HALLOWEEN MONTH IS HERE! In addition to all my usual blog posts I will also be throwing in my looks at forgotten or neglected works of horror – either novels, movies, television shows, even operas (yes, operas). To kick off this fun month at Balladeer’s Blog here is my look at three seriously neglected Gothic horror novels of the late 1700s and the 1800s. Everybody remembers the big names like Dracula and Frankenstein but I want to introduce readers to some forgotten gems of Gothic horror.
THE HORRORS OF OAKENDALE ABBEY (1797) – The author of this unjustly forgotten work is known only as “Mrs Carver” but is often speculated to be a man with the leading candidate being Sir Anthony Carlisle. The tale centers around the beautiful (of course) and strong-willed (ditto) Laura, a refugee from the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution.
When Laura is reluctant to accomodate the less-than-selfless motives of her British patron Lord Oakendale he has her and a devoted maid banished to the long-abandoned Oakendale Abbey. The Abbey is believed to be haunted, a reputation enhanced by the repeated disappearances of people who venture into its sinister interior. Shortly after arriving in the mysterious decaying building Laura discovers a Continue reading
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