Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco

 

(pb; 1973)

From the back cover

“Marian Rolfe, her husband Ben and their 12-year-old son David find a neglected mansion that can be theirs for the summer. It all seems absolutely perfect, but there is one hitch. . .”

 

Review

Marasco’s slow-build, low-key horror tale about a malevolent house slowly tearing a family apart is good, its relatable characters, descriptions of the house falling somewhere between a then-modern (early Seventies) feel with a touch of late nineteenth-century/early twentieth century nostalgia and atmosphere—this latter element is subtle but  effective in giving Burnt an especially classic spookhouse feel, much like novels like James Herbert’s David Ash series (Haunted; The Ghosts of Sleath; and Ash) and especially Richard Matheson’s Hell House, 1971). The ending is open-ended (and possibly disappointing for some readers), with an equally low-key and notably-different-than-the-1976-film finish, but the film ending (more striking and effective) lacks the sense of blissful revelation that one of key characters experiences in those moments. Highly recommended read for those who appreciate quiet character-explorations, an emphasis on atmosphere, and sometimes-subtle-shift thrills.

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The film version, true to the book's atmosphere and characters, was released stateside on October 18, 1976. It was directed by Dan Curtis, who co-wrote the screenplay with William F. Nolan.

Karen Black played Marian Rolf (an alteration of the book-version surname Rolfe). Oliver Reed played Ben Rolf. Lee Montgomery, billed as Lee H. Montgomery, played David Rolf. Bette Davis, who found Reed “loathsome” in real life, played Aunt Elizabeth.

Eileen Heckart played Roz Allardyce. Burgess Meredith played Arnold “Brother” Allardyce. Dub Taylor played Walker, the Allardyces’ surly handyman. Anthony James played the creepy Chauffeur.

The Pyx by John Buell

 

(hb; 1959)

From the inside cover

“This unusual novel is a study in evil. The surface events center around the death of Elizabeth Lucy, an attractive young woman whose body is found at the base of a penthouse apartment on a Montreal street. Elizabeth is part of a vice ring, described by Henderson of the homicide office as ‘a girl service which is no small time.’ The girls take their orders from Meg Latimer, and Meg takes hers from the top man, Mr. Keerson.

“Below the surface of the story run deeper sub-strata. Considering their profession, why are Elizabeth and hard-bitten Meg filled with a nameless, almost unreasonable fear at the ‘big assignment’ from Keerson? Why does it end in Elizabeth’s death? Is her fall from the penthouse suicide or murder? What is the meaning of the gold locket found on the street below? Why, when Keerson is finally cornered, does he shriek: ‘Stop calling me Keerson! It’s not my name at all’?”

 

Review

Buell deftly balances characters’ stream-of-consciousness monologue and madness with warm humanity and hardboiled dialogue in this entertaining, tightly written police procedural that alternates between chapters titled “The Present” and “The Past,” culminating in a confrontation that brings the no-nonsense Henderson face-to-face with a bizarre foe.

Everything works in Pyx─while its set-up is simple, its complex characters, their emotions and actions, and its varying edit-styles make for an ultimately colorful and touching read. Worth owning, this.

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The resulting film was released stateside in October 1973. Harvey Hart directed it, from Robert Schlitt’s screenplay.

Karen Black played Elizabeth Lucy. Christopher Plummer played Dt. Sgt. Jim Henderson. Donald Pilon played Dt. Sgt. Pierre Paquet. Louise Rinfret played Sandra. Terry Haig played Jimmy.

Yvette Brind’Amour played Meg Latimer. Lee Broker played Herbie Lefram. Robin Gammell played Worther. Jean-Louis Roux played Keerson.

The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West

(pb; 1939)

From the back cover

"The Day of the Locust is a novel about Hollywood and its corrupting touch, about the American dream turned into a sun-drenched California nightmare. Nathanael West's Hollywood is not the glamorous "home of the stars" but a seedy world of little people, some hopeful, some despairing, all twisted by their by their own desires -- from the ironically romantic artist narrator to a macho movie cowboy, a middle-aged innocent from America's heartland, and the hard-as-nails call girl would-be-star whom they all lust after. An unforgettable portrayal of a world that mocks the real and rewards the sham, turns its back on love to plunge into empty sex, and breeds a savage violence that is its own undoing, this novel stands as a classic indictment of all that is most extravagant and uncontrolled in American life.


Review

Day is a sharp, satirical tale about Hollywood during the Great Depression. Its characters, poor and otherwise downtrodden, are desperate and often degenerate and delusional in their thoughts and deeds, with their pointless pursuits and drunken, sexual behaviors. This is an excellent, cinematic-vivid novella, one worth reading if you enjoy reading about such things.

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The resulting film was released stateside on May 7, 1975. John Schlesinger directed the film, from Waldo Salt's screenplay.

Donald Sutherland played Homer Simpson. Karen Black played Faye Greener. Burgess Meredith played Harry Greener. William Atherton played Tod Hackett.

Bo Hopkins played Earle Shoop. Pepe Serna played Miguel. Billy Barty played Abe Kusiche. Jackie Earle Haley played Adore. 

Geraldine Page played Big Sister. Richard Dysart played Claude Estee. Lelia Goldoni played Mary Dove. John Hillerman played Ned Grote. William Castle, billed as William C. Castle, played Director.

The Outfit, by Richard Stark

(pb; 1963: third book in the Parker series)


From the back cover:

"When the Outfit tries to kill him, Parker declares war. Ripping off the syndicate is easy, but going one-on-one with Bronson, the Outfit's big boss, is the hard part. Hard for anyone but Parker, because the entire underworld understands that whatever Parker does -- he does for keep."


Review:

Outfit, which takes place three months after the events of The Man with the Getaway Face, is as word-lean, intense, entertaining and character-intrinsic as its preceding novels, achieving that last warm-familiar effect by featuring characters from them, namely: Handy McKay (from Getaway) and Bronson and Fairfax (from The Hunter).

Outfit's ending is a direct, promising lead-in to the next Parker novel, The Mourner.

This series is worth owning thus far.

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The resulting film was released stateside in October 1973.  John Flynn, who directed the film, also wrote the screenplay for it.

Robert Duvall played Earl Macklin (cinematic stand-in for Parker).  Karen Black played Bett Harrow.  Timothy Carey played Jake Menner. 

Joe Don Baker played Jack Cody.  Robert Ryan played Mailer.  Joanna Cassidy played Rita Mailer.  Robert Jaeckel played Kimmie Cherney.  Bill McKinney played Buck Cherney.

Marie Windsor played Madge Coyle.  Elisha Cook Jr. (billed as Elisha Cook) played Carl.  Jane Greer played Alma Macklin. 

Sheree North played "Buck's Wife".  Henry Jones played a "Doctor".  Tom Reese played a "Hit Man".   An uncredited Lee De Broux played Walter Kinney.  Army Archerd played Butler.  Roy Jensen played Al.