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jgbradbury's review against another edition
4.0
Last night a storm was raging, the power went out and the tornado sirens started to wail. Living in the midwest, you become accustomed to such things in the springtime.
So I lit a few candles, opened the windows to let the furious wind knock about the house and settled in with a book. I was in the mood for something fast paced, gruesome and tawdry. Luckily I had some Richard Laymon ebooks in my fully juiced iPad!
I chose Friday Night in Beast House. I had read the first two books in the series (The Cellar and The Beast House). Somehow I forgot about The Midnight Tour (the third book) and leapfrogged right into the fourth and final entry in the Beast House saga. It wasn’t much of a conclusion to be honest with you (unless The Midnight Tour wraps things up in a more satisfactory way) but I’m sure Laymon would have written more if he hadn’t suddenly died of a massive heart attack on Valentine’s Day 2001.
Still, Friday Night in Beast House is more of a novella, so it was just what I was after. I read it all in one sitting. Maybe it was the storm and reading in the dark, but this one had some definite chills and suspense. Sure, there wasn’t much of a plot but the gore was awesome, the beast performs some, uh, interesting acts and the protagonist was likeable enough. I wasn’t sure about the ending at first, but the more I thought about the implications of it, the more I liked it. Creepy stuff.
It’s weird with Laymon though. On retrospect, his books feel trashy and disposable (especially whenever he writes teenage characters…I feel a little dirty, like I’m reading something from the X-rated YA section), but when I’m right in the middle of reading one, I’m fully engrossed. Plus, there’s a heaping helping of gratuitous sex so that usually helps. Some of it is pretty deviant too. I can’t tell if Laymon is the pervert or if I am! But one thing’s for certain, reading horror in a stormy blackout is super fun.
So I lit a few candles, opened the windows to let the furious wind knock about the house and settled in with a book. I was in the mood for something fast paced, gruesome and tawdry. Luckily I had some Richard Laymon ebooks in my fully juiced iPad!
I chose Friday Night in Beast House. I had read the first two books in the series (The Cellar and The Beast House). Somehow I forgot about The Midnight Tour (the third book) and leapfrogged right into the fourth and final entry in the Beast House saga. It wasn’t much of a conclusion to be honest with you (unless The Midnight Tour wraps things up in a more satisfactory way) but I’m sure Laymon would have written more if he hadn’t suddenly died of a massive heart attack on Valentine’s Day 2001.
Still, Friday Night in Beast House is more of a novella, so it was just what I was after. I read it all in one sitting. Maybe it was the storm and reading in the dark, but this one had some definite chills and suspense. Sure, there wasn’t much of a plot but the gore was awesome, the beast performs some, uh, interesting acts and the protagonist was likeable enough. I wasn’t sure about the ending at first, but the more I thought about the implications of it, the more I liked it. Creepy stuff.
It’s weird with Laymon though. On retrospect, his books feel trashy and disposable (especially whenever he writes teenage characters…I feel a little dirty, like I’m reading something from the X-rated YA section), but when I’m right in the middle of reading one, I’m fully engrossed. Plus, there’s a heaping helping of gratuitous sex so that usually helps. Some of it is pretty deviant too. I can’t tell if Laymon is the pervert or if I am! But one thing’s for certain, reading horror in a stormy blackout is super fun.
vikingwolf's review against another edition
4.0
Mark is delighted when Alison agrees to a date with him but there is a catch-he has to find a way to get them both into the Beast House after hours so they can explore the off limits areas. Mark decides he has to find a way and so he and Alison are there alone when the beasts come out to play...
I really enjoyed this novella which takes you back to the Beast House where you hear the familiar tale of horror and see the cheap waxwork victims again. Kind of like visiting an old friend with big teeth who wants to kill you...The characters were fun and I liked Mark's sick humour as he scared other visitors and of course it was fun to see a return of the beast itself. My edition was only a pound so thankfully I wasn't paying full price for a short book.
I really enjoyed this novella which takes you back to the Beast House where you hear the familiar tale of horror and see the cheap waxwork victims again. Kind of like visiting an old friend with big teeth who wants to kill you...The characters were fun and I liked Mark's sick humour as he scared other visitors and of course it was fun to see a return of the beast itself. My edition was only a pound so thankfully I wasn't paying full price for a short book.
plennon0420's review against another edition
2.0
Friday Night in Beast House was sort of like those old Goosebumps books from when I was a kid, except with 30 pages of inexplicable beast porn. My first Laymon book, and not so good, although I was honestly shocked (not necessarily in a good way) by the ending. The word is, this is not a typical Laymon book, so I'll have to give some of his older novels a try.
biblio_lore's review
2.0
This book starts off kind of fun with a sort of 80s slasher vibe to start. It quickly devolves into the main character becoming obnoxious and immediately lusting after every set of boobs he comes in contact with, even if they are non-human. It's poorly paced and even though I'm a sucker for these kinds of stories, the end pretty much just made me cringe.
drakeula_73's review
1.0
Not scary, just sick! The worst type of horror, with one of the worst endings I have ever read, this story could have been so much more and had so much potential but it was wasted. Don't waste your time!
hotsake's review
3.0
This feels like a short story, The kind that would be made into an episode of one of the many '80s horror anthology shows that were popular at the time.
sticksnstout's review
4.0
There were actually two kind of short stories in this one: Friday Night in Beast House and The Wilds.
The Beast House was from an adolescent boy's point of view, including his rather detailed imagination. Good story, with a weird end.
The Wilds totally rocked. A young man goes camping alone, journaling his trip. He's kind of freaked out at first by being alone in the wild and all of the things that could go wrong. His journal explores his descent into madness. Very cool
The Beast House was from an adolescent boy's point of view, including his rather detailed imagination. Good story, with a weird end.
The Wilds totally rocked. A young man goes camping alone, journaling his trip. He's kind of freaked out at first by being alone in the wild and all of the things that could go wrong. His journal explores his descent into madness. Very cool
kkehoe's review
3.0
Sadly, just a short entry that doesn't do much for adding to the Beast House saga.
maccymacd's review
4.0
I had no idea that 'Friday Night at Beast House' was so short. I powered through it in a very short time.
We follow a young boy who manages to secure a date with the girl of his dreams. her one request? That he sneaks into the famous 'Beast House' (a well known tourist attraction) and lets her in when the sun goes down. Apparently she has been trying this trick with many hopeful boys in the past, and none have ever got that far. But things are about to take a sinister and terrifying turn...
Laymon has a great feel of old-school horror about him, I found that especially when I read 'Niht in the Lonesome October'. I will be reading more of his work...
We follow a young boy who manages to secure a date with the girl of his dreams. her one request? That he sneaks into the famous 'Beast House' (a well known tourist attraction) and lets her in when the sun goes down. Apparently she has been trying this trick with many hopeful boys in the past, and none have ever got that far. But things are about to take a sinister and terrifying turn...
Laymon has a great feel of old-school horror about him, I found that especially when I read 'Niht in the Lonesome October'. I will be reading more of his work...
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