The Elementals
Books | Fiction / Ghost
3.8
(300)
Michael McDowell
"The finest writer of paperback originals in America." - Stephen King "Surely one of the most terrifying novels ever written." - Poppy Z. Brite "Beyond any trace of doubt, one of the best writers of horror in this or any other country." - Peter Straub "Readers of weak constitution should beware " - Publishers Weekly "McDowell has a flair for the gruesome." - Washington Post After a bizarre and disturbing incident at the funeral of matriarch Marian Savage, the McCray and Savage families look forward to a restful and relaxing summer at Beldame, on Alabama's Gulf Coast, where three Victorian houses loom over the shimmering beach. Two of the houses are habitable, while the third is slowly and mysteriously being buried beneath an enormous dune of blindingly white sand. But though long uninhabited, the third house is not empty. Inside, something deadly lies in wait. Something that has terrified Dauphin Savage and Luker McCray since they were boys and which still haunts their nightmares. Something horrific that may be responsible for several terrible and unexplained deaths years earlier - and is now ready to kill again . . . A haunted house story unlike any other, Michael McDowell's The Elementals (1981) was one of the finest novels to come out of the horror publishing explosion of the 1970s and '80s. Though best known for his screenplays for Tim Burton's Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas, McDowell is now being rediscovered as one of the best modern horror writers and a master of Southern Gothic literature. This edition of McDowell's masterpiece of terror features a new introduction by award-winning horror author Michael Rowe. McDowell's first novel, the grisly and darkly comic The Amulet (1979), is also available from Valancourt Books.
AD
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
Michael McDowell
Pages
230
Publisher
Valancourt Books
Published Date
2014-06-17
ISBN
1941147178 9781941147177
Community ReviewsSee all
"Questionable racial dynamics/stereotypes aside, a really fun and spooky book. Well-written, and hitting the nail on the head about certain southern-USA politics."
Marsh
"Creepy, compelling, slow-burning Southern Gothic where you focus on the characters and setting as much as the story. It felt oddly familiar in style, which is unsurprising since apparently this guy wrote the screenplay for Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Don't get it twisted, though, I would not call this story "spooky family fun" by any stretch of the imagination. You may like this if you enjoy horror that tries to give you the creeps more than get you with the written equivalent of a jumpscare."
Darya đź–¤
"Simply an excellent writer of horror and this is one of his best"
Ronald Wilcox
"This story was not for me. I really didn’t take away either scary nor spooky. Really nothing of interest happens until part three of the story. I was drawn in by any of the main characters. To each their own."
Danny Kinniburgh
"This writer has captured my reading time recently and Im loving his narrative setting. This isn’t your typical haunted house story!"
Jeremiah VanWormer
"Blackwater is great too"
Jamie Mayfield
"I first read this book when I was in college in 1981. It scared the heck out of me!!!! I read it again 3 more times in the next 3 years and I was scared every single time. I gave my copy of the book away in 1988 because I was having such scary nightmares from reading scary books. Well needless to say......the book popped into my mind a couple of months ago and I had to do an extensive search to find a copy of it. It is no longer in print but I was able to find a used copy of it. I was apprehensive and excited to read it again. Yes, it is still very scary but I think I have become hardened to the world of horror because it didn't make me flinch and scare as easily as it did before. It is an original story of 3 old victorian vacation homes on an island....with one of the homes almost completely covered with sand.......the sand has a way of coming alive..........very creepy and very intriguing. I am glad to be sharing this book with others. It will always be one of my favorite horror books and it was worth the search to find it again.<br/><br/>"
Tracy Walters
"Classic horror. So well written. Loved it. "
Annie Lehrer
"If “beach horror” is a genre, this book would be the poster child. Apparently this is a classic of Southern Gothic Literature, so I figured I would dive into this on a foray to a southern beach vacation.<br/><br/>Needless to say, I got spooked! It was creepy and insidious, and I caught myself turning on more lights than normal when I read this before bed. The best was reading this in the broad light of day, and still wanting to check behind me to make sure the sand hasn’t risen up against me. <br/><br/>I was drawn to this since I love horror around Halloween, but I would be curious to read more from the author! While some of it was a little dated (I wasn’t a fan of the attitude toward the “help” and it left a weird racist aftertaste for me), I liked it enough to want to explore more!"
A P
Allie Peduto
"Not huge on scares, but intriguing and fascinating characters is what really stood out in this one. Short, fun read."
L M
Loretta Mattos