Masterpieces of Supernatural Literature
References to two of the undisputable highlights of horror literature, "Dracula" and "Frankenstein", have often been made in the textbooks used for our English Course, and this inevitably aroused the students' interest in learning something more about this literary genre. So how much more is there to supernatural literature than those two legendary works? With this article I hope to give a satisfactory answer to this question although this genre stretches well beyond those 10 pieces of literature I have chosen to present:
1. "The Turn of the Screw"
Author: Henry James; novella
Considered by many the ultimate ghost story, this novella is full of atmosphere and menace from the very beginning which never lets the reader loose until the open, very ambiguous, ending. A young baby-sitter is hired by a wealthy widower to look after his two children (a boy and a girl). Things look good until the nanny starts seeing two shadowy figures watching over the children in a not very friendly manner. The problem is that no one else seems to see those figures except her, and this frustrates her even more. Her inquiries among the other servants eventually lead to a clue: the nanny before her and the groom, who were lovers, disappear one day, during a stormy night, presumably drowned in the river after their carriage tumbles over. Their death remains uncertain, though, since their bodies were never found. Little by little the baby-sitter starts to suspect that these two are still alive, and plan to kidnap the children. In her attempts to protect the boy from the ghostly groom's approaches, she strangles him.
The ending leaves the reader to decide for him/herself: was the nanny mentally unstable, imagining the ghosts, or were those people real? And if they were real, why did no one else see them? Many articles, and even whole books, have been written analysing the ending of this great story. And this is probably one of its charms: leaving you to choose the ending which suits you, either which way doesn't spoil the impression from one of the true gems of horror fiction.
Cinema: There are two TV adaptations of the novella, both of them a bit heavy-handed and overlong, but highly recommended is Jack Clayton's feature "The Innocents", made in 1961: a marvelous translation of the book to the wide screen, a very scary black-and-white film which is definitely not for the faint-hearted, although there is not a single drop of blood shown, neither is there any trace of overt violence.
2. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson; novella
The man who wrote the children's classic "Treasure Island" had been tempted by the dark side of literature quite a few times, and had written some of its finest moments. Among them this one is his most famous, and arguably the best. I believe quite a few out there have heard of it, so here are just a few lines about the plot: the young doctor Jekyll is very ambitious, and is determined to prove himself as one of the best scientists of his time. His experiments lead him to discover a potion which makes one transform into a different creature, an alter ego of himself, but without any moral restrictions, in other words, "the beast in me" is let loose. Jekyll's tests on himself make him go from one state to the other more and more effortlessly as time goes by, until one night he is unable to go back to his normal self, and is forced to commit suicide under the police's advancements. Needless to say, as his wild self Mr. Hyde, he commits all kinds of atrocities (murder, rape, etc.), and the reader is kind of relieved at the end that the doctor dies putting an end to this wild ride which, under Stevenson's pen, comes with plenty of atmosphere.
Cinema: There are more than 30 adaptations of this mythical story, both for TV and the big screen, and among them there are at least two which are worth your attention: one is Rouben Mamoulian's silent black-and-white version, made in 1931; the other is Victor Fleming's (also "Gone with the Wind") film, slightly overlong and too verbose at times, made in 1941, also black-and-white, with a stellar cast featuring the legends Ingrid Bergman and Spencer Tracy as Jekyll/Hyde.
3. "The Spider" Author: Heinz Ewers; story
This twisted tale of madness and paranoia may leave you a bit disappointed at the end since there is not a very plausible explanation as to what exactly befalls the supposed victims. There is a room for rent in the centre of a small German town where several tenants commit a suicide in exactly the same way, hanging themselves from the ceiling. A big black spider is seen to crawl out of their mouths upon the discovery of their bodies. A young student is set on revealing the mystery, and rents the room in his own turn. He keeps a diary describing all the events during the days spent there, but one day he is found hung from the ceiling, too. In his diary he keeps accounts of seeing a beautiful girl on the other side of the street, in the building across his, who supposedly flirts with him combing her hair, sitting at the window, for prolonged stretches of time which fascinates the student to the point that he stops leaving the room only waiting for those distant "rendezvous" to take place. At some point he starts narrating about the girl looking to him more and more like a "giant spider". And a spider it is, coming out of his mouth when his corpse is found the morning after. The confusion grows even bigger when the investigation finds that there is no such girl living on the other side of the street...
Ewers, one of the masters of the psychological horror story, leaves quite a few of his stories open-ended, but unlike others, those ends leave some kind of an aftertaste, since the reader is never sure what to believe as the borderline between reality and fantasy is not drawn very clearly; neither is the borderline between a crime/mystery and horror/supernatural story. Still, this piece is a fully-engaging read all the way through, and its careful deliberate pace makes up for the lapses at the end.
Cinema: No one has tempted to adapt this story to the screen yet, and it's no wonder provided that the challenge would be too big with so few characters featured, and a predominant monologue based on a diary, which may be tough to present in a visually-involving way.
4. "The Sandman" Author: E.T.A. Hoffman; story
One of the finest works of terror fiction ever written, this ultimately macabre story, written by one of the true classicists of world literature, is hardly a secret being featured in numerous anthologies and collections, but for the less initiated, here is the plot: a young boy grows in an environment filled with fear and dread of an evil figure whom he encounters one night when he wakes up after hearing noises coming from the top of the house. This evil figure seems to be an assistant of his father in some dark deals which are never revealed. A short time after this occurrence his father dies, and the boy travels around Europe trying to find peace (and also a good job), and forget this excruciating experience. Unfortunately, this never happens as he repeatedly meets this wicked personality in various unpleasant circumstances which fatally lead to his death when he throws himself from a top of a tower after another encounter with his "nemesis".
Like in every good psychological horror story, the reader can never be sure whether the evil man is just a figment of the protagonist's imagination, or he really exists. Although Hoffman describes most of the events as genuine, the mental stability of the main character is questioned on a couple of moments throughout the story, leaving quite a room for sympathy for him, intentionally or not.
Cinema: It's quite surprising than no one has ever tried to put this grand story on screen. Translating Hoffman's inimitable style for cinema would by no means be the easiest task in the world, but out of the hands of a talented filmmaker, a film based on "The Sandman" would be a tour de force one may not easily forget.
5. "Holy Terror" Author: Ambrose Bierce; story
One of the most distinguished American horror writers, Ambrose Bierce had dedicated his literary output to the supernatural almost exclusively, if we exclude a couple of equally as intriguing tales of the unexpected (which some may find his better side). To choose the best of his stories would be not a very easy assignment, but this one seems to represent his evocative descriptive style quite well. Bierce is the definitive expert at evoking menacing evil atmosphere sticking to descriptions of scenery and landscapes for at least half the time, something which, coming out of the hands of a less talented writer, would be a pretty boring read, with not much real action involved. Fortunately, this is not the case here: two fellows are set on laying their hands on a treasure which is reportedly buried in a grave of a notorious witch, well deservedly known as "Holy Terror". One night they venture into the graveyard looking for the witch's grave, and they certainly find it, but what happens after that, I will not reveal here.
The immaculate description of the graveyard and its surroundings is what will terrify the reader above all, rather than the actual occurrence upon the digging of the witch's grave. Don't expect any mercy shown to the trespassers, though: their horrible end seems well deserved after all...
Cinema: There are several adaptations of Bierce's stories for TV, but not of this one. Well, maybe the right director hasn't been born yet...
6. "The Dinner of the Busts"
Author: Gaston Leroux; story
The writer's name by all means rings a bell: Gaston Leroux is the author of one of the most popular novels in literature, "The Phantom of the Opera", and also the creator of the eccentric detective Joseph Rultabuille, who is the French alternative to Sherlock Holmes, with great mystery works like "The Mystery of the Yellow Room" and "The Perfume of the Lady in Black". His short stories are not to be ignored, either, some of them true gems of terror fiction, frequently very scary, but also containing quite a bit of humour. In this particular case the humour comes pretty bitter, though: a man buys a house in the French countryside after retirement where he finds the peace and quiet he was looking for. One night he hears some signs of life at the adjacent house which reportedly belongs to a mysterious person who does not visit the place too often. He tries to learn more, but apart from peering intently into the windows from a distance, he can not see any people inside. Still, he has the uncanny feeling that his interest in the house has somehow been noticed by its "invisible" inhabitants. And, indeed, the next morning he finds a note at his gate, which is actually an invitation to dinner. He accepts the invitation, of course, and there he finds the answers to all his questions as well as much much more. To reveal the shattering climax of the story, though, would be a betrayal to the potential reader who is strongly advised to track down this obscure gem, and read it.
Cinema: Instead of indulging in hundreds of adaptations of "The Phantom of the Opera", some of which are simply laughable, the movie makers should make the effort and introduce some of Leroux's short stories to the audience: this one in particular would be an experience of a lifetime if made by the right people...
7. "Casting the Runes" Author: M.R.James; story
Widely regarded as the finest ghost story writer ever, this British writer had devoted his career entirely to this literary sub-genre, and almost each of his stories is a must-read for fans of the supernatural. In the one selected here a university professor is very skeptical about the existence of supernatural forces in life, and vehemently confronts every person who tries to convince him in the opposite, including having written numerous articles/books supporting his views. Still, his beliefs are put to the test big time by a satanist who is a master of runic magic (Runes are an ancient alphabet used by the old North European tribes may years ago, very powerful when used in casting spells), and is also a leader of a malicious devil-worshipping cult. A runic spell is cast over him which comes accompanied by an evil demon who chases the professor everywhere manifesting in different malevolent forms. The only way for the professor to fight the spell is to accept the belief in the supernatural, and defeat the satanist with his own "weapon".
Cinema: This story is the source for one of the best horror films ever made in Hollywood. Called "Night of the Demon", and made in 1957 by the famous director Jacques Tourneur (also "Cat People" and "White Zombie", another two great horror classics), this is a wonderful atmospheric black-and-white production which by modern standards may not be very scary, but in terms of story-telling has seldom been surpassed before and after.
8. "The Listener" Author: Algernon Blackwood; story
Algernon Blackwood's output includes mostly works of the supernatural and the fantastic, many of which can be regarded as classics, but this one seems to be his finest achievement. It's a ghost story in its core, but there is quite a bit of a psychological ground covered as well: a man rents a room in a house, and soon after he moves in, he starts hearing noises coming from the floor above him. At the beginning he is unable to discover any physical presence, but gradually he becomes aware that there is another tenant upstairs, and that this tenant may not be feeling very well. His attempts to meet him face to face, however, remain fruitless, although he feels his presence in many ways around the house. The real trouble begins when the protagonist starts to feel that he is getting his shadowy "companion”’s disease, and this is when his determination to meet him grows too big, leading to the story's culmination, which is predictable, but compelling nonetheless.
Cinema: Very few are the works of Blackwood which have captured the attention of the filmmakers, so this nice creepy story is still waiting for its cinematic potential to be discovered...
9. "Shadow over Insmouth"
Author: H.P.Lovecraft; novella
One of the biggest legends of horror, Lovecraft is responsible for one of the most engaging pieces of the art, and despite his frequent tendency to overwrite, his works remain some of the most anthologized and cited/quoted up to the present day, with many books written about his literary output, including several biographies. This long short story starts with a man who goes to an isolated town situated somewhere on the American North-East coast. What attracts him to this remote place will become clear later, as well as why he can not see any people on the streets during the day, although he can certainly feel many eyes watching him from the houses around. As the night closes in, he starts seeing presences outside the dwellings, but he kind of tries to avoid being seen by them due to the increasing feeling of dread in the air. He eventually comes across an old man who looks quite normal compared to the other semi-crawling semi-growling creatures, and the old man tells him the story of the town: the inhabitants had sold their souls to the god of the sea Dagon who gave them wealth and abundance, but requires human sacrifices to keep the riches flowing. Consequently the humans start to gradually turn into ugly fish-like mutants who are determined to keep their secret at all costs. Our main character has to run for his life, of course, and miraculously manages to escape his lethal fate, although at the end it becomes clear that he is a distant descendant of these creatures, and that "blood is thicker than water". A bit disappointing, isn't it? Don't worry: there is plenty of suspense and twists before the end to satisfy even the most pretentious readers.
Cinema: The master of horror cinema Stuart Gordon (also "Re-Animator", "From Beyond", all very good Lovecraft adaptations), who is obviously fascinated with Lovecraft, brought us "Dagon" in 2001, a pretty faithful, and also very cool, cinematic take on this story, a very entertaining roller-coaster with a few slight borrowings from other Lovecraft stories, all of them appropriate.
10. "The Great God Pan"
Author: Arthur Machen; novella
Another representative of the horrific and the fantastic, Arthur Machen will be mostly remembered for this partly science-fiction/partly horror/partly mystery short novel which deals with the topic of artificial insemination way before it was brought into the light officially by the scientists. So a scientist experiments with artificial insemination mixing the genes of a prostitute and a criminal to produce a very beautiful femme fatale who brings death to every man who comes into an intimate contact with her. She doesn't kill those men directly, but they suffer horrible deaths in various shapes which never lead to the girl as the actual murderer. This mystifies the police inspectors quite a lot, until one civil man finally starts putting two and two together connecting the accidents to the girl. Her arrest, however, is not very easy since she seems to have supernatural powers, and is somehow connected to the Great God Pan: an ancient god worshipped by the Celts, an old European tribe, who could supposedly be seen by some more psyche-gifted people at special places in the woods/mountains. The ending is as apocalyptic as the topic suggests, and is far from the happiest ones one gets used to in most of the horror stories. Still, the involving, maybe at times quite detailed, narrative and the deepening mystery guarantee a compulsive read, including the final revelation about the secret ingredient the scientist had used during the process of artificial insemination which explains a lot at the end about the girl’s wicked character.
Cinema: Not an adaptation for the screen for this horror classic yet; which is a shame, really. Those who are interested in a similar subject, may want to check the several films about "Alraune", based on a Heinz Ewers novel, all of them quite good, by the way (1927, 1930, and one titled "Unnatural" made in 1952), although based on a novel one may expect a more stretched version of the theme, with a lot of digressions.
Please, don't shoot the messenger... sorry, the author, for not including your favourites Stephen King or Dean Koontz, but as you can see the emphasis is strictly on the classic works which have served as a base for all the contemporary novels you enjoy nowadays. Everyone learns from the masters, you know... And apologies for the deliberate omission of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe; but since every kindergarten child is well familiar with his works down to the very beginning, I found it appropriate to leave him in peace. So what else is left to say, except: good hunting for those gems which will give you more than just a few shivers down the spine! You've been warned...
Yours Scientifically Untrue,
Baron Frankenstein
