Richard Carpenter – The Ghosts Of Motley Hall

Richard Carpenter – The Ghosts Of Motley Hall (Puffin, 1977)

No one lives in the empty old mansion any more, but Motley Hall is still home to a thriving community of ghosts who are more than a match for any psychic investigators or building speculators who come nosing around. Another hilarious comedy by the author of Catweazle.

The specres of Sir George, Bodkin the clown, Sir Francis of the gambling addiction, Matt the stablelad and the White Lady learn that the Hall is to be sold and torn to the ground! It is not unlikely this plot was used more than once in the series.

They had their own song.

“Sing we all of Motley Hall
Motley Hall! Motley Hall!
Home for us whatever may befall!
Ding Dong! Ghosts All!”

R. Chetwynd-Hayes – The Monster Club

R. Chetwynd-Hayes – The Monster Club (Nel, March 1976: 1981)

Prologue
The Werewolf And The Vampire
Monster Club Interlude: 1
The Mock
Monster Club Interlude: 2
The Humgoo
Monster Club Interlude: 3
The Shadmock
Monster Club Interlude: 4
The Fly-by-Night
Epilogue

Dark and deep beneath the pavements of London’s Swallow Street, is the dark and dreadful place known as the monster club. Vampires and ghouls, Mocks and Shadmocks mingle with the macabre membership, lurking in the dark places, waiting to pounce on all that lives in the night …

A little man in a dirty raincoat faints in Charing Cross Road. When kindly Donald McCloud helps him to his feet, he complains of being famished. Donald takes him back to his flat for something to eat, but the old guy isn’t up for hot pot. He sinks his fangs into the young man’s jugular instead …

When he comes to, Donald finds the vampire has wrapped a towel around his neck to stop the flow of blood. The fellow’s name is Erasmus, and he’s a patron of the Monster Club: “Let me take you along as a guest, and if you like, I’ll put you up to the committee as a prospective member.” Donald isn’t so sure he’ll fit in, but soon finds himself ushered into a very happening dive. All the faces are there; the Bride of Frankenstein, assorted vampires, ghouls, aliens …

Erasmus introduces him to a miserable git named Manfred, a werevamp, who needs little encouragement to relate the sob story of how he came into being …

There’s a forum dedicated to all things The Monster Club and R. Chetwynd-Hayes at Loughville.

R. Chetwynd-Hayes – Dominique

R. Chetwynd-Hayes – Dominique (Universal, 1978)

This one began life as a short story, What Beckoning Ghost? by Harold Lawlor, published in Weird Tales (July 1948) and reprinted in Kurt Singer’s Ghost Omnibus (Nel/Four Square 1965, 1967). Edward and Valerie Abrahams then screen-played it for Amicus as Dominique, and RCH wrote the novelisation from their script.

In the Singer .. Omnibus, What Beckoning Ghost? runs for 14 closely-typed pages. Narrated by Don Haines, a chauffeur in the employ of widower Ballard Powell. Susan Powell committed suicide the previous year, convinced that she was losing her mind after a series of humiliating events culminating in her apparent theft of her sister-in-law’s bracelet. Now it is her husband who is losing his grip, haunted by Susan who seems set on revenge. But why should she terrorise him? Gradually, Haines learns the doomed Powell’s guilty secret …

Obviously, the story needed fleshing out to sustain a movie, and the Abrahams’ made a number of changes. The action is relocated from America to London in 1977 and all the principle characters have undergone name changes. The Powell’s are now the Ballards, David and Dominique, the chauffer is Tony and Ballard/ David’s sister, barely glimpsed in the original, has a meatier role as Ann, an aspiring sculptress. When the story opens, Dominique is still very much alive, although she’s recently sustained multiple fractures, seemingly as the result of an accidental fall downstairs. Husband David is all concern and understanding, but she already suspects him of trying to drive her insane, possibly in collusion with the domestic staff led by the openly hostile Mrs. Davis. The chauffer, obviously amiable Don Haines’ predecessor, also comes over as a conniving git. Unfortunately, Dominique is suffering from memory lapses, so maybe her suspicions are groundless and the effigy, made up to look like her and swinging from a noose, was maybe only a hanging basket after all. It’s not all bad news though: at least she has Ann to confide in …

Vincent Price Presents: The Price Of Fear

Vincent Price Presents: The Price Of Fear, Edited by Richard Davis (Everest, 1976)

Vincent Price – Vincent Price Presents …
John Dyas – Foreward
Richard Davis – A Few Words …

Rene Basilico – Fish
Roald Dahl – William And Mary
Stanley Ellin – Speciality Of The House
Bram Stoker – The Squaw
A. M. Burrage – The Waxwork
Elizabeth Morgan – Lot 132
William Ingram – Blind Man’s Buff
Richard Davis – Guy Fawkes Night

From the publishers of the elusive Ups & Downs Of A Handyman, Dr. Phibes collects his favourites from the BBC series he leant his name to back in the mid-’seventies. No big surprises, but this is a strong selection ranging in subject matter from high street cannibalism, medieval torture, haunted portraits and a bad night at the Chamber of Horrors. Pan Horror fiends will know all about Davis’s truly terrifying contribution from #4.