Well, that escalated quickly...
The only published novel by Mendal W. Johnson (he wrote 8 or 9 which went unpublished (source: Grady Hendrix - 2020 Valancourt edition introduction)) doesn't mess around. Forget the slow and steady plot devices of some horror novels which build tension and suspense over chapter after chapter. No. Johnson dips his characters into the melting pot straight away and the story is all the more better for it.
The freshly new minted edition published by Valancourt Books in 2020 as part of the second wave of Paperbacks from Hell reprints is all a horror enthusiast could want and includes a bonus intro by Paperback From Hell author Grady Hendrix.
Brenda is a picture perfect image of beauty, youth, and vitality, hired by the Adams' parentals to babysit their children (Cindy 10 and Bobby 13) for a few days while they travel out of town. Who could've predicted a child's game among Cindy's and Bobby's friends could turn so very adult. Certainly not Brenda - who, in no time at all is gagged, tied, stripped naked, and at the mercy of Brenda, Cindy, and their group of friends.
Other reviews of this book have mentioned that the events (particularly the later stages) will haunt the reader long after they've turned the last page of Let's Go Play at the Adams', and after finally getting to read the book (originally published in 1974) I echo this; this book is a sojourn down the torrid path of depravity in which horror bleeds into the literary realm leaving a long lasting coppery taste of blood in the mouth of the reader.
No comments:
Post a Comment