Realms of Darkness

by Mary Danby, Christopher Lee (Introduction), Martin Amis

Nightmarish tales of the supernatural and macabre, introduction by Christopher Lee.

Contents:
• Introduction (Realms of Darkness) • essay by Christopher Lee
• Denton's Death • (1976) • short story by Martin Amis
• In the Slaughteryard • (1890) • short story by Anonymous
• The Dead Man of Varley Grange • (1878) • by uncredited [as by Anonymous]
• Footsteps Invisible • (1940) • short story by Robert Arthur
• The Thing in the Hall • (1912) • short story by E.F. Benson
• The Boarded Window • (1889) • short story by Ambrose Bierce
• The Mannikin • (1937) • short story by Robert Bloch
• They Bite • (1943) • short story by Anthony Boucher
• The Demon Lover • (1941) • short story by Elizabeth Bowen
• The Crown Derby Plate • (1933) • short story by Marjorie Bowen
• Blind Man's Hood • (1937) • short story by John Dickson Carr
• The Door • (1973) • short story by R. Chetwynd-Hayes
• The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael • (1933) • by Agatha Christie
• Blackberries • (1983) • short story by Roger Clarke
• The Moon Web • (1978) • short story by Adrian Cole
• The Horror of Abbot's Grange • (1936) • short story by Frederick Cowles
• The Screaming Skull • (1908) • novelette by F. Marion Crawford
• Pig • (1959) • short story by Roald Dahl
• The Extra Passenger • (1947) • short story by August Derleth
• The Witch's Bone • (1963) • short story by William Croft Dickinson
• The Four-Fifteen Express • (1866) • novelette by Amelia B. Edwards
• The Haunted Haven • (1972) • short story by A.E. Ellis
• The Sexton's Adventure • [Ghost Stories of Chapelizod • 3] • (1851) • short story by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
• The Black Ferry • (1935) • by John Galt *variant of The Book of Life (1831)
• Friends • (1976) • short story by Catherine Gleason
• Where the Woodbine Twineth • (1964) • by Davis Grubb *variant of You Never Believe Me
• Waking or Sleeping • (1978) • short story by Willis Hall
• Someone in the Lift • (1955) • short story by L.P. Hartley
• The Peculiar Case of Mrs. Grimmond • (1973) • by Dorothy K. Haynes
• The Trapdoor • (1936) • short story by C.D. Heriot
• An Invitation to the Hunt • (1960) • short story by George Hitchcock
• Taboo • (1939) • novelette by Geoffrey Household
• Guests from Gibbet Island • (1839) • short story by Washington Irving
• The Book • (1930) • short story by Margaret Irwin
• The Three Sisters • (1914) • short story by W.W. Jacobs
• The Haunted Dolls' House • (1923) • short story by M.R. James
• The Yellow Cat • (1924) • short story by Michael Joseph
• The Reaper's Image • (1969) • short story by Stephen King
• Soldier Key • [Brigadier Ffellowes] • (1968) • novelette by Sterling E. Lanier
• The Sanguivites • (1975) • short story by Kay Leith
• Hybrid • (1934) • short story by L.A. Lewis
• The Black Druid • (1930) • short story by Frank Belknap Long
• The Tomb of Sarah • (1900) • short story by F.G. Loring
• The Skeleton Hand • (1894) • short story by Agnes MacLeod
• The Man from Glasgow • (1947) • short story by W. Somerset Maugham
• The Hostelry • (1923) • by Guy de Maupassant *translation of L'auberge (1886)
• The Phantom of the Lake • (1886) • short story by Edmund Mitchell
• The Thing in the Upper Room • (1910) • short story by Arthur Morrison
• The Tell-Tale Heart • (1843) • short story by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Demon King • (1931) • short story by J.B. Priestley
• Peekaboo • (1979) • short story by Bill Pronzini
• The Black Lake • short story by Tony Richards
• The Red Turret • (1931) • by Christine Campbell Thomson [as by Flavia Richardson]
• Intercom • (1980) • short story by Agnes Short
• Examination Day • (1958) • short story by Henry Slesar
• The Devil's Ape • (1933) • short story by Barnard Stacey
• The Judge's House • (1891) • short story by Bram Stoker
• Dengué Fever • (1975) • short story by Paul Theroux
• Message for Margie • (1964) • short story by Christine Campbell Thomson
• Harry • (1955) • short story by Rosemary Timperley
• Lucky's Grove • (1940) • short story by H. Russell Wakefield
• Tarnhelm • (1929) • short story by Hugh Walpole
• The Tibetan Box • (1965) • short story by Elizabeth Walter
• The Sea-Raiders • (1896) • short story by H.G. Wells
• A Thin Gentleman with Gloves • (1943) • by August Derleth [as by Simon West]
• The Case of the Haunted Chateau •[Neils Orsen] • (1943) • by Dennis Wheatley

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies

793 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Christopher Lee's engaging foreword to that sneaky last story, I thoroughly enjoyed this. As a consistent buyer of anthologies (SF, horror, or gothic), I know these things can occasionally be hit and miss, but Mary Danby did a wonderful job with her selection process. Most stories cater to my fetish of choice when it comes to horror yarns: the gothic story. Some stories unravel much the same way my childhood comic book favorites from the early to mid-seventies did: stories that took place in old, decrepit, and abandoned mansions with a haunted past were the staple of The House of Mystery and The House of Secrets from the DC Comics stable. And this Anglophile clearly appreciates how most of the contributors are English, and writing from the Victorian period, an era that craved a good gothic story: the 18th to early 19th century. And yet one of the best, if not The Best contribution here, and one I've already read in another anthology, is by none other than Stephen King! Still, it's curious to note the palpable absence of horror writer extraordinaire H.P. Lovecraft and ye olde ghost storyteller Lafcadio Hearn in this collection. And a shame to have excluded Edith Wharton, who writes the tidiest, most poignant ghost stories, and Isak Dinesen, who weaves imaginatively beautiful gothic fairy tales. And yet somehow, two science fiction stories, one of which I've read, seen, and appreciated on a Twilight Zone episode, made it to the list.

I can't believe I'm actually taking the time to list down each title here, with my corresponding reaction. A filtering process, and something I do only with books I intend to read again. The chronology for the table of contents is alphabetically-based by author, but I read the stories at random, and in no particular order. Engaging reads get a check mark, the good ones get a star, and the excellent ones get two stars. Curiously, I gravitated to the longer stories. There is something to be said about details and well-fleshed out characters, after all.

1) Denton's Death by Martin Amis - Forgettable.
2) In the Slaughteryard by Anonymous - Forgettable.
3) The Dead Man of Varley Grange by Anonymous - Engaging, even if you do see how it's eventually going to end. If I were a cartoonist, this would have been so easy to translate to a comics version. Check mark.
4) Footsteps Invisible by Robert Arthur - A fantastic, but well-crafted story about a very observant street vendor. This story would have been perfect for Rod Serling's Twilight Zone series of the 60s, or Spielberg's Amazing Stories of the 80s. One star.
5) The Potter's Art by Denys Val Baker - forgettable
6) The Thing in the Hall by E.F. Benson - I expected much from this one, E.F. Benson. The plot is straight out of H.P. Lovecraft. And yet, forgettable.
7) The Boarded Window by Ambrose Bierce - A very creepy piece by Bierce, with a phrase which I initially thought involved necrophilia! The story is undecipherable and by no means forgettable, but I can always try.
8) The Mannikin by Robert Bloch - Another tale that could have been spawned, but in this case, probably inspired by, H.P. Lovecraft. Forgettable, in spite of the gore.
9) They Bite by Anthony Boucher - This one belongs to a science fiction anthology. Where it would still be filed under forgettable.
10) The Demon Lover by Elizabeth Bowen - The understated, well-built up tension gets this a check mark.
11) The Crown Derby Plate by Marjorie Bowen - A fascinating yarn, with vivid country imagery, of an afternoon in the life of an antique collector.
12) The Kite by Christianna Brand - Minutes before it ends, you realize it won't be pretty. But it's too late to stop now, is it? Check mark!
13) Blind Man's Hood by John Dickson Carr - A whodunnit horror story, neatly narrated, and very neatly ended. Two stars for the storytelling.
14) The Door by R. Chetwynd-Hayes - An old-school horror story about an antique door as portal to another time, written in very good prose. Two stars.
15) The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael by Agatha Christie - The title sounds like another H.P. Lovecraft yarn. But the tale is told and takes place in the traditional British gothic setting, with the old ancestral mansion, a young, titled heir, young, titled heir's betrothed, an exotic, evil stepmother. And a cat. From the onset, the reader sees the problem. Dense protagonists see it a page or two before the conclusion. Check mark.
16) Blackberries by Roger Clarke - Tedious and forgettable.
17) The Moon Web by Adrian Cole - Moonlit human sacrifices to a giant spider? Too zany, it needs to be forgettable.
18) The Horror of Abbot's Grange by Frederick Cowle - I've read this gothic staple before. And because it has all the elements of a proper gothic story but no more room for unpredictability, it gets a check mark.
19) The Screaming Skull by F. Marion Crawford - Good campfire-type storytelling by the protagonist, a garrulous old salt who tries, but fails miserably, to rationalize the incredible antics of an equally loquacious skull. It sounds cartoonish (and perfect for DC's horror genre), but this gave me nightmares as I napped mid-read. One star.
20) Pig by Roald Dahl - A weird and ridiculous contribution but nothing out of the extraordinary, since it's by Roald Dahl. Pretty forgettable, though.
21) Robbie by Mary Danby - Disturbing. I don't think it belongs here.
22) The Extra Passenger by August Derleth - This fascinating warlocks on trains kind of story earns a check mark.
23) The Witch's Bone by William Croft Dickinson - A good yarn, and one that would have been very eligible for The Twilight Zone. Check mark.
24) The Four-Fifteen Express by Amelia B. Edwards - The story is very Agatha Christie in concept and execution, except this one's a whoddunit-ghost story hybrid. But true to Christie's form, it takes place in private train compartments, train stations, weekend country houses, and a board room. The reader is able to piece things together long before the protagonist does. Two stars.
25) The Haunted Haven by A.E. Ellis - An interesting yarn about a haunted bay when the south-wind calls. One star.
26) The Sexton's Adventure by Sheridan le Fanu - I've read this one more than once, as it's always a staple in gothic collections. Check mark, because the reread was still worth it.
27) The Black Ferry by John Galt - A story about stormy crossings and retribution gets this a check mark.
28) Friends by Catherine Gleason - One of the more modern stories here, which seems to have taken place during London's swinging sixties. That it reminds me of Stephen King's Strawberry Spring--there lies the appeal. Check mark!
29) The Circus by Winston Graham - The plot focuses on a flashback, a coming-of-age story as narrated by a gardener at a country estate. Its horrific implications gain this one star.
30) Where the Woodbine Twineth by Davis Grubb - Creepy. Perfect fodder for an episode in Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, circa the sixties. One star.
31) Waking or Sleeping by Willis Hall - Creepy and disturbing. Nightmare-invoking. Check mark.
32) Someone in the Lift by A.P. Hartley - Forgettable.
33) The Peculiar Case of Mrs Grimmond by Dorothy K. Haynes - I wanted so much to like this. But apart from the title, there wasn't much to impressed by it. Forgettable.
34) The Trapdoor by C.D. Heriot - Forgettable.
35) The Day of Reckoning by Patricia Highsmith - Unimpressive and forgettable. And disappointing--I expected better from Patricia Highsmith!
36) An Invitation to the Hunt by George Hitchcock - This one's reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. Check mark.
37) Taboo by Geoffrey Household - Werewolf meets Hannibal Lecter in the Carpathian mountains. Two stars for the storytelling prowess of the narrator, Shiravieff.
38) Guests from Gibbet Island by Washington Irving - Unwanted guests from the man who gave us The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the headless horseman! Check mark.
39) The Book by Margaret Irwin - A story with the necessary elements to incite fear. Even a fear of approaching a bookshelf to choose a book. Check mark.
40) The Three Sisters by W.W. Jacobs - Forgettable for its lack of a compelling plot.
41) The Haunted Dolls' House by M.R. James - A creepy, if fantastic contribution by another regular gothic contributor. Check mark.
42) The Yellow Cat by Michael Joseph - So forgettable.
43) The Reaper's Image by Stephen King - I've read this short short story before, and yet it hasn't watered down my amazement at how he concludes the story. This one's the best in the batch. King is king, in this here realm. Two stars!
44) Soldier Key by Sterling E. Lanier - The story begins like a Joseph Conrad novel: four men on a boat tramping around the Caribbean. The island stopovers and conversations sound like snippets from the South Pacific-set short stories of Somerset Maugham. But once you grasp what our sailors are really up against, you realize you were in Jules Verne territory all this time. This and Hybrid compete for the most fantastic story in the collection. But if there was a comic book based on this story, I would buy it in a heartbeat! One star.
45) The Sanguivites by Kay Leith - Literally, suburban hell. One star.
46) Hybrid by L.A. Lewis - A ridiculous plot saved by good storytelling. Check mark.
47) The Black Druid by Frank Belknap Long - Short and scary. Check mark.
48) The Tomb of Sarah by F.G. Loring - Another ancient gothic extravaganza I've read before. Archaic, long-winded, and sigh, predictable. Check mark.
49) The Skeleton Hand by Agnes McLeod - Archaic, quaint storytelling. Check mark.
50) The Man from Glasgow by W. Somerset Maugham - I've read this before, and wish my favorite writer had written (a bit) more of the same. Creepy. Check mark.
51) The Hostelry by Guy de Maupassant - Another tale I've already read from another collection. I'm a fan of de Maupassant, but this story doesn't do it for me. Forgettable,
52) The Phantom of the Lake by Edmund Mitchell - Good yarn, with an ice skater in lieu of a banshee. Check mark.
53) The Thing in the Upper Room by Arthur Morrison - Good, if predictable gothic fare. Check mark.
54) The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe - I'm not really a fan of Poe. But this is one of his good ones. Check mark.
55) The Demon King by J.B. Priestley - The devil really is in the details, especially in theater. One star!
56) Peekaboo by Bill Pronzini - The most forgettable story here.
57) The Black Lake by Tony Richards - This story must have been inspired by that Creepshow episode, The Raft. But this one's just ridiculous. And forgettable!
58) The Red Turret by Flavia Richardson - The plot would have worked with better storytelling. But as it is, best to forget this one.
59) Intercom by Agnes Short - I can't resist anything that remotely offers a glimpse into time travel. Check mark.
60) Examination Day by Henry Slesar - I've come across this one many times. And it's very good, for a science fiction collection. I just think it doesn't belong here. One star.
61) The Devil's Ape by Barnard Stacey - Extremely forgettable.
62) The Judge's House by Bram Stoker - Good storytelling, but the plot is thin. I expected better from the man who gave us Dracula! One star.
63) Polish the Lid by Terry Tapp - Forgettable.
64) Evening Flight by Alan Temperley - Comeuppance-for-arrogance alert for this story of a hunting trip gone awry. Check mark.
65) Dengue Fever by Paul Theroux - The storytelling, the setting, and the plot make this the one story here that could most likely be true, or at least inspired by true events. Paul Theroux weaves a good, believable story. One star.
66) Message for Margie by Christine Campbell Thomson - A plot that could have worked in the hands of a better storyteller. Forgettable.
67) Harry by Rosemary Timperley - Creepy. And disturbing because it involves the disappearance of a child. Check mark.
68) Lucky's Grove by H.R. Wakefield - The Grandest Guignol of a story in this collection. Check mark.
69) Tarnhelm by Hugh Walpole - Captivating, classic gothic fare by a classic gothic writer. One star.
70) The Tibetan Box by Elizabeth Walter - The ending was a bit far-fetched, but I'll always recall this each time I consider an antique purchase. One star.
71) The Sea Raiders by H.G. Wells - Giant squid seeking mayhem. Ho-hum.
72) A Thin Gentleman with Gloves by Simon West - Retribution is best delivered by thin gents with a penchant for gloves. Check mark.
73) The Case of the Haunted Chateau by Dennis Wheatley - Engrossing yarn with a riveting, sobering ending. One star.

[Shawn]

PLACEHOLDER REVIEWS

Frank Belknap Long's "The Black Druid" features a timid archeologist who, while at the library, happens to don the wrong overcoat from the rack and find himself transformed into a loathsome, evil thing. It's short, thin, kinda cute, but not much to it.

In "The Demon King" by J.B. Priestley, a pantomime actor, notable for playing Mephistopheles, has one weakness - he indulges in drink a bit too much. And in this instance, that calls for the appearance of an "understudy" no one expected... and who seems to be REALLY enjoying himself. A delightful little piece of low-key comedic dark fantasy.

Flavia Richardson's (aka Christine Campbell Thomson's) "The Red Turret" Roy Erringham, late of Canada, takes possession of his family estate in Britain but he and his wife discover a supernatural danger from the past when they open the room in the titular site. Well, this is mechanically written with no style or atmosphere - essentially, an example of early British pulp, "writing to order". Pass.

[Nilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This title's opened up my mind to the world of Mary Danby's excellent anthologies: eclectic collection of stories combining the old and the not-so-old school - since it was published back in the (now-faraway) year of 1985.

It's a shame this didn't make into my luggage when moving for good from England to Brazil - but it's already in my 'to buy again' list since I've never got to read it from end to end. But I guess that's the way it's supposed to be (also the funniest way): you pick up this or that story based on criteria as varied as an author you read before; a title that appeals to your taste; a film that you watched about that same short story and so on.

If I were to point out a few favourites (so far) I wouldn't hesitate to name:

Footsteps Invisible Robert Arthur - What a fantastic use of narrative!

The Kite - Christianna Brand (about the perils of isolation a sociopathy)

The Door R. Chetwynd-Hayes (also fantastically presented in the Excellent Amicus Production Anthology "From Beyond The Grave" - but on either format Chetwynd-Hayes transports you to that dreadful blue room.

Blackberries - Roger Clarke (a very child-unfriendly approach by the author of the Boogey Man legend)

[★ Liane ★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! 62 Stories of Nightmarish Tales of the Supernatural and Macabre! Stories from Edgar Allan Poe, M.R. James, Bram Stoker, Robert Bloch, Stephen King and more! Wow! You must have this! I regretted selling my copy! huh! I guess I should look for another copy to be on my collection!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.18⭐



Realms of Darkness 1988 Edition
Introduction (1985) • essay • Christopher Lee 4.5⭐
Denton's Death • (1976) • Martin Amis 3.25⭐
In the Slaughteryard • (1890) • Anonymous 3.5⭐
The Dead Man of Varley Grange • (1878) • Anonymous 5⭐
Footsteps Invisible • (1940) • Robert Arthur 5⭐
The Potter's Art • Denys Val Baker 3.5⭐
The Thing in the Hall • (1912) • E. F. Benson 5⭐
The Boarded Window • (1889) • Ambrose Bierce 4⭐
The Mannikin • (1937) • Robert Bloch 4.25⭐
They Bite • (1943) • Anthony Boucher 4.25⭐
The Demon Lover • (1941) • Elizabeth Bowen 4.5⭐
The Crown Derby Plate • (1933) by Marjorie Bowen 4⭐
The Kite • Christianna Brand 5⭐
Blind Man's Hood • (1937) • John Dickson Carr 4.5⭐
The Door • (1973) • R. Chetwynd-Hayes 5⭐
The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael • (1933) • Agatha Christie 5⭐
Blackberries • (1983) • Roger Clarke 3.25⭐
The Moon Web • (1978) • Adrian Cole 4.5⭐
The Horror of Abbot's Grange • (1936) • Frederick Cowles 3.25⭐
The Screaming Skull • (1908) • F. Marion Crawford 4.25⭐
Pig • (1959) • Roald Dahl 5⭐
Robbie • Mary Danby 4⭐
The Extra Passenger • (1947) • August Derleth 3.5⭐
The Witch's Bone • (1963) • William Croft Dickinson 3.5⭐
The Four-Fifteen Express • (1866) • Amelia B. Edwards 4⭐
The Haunted Haven • (1972) • A. E. Ellis 4.25⭐
The Sexton's Adventure • [Ghost Stories of Chapelizod • 3] • (1851) • Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu 3.5⭐
The Black Ferry • (1935) • John Galt (variant of The Book of Life 1831) 4⭐
Friends • (1976) • Catherine Gleason 4⭐
The Circus • Winston Graham 4.5⭐
Where the Woodbine Twineth • (1964) • Davis Grubb (variant of You Never Believe Me) 5⭐
Waking or Sleeping • (1978) • Willis Hall 4⭐
Someone in the Lift • (1955) • L. P. Hartley 4.5⭐
The Peculiar Case of Mrs. Grimmond • (1973) • Dorothy K. Haynes 4.25⭐
The Trapdoor • (1936) • C. D. Heriot 3.25⭐
The Day of Reckoning • Patricia Highsmith 4⭐
An Invitation to the Hunt • (1960) • George Hitchcock 3.5⭐
Taboo • (1939) • Geoffrey Household 4.5⭐
Guests from Gibbet Island • (1839) • Washington Irving 4.5⭐
The Book • (1930) • Margaret Irwin 4.25⭐
The Three Sisters • (1914) • W. W. Jacobs 3.5⭐
The Haunted Dolls' House • (1923) • M. R. James 3⭐
The Yellow Cat • (1924) • Michael Joseph 4⭐
The Reaper's Image • (1969) • Stephen King 3⭐
Soldier Key • [Brigadier Ffellowes] • (1968) • Sterling E. Lanier 5⭐
The Sanguivites • (1975) • Kay Leith 3⭐
Hybrid • (1934) • L. A. Lewis 5⭐
The Black Druid • (1930) • Frank Belknap Long 3.25⭐
The Tomb of Sarah • (1900) • F. G. Loring 5⭐
The Skeleton Hand • (1894) • Agnes MacLeod 3.5⭐
A Man from Glasgow • (1947) • W. Somerset Maugham 4⭐
The Hostelry • (1923) • Guy de Maupassant (trans. of L'auberge 1886) 4⭐
The Phantom of the Lake • (1886) • Edmund Mitchell 4.25⭐
The Thing in the Upper Room • (1910) • Arthur Morrison 5⭐
The Tell-Tale Heart • (1843) • Edgar Allan Poe 5⭐
The Demon King • (1931) • J. B. Priestley 3.25⭐
Peekaboo • (1979) • Bill Pronzini 5⭐
The Black Lake • (1985) • Tony Richards 5⭐
The Red Turret • (1931) • Christine Campbell Thomson [as by Flavia Richardson] 3⭐
Intercom • (1980) • Agnes Short 3.25⭐
Examination Day • (1958) • Henry Slesar 4.25⭐
The Devil's Ape • (1933) • Barnard Stacey 5⭐
The Judge's House • (1891) • Bram Stoker 4⭐

Stories included in the 1985 Edition but omitted in the 1988 Edition
Dengué Fever • (1975) • Paul Theroux (variant of Dengue Fever) 5⭐
Message for Margie • (1964) • Christine Campbell Thomson 4⭐
Harry • (1955) • Rosemary Timperley 5⭐
Lucky's Grove • (1940) • H. Russell Wakefield 3.5⭐
Tarnhelm • (1929) •Hugh Walpole 4.5⭐
The Tibetan Box • (1965) • Elizabeth Walter 4⭐
The Sea-Raiders • (1896) • H. G. Wells 5⭐
A Thin Gentleman with Gloves • (1943) • August Derleth [Simon West] 4.5⭐
The Case of the Haunted Chateau • [Neils Orsen] • (1943) • Dennis Wheatley 5⭐

[Elena Romanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of the stories are really spooky, usually it is not the case for the likes of me.:) Maybe it helped that I read this book in an old house, with wind howling, fields and marshes around. Any way I could relate to many subjects of the stories, feeling jumpy even making night trips to the bathroom. So I highly recommend this book. Don't forget to read the introduction by Christopher Lee, it is worth of reading too.

[Steve Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve a pretty fair sized collection of short story horror fiction – all 30 volumes of The Pan Book of Horror Stories, all 17 of the Fontana Books of Horror Stories, all 20 Fontana Books of Ghost Stories, plus the 10 or so geographically centred horror collections they issued; and many others edited by the likes of Hugh Lamb and Mary Danby. In the 1970s and 1980s Octopus Books issued some great collections (sometimes under the St Michael banner) – Chamber of Horrors, Haunting Ghost Stories and the one that remains my favourite - Tales From Beyond The Grave. These and others, including their various '65 Great' (Tales of the Supernatural/Tales of Horror/Spine Chillers/Murder Mysteries) all get me excited as I look over at them sitting on my shelf awaiting a rainy, thundery night to be re-opened. I’ve many others.

I make this long and dull preamble not to say, ooh, look what I’ve got, but merely to say that I am able to compare this book with many other collections. I personally found this one to be one of the dullest of the lot. Some of the others had striking covers and atmospheric line drawings. Here, we have a photograph of Christopher Lee on the cover - because he wrote the introduction. Sorry, I love Christopher Lee and Hammer films, but compared to the look of the other books it's very unimaginative!

But to the content, and we’re talking here of probably the thickest of all the Octopus collections with 73 stories and coming in at nearly 800 pages, but again it has to be one of the most disappointing. I’ve not the greatest memory, so ever since I started reading - over 40 years ago, I’ve kept a record of every novel and short story I’ve ever read. I give a mark out of 10 and write 2-3 sentences on plot and my opinion. Basically 8-10 marks is top drawer, 7 is good, 6 is just about passable, and 5 or less are stories I didn’t much care for at all! Of the 73 stories here, I only gave 4 top drawer status and 17 stories the mark of 7 – meaning that a whopping 52 stories held little or no interest. Atmosphere is probably my key ingredient for a good horror story – hence my love of Hammer films; but to reach top drawer status I want originality and a good story, and characterisation (an element sadly missing in much of the genre). What do I dislike? I hate tired old much repeated concepts – top of the list would be the ghost story involving a haunted house and the victims (often warned, but ignoring advice) being told later (if they've survived) via a long and deadly dull story of how the house came to be haunted – often by the very person who warned them off in the first place but who for some unknown reason refused to elaborate. The 'Ooh, you don't want to be going there...' claptrap! There is much here that I found dull.

For me, the 4 best stories were:-

The Four-Fifteen Express (by Amelia B. Edwards). A man is mystified when everyone denies seeing a man he was with. So much better and elaborate than the more standard ‘ghost’ story in that there’s character, atmosphere, story, and above all genuine mystery here. It has the feel of a crime story.

The Circus (Winston Graham). Two brothers meet after many years; one tells the other of a murder he witnessed as a child - but told no one. This is a finely atmospheric character piece which flows beautifully. Not sure about the end would be my little caveat.

The Yellow Cat (Micael Joseph). A yellow cat brings a gambler luck, but in a temper the gambler does something he regrets. Just a good atmospheric tale.

The Tell-Tale Heart (Edgar Allan Poe). Yes, this much anthologised but hugely atmospheric old chestnut is here.

I won’t go into detail of the 17 other good stories that I liked, but they’re from Robert Arthur, Robert Bloch, Agatha Christie, Roger Clarke, Frederick Cowles, Mary Danby (who also edited this collection and is usually more reliable), August Derleth, A. E. Ellis, Catherine Gleason, Dorothy K. Haynes, W. W. Jacobs, Sterling E. Lanier, Kay Leith, Henry Slezar, Bram Stoker, Paul Theroux and Rosemary Timperley.

There are plenty of other collections I would choose before this rather disappointing one.

[Halli Villegas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to find these older horror anthologies, especially when they have a lot of stories I have never read or authors I've never heard of. This one ticked both boxes with the added bonus of a syoy by Stephen King that was new to me and was the only story of his I have read to date that he we'd closely to traditional ghost story tropes.

[kevin taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Robert Arthur story 'Footsteps Invisible ' is worth the price of entry alone. Otherwise lots of good retro horror.

[Angela Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyable