Review - The Pan Book of Horror Stories (Pan Giant)
Published by Pan Giant
Paperback - 200 pages
Published October 2010
Review copy received from Pan Macmillan
The Pan Book of Horror Stories is a collection of short stories that was original published in the 1950's. Here, they are presented in their original format (and with the same cover as back in the day). Such stories are Submerged, about a young boy who witnesses a tragic accident, Flies, which tells of a homeless man trapped inside a house that is plagued by demonic forces, and Raspberry Jam, a tale of insanity and the corruption of innocence.
First, it must be stated that the state of the horror genre now is not what it used to be. Though some elements in the stories would be frightening for the characters, they fail to frighten the reader. With a few exceptions, the compilation would not be classed as horror at all, since there are no elements of the supernatural. The vast majority of the stories focus on the prospect of insanity, which in modern terms would be considered a psychological thriller. Though this distinction does not belittle the quality of the writing, it shifts the mindset with which you enter into the stories.
Many stories can be seen to have striking similarities with modern movies. House of Horror puts me in mind of a blend of 'gore-porn' movies such as Saw and The Human Centipede. The emphasis on suspense as the descent into madness of one the characters is revealed is quite disturbing, and the payoff at the end is heartbreaking as well as horrific.
The Horror in the Museum is a Lovecraftian homage that effectively blends the perils of insanity with the terror of facing demonic forces. The slow build up and revelation again focuses on suspense, but the climax here fails to happen.
The Pan Book of Horror Stories is an excellent homage for the kind of writing found back then, but it doesn't hold much stock for the modern audience. Many of the stories seem drab and uninteresting where they try to build suspense rather than go for the shock factor. This just reflects the change in society. This is recommended if you grew up with this kind of fiction, or if you're interested to see how the genre has changed over the years. If you're looking for a scare, then this isn't going to cut it. Some stories are able to stand the test of time, forever relevant to its readers. Others become dated in the ever changing perceptions and social standards of people, and become bland when presented to a desensitized audience. This, sadly, is the latter.
ah, I always love short stories even though they're not so popular with the rest of the readers for some unknown reason.
ReplyDeleteI love the old take on horrors, they were more about atmosphere and suspense than about mindless gorefest.
There is some old time fiction that's definitely worth reading even if it has dated.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review :)
I admit I'm not a massive fan of horror so I likely won't be picking up this book any time soon, but thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI love that Pan put this book back into print - I mean super-duper-love. But yeah, that doesn't mean the content is great.
ReplyDeleteThe Horror in the Museum might be Lovecraft's single worst effort. (It actually is by him, he ghost-wrote it for Heald).
I am happy to see that Pan brings this book back into print. It is true that horror genre envolved so much, but it is a great effort to show the new readers how horror was at the time. Although I have to admit that not all the new horror is good :)
ReplyDeleteDez: Short stories are fine with me (though I do prefer my epic fantasy) but a lot of these ones just didn't do it for me. The suspense just wasn't heightened enough for me to get into it. Then again, I'm very desensitized by it all :P
ReplyDeleteLynda: I agree, there are some works that are pretty much timeless. I don't think this is one of them though, sadly. It's more of a work of nostalgia than anything else now.
Talli: To be honest, I'm not a huge horror fiction fan myself. I'm slowly coming round to the idea via post apocalyptic and zombie fiction, so time will tell if I'll convert.
Jared: Wow, it's an actual Lovecraft?! That's pretty cool. I've wanted to read Lovecraft for a while, and Horror at the Museum was one of the better stories in the book. This means I need to get my hands on the Necronomicon compendium!
Mihai: I'm not a fan of this new 'gore-porn' stuff that's becoming popular, and I think horror needs to go back to its more psychological roots. However, I've found I'm a product of my surroundings and the old school style of horror doesn't faze me. It was an enjoyable read, but not a scary one.