Saturday, September 27, 2014

Crossover Cover: Return to Hell House

This novella (which first appeared in the anthology He is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson) is a prequel to Matheson's novel Hell House, which is in the CU through references in two of Kim Newman's stories. It is mentioned that a member of a previous expedition to Maine's Belasco Mansion in 1931 was driven insane by the experience, and was shipped off to Castle Rock Asylum. The town of Castle Rock, Maine is a recurring locale in the works of Stephen King.

3 comments:

  1. So Return to Hell House is a prequel story. So they aren't really returning to Hell House are they?

    I need to read the original some time.

    It seems fitting that Stephen King is referenced in the story since King always claimed Matheson was his biggest influence.

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  2. I think it refers to the fact that the expedition in the story is a follow-up to the 1931 one.

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  3. That makes sense.

    New England seems to be the center of the supernatural horror of the CU. Well, that's mostly because Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft lived there, but I wonder if anyone's theorized why it is in the CU.

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