The Undead (UK: NEL, 1983)
Tagline: "Only death could live and move in that dark, still place."
Ah, good old Guy N. Smith. In the world of horror fiction there is the juicy
well-seasoned delicacy of filet mignon (Thomas Ligotti), huge gluttonous
slabs of pan pizza (Stephen King), and then there are those tasty little
cheeseburgers from White Castle (Guy N. Smith). Smith's books are
uniformly short, fast, and satisfying. Like the man himself, they are
unpretentious and down-to-earth. My first taste of Smith was a wonderful,
murky novel of pagan horror, Entombed, and I have been a fan ever since,
following him from book to book to book, enjoying mutated bats, crabs,
werewolves, and sucking pits. His name is synonymous with great
Tagline: "Only death could live and move in that dark, still place."
Ah, good old Guy N. Smith. In the world of horror fiction there is the juicy
well-seasoned delicacy of filet mignon (Thomas Ligotti), huge gluttonous
slabs of pan pizza (Stephen King), and then there are those tasty little
cheeseburgers from White Castle (Guy N. Smith). Smith's books are
uniformly short, fast, and satisfying. Like the man himself, they are
unpretentious and down-to-earth. My first taste of Smith was a wonderful,
murky novel of pagan horror, Entombed, and I have been a fan ever since,
following him from book to book to book, enjoying mutated bats, crabs,
werewolves, and sucking pits. His name is synonymous with great
adrenaline-charged pulp fiction and he rarely (if ever) disappoints.
Now, with that in mind, let's sample The Undead and see what GNS was up to back in the glory days
of pulp horror (1983, that is). Cool cover. Creepy looking creature. Beneath it is a few kids with skeleton
bodies (reminiscent of just about every Zebra horror paperback cover of the 1980's). The story opens
with a girl named Isobel (the Squire's daughter) being led off into the woods by some grubby, crazy old
man known as Bemorra. Isobel is not afraid of him because he has always been her friend, even if
parents in general despised and feared the man. A posse in pursuit, Bemorra leads her up to a black,
bottomless quarry known as the Gabor Pool, from whose dark enclosing waters no one ever escapes.
As the posse--including her father--watches, Isobel jumps in. Never is she seen again after the splash
below. Bemorra is taken into custody and hanged for the child's death, but not before cursing his
persecutors.
Two-hundred years later, Ron Halestrom moves to Gabor Wood to take up residence in Gabor House
with his wife. Right away, Marie (his wife) hears the lurid tales from the old gossips concerning Bemorra
and Gabor Pool. How Bemorra was hanged for infanticide and the curse he muttered at the village and
how, as if true to his word, half the village burned and then was decimated by a smallpox outbreak.
Maria is haunted by the old legends, the insular nature of the locals, the oddness of the village children
who never play or sing or do anything for that matter. Ron, however, is content. He writes crime books
and the weird bucolic atmosphere (and tall tales) are perfect grist for his mill. Marie continues to feel
apprehensive. Then she takes a walk in the woods and finds herself at Gabor Pool. The white face of a
girl surfaces and tells her that her daughter will join them in the pool and there's nothing she (Marie) can
do about it. Amanda (her daughter) returns from school. A shy, deaf girl, Marie fears for her safety for
children have a way of disappearing in Gabor. Then one night Marie awakens to a weird howling and
Amanda is gone. She has been taken off in the wood by a weird old man who looks exactly like the
descriptions of Bemorra. The girl is rescued and the locals assure the Halestrom's that it was only a
local vagrant named Beguildy, absolutely harmless. But as more children disappear, Marie is certain
that there is a diabolical force (the curse of Bemorra) calling children into Gabor Pool as sacrifice and it
has set its sights on Amanda. But what she doesn't know is that her daughter may be the only person
who can destroy what's waiting beneath its black waters.
This is, for the most part, a quiet and traditional horror tale steeped in tradition and country folklore. It
lacks the usual punch and bloody undertaking of most of Smith's novels, yet he does manage to throw in
a few good ones now and again:
"He opened his mouth, attempted to gulp for air, writhed and tried to vomit as something slid in
between his open lips; something smooth that jerked and bit. His hands clawed, trying to tug the adder
out of his mouth, but with one swift movement it drew itself inside, a fifteen-inch length of reptile
body..."
Or as old Bemorra swings in the wind:
"By night the owls glided silently up onto Gabor Hill and pecked at the flesh of the hanging body,
leaving deep gouges where they had fed. And when dawn came the chattering jays and magpies
fought over the spoils, gouging out the eyes and ripping the furred tongue through the open mouth..."
Yet, this is all pretty mild by the standards of GNS, yet it's a fun old-fashioned sort of tale that makes
for a quick and easy read. It moves fast and you won't get a headache trying to figure things out. The
perfect book for a lazy summer afternoon.
Pros: I found the descriptions of the Gabor Pool especially effective. The part where the diver descends
into its depths to locate a missing kid is creepy and claustrophobic.
Cons: Nothing much. The characters are typical GNS, simple and un-fleshed for the most part, but as
such they fit perfectly into the framework of the tale.
Overall: A nice read. Not Smith's best, but a fun little horror tale all the same.
Three bloody skulls out of five.
Next month's Guilty Pleasure, we take a dip:
"A hideous death lurked unseen in the river..."
Now, with that in mind, let's sample The Undead and see what GNS was up to back in the glory days
of pulp horror (1983, that is). Cool cover. Creepy looking creature. Beneath it is a few kids with skeleton
bodies (reminiscent of just about every Zebra horror paperback cover of the 1980's). The story opens
with a girl named Isobel (the Squire's daughter) being led off into the woods by some grubby, crazy old
man known as Bemorra. Isobel is not afraid of him because he has always been her friend, even if
parents in general despised and feared the man. A posse in pursuit, Bemorra leads her up to a black,
bottomless quarry known as the Gabor Pool, from whose dark enclosing waters no one ever escapes.
As the posse--including her father--watches, Isobel jumps in. Never is she seen again after the splash
below. Bemorra is taken into custody and hanged for the child's death, but not before cursing his
persecutors.
Two-hundred years later, Ron Halestrom moves to Gabor Wood to take up residence in Gabor House
with his wife. Right away, Marie (his wife) hears the lurid tales from the old gossips concerning Bemorra
and Gabor Pool. How Bemorra was hanged for infanticide and the curse he muttered at the village and
how, as if true to his word, half the village burned and then was decimated by a smallpox outbreak.
Maria is haunted by the old legends, the insular nature of the locals, the oddness of the village children
who never play or sing or do anything for that matter. Ron, however, is content. He writes crime books
and the weird bucolic atmosphere (and tall tales) are perfect grist for his mill. Marie continues to feel
apprehensive. Then she takes a walk in the woods and finds herself at Gabor Pool. The white face of a
girl surfaces and tells her that her daughter will join them in the pool and there's nothing she (Marie) can
do about it. Amanda (her daughter) returns from school. A shy, deaf girl, Marie fears for her safety for
children have a way of disappearing in Gabor. Then one night Marie awakens to a weird howling and
Amanda is gone. She has been taken off in the wood by a weird old man who looks exactly like the
descriptions of Bemorra. The girl is rescued and the locals assure the Halestrom's that it was only a
local vagrant named Beguildy, absolutely harmless. But as more children disappear, Marie is certain
that there is a diabolical force (the curse of Bemorra) calling children into Gabor Pool as sacrifice and it
has set its sights on Amanda. But what she doesn't know is that her daughter may be the only person
who can destroy what's waiting beneath its black waters.
This is, for the most part, a quiet and traditional horror tale steeped in tradition and country folklore. It
lacks the usual punch and bloody undertaking of most of Smith's novels, yet he does manage to throw in
a few good ones now and again:
"He opened his mouth, attempted to gulp for air, writhed and tried to vomit as something slid in
between his open lips; something smooth that jerked and bit. His hands clawed, trying to tug the adder
out of his mouth, but with one swift movement it drew itself inside, a fifteen-inch length of reptile
body..."
Or as old Bemorra swings in the wind:
"By night the owls glided silently up onto Gabor Hill and pecked at the flesh of the hanging body,
leaving deep gouges where they had fed. And when dawn came the chattering jays and magpies
fought over the spoils, gouging out the eyes and ripping the furred tongue through the open mouth..."
Yet, this is all pretty mild by the standards of GNS, yet it's a fun old-fashioned sort of tale that makes
for a quick and easy read. It moves fast and you won't get a headache trying to figure things out. The
perfect book for a lazy summer afternoon.
Pros: I found the descriptions of the Gabor Pool especially effective. The part where the diver descends
into its depths to locate a missing kid is creepy and claustrophobic.
Cons: Nothing much. The characters are typical GNS, simple and un-fleshed for the most part, but as
such they fit perfectly into the framework of the tale.
Overall: A nice read. Not Smith's best, but a fun little horror tale all the same.
Three bloody skulls out of five.
Next month's Guilty Pleasure, we take a dip:
"A hideous death lurked unseen in the river..."
