The Life-Buoy • by A.E. Ellis [as by A. Erskine Ellis]
• The Lady of Rosemount • (1919) • by T. G. Jackson [as by Sir T. G. Jackson]
• How It Happened • (1936) • by John Gawsworth
• In the Mirror • (1918) • by Валерий Брюсов [as by Valery Bryusov]
• "Calling Miss Marker" • by Joy Burnett
• A Night of Horror • (1899) • by Dick Donovan
• The Shouting • by L.T.C. Rolt
• The Happy Dancers • (1933) • by Charles Birkin
• The Weed Men • (1907) • by William Hope Hodgson
• Eyes for the Blind • (1936) • by Frederick Cowles
• Mr. Ash's Studio • (1932) • by H. Russell Wakefield [as by H.R. Wakefield]
• Montage of Death • by Robert Haining
• Pallinghurst Barrow • (1892) • by Grant Allen
• Randall's Round • by Eleanor Scott
• The Skeleton at the Feast • by E.H. Visiak
• Medusan Madness • (1934) • by E.H. Visiak
• Out of the Sea • (1904) • by A.C. Benson
• Witch In-Grain • (1893) • by R. Murray Gilchrist
• The Tudor Chimney • (1949) • by A.N.L. Munby
• The Experiment • (1931) • by M.R. James

Genres: Horror, Literature, Anthologies

207 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugh Lamb was one of the foremost editors of the 1970s, releasing anthology after anthology full of rarer ghost and horror stories. THE THRILL OF HORROR is a case in point. Despite being well-acquainted with this genre, I hadn't encountered any of these stories previously, so kudos for Lamb for doing all the hard work in unearthing such forgotten delights.

The end result is generally superior, albeit with a few missteps along the way. ONLY A DREAM is by no less than H. Rider Haggard, opening the collection in a strong and unexpected way. L.A. Lewis's THE MEERSCHAUM PIPE is even better, a surprisingly gruesome little story about an unusual kind of possession that hits all the right notes. If you prefer your horror a little more ghostly, then A. Erskine Ellis' THE LIFE-BUOY is another excellent story of a spectral haunting at sea, perfectly constructed in and of itself.

Sir T. G. Jackson contributes THE LADY OF ROSEMOUNT, a rather brief and traditional ghost story that has a nice ruined setting to recommend it, despite going through the motions. John Gawsworth's HOW IT HAPPENED is extremely short and extremely unpleasant to boot, while Valery Bryusov's IN THE MIRROR is a Russian flight of fancy about a mirror-world occupied by trapped and desperate souls. 'CALLING MISS MARKER', by Joy Burnett, offers a spin on the childhood game of knock-door-run, one with a macabre and traditional twist.

Next up is Dick Donovan's A NIGHT OF HORROR, a haunted house effort featuring an exceedingly ghastly apparition; gory stuff indeed, and well judged with it. L.T.C. Rolt's THE SHOUTING is short, almost abstract, but manages to create a sense of weird eeriness that's up there with the genre at its best. If you know Sir Charles Birkin, you'll know he writes some of the cruellest stories ever, and THE HAPPY DANCERS – a story of brutal revenge during the Russian Revolution – is no exception. The inclusion of THE WEED MEN by William Hope Hodgson is a bit of a cheat, given that it's not a stand-alone story at all, but rather an action scene taken from the author's novel THE BOATS OF THE GLEN CARRIG. It's very good, though.

EYES FOR THE BLIND sees Frederick Cowles mixing the ghost and horror genres to good effect, with a medium's trip to Scotland leading to a series of gore murders. It's hard to fault and ticks all the right boxes. MR. ASH'S STUDIO features H. Russell Wakefield in familiar territory, but I found his story rather cold and superficial, not quite on par with the depth found in other stories by the author. Robert Haining's MONTAGE OF DEATH is short and abstract, with a climax guessable from the outset. Much better is Grant Allen's PALLINGHURST BARROW, from an author best known for his mystery stories. This is great stuff, and I loved the ancient history angle being brought to vibrant life.

RANDALLS ROUND is another haunted barrow effort, this time by Eleanor Scott, although it's less effective. E.H. Visiak's THE SKELETON AT THE FEAST is a brief macabre poem, but his MEDUSAN MADNESS is an overly abstract story set at an asylum which is all style over substance. A.C. Benson's OUT OF THE SEA is much better, about a stretch of coastline haunted by a spectral beast and an appropriately ghoulish back story. Great stuff, and R. Murray Gilchrist's WITCH IN-GRAIN, a shorter story of witchcraft written in an abstract style, can't hope to compete. The last story in the collection is M.R. James' THE EXPERIMENT and one of his lesser, most forgettable works, but just before that we get A.N.L. Munby's THE TUDOR CHIMNEY, a highlight of the collection; a haunted house tale with a twist and an absolutely gruesome outcome.

[Shawn]

PLACEHOLDER REVIEW

"The Experiment" is a short, overlooked piece by M.R. James - involving a man;s strange burial request, and an ambiguous way of contacting the dead. Not his best.

[Daniel Barlekamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly echoing what Graham already said. As Hugh Lamb writes in his introduction, many anthologies of classic ghost and horror stories include reprints of the same Poe and Bradbury stories, so it's nice to find a collection of stories you wouldn't otherwise stumble on.

The downside of anthologies is that they're usually a mixed bag. Fortunately most of the stories in this one are worth a read - some are good, some are rare, many are both. "In the Mirror" by Valery Brussov is a cool psychological horror story reminiscent of "The Yellow Wallpaper," while "The Tudor Chimney" by A.N.L. Munby is a traditional British ghost story with a nastier bite than many of its contemporaries. Low points for me include a couple duds that hang on violence for violence's sake without much by way of plot or atmosphere and a couple others that are 99% flowery language and 1% story.

All around a good tour of lesser-known stories by some forgotten authors, some of whom published only one or two stories during their lifetime. For fans of atmospheric Victorian and turn-of-the-century horror, perfect for the chilly time of year.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of short stories, but they were just too short