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Beast House Chronicles #2
The Beast House
The Beast House has become a museum of the most twisted and macabre kind. On display inside are wax figures of its victims, their bodies mangled and chewed, mutilated beyond recognition. The tourists who come to Beast House can only wonder what sort of terrifying creature could be responsible for such atrocities.
But some people are convinced Beast House is a hoax. Nora and her friends are determined to learn the truth for themselves. They will dare to enter the house at night. When the tourists have gone. When the beast is rumored to come out. They will learn, all right.
But some people are convinced Beast House is a hoax. Nora and her friends are determined to learn the truth for themselves. They will dare to enter the house at night. When the tourists have gone. When the beast is rumored to come out. They will learn, all right.
334 pages, Paperback
First published February 19, 1984
188 people are currently reading
2130 people want to read
About the author
Richard Laymon
216 books2,269 followersRichard Laymon was born in Chicago and grew up in California. He earned a BA in English Literature from Willamette University, Oregon and an MA from Loyola University, Los Angeles. He worked as a schoolteacher, a librarian, and a report writer for a law firm, and was the author of more than thirty acclaimed novels.
He also published more than sixty short stories in magazines such as Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, and Cavalier, and in anthologies including Modern Masters of Horror.
He died from a massive heart attack on February 14, 2001 (Valentine's Day).
Also published under the name Richard Kelly
He also published more than sixty short stories in magazines such as Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, and Cavalier, and in anthologies including Modern Masters of Horror.
He died from a massive heart attack on February 14, 2001 (Valentine's Day).
Also published under the name Richard Kelly
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
March 14, 2014
Well, at least it was an improvement on 'The Cellar' which was truly awful. Mind you, it's still very 'Laymon' by which I mean it's like a 14-15 boy wild on hormones got hold of his first word processor and started banging out his wildest sexual fantasies.
Characters are once again paper thin and fall in 'love' in an instant.... by which I mean screw each others brains out, irregardless of what was happening 5 minutes before hand. More misogyny and (attempted) rape. More idiocy from the characters in terms of behavior and choices. Etc, etc.
Characters are once again paper thin and fall in 'love' in an instant.... by which I mean screw each others brains out, irregardless of what was happening 5 minutes before hand. More misogyny and (attempted) rape. More idiocy from the characters in terms of behavior and choices. Etc, etc.
May 18, 2021
Personaggi poco credibili che si innamorano a prima vista, la consueta orgia di sesso e violenza, descrizioni fin troppo dettagliate di alcune parti anatomiche femminili, ed un finale fin troppo all'acqua di rose se avete già letto altri libri di Laymon, ma questo seguito de La casa della bestia si legge che é un piacere se siete fan dell'autore e volete scoprire di più sull'origine delle creature che si aggirano presso Casa Kutch e la limitrofa Casa della Bestia.
Decisamente più sottotono e meno disturbante rispetto al primo libro, ma le ultime 100+ pagine sono state comunque un crescendo di tensione e colpi di scena che mi hanno tenuto sveglio a leggere fino a tarda notte ed il finale aperto mi ha decisamente invogliato a leggere il prossimo libro della serie, di cui ancora non esiste purtroppo un'edizione italiana.
Non aspettatevi grande letteratura, ma se vi piacciono i film horror di serie z anni '80 con i loro mostri, personaggi e situazioni improbabili, e stupri ed ultra-violenza non vi disturbano troppo, Richard Laymon è decisamente lo scrittore che fa per voi.
June 1, 2015
Really enjoyed the second installment. It was much more fleshed out and the ending was satisfying. I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
August 11, 2016
After thoroughly enjoying "The Cellar" I couldn't wait to get my hands on its sequel and it was a good read but too short in my opinion. The one thing I adore about Laymon, other than the crazy scenarios and large amounts of cringing gore is the character development. He spend a lot of time making me believe in all the new and old characters in this story and then took the last hundred pages making me sweat because their lives were always in danger.
The Kutch house and The Beast house still stand in Malcasa Point despite the dark rumors of deaths that were beyond the ones immortalized in wax statues for display. When Tyler and Nora decided to go there in search of Dan Jenson, an old flame, they meet a pair of recently discharged marines, Abe and Jack and agree to go on the tour....big mistake. As relationships and feelings develop, new disappearances start happening and no one feels safe, especially while the rumors of the while fleshed beast with blue eyes and appetite for flesh and females starts to circulate again. When Janice, a local girl, vanishes with her parents and a shady writer starts to cash in on the killings, the four main characters get involved and proved on their own flesh that the beast is not as fictional as they would have believed.
The second installment was a great fill from the information not given in the first book, the origins of the monster and the madness of what goes on in the secret chambers with no windows continue. Sandy and her mother, Agnes and Maggie Kutch reappear to give chilling performances and as always there is the open ended finish that makes the reader ready for more.
The Kutch house and The Beast house still stand in Malcasa Point despite the dark rumors of deaths that were beyond the ones immortalized in wax statues for display. When Tyler and Nora decided to go there in search of Dan Jenson, an old flame, they meet a pair of recently discharged marines, Abe and Jack and agree to go on the tour....big mistake. As relationships and feelings develop, new disappearances start happening and no one feels safe, especially while the rumors of the while fleshed beast with blue eyes and appetite for flesh and females starts to circulate again. When Janice, a local girl, vanishes with her parents and a shady writer starts to cash in on the killings, the four main characters get involved and proved on their own flesh that the beast is not as fictional as they would have believed.
The second installment was a great fill from the information not given in the first book, the origins of the monster and the madness of what goes on in the secret chambers with no windows continue. Sandy and her mother, Agnes and Maggie Kutch reappear to give chilling performances and as always there is the open ended finish that makes the reader ready for more.
May 28, 2018
Another great B movie type horror novel. Can people stop complaining about character development it's Richard Laymon if you don't like his character or lack thereof don't read him.
July 18, 2021
Another inane, inept “horror” novel from Laymon. Tedious beyond endurance, lacking any scares or gore, Beast House is a flop house. A couple interesting scenes and set-ups could’ve maybe been effective but Laymon writes as if he couldn’t care less about what he’s obviously just made up as he’s typing. So much nothing happens in this book anyone who purchased it should demand their money back.
August 1, 2022
Graphic, gory, and at times gruelling, The Beast House is horror in fine b-movie quality, sepia tones mixed with sexual overtones; a veritable dish of debauchery served with a side of machoism written to resemble a male teen wet dream complete with the obligatory messy ending.
July 8, 2024
3.5/5 rounded up.
Definitely not as nasty, brutish, short and impactful as the first book, yet I found myself having very nearly as good of a time with it. The main character in this one is a little dull, but Laymon makes up for that with colourful side chracters like Nora, Captain Frank and the macho marines, Abe and Jack. Gorman Hardy and his friend Brian are a great couple of sleazeballs as well, and if our main heroine is a tad dry, look no further than Janice for a more compelling replacement. This installment is not quite as disturbing perhaps as the first, but it doesn't miss the mark by much, and I found the action packed climax to be much more satisfying in this one. Solid sequel.
Definitely not as nasty, brutish, short and impactful as the first book, yet I found myself having very nearly as good of a time with it. The main character in this one is a little dull, but Laymon makes up for that with colourful side chracters like Nora, Captain Frank and the macho marines, Abe and Jack. Gorman Hardy and his friend Brian are a great couple of sleazeballs as well, and if our main heroine is a tad dry, look no further than Janice for a more compelling replacement. This installment is not quite as disturbing perhaps as the first, but it doesn't miss the mark by much, and I found the action packed climax to be much more satisfying in this one. Solid sequel.
March 29, 2021
Laymon; what can you say about this guy? Some of his novels are great entertainment and some I want to toss against a wall. I personally find him rather hit or miss, but TBH is definitely a hit. I really enjoyed The Cellar, which served as basically a prequel to this installment of the series, and I am looking forward to the third book after this one.
In typical Laymon fashion, we once again have several story arcs/characters that we know are going to find their way together at the denouement; almost like all roads lead to Rome. Our first pair of characters are two young women at a library conference in San Francisco. Tyler has an old boyfriend from 5 years ago that she dated in the city and is still pining away for him. Her girlfriend Nora-- a pretty take-no-prisoner kind of gal-- talks Tyler into going to see what happened to him and so off they go in their little Omni. With no little surprise here, they end up following his trail to a little town in Northern California called Malcasa Point. On the way, again, via various trials and tribulations, they hook up with a pair of ex-marines, who become main characters as well. Expect some juicy 'love' scenes here!
Another arc concerns a writer who Tyler and Nora met at the conference. It seems he has been contacted by a woman in Malcasa Point, Janice, who found a diary of the late owner and builder of the Beast House in the hotel her parents own (and she works). We briefly met Janice in the last book. So the writer, a very pompous, amoral man named Gorman heads to Malcasa to meet her with his sidekick/assistant and hopefully (for him) swindle her out of the diary. Groman is really a great sleazy character1 Of course, he is staying at the same hotel as the two gals (there is only one after all) so they meet once again...
Finally, we have a host of secondary characters we meet along the way, most important being the 'Captain', who claims his father brought the beast from some isolated Pacific Island around the turn of the century.
I will stop with the plotting here, for that is more than half the fun with Laymon. While we have some fairly vivid sex scenes along the way (and of course, lots of descriptions of breasts-- the man must be obsessed with them!), the only pervy character pumps gas at the local station and plays a very minor role. Character development is not really Laymon's thing, at least regarding their personalities (he does typically include detailed body descriptions, especially of women) but it is passable here. You know you are going to get some good twists and turns and I really did not have much of a clue how this one would end up. Great pacing held my attention throughout. Do not expect anything more than exploitation fiction here and you will not be disappointed! 4 beastly stars!1
In typical Laymon fashion, we once again have several story arcs/characters that we know are going to find their way together at the denouement; almost like all roads lead to Rome. Our first pair of characters are two young women at a library conference in San Francisco. Tyler has an old boyfriend from 5 years ago that she dated in the city and is still pining away for him. Her girlfriend Nora-- a pretty take-no-prisoner kind of gal-- talks Tyler into going to see what happened to him and so off they go in their little Omni. With no little surprise here, they end up following his trail to a little town in Northern California called Malcasa Point. On the way, again, via various trials and tribulations, they hook up with a pair of ex-marines, who become main characters as well. Expect some juicy 'love' scenes here!
Another arc concerns a writer who Tyler and Nora met at the conference. It seems he has been contacted by a woman in Malcasa Point, Janice, who found a diary of the late owner and builder of the Beast House in the hotel her parents own (and she works). We briefly met Janice in the last book. So the writer, a very pompous, amoral man named Gorman heads to Malcasa to meet her with his sidekick/assistant and hopefully (for him) swindle her out of the diary. Groman is really a great sleazy character1 Of course, he is staying at the same hotel as the two gals (there is only one after all) so they meet once again...
Finally, we have a host of secondary characters we meet along the way, most important being the 'Captain', who claims his father brought the beast from some isolated Pacific Island around the turn of the century.
I will stop with the plotting here, for that is more than half the fun with Laymon. While we have some fairly vivid sex scenes along the way (and of course, lots of descriptions of breasts-- the man must be obsessed with them!), the only pervy character pumps gas at the local station and plays a very minor role. Character development is not really Laymon's thing, at least regarding their personalities (he does typically include detailed body descriptions, especially of women) but it is passable here. You know you are going to get some good twists and turns and I really did not have much of a clue how this one would end up. Great pacing held my attention throughout. Do not expect anything more than exploitation fiction here and you will not be disappointed! 4 beastly stars!1
December 27, 2020
The second book of the series is very good. I really enjoyed the circumstance of two couples meeting on the road, and having this thrilling and horrored adventure. The second book had had a more traditional ending.
July 5, 2024
This was nowhere near as good as the first book The Cellar. I never connected with the characters and disliked the who rehash of the first book as the new characters took the "tour" of the beast house again. It just didnt have that hook of excitement or extreme the first book had and I found myself getting bored with it at times. It picked up at the end and had some good creature action but it was too little too late for me. 2.5 stars.
July 27, 2015
"Tacky, tacky," is how one of Laymon's characters describes the Beast House wax museum--a description that happens to apply to the novel itself. Even if you enjoy this book, you probably wouldn't want to admit it to anyone.
THE BEAST HOUSE reads like the kind of blood-soaked B-movie drive-in fare Hollywood offered back in the 70's. In other words, don't expect anything in the way of artistry or good taste. The writing is straight out of a pulp magazine, and the characters' behavior is even more illogical than what you'd typically expect from the genre. None of it is believable, and none of it is particularly scary. Nevertheless, I found BEAST HOUSE a great deal of fun, often because of its flaws rather than in spite of them. Its overall silliness kept it from feeling too gruesome, and the feather-light prose gave me the sense I was burning through the pages at record speed. There's nothing pretentious about Richard Laymon's work; no level to which he will not stoop in order to hold your attention. That includes some ridiculously over-the-top violence and countless descriptions of his characters' private anatomical areas.
Tacky, tacky!
THE BEAST HOUSE reads like the kind of blood-soaked B-movie drive-in fare Hollywood offered back in the 70's. In other words, don't expect anything in the way of artistry or good taste. The writing is straight out of a pulp magazine, and the characters' behavior is even more illogical than what you'd typically expect from the genre. None of it is believable, and none of it is particularly scary. Nevertheless, I found BEAST HOUSE a great deal of fun, often because of its flaws rather than in spite of them. Its overall silliness kept it from feeling too gruesome, and the feather-light prose gave me the sense I was burning through the pages at record speed. There's nothing pretentious about Richard Laymon's work; no level to which he will not stoop in order to hold your attention. That includes some ridiculously over-the-top violence and countless descriptions of his characters' private anatomical areas.
Tacky, tacky!
November 30, 2019
The Beast House includes aspects of those great 70’s/80’s creature feature drive-in cinema classics. Richard Laymon sets an eerie pace right away for the reader by introducing vibrant characters that inevitably confront a chilling folk tale head-on. Although part of a series, this book is easily a stand alone gem ready to be enjoyed. The reader however should be cautioned to avoid all holes in the ground located in dark, dank areas 😉
August 12, 2015
This one's crazy, even by Laymon's standards. Don't forget to start with The Cellar.
August 9, 2018
Втора книга на Леймън с щастлив финал. На къде отива светът по дяволите?
Тази съм я чел веднъж като ученик и ми се стори доста посредствена.
Сега я смятам за брилянтно посредствена.
Има доста голям напредък в сравнение с предходната от серията. Героите имат ясни мотиви и различните сюжетни линии доста прилично се преплитат в "Къщата на Звяра." Авторът успява да затвори и всички крайща, останали развързани в предишната книга.
Началото е малко тегава, защото Леймън се опитва да изгради правдоподобни образи с по-дълбока мотивация, но нещата остават на тийнейджърско ниво, което принципно не е лошо, но досадяват. Втората половина, за сметка на това е брутална, кървава, изненадваща и много леймъновска.
Допадна ми. Мисля да довърша поредицата.
Един писател на паранормални истории получава предложение на което не може да откаже. Две жени се впускат в търсене на стара любов. Двама ветерани от Виетнам се опитват да свикнат с цивилния живот. Едно семейство преживяло доста перипети, отново е подложено на градските ужаси. В една къща, странни обитатели жадуват кръв и насилие.
Може да очаквате само и единствено църва, матки, кръв и лайна(от последните - нетипично малко).
Намирам за много забавно, че Леймън е един от малкото хорър автори, които имат повече от две книги на български. А как ми се иска да видя физиономията на всеки облъчен от захаросаните истории на Кинг и Кунц, след като се натресе на чичо Дик без да подозира какво го очаква. :D
Тази съм я чел веднъж като ученик и ми се стори доста посредствена.
Сега я смятам за брилянтно посредствена.
Има доста голям напредък в сравнение с предходната от серията. Героите имат ясни мотиви и различните сюжетни линии доста прилично се преплитат в "Къщата на Звяра." Авторът успява да затвори и всички крайща, останали развързани в предишната книга.
Началото е малко тегава, защото Леймън се опитва да изгради правдоподобни образи с по-дълбока мотивация, но нещата остават на тийнейджърско ниво, което принципно не е лошо, но досадяват. Втората половина, за сметка на това е брутална, кървава, изненадваща и много леймъновска.
Допадна ми. Мисля да довърша поредицата.
Един писател на паранормални истории получава предложение на което не може да откаже. Две жени се впускат в търсене на стара любов. Двама ветерани от Виетнам се опитват да свикнат с цивилния живот. Едно семейство преживяло доста перипети, отново е подложено на градските ужаси. В една къща, странни обитатели жадуват кръв и насилие.
Може да очаквате само и единствено църва, матки, кръв и лайна(от последните - нетипично малко).
Намирам за много забавно, че Леймън е един от малкото хорър автори, които имат повече от две книги на български. А как ми се иска да видя физиономията на всеки облъчен от захаросаните истории на Кинг и Кунц, след като се натресе на чичо Дик без да подозира какво го очаква. :D
December 17, 2008
I thought I'd give this book a try as I was wanting something new...well that quickly bit me in the rear. This is one of the worst books I've ever had the misfortune of reading and I'll be sure to steer clear of this 'author' in the future. I forced myself to finish it then promptly set it out as 'free' in the hall of my apartment building. Possibly someone might enjoy it, or maybe get some lining for a hamster cage out of it.
February 22, 2008
Time for another snack! I found this on the Friends of the Library bookshelf at Millwood when I picked up Deafening. (Now, having read it...) And what a terrible snack it was, like knowing you'll feel ill and vaguely guilty when you're done, but eating a whole bag of potato chips anyway. Think low-budget, late-night, Sci-Fi Channel creature-horror movie in book form. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who wasn't hung over and bored on an airplane returning home from a trip to Las Vegas.
January 15, 2015
Read this book years ago, will reread and review at a later time.
September 5, 2022
Better writing than The Cellar, but definitely not as interesting or entertaining. The story had great potential but ultimately fell flat.
September 1, 2017
Реална оценка 3.5. Ако махнем първите 200 стр и оставим само следващите, то книгата безпроблемно скача на 5 звезди, но уви пълнежа беше повече спрямо първата книга от поредицата.
December 1, 2025
Laymon rules
December 28, 2009
Read The Cellar based on my husband's raving recommendation and thought it was really cheesy but I am a nitpicky crab. My husband, who is much nicer a person than I, says they get better as the series continues but we'll see . . .
I'm going to read this in December for Jare's 2009 Spills & Chills Release Challenge over at bookcrossing.com. This month the theme is monsters.
Laymon is hit or miss for me. The Traveling Vampire Show is one of my favorite books despite the fact that nothing all that exciting happens until the very end. It's the characters in that book that hooked me.
The Beast House however doesn't feature characters I can latch onto in any way. There is a true-crime/horror writer and his protege attempting to steal a valuable diary from a buxom teenager and two ditsy women who are supposedly librarians who decide it will be a good idea to look up an old lover named Dan whom they haven't seen in five years . Who cares if he's married or worse yet bald and paunchy? They're supposed to be attending a librarian's convention in the town anyway and head out on a road trip wearing too tight t-shirts which attract the attention of every redneck with rape on his mind. Their virtue (ha, ha) is saved when two hunky young guys with absolutely nothing better to do come to their rescue. They all hit it off immediately, want to jump each others bones as well as become inseparable best buds. Awww. But wait! There will be no happily ever after for these dimwits. This is a Laymon novel not a romance. The chicks are still looking for Dan and their "search" for him leads them to the Beast House where the beast from The Cellar supposedly resides. I hope they all get boiled and eaten at this point because I am thoroughly bored. I'm quite a bit into this book and nothing at all has happened besides a little boob grabbing and some t-shirt ripping.
A little later: A few deaths have occurred and there is a clear distinction between the bad and the good characters but I'm still at the point where I could care less about any of them.
I have finally finished but admit to doing a lot of skimming to get through it. The majority of the book was deadly dull as we followed the aimless characters around as they looked for spooks and admired each others bums. A little action happens towards the end but it wasn't exciting enough to make up for the rest of the book. My husband says the last book in the series is better but I'm not sure I believe him.
I'm going to read this in December for Jare's 2009 Spills & Chills Release Challenge over at bookcrossing.com. This month the theme is monsters.
Laymon is hit or miss for me. The Traveling Vampire Show is one of my favorite books despite the fact that nothing all that exciting happens until the very end. It's the characters in that book that hooked me.
The Beast House however doesn't feature characters I can latch onto in any way. There is a true-crime/horror writer and his protege attempting to steal a valuable diary from a buxom teenager and two ditsy women who are supposedly librarians who decide it will be a good idea to look up an old lover named Dan whom they haven't seen in five years . Who cares if he's married or worse yet bald and paunchy? They're supposed to be attending a librarian's convention in the town anyway and head out on a road trip wearing too tight t-shirts which attract the attention of every redneck with rape on his mind. Their virtue (ha, ha) is saved when two hunky young guys with absolutely nothing better to do come to their rescue. They all hit it off immediately, want to jump each others bones as well as become inseparable best buds. Awww. But wait! There will be no happily ever after for these dimwits. This is a Laymon novel not a romance. The chicks are still looking for Dan and their "search" for him leads them to the Beast House where the beast from The Cellar supposedly resides. I hope they all get boiled and eaten at this point because I am thoroughly bored. I'm quite a bit into this book and nothing at all has happened besides a little boob grabbing and some t-shirt ripping.
A little later: A few deaths have occurred and there is a clear distinction between the bad and the good characters but I'm still at the point where I could care less about any of them.
I have finally finished but admit to doing a lot of skimming to get through it. The majority of the book was deadly dull as we followed the aimless characters around as they looked for spooks and admired each others bums. A little action happens towards the end but it wasn't exciting enough to make up for the rest of the book. My husband says the last book in the series is better but I'm not sure I believe him.
April 26, 2017
First off, let me say this is a good read. Gruesome and horrible, but a good read, and without giving away too much, it has a happier ending than you usually get from Laymon. Take that as you like, depending on how much Laymon you've read.
Now, I did have a few issues with this one, mostly the same issues I had with the first book in the series, The Cellar. Laymon's characters, at least in the books I've read, are almost all Id, in the Freudian sense. They just seemed to be all emotion with very little rational thinking. As in the first book, two people meet each other and within less than a day are deeply in love. I have heard of "insta-love" in romance novels, but in horror novels it's new to me. Also, these are sure some horny characters. For example, "I just met this guy a few hours ago and he seems weird, but hes handsome so let's go have sex in the dangerous woods where monsters dwell." Yeah you just know that's not going to end well. Or how about "I have known this guy less than a day, and people are missing, but lets sneak off and have sex for a few hours." Jeez, people, aren't you human rather than base animal? Oh, and speaking of animal, the monsters are horny little bastards too. They live just to rape it seems, and they'll even die to do it. And sometimes if it happens often enough, the women start to like it and crave it. Yep, they look forward to being raped by monsters. That one is a little hard to stomach, and I'm not sure what he was trying to say about women. At least the monsters have an excuse in that they're animals, but come on. Another thing, one of the characters, who I won't mention to avoid spoilers, seems to be a rational adult who managed to live to a fairly old age without doing anything too nutty. Then he decides to start killing people. Oh, there's money behind it, even though he has money, but whatever, let's kill some people out of the blue. And let's get more cold blooded as time passes. And by time, I mean like, less than a day.
So that was my biggest flaw, the characters just didn't seem very real to me. So all of that being said, there is something about Laymon's writing that make you have to keep reading. It's just compelling, and you HAVE to know what happens next. Even with the flaws I mentioned, I was still engrossed in this one and read it quickly. AND I'll be finishing the series out as well.
So basically, if you've read Laymon and like this work, you'll like this one. If you're new to Laymon, he may not be your cup of tea, but you could say that about any author. This does contain graphic violence, sex, rape, and just overall creepiness. Be warned, but you'll probably like this one anyway.
Now, I did have a few issues with this one, mostly the same issues I had with the first book in the series, The Cellar. Laymon's characters, at least in the books I've read, are almost all Id, in the Freudian sense. They just seemed to be all emotion with very little rational thinking. As in the first book, two people meet each other and within less than a day are deeply in love. I have heard of "insta-love" in romance novels, but in horror novels it's new to me. Also, these are sure some horny characters. For example, "I just met this guy a few hours ago and he seems weird, but hes handsome so let's go have sex in the dangerous woods where monsters dwell." Yeah you just know that's not going to end well. Or how about "I have known this guy less than a day, and people are missing, but lets sneak off and have sex for a few hours." Jeez, people, aren't you human rather than base animal? Oh, and speaking of animal, the monsters are horny little bastards too. They live just to rape it seems, and they'll even die to do it. And sometimes if it happens often enough, the women start to like it and crave it. Yep, they look forward to being raped by monsters. That one is a little hard to stomach, and I'm not sure what he was trying to say about women. At least the monsters have an excuse in that they're animals, but come on. Another thing, one of the characters, who I won't mention to avoid spoilers, seems to be a rational adult who managed to live to a fairly old age without doing anything too nutty. Then he decides to start killing people. Oh, there's money behind it, even though he has money, but whatever, let's kill some people out of the blue. And let's get more cold blooded as time passes. And by time, I mean like, less than a day.
So that was my biggest flaw, the characters just didn't seem very real to me. So all of that being said, there is something about Laymon's writing that make you have to keep reading. It's just compelling, and you HAVE to know what happens next. Even with the flaws I mentioned, I was still engrossed in this one and read it quickly. AND I'll be finishing the series out as well.
So basically, if you've read Laymon and like this work, you'll like this one. If you're new to Laymon, he may not be your cup of tea, but you could say that about any author. This does contain graphic violence, sex, rape, and just overall creepiness. Be warned, but you'll probably like this one anyway.
July 22, 2020
Okay, where do I begin with this one? The story is interesting but the main characters are one-dimensional tropes of what you see in horror novels of the time. There is Tyler, the girl who convinces her friend to drive up the coast of California to find her unrequited love after many years apart. Her friend Nora, the typical "wild child" type female with zero inhibitions and a "spunky" attitude, wants her to move on but is willing to help Tyler anyway she can.
Along the way, they are almost raped (Warning: this is a theme throughout the book) but a nameless yokel (this is California in the late 70's folks...) and are saved by two former Marines that just happen to come by. In the "Leatherneck" duo we have Abe, the sexy gentle one, and Jack, the first "man's man" (you can see where these puzzle pieces are going to fit.
We also meet some odd secondary characters such as the evil writer who wants to steal the secrets of the "Beast House" and his sycophantic partner. Some local color in the always drunk Jimmy Buff... I mean Captain Frank, the owners of the only motel in town and their daughter (who is supposed to play a role in the book but just seems like chaff to break up the Abe/Tyler/Jack/Nora situation) and a useless listing of police and an FBI agent who is tossed in for decoration but serves no purpose at all otherwise)
We do finally get to deal with the "Beast House" a local tourist attraction come wax museum come murder scene come BS claptrap of a trope explosion.
Incest?
Many (many many many) references to sexual anatomy?
Rape?
After reading a few books put out by Leisure, I am convinced they have some sort of rider that tells the authors they need to put incest/rape/torture/large penis references into all of their books.
3/5 stars, will read others in the series just for mindless kicks and giggles.
Along the way, they are almost raped (Warning: this is a theme throughout the book) but a nameless yokel (this is California in the late 70's folks...) and are saved by two former Marines that just happen to come by. In the "Leatherneck" duo we have Abe, the sexy gentle one, and Jack, the first "man's man" (you can see where these puzzle pieces are going to fit.
We also meet some odd secondary characters such as the evil writer who wants to steal the secrets of the "Beast House" and his sycophantic partner. Some local color in the always drunk Jimmy Buff... I mean Captain Frank, the owners of the only motel in town and their daughter (who is supposed to play a role in the book but just seems like chaff to break up the Abe/Tyler/Jack/Nora situation) and a useless listing of police and an FBI agent who is tossed in for decoration but serves no purpose at all otherwise)
We do finally get to deal with the "Beast House" a local tourist attraction come wax museum come murder scene come BS claptrap of a trope explosion.
Incest?
Many (many many many) references to sexual anatomy?
Rape?
After reading a few books put out by Leisure, I am convinced they have some sort of rider that tells the authors they need to put incest/rape/torture/large penis references into all of their books.
3/5 stars, will read others in the series just for mindless kicks and giggles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2015
Uprated this to 3 stars after a re-read...
Two librarians and two ex-marines kick ass with the beast at The Beast House!!!! LOL
For horror 8/10
for characters 7/10
for believability 2/10
for entertainment value 10/10
Another teenage read that I remember.
The first line in this book made me laugh out loud. Some woman was telling her friend that she needed a good "f*ing". That one line reveals the caliber of the book. The story unfolds well, the writing was ok, and this author seems to like throwing in the odd sexual moments for the characters which seems to do little but sauce things up.
It was a typical 80's trashy horror read with blood and sex and characters you could envisage in any episode of Dallas or Dynasty.
Two librarians and two ex-marines kick ass with the beast at The Beast House!!!! LOL
For horror 8/10
for characters 7/10
for believability 2/10
for entertainment value 10/10
Another teenage read that I remember.
The first line in this book made me laugh out loud. Some woman was telling her friend that she needed a good "f*ing". That one line reveals the caliber of the book. The story unfolds well, the writing was ok, and this author seems to like throwing in the odd sexual moments for the characters which seems to do little but sauce things up.
It was a typical 80's trashy horror read with blood and sex and characters you could envisage in any episode of Dallas or Dynasty.
October 8, 2019
Laymon is a brilliant writer, his book THE CELLAR is an excellent example of why. The Beast House unfortunately fell short. Similar to its predecessor, The Beast House recounts the tragic events that took place in The Cellar...recounts and almost recreates said events, for the most part. On the other hand this book spends the majority of its time going over uneventful scenes and unnecessary relationships. The last 100 pages were incredibly fun and resembled the greatness of The Cellar but the rest I could've done without.
April 29, 2025
Feels like a lackluster and rather pointless rehash of the first book until a decent finale saves it from the weak sequel garbage pile. Hard to rate, because it's honestly pretty trashy. The characters make absurd decisions and aren't very believable. In fact nothing's very believable. The prose isn't particularly good either. Why the three stars? It's a guilty pleasure. Sleazy violence and pulp depravity for the reader who wants to take a titillating filth bath.
July 16, 2021
Another one on the same crazy level as Funland! Highly entertaining climax, the usual raunch is present, and while some of the raunch is "over the top", it's not excessive. Pretty entertaining throughout. The whole concept doesn't seem ENTIRELY original, but back in 1980, I'm sure it was. Anyone reading this that has read Laymon and liked him, should put this on their list.
May 22, 2023
My guilty pleasure continues with the second instalment in The Beast House Chronicles, and I'd have to say I enjoyed The Beast House more than The Cellar. Not for any reason other than that the story was more engaging, and I think having the events of The Cellar tie-in as well as they did certainly gave The Beast House good momentum. Very well paced, lots of trademark Richard Laymon smut and gore; though probably not as excessive as many of his other novels that I've read.
I gave The Cellar four starts, The Beast House gets four stars - and herein lies the problem with the 5-star rating system.
I gave The Cellar four starts, The Beast House gets four stars - and herein lies the problem with the 5-star rating system.
February 3, 2019
I just started reading Laymon this past year. I have only read 3 books, but this is by far my favorite of what I have read. The story was compelling. The characters were interesting. There were plenty of bad guys to hate, and several good guys to root for. I liked the mythology behind the Beast House. I wish I had read the Cellar first, but I wasn't able to find a copy locally. The story was plenty creepy and also exciting. The beast was unique and the book was not like others I have read. Definitely recommend this one.
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