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The Basement
On a dare from her best friends, Heather goes inside the town's haunted house, where Frank Blackwell killed his wife and then hung himself in the basement. But while in the house, Heather is confronted by a ghost from her past, her mother who died accidentally one year ago. Now, Heather must not only escape from the evil lurking inside the house, but from the demons of her own past.
13 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 19, 2012
526 people are currently reading
1337 people want to read
About the author
Chad P. Brown
19 books30 followersChad P. Brown was born in Huntington, WV. Once he outgrew his childhood fears of haunted houses, clowns, and toy monkeys with cymbals (although those still creep him out a little bit), he discovered a dark love for writing and an affinity for macabre and eldritch matters. He holds a Master's in Latin from Marshall University and is an Affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association. In October 2011, he released his first horror novel, The Jack-in-the-box. He has appeared in the anthologies SPIDERS (August 2012 by May December Publications) and Gothic Blue Book Vol. 2 - Revenge Edition (October 2012 by Burial Day Books). His current projects include a recently released zombie novella, Messiah of the Zombie Apocalypse, and various short stories, as well as a dark fiction novella, The Pumpkin House, which is in submission.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 426 reviews
October 11, 2019
An enjoyable enough scary short story about a girl dared by her friends to go inside the town's haunted house and what happens when she meets up with a ghost from her past while inside. It's a really quick read.
December 2, 2014
Sad to say but this was a soulless husk of a story. The writing seems proper albeit sterile and clean from a general gander but the beginning line was just way too relaxed and sloppy as an intro and the whole thing lacked anything clever. I’ve read deeper one page stories than this.
- Kasia S.
- Kasia S.
December 9, 2020
In this very short work of horror, a dare to enter THE BASEMENT of a known haunted house brings to mind a dark memory of a personal tragedy for Heather.
"Only a fool would come into this house."
The creepy book cover made me read this one!
December 23, 2017
The narrator enters a known haunted home and becomes trapped. She’s drawn to the basement where she sees a familiar face and tries to flee.
There wasn’t much to this story but it’s a cute horror-ish read for an older teen and can be read in less than an hour.
►Amazon freebie.
There wasn’t much to this story but it’s a cute horror-ish read for an older teen and can be read in less than an hour.
►Amazon freebie.
October 5, 2015
So since it is spook season I decided to go scope out Amazon and finds a scary story that would be easy to get through pretty quickly, and I found this one. I was pretty excited to get it because it was a free e-book for my kindle.
With a title like The Basement I figured it would be a pretty creepy story and also I thought the plot of the story sounded really good which is why I grabbed the story to begin with. After taking into consideration that this was only 13 pages long, I still thought it could have had some kind of scare factor. It is true though that I do not get scared easily, but this one did not even touch on creepy at all. I thought this could have been much longer and then maybe it could have used a few more scary elements.
I guess that this book could be recommended to someone who gets scared rather easily, or maybe more scared than I get. So if you do get scared pretty easy go ahead and give this one a shot you might enjoy it.
With a title like The Basement I figured it would be a pretty creepy story and also I thought the plot of the story sounded really good which is why I grabbed the story to begin with. After taking into consideration that this was only 13 pages long, I still thought it could have had some kind of scare factor. It is true though that I do not get scared easily, but this one did not even touch on creepy at all. I thought this could have been much longer and then maybe it could have used a few more scary elements.
I guess that this book could be recommended to someone who gets scared rather easily, or maybe more scared than I get. So if you do get scared pretty easy go ahead and give this one a shot you might enjoy it.
September 19, 2012
I really hated this short story. I was expecting it to be so much better. The story was less than 30 pages and the name of "Heather" was probably mentioned 300 times! Dude needs to learn "she"
December 29, 2017
I'm glad this one was free. Unfortunately, this was an extremely uninspired horror short. It had the same story as many other books with writing that didn't make it stand out from the crowd.
November 18, 2012
I think another goodreads reviewer nailed it when she called this short story "cheesy". I can add that I found the writing to be typical and, although, not amateurish, nothing that really stands out. It is what it is...something that is easily forgettable once it is read. It simply had no substance to it.
January 27, 2020
I already hate basements so why not read this lol. It's a creepy short story about Heather proving to her friends that she can go into the basement of the haunted house. Well to her surprise she got a whole lot more!
June 4, 2014
As a writer, I have a few rules that I follow, ones you won't find in most books on writing. Here is one of my top ones: If anything I am writing reminds me of anything Larry or Owen wrote in "Throw Momma From the Train", I destroy it.
That said, "The Basement" had me thinking of Owen saying, "The guy in the hat killed the other guy in the hat." In this story, there's a girl named Heather. She's prowling around a haunted house. We're told that something is after her. We're also told that she's responsible for her mother's death. Anyone want to guess what it is that's creeping around after her in the haunted house?
There were a few nice descriptions here and there, but I kept wishing Chad P. Brown would find his own voice. The one he was using felt borrowed from Stephen King. Some of the not-as-wonderful descriptions seemed lifted right out of the pages of Stephen King novels. Brown may have potential to be a good writer, but it's time to ignore the blueprints of King and stop writing horror stories the way he would.
That said, "The Basement" had me thinking of Owen saying, "The guy in the hat killed the other guy in the hat." In this story, there's a girl named Heather. She's prowling around a haunted house. We're told that something is after her. We're also told that she's responsible for her mother's death. Anyone want to guess what it is that's creeping around after her in the haunted house?
There were a few nice descriptions here and there, but I kept wishing Chad P. Brown would find his own voice. The one he was using felt borrowed from Stephen King. Some of the not-as-wonderful descriptions seemed lifted right out of the pages of Stephen King novels. Brown may have potential to be a good writer, but it's time to ignore the blueprints of King and stop writing horror stories the way he would.
October 27, 2014
Their are so many books about basements , and the creepy things that have happened in those basements . This is another basement story with a twist. Heather has entered the house on a dare from her friends. She is stuck in the house where a murder suicide has taken place,
The author had me turning pages in this story from the first page. I know you all get sucked into a story about a basement. There are creepy crawly things and things that go bump in the night also
There is always that fear of the sounds that creak. This story is no exception. Heather must over come some of her own demons and the demons of the house . Who knew that Heather was holding all that inside her. The author takes us on a rollercoaster ride.
Like I said this is a short story but it will be a great read while waiting for the kids to come to the house for trick or treating. Read with the light off and you will look at your basement differently. When you hear that bump in the night or that clanking sound.
ENTER THE BASEMENT IF YOU DARE
November 25, 2024
I wanted to go into the new year with 0 short stories on my TBR. i’m working through them now. Any book is sliiightly scarier when your name is in it. this was good!!
September 2, 2012
I loved this quick, creepy read. It has a true essence of The King (aka Stephen King.) It opens with a teenage girl, Heather, being dared by her friends to enter a notoriously haunted house. I won't go into anymore detail, mostly because it is such a short story. But if you enjoy a good ghost story, you'll love this little taste of horror. It's well written and engrossing. I just wish I had finished eating my lunch before I started reading it.
June 13, 2016
Recently, I've been reading a ton of scary short stories. Got bored and got a shit ton of free ebooks of Amazon. Mostly horror so I'd have bunch to choose from when Halloween finally rolls around. So far, I'm just reading the really short ones & saving the novel sized ones for October. (Can't wait to read "dinosaur lake" & "Evangeline")
So far, I've realized that there was probably a very good reason why so many of these short stories were being given away for free. :/ they suck. Like the kind of "they suck" that makes me want to burn them if they were paper instead of just data space on my very expensive iPad. (Can't burn my connection to goodreads, now can I?)
"The basement" was no exception. While the good potential was hear, the barest bones of what could have been a great book, it was destroyed under mountains of shitty writing & bland storytelling.
Some of the descriptions were creepy enough, but it was relying much to heavily on them. It makes the story more gorey, more gruesome, but not scary.
When I read a horror novel or watch a scary movie, I want to be utterly terrified.
I want to be freaked out a bit every time I look in a mirror for a few days after the viewing, like when I first watched "the unborn".
Weirded out about going to sleep like after "nightmare on elm street"
Scared of my closest for about a week like after seeing "the conjuring"
Freaked out by old dolls & dummies after movies like "annabell" & "dead silence" or reading books like "bad girl's don't die"
& honestly? A bit freaked out by old ladies & kids after watching "the orphanage" (a great Spanish horror film.)
But "the basement"?
Nope. Not scary. There's a difference between making gross details & making something actually scary. A zombie just standing there, isn't all that scary, right? But a zombie that can run super fast & climb walls that is actively trying to eat your brain? That's scary. That was what "the basement" felt like compared to good horror stories.
There's no fear. no urgency. No terror. No atmosphere.Just gross descriptions on a dead body.
1 star for the flash back, which was okish. But that's it.
Like Ives said with so many books & stories this year, so much wasted potential. Not recommended.
But! At least it's another title I can add to my reading challenge, so yay 4 that, right?
So far, I've realized that there was probably a very good reason why so many of these short stories were being given away for free. :/ they suck. Like the kind of "they suck" that makes me want to burn them if they were paper instead of just data space on my very expensive iPad. (Can't burn my connection to goodreads, now can I?)
"The basement" was no exception. While the good potential was hear, the barest bones of what could have been a great book, it was destroyed under mountains of shitty writing & bland storytelling.
Some of the descriptions were creepy enough, but it was relying much to heavily on them. It makes the story more gorey, more gruesome, but not scary.
When I read a horror novel or watch a scary movie, I want to be utterly terrified.
I want to be freaked out a bit every time I look in a mirror for a few days after the viewing, like when I first watched "the unborn".
Weirded out about going to sleep like after "nightmare on elm street"
Scared of my closest for about a week like after seeing "the conjuring"
Freaked out by old dolls & dummies after movies like "annabell" & "dead silence" or reading books like "bad girl's don't die"
& honestly? A bit freaked out by old ladies & kids after watching "the orphanage" (a great Spanish horror film.)
But "the basement"?
Nope. Not scary. There's a difference between making gross details & making something actually scary. A zombie just standing there, isn't all that scary, right? But a zombie that can run super fast & climb walls that is actively trying to eat your brain? That's scary. That was what "the basement" felt like compared to good horror stories.
There's no fear. no urgency. No terror. No atmosphere.Just gross descriptions on a dead body.
1 star for the flash back, which was okish. But that's it.
Like Ives said with so many books & stories this year, so much wasted potential. Not recommended.
But! At least it's another title I can add to my reading challenge, so yay 4 that, right?
February 11, 2016
This is a short story, but it’s one worth the few minutes it will take you to read it.
When you were a kid, did you ever have friend or friends who dared you to do something you knew was stupid? Well, I think most of us have. Brown takes us into one of those childhood challenges. Heather, a young teen girl, is dared to go into an old, supposedly, haunted house called the Blackwell house. This is a home where a brutal murder/suicide occurred years back. Since the event happened no one has stayed living in it long. A couple even left in the middle of the night but never said why. Is entering this home a mistake Heather will regret?
Brown has written a terrifying story of that begs the question, What haunts you and can you survive it?
When you were a kid, did you ever have friend or friends who dared you to do something you knew was stupid? Well, I think most of us have. Brown takes us into one of those childhood challenges. Heather, a young teen girl, is dared to go into an old, supposedly, haunted house called the Blackwell house. This is a home where a brutal murder/suicide occurred years back. Since the event happened no one has stayed living in it long. A couple even left in the middle of the night but never said why. Is entering this home a mistake Heather will regret?
Brown has written a terrifying story of that begs the question, What haunts you and can you survive it?
February 4, 2015
The Basement is a nice short creepy tale (suspenseful, not gory) that plays on people's common fears - with the familiar.
Although we do get to know Heather, the main teenage character, and about her demons, we are left pondering over her mother and her motivations.
Also what is the story behind the original tragedy in that house? Was that all about guilt as well?
The story was very well written, and had my full attention, however I feel it could have delivered more.
This piece is also part of the collection "Pile of Bones: 13 Tales of Terror".
Although we do get to know Heather, the main teenage character, and about her demons, we are left pondering over her mother and her motivations.
Also what is the story behind the original tragedy in that house? Was that all about guilt as well?
The story was very well written, and had my full attention, however I feel it could have delivered more.
This piece is also part of the collection "Pile of Bones: 13 Tales of Terror".
July 20, 2014
Why do teenagers always dare each other?. Bet these friends feel bad. This story was ok , it was one we have heard before. Not really sure the basement was necessary as the main character already had her own ghost but it was a variation on an old theme that was refreshing and the thing that saved this short story was the fact she brought her own ghost to the haunted house.
August 6, 2016
Well Heather was an idiot.
March 26, 2013
very short story... loved it
November 14, 2020
Original Review at Jaunts & Haunts
2/5
Unfortunately I only gave this short story two stars.
Just for clarification, I get no gratification out of giving low scores. Being an author myself, I know a lot of hard work goes into each work presented. However, there were a lot of things that didn't work for me on this read.
Before I take a trip down constructive criticism road, what did work for me was the concept. Haunted houses are a frequently visited theme in the realm of horror, and for good reason. They're super creepy and you never know what evil lurks in the darkness. Going in, I had high hopes but was quickly disappointed.
Overall I felt that the writing could be improved upon. The sentences don't flow as well as they could, and the metaphors/similes used are a bit weak. Since haunted houses are now somewhat cliche, this work needed to set itself apart, and on this level it didn't. It's not terrible, but has a lot of room for improvement.
The main character Heather was alright, but I didn't really develop any feeling for her. That's often the case with short stories, so I'm not surprised.
The plot was super simple, which I typically like. Friend gets dared into going into a haunted house and chaos ensues. Unfortunately, what does end up happening in the house wasn't really scary to me. I'll admit it is hard to scare me, but it didn't even come close. The 'scary' bits we do get are okay, but are just not executed as well as they could be on a writing level.
In the end, I just didn't have much of a reaction to this story. If it was revised and the flow improved upon, it may become a three or even four star read, but until that day comes this story is forgettable in my opinion and I cannot recommend in its present form.
2/5
Unfortunately I only gave this short story two stars.
Just for clarification, I get no gratification out of giving low scores. Being an author myself, I know a lot of hard work goes into each work presented. However, there were a lot of things that didn't work for me on this read.
Before I take a trip down constructive criticism road, what did work for me was the concept. Haunted houses are a frequently visited theme in the realm of horror, and for good reason. They're super creepy and you never know what evil lurks in the darkness. Going in, I had high hopes but was quickly disappointed.
Overall I felt that the writing could be improved upon. The sentences don't flow as well as they could, and the metaphors/similes used are a bit weak. Since haunted houses are now somewhat cliche, this work needed to set itself apart, and on this level it didn't. It's not terrible, but has a lot of room for improvement.
The main character Heather was alright, but I didn't really develop any feeling for her. That's often the case with short stories, so I'm not surprised.
The plot was super simple, which I typically like. Friend gets dared into going into a haunted house and chaos ensues. Unfortunately, what does end up happening in the house wasn't really scary to me. I'll admit it is hard to scare me, but it didn't even come close. The 'scary' bits we do get are okay, but are just not executed as well as they could be on a writing level.
In the end, I just didn't have much of a reaction to this story. If it was revised and the flow improved upon, it may become a three or even four star read, but until that day comes this story is forgettable in my opinion and I cannot recommend in its present form.
June 27, 2017
Short😕 it could of been a lot longer
To short!😑 needs to be longer! Not long enough 😥 needs moooore!😩 don't read this if you want something long because this is very very short!!=( 😱
To short!😑 needs to be longer! Not long enough 😥 needs moooore!😩 don't read this if you want something long because this is very very short!!=( 😱
January 24, 2020
This was a fairly typical story about a girl exploring a haunted house on a dare and braving the basement. It's a short and mostly predictable, but there were a couple of interesting surprises and it was written well.
Nothing overly special about it, but I did enjoy it
Nothing overly special about it, but I did enjoy it
April 17, 2013
This was very unexpected to me of how things might turn out. This is one of those stories that makes you think, and makes those little hairs stand up (on the back of your neck)giving you the chills or the creeps like you are not entirely alone. The characters were well defined (even the house was a character, the author described it that well). The story is very good and engaging and like I said, unexpected on how things will turn out. It is not the typical humdrum you can figure out how things will end type of story. This author throws in twists and turns and offers up different views for the reader to think on. This is why I like this author he is not your typical horror writer, he is Better!
September 3, 2012
A friend and fellow author recommended this book and it sure was a good choice. 'The Basement' is a short horror story - very simple storyline, well-written and gripping. The moment the story begins with Heather stepping into the supposed haunted house, the author does not let the reader relax even a bit as he builds tension and fear through his words. The author keeps a very tight leash on the plot and the end freaks you out. It would be interesting to read a bit longer works of the author. Would recommend all horror lovers to read this one. You won't be disappointed.
February 25, 2013
this week is a review on the basement by Chad P. Brown. This was a short story by him and one thing i'll note up front this shorty can get graphic on the gory details. so week tummies be warn, Because with this author his writing create the image in your head and yeah gross.Great short story I'll have to pick it up again later. This was one of the free books i found on amazon and yes i would buy this if i had found a physical copy. I recommend this book for one who like horror with unseen twists.
April 14, 2016
My son wanted to read a scary story while on a quick road trip to the airport. He read this story aloud. I found the story to be not too scary for kids although it had a few bad words in it. The short story is about a young girl who is dared to enter a presumably haunted house and go into the basement. While in the basement, she sees her mother who has recently passed away. The story takes on from there with a very strange shift of events. The book was fine for a short story but it didn't really have a suspenseful writing style that could propel the story.
Raging Book Reviews
Raging Book Reviews
November 2, 2013
An extremely short read. One that I figured as being predictable.
Turns out I am wrong.
The premise of Heather taking her own ghost into a haunted house was a surprisingly fresh Idea.
I hoped the author would take that further. In order to stay true to the genre I understand why he did not!
All in all the twists intrigued and kept me turning the page. I am off to go download some more freebies by the author!
WaAr
Turns out I am wrong.
The premise of Heather taking her own ghost into a haunted house was a surprisingly fresh Idea.
I hoped the author would take that further. In order to stay true to the genre I understand why he did not!
All in all the twists intrigued and kept me turning the page. I am off to go download some more freebies by the author!
WaAr
November 3, 2013
no cigar. I thought this book had some great potential. I was disappointed from the beginning. she entered into a house that sucks her in them does down to a basement sees her angry dead mother the end. as far as we know the house has no history of violence so what now? the description of the book leads the reader to believe that Heather survive her trip inside of the Blackwell house. so why is her situation different?
October 4, 2014
A short story. It was terribly cliched. Heather gets yanked into the house, then trapped, and for the same stupid reason this happens in cheesy horror films she goes into the basement. Honestly, I've seen, visited, and even lived with scarier, non-haunted basements then this one was. Heather was dumb, and deserved the end she got.
I am so glad this was a short story but my original short horror stories are better than this even without the editing.
I am so glad this was a short story but my original short horror stories are better than this even without the editing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2012
This is a very quick read that never let's up. Action all the way. It start with a brave young woman entering a creepy house, but that is only the beginning to her problems. Well written and developed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 426 reviews