My Five Word TL:DR Review : Not Horror Soaked, But, Good

Yes, this is a strange one.  I think going into this one I really expected this to be a lot more horror soaked than it actually was, and yet, I still found myself liking it.  It has a quality about it that kept me intrigued, the writing is almost flat – and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way, more that the narrator is just very matter of fact about things, and the piece as a whole feels like a creepy B-Movie with gothic ghostly vibes.  And, I confess, I am something of a sucker for anything gothic so this house – Bright Horses, the movie props, the gothic references Rebecca, Jane Eyre, hints of Hill House to name but a few, they grabbed my attention quite easily.

As the story begins we meet Harry.  A bit of history: Harry left her home (ran away in actual fact) at an early age.  Her parents were strictly religious and incredibly controlling.  She was homeless for a period, living in squats and she eventually met a young man, in a similar situation to herself and she thought herself in love.  Long story short, Harry became pregnant and the father wasn’t interested.   So, Harry raised her son, Gabriel (Gabe) by herself.  Always struggling and working hard but determined to raise Gabe as best she could.  Current day: Covid struck and many people lost their jobs.  Harry was no exception but she managed to find a replacement she now cleans for a once famous movie director now turned recluse.  His mansion – Bright Horses – is like a museum, an ode to movies in fact, props in almost every room and each has to be painstakingly and loving cared for.

Javier Castillo is the reclusive movie director.  He lives under a dark cloud and made an elaborate escape to dodge all the speculation and gossip.  He now lives a very subdued life, he doesn’t go out at all and his staff are all expected to be trustworthy, and they are paid quite well for their discretion.

In some respects this is a dream job for Harry. She (and her son) are horror movie lovers and she recognises and enjoys the props.  Well, that is until strange things start to occur.  Banging on walls, whispering, props moving, etc.  Then things escalate, both in Harry’s personal life and her work life and she is forced into a situation that she definitely doesn’t want to be in.

I don’t want to say more about the plot.  This is a fairly quick read and its best to discover things firsthand.

What worked well for me.

The writing.  As I mentioned above Harry is a no-nonsense type of woman, not easily spooked and so her narration was interesting.  She convinces herself that she’s mistaken about strange things that happen around the house until one particular evening – when she isn’t the only witness to something odd.  There’s just enough description to get a good feel for the house and I loved all the movie props – and the secret locked room.  There’s also a few flashbacks that give us more backstory to both Harry and Javier which I enjoyed.

I enjoyed the characters and the way they’re depicted.  Harry is easy to like, she’s had a tough life and in fact she’s still having a hard time but she keeps on going.  Gabe is a young, gangly teenager, he’s well behaved, and seems to never stops eating and he has a good relationship with his mum.  He also loves horror movies and so he adores both Javier and Bright Horses.  In fact, Gabe’s introduction at the house really shines the spotlight on just how lonely Javier is and this element also takes a turn in a creepy direction.

The horror elements.  Well fans who read a lot of horror might be underwhelmed and I guess in fairness those elements are fairly brief – notes of possession, sly grins, things moving, etc, but there are also creepy undertones and a great gothic vibe.

I admit that as I was reading this it was as though I had my own gothic/horror movie running in my head – which really added to the read.  I could easily see this being adapted to a movie, there’s great characterisation, good back stories, the fantastic house, the props – and the mystery of the locked room. That Sten suit – it had an almost comedic value at points and then on a pinhead could turn into something so sinister and evil.

In terms of criticisms. The ending is fairly rushed, I would say that I’d guessed what was going on ahead of the reveal but, all that seemed to feed into the hammed up (Hammer House of Horror) feel in a way.

Anyhow, to round up.  I enjoyed this.  It’s not particularly scary, although it does have some very sinister moments, it’s really more character driven than plot, but I liked the characters, I liked the gothic elements, I loved the movie props – and I will say, I could not, for a moment, live in a house with those things in them.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the author, for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.

My rating 4 of 5 stars