What do you think?
Rate this book
Nightmare
A young woman on a tour of the British Isles feels obligated to visit her dead fiance's mother. The old woman is profoundly religious and also insane.
176 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
57 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 19, 2015
Mai vista suocera peggiore
Elizabeth Linington, in arte ANNE BLAISDELL, è stata una nota scrittrice di gialli negli anni Cinquanta. Il suo stile e le sue storie le hanno permesso di ottenere il titolo di "regina del police procedural ".
INCUBO è un autentico appuntamento con il terrore. Ottimo lo stile di Anne Blaisbell nel gestire i meccanismi della suspense per generare un crescendo di paura.
La protagonista è la giovane Pat Carroll e, se ho scelto di leggere questo giallo, sicuramente è stata la trama a rendermi curiosa.
Si dice che le donne abbiano un forte sesto senso. Non so se è un luogo comune, veritiero o fallace. Sta di fatto che la giovane Pat ha agito un po' da ingenua sprovveduta. Non è propriamente una figura attuale, infatti la sua psicologia risente degli anni Sessanta, quando il libro è stato scritto. Comunque, la povera Pat è stata presa un po' in contropiede, poiché non aveva avvertito nessun campanello d’allarme a minare le sue sicurezze, prima di scivolare improvvisamente in un vero e proprio INCUBO.
Pat non aveva mai incontrato la signora Trefoile, madre del suo defunto fidanzato, ma le sue lettere erano esattamente ciò che ci si aspetterebbe da un’anziana donna di buone maniere. La signora Trefoile la invita a trascorrere un po’ di tempo insieme nella sua casa, in un villaggio del Galles. Pat è una fiduciosa ragazza americana e decide di partire da sola per andare a trovare in Inghilterra quella che avrebbe potuto diventare la sua futura suocera. Pat non avrebbe mai immaginato di finire prigioniera delle ossessioni di una malvagia carnefice. È così che Pat diventa una vittima sacrificale di un rito di barbarica crudeltà. È così che Pat entra nel suo INCUBO e dovrà davvero lottare duramente per uscirne sana e salva.
Ho trovato INCUBO una lettura coinvolgente. Forse anche Anne Blaisdell, con questo suo originale romanzo giallo, ha contribuito a far crescere i timori verso le future suocere.
January 27, 2021
If you're at all a fan of the hammer horror film, "Die! Die! My Darling" aka "Fanatic" (1965) then this is worth your time to get into the character's head space and motives a bit more (plus it's free on open library), but otherwise it has its flaws that held it back from its potential (and more than a nomination for an Edgar award). Pat's perspective chapters are the best because they are the most climactic, and it's easy to sympathize with and root for Glentower in his fight between emotional hunches and reasoning with very little clues to go off of. And then you've got Mrs. Trefoile, a pre-Misery, psycho-biddy, would-be mother-in-law from hell, religious zealot and closet sadist to boot. What a set-up! But where it doesn't quite cut out is in putting so much of the narrative focus on the fateful threads of communications, misfires, and happenstances that set the stage for Pat's rescue instead of the much more interesting predicament she's in and the dissolving psychological morale for everyone involved. And when the rescue finally does occur, the showdown between Glentower and Trefoile is very matter of fact with no epilogue for Pat to make up for the tortures she suffered.
Some notable differences between the book and the film:
-The book is more violent, and Mrs. Trefoile's and Anna's blood thirst and unconscious lust for power and dominion over others under the guise of religious conviction is explicitly defined.
-Unlike the film, Henry/Harry is not a malicious creep in the book. Criminal on the lam or not, he never tries to harass Pat and in fact is the only one in the household that wants her to remain unharmed and set free. He is also the only one who seems to see the writing on the wall that Mrs. Trefoile is batshit and can't be trusted to run her own household or make decisions.
-Mrs. Trefoile's relationship to her son is less of a motive for her in the book than it is in the film. Pat is only able to thinly surmise what his childhood must have been or how close he ever was to his mother. It becomes clear pretty quickly that her devotion to her son is just another excuse to overpower Pat.
-In the film, from what I remember, it is heavily implied that Mrs. Trefoile was once a semi-successful actress or singer before she retired and turned into the religious mess. In the book, the village people say she was always a fanatic, and came from old money.
-In the film, from what I recall, Glentower has a much quicker epiphany as to Pat's whereabouts. In the book, it takes like twenty flashing red signs for him to put the pieces together. This being the case, there are a lot more throwaway side characters like Anna's niece, Gloria, to act as clues for him.
Some notable differences between the book and the film:
-The book is more violent, and Mrs. Trefoile's and Anna's blood thirst and unconscious lust for power and dominion over others under the guise of religious conviction is explicitly defined.
-Unlike the film, Henry/Harry is not a malicious creep in the book. Criminal on the lam or not, he never tries to harass Pat and in fact is the only one in the household that wants her to remain unharmed and set free. He is also the only one who seems to see the writing on the wall that Mrs. Trefoile is batshit and can't be trusted to run her own household or make decisions.
-Mrs. Trefoile's relationship to her son is less of a motive for her in the book than it is in the film. Pat is only able to thinly surmise what his childhood must have been or how close he ever was to his mother. It becomes clear pretty quickly that her devotion to her son is just another excuse to overpower Pat.
-In the film, from what I remember, it is heavily implied that Mrs. Trefoile was once a semi-successful actress or singer before she retired and turned into the religious mess. In the book, the village people say she was always a fanatic, and came from old money.
-In the film, from what I recall, Glentower has a much quicker epiphany as to Pat's whereabouts. In the book, it takes like twenty flashing red signs for him to put the pieces together. This being the case, there are a lot more throwaway side characters like Anna's niece, Gloria, to act as clues for him.
December 30, 2015
La madre di tutte le cattive suocere e la sua sadica domestica alle prese con la piú ingenua e sprovveduta di tutte le nuore!
Lettura coinvolgente ed appassionante che mi ha tenuto sveglio fino a notte tarda, ma il racconto risente comunque dell'etá e di qualche forzatura ed ingenuitá...
3 stelline e mezzo.
Prima o poi devo procurarmi il film :)
Lettura coinvolgente ed appassionante che mi ha tenuto sveglio fino a notte tarda, ma il racconto risente comunque dell'etá e di qualche forzatura ed ingenuitá...
3 stelline e mezzo.
Prima o poi devo procurarmi il film :)
April 30, 2017
You realise how good a book is the moment your heart starts throbbing, beating too fast while you loose the sense of the reading; you're not aware of the words flowing out of your sight while they start picturing the scene described in the passages right in your mind and think you're having an asthma or heart attack. But then you fall back into reality and thank anyone that it was the book and not a symptom of a cardiac arrest.
There's no need to deny the story, settings and characters have been used and abused many times in literature, specially over that decade. But I cannot deny that anything you always wanted from a great exploitation book is there. It's a quick read, yes but a juicy and entertaining one nevertheless.
No frills or dull digressions, just a thrilling, atmospheric and straightforward chiller.
My only disappointment is the ending. I was crying for a sad conclusion but it's just a small personal preference. I'm sure most of you would rather have a happy one.
There's no need to deny the story, settings and characters have been used and abused many times in literature, specially over that decade. But I cannot deny that anything you always wanted from a great exploitation book is there. It's a quick read, yes but a juicy and entertaining one nevertheless.
No frills or dull digressions, just a thrilling, atmospheric and straightforward chiller.
My only disappointment is the ending. I was crying for a sad conclusion but it's just a small personal preference. I'm sure most of you would rather have a happy one.
July 15, 2012
Became the movie "Die Die My Darling" starring Tallulah Bankhead and Stephanie Powers.
April 27, 2023
An ok story, a little too long, but an easy listen
Want to read
December 25, 2018Synopsis: a young woman on tour of the British Isles feels obligated to visit her dead fiance's mother who turns out to be religious and insane!
February 12, 2017
Not bad. It kept my interest through the whole story, but it did leave a couple of questions, like who was Joseph? Why did he live with Mrs. Trefoile? And if Pat had access to all those bottles of alcohol, why didn't she clock the old woman on the head with one of them?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2013
It was intense.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews