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Richard Laymon Collection #3
The Richard Laymon Collection, Volume 3: Night Show / Allhallow's Eve
NIGHT SHOW When he was in high-school Tony Johnson locked school beauty Linda Allison in a haunted house for the night. Now he has moved to Hollywood determined to break into horror movies and he's forgotten all about her. But Linda is a girl with vengeance in her heart - and she certainly hasn't forgotten him...
ALLHALLOW'S EVE The Sherwood house has been deserted since the horrific killing of a local family in the sleepy town of Ashburg. When invitations to a mysterious party to be held there are sent out nobody is particularly surprised - after all everyone wants to party in a house of death on Allhallow's Eve.
ALLHALLOW'S EVE The Sherwood house has been deserted since the horrific killing of a local family in the sleepy town of Ashburg. When invitations to a mysterious party to be held there are sent out nobody is particularly surprised - after all everyone wants to party in a house of death on Allhallow's Eve.
- GenresHorror
416 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
Richard Laymon
162 books2,268 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 11, 2024
Laymon isn’t a good writer, not when you use the standard yardsticks by which to measure these things, but I have always been a fan of his heady mix of gore and ridiculous horniness. He’s like an American Shaun Hutson, but without the urge to dive into even darker waters (in some ways).
Is this great? No. It was a lot of fun though, and a brisk read, easy for any voracious reader to get through in one or two sessions.
Night Show has some fun references to horror movies throughout, both real and fictional, and the inciting incident for the unfolding horror is a classic “prank gone wrong”. Allhallow’s Eve, on the other hand, focuses on schoolchildren being mean to one another, and various adults, as they all end up heading towards what is set to be a dark and deadly Halloween party at a seemingly-abandoned “murder house”.
Is this great? No. It was a lot of fun though, and a brisk read, easy for any voracious reader to get through in one or two sessions.
Night Show has some fun references to horror movies throughout, both real and fictional, and the inciting incident for the unfolding horror is a classic “prank gone wrong”. Allhallow’s Eve, on the other hand, focuses on schoolchildren being mean to one another, and various adults, as they all end up heading towards what is set to be a dark and deadly Halloween party at a seemingly-abandoned “murder house”.
November 25, 2020
Night Show - not the best of Laymon’s works. Tony seems very immature and emotionally stunted. Why does he think it’s ok to physically grab other patrons at the movie theater? The story was just ok for me.
All Hallows Eve - I enjoyed this more than Night Show. Someone is planning a Halloween party at an abandoned house that was the site of a horrific murder. What could go wrong? This book was pretty interesting up until the end. It wrapped up so fast I was disappointed. And why were all these teachers going to high school parties? That seems wrong.
All Hallows Eve - I enjoyed this more than Night Show. Someone is planning a Halloween party at an abandoned house that was the site of a horrific murder. What could go wrong? This book was pretty interesting up until the end. It wrapped up so fast I was disappointed. And why were all these teachers going to high school parties? That seems wrong.
May 30, 2023
1) Night Show (12/01/23)
Rereading this, I did find it slightly more enjoyable but it still had too many issues.
This should have been a belter but ended up a damp squib. Flashes of the good stuff, let down by some dull interactions between Dani and Jack and a conveniently plotted revenge tale.
Insipid daytime soap interspersed with random sex and violence. A tale set in Hollywood with a horror SFX artist could be wonderful, add a classic revenge tale and you have the ingredients for a page turner. Sadly, we end up with two conveniently plotted stories that clumsily intertwine to conclude at a rather underwhelming climax.
2) Allhallow's Eve (30/05/23)
What started out as a fantastic murder mystery turned into a somewhat rushed, unsatisfying, yet brutal slasher.
Up until the finale, Allhallow's Eve featured minimal gore and was actually a nicely paced tale that featured two enjoyable plot strands. One that followed a policeman trying to solve a series of murders, the other a tale of school life and all the high and lows that entails.
There was some fantastic imagery throughout but it all felt a little rushed, especially once the party starts.
I'm not sure if Laymon had a phone call at 4:55pm, just as he was writing the oarty scenes, saying the final manuscript had to to handed in at 5pm.
The excessive sexual violence was unnecessary. Unlikable characters can be written without resorting to raping any woman that looks at them.
A disappointing tale.
Rereading this, I did find it slightly more enjoyable but it still had too many issues.
This should have been a belter but ended up a damp squib. Flashes of the good stuff, let down by some dull interactions between Dani and Jack and a conveniently plotted revenge tale.
Insipid daytime soap interspersed with random sex and violence. A tale set in Hollywood with a horror SFX artist could be wonderful, add a classic revenge tale and you have the ingredients for a page turner. Sadly, we end up with two conveniently plotted stories that clumsily intertwine to conclude at a rather underwhelming climax.
2) Allhallow's Eve (30/05/23)
What started out as a fantastic murder mystery turned into a somewhat rushed, unsatisfying, yet brutal slasher.
Up until the finale, Allhallow's Eve featured minimal gore and was actually a nicely paced tale that featured two enjoyable plot strands. One that followed a policeman trying to solve a series of murders, the other a tale of school life and all the high and lows that entails.
There was some fantastic imagery throughout but it all felt a little rushed, especially once the party starts.
I'm not sure if Laymon had a phone call at 4:55pm, just as he was writing the oarty scenes, saying the final manuscript had to to handed in at 5pm.
The excessive sexual violence was unnecessary. Unlikable characters can be written without resorting to raping any woman that looks at them.
A disappointing tale.
August 18, 2017
NIGHT SHOW reads like a made-for-TV thriller, like a mix between a TNT Original Movie and something you might stumble across on Cinemax late at night in your hotel room.
It's a guilty pleasure that caters to undiscerning consumers, men and women alike: Blood, guts, and old-school horror film references for the men; Harlequin-style sex and romance for the women.
The plot is about as basic as you can get: A woman is being followed by a stalker. Things escalate. The end. There is a brief additional side plot, but it doesn't really add much to the story and feels thrown in simply to pad things out.
And yet, despite all my criticisms, and despite wishing to take an X-Acto knife to all the sex scenes, I have to admit that NIGHT SHOW accomplished its purpose: it thoroughly entertained me.
When it comes to horror novels with "Halloween" (or some variation thereof) in the title, expectations should be set pretty low.
ALLHALLOW'S EVE does little or nothing to elevate the Halloween-themed horror sub-genre. Overall, I enjoyed the novel well enough, though I certainly sympathize with its detractors. Trying to justify a Richard Laymon novel is like trying to justify chocolate cake for breakfast. All you can do is mumble "So, sue me" between mouthfuls.
One thing Laymon does a pretty good job with here is the characters. Yes, by-and-large, they are extremely two-dimensional, but what little inner conflict Laymon does instill in them, he plays to the hilt. None of the characters are interesting in and of themselves, but, taken together, they keep you invested enough to keep turning the pages to the end.
Ah, yes, "the end." As many other reviewers have mentioned, this book really takes a dive in the last couple chapters. After setting up all the pieces for a rollicking conclusion, Laymon simply doesn't know how to wrap things up properly, and the whole story takes a wrong turn into Stupid Town. Instead of excitement, all we are left with is a one-two punch of sickening brutality followed by pure anti-climax.
If a bad ending is a deal-breaker for you, then don't even bother. However, if you're of the opinion that the journey is more important than the destination, then you could do worse than spending a few hours with ALLHALLOW'S EVE.
It's a guilty pleasure that caters to undiscerning consumers, men and women alike: Blood, guts, and old-school horror film references for the men; Harlequin-style sex and romance for the women.
The plot is about as basic as you can get: A woman is being followed by a stalker. Things escalate. The end. There is a brief additional side plot, but it doesn't really add much to the story and feels thrown in simply to pad things out.
And yet, despite all my criticisms, and despite wishing to take an X-Acto knife to all the sex scenes, I have to admit that NIGHT SHOW accomplished its purpose: it thoroughly entertained me.
When it comes to horror novels with "Halloween" (or some variation thereof) in the title, expectations should be set pretty low.
ALLHALLOW'S EVE does little or nothing to elevate the Halloween-themed horror sub-genre. Overall, I enjoyed the novel well enough, though I certainly sympathize with its detractors. Trying to justify a Richard Laymon novel is like trying to justify chocolate cake for breakfast. All you can do is mumble "So, sue me" between mouthfuls.
One thing Laymon does a pretty good job with here is the characters. Yes, by-and-large, they are extremely two-dimensional, but what little inner conflict Laymon does instill in them, he plays to the hilt. None of the characters are interesting in and of themselves, but, taken together, they keep you invested enough to keep turning the pages to the end.
Ah, yes, "the end." As many other reviewers have mentioned, this book really takes a dive in the last couple chapters. After setting up all the pieces for a rollicking conclusion, Laymon simply doesn't know how to wrap things up properly, and the whole story takes a wrong turn into Stupid Town. Instead of excitement, all we are left with is a one-two punch of sickening brutality followed by pure anti-climax.
If a bad ending is a deal-breaker for you, then don't even bother. However, if you're of the opinion that the journey is more important than the destination, then you could do worse than spending a few hours with ALLHALLOW'S EVE.
July 19, 2017
Volume 3 of the Richard Laymon Collection contains the originally published versions of "Night Show" and "Allhallow's Eve".
"Night Show" is about a young girl, terrorised in an abandoned house and her need to not get mad but to get sweet revenge.
"Allhallow's Eve" is about mysterious invitations sent out for people to attend a Halloween party to be held in the old Sherwood house...where a family was brutally slain 15yrs before. Who sent the invites, why were they sent...and what a great location for a Halloween Party!
Both of these books get to the point of the story very quickly and set up the final scene very well. The biggest issue is that they also both end very quickly - in some ways it's almost like Laymon worked so hard on the set up that he was just too tired to give the stories the finish that they both deserved. This is probably the only real gripe I had about the books and was what I felt stopped them from being better than average. The Epilogue/final chapter of each book, however, were good.
I've come to accept that with Laymon many of his characters are about as deep as a parking lot puddle, there are inconsistencies in the way some characters act, and the writing is very basic and to the point. That said I don't read his books for great character development and award winning literature. I mean, you don't go to the movies to see "Friday the 13th" or "Saw" because you think they are films worthy of winning an Oscar. You go because you know what to expect - some blood and guts horror and suspense.
The same with Richard Laymon. You know what you're going to get every time you open the cover - an in your face assault of splatterpunk not a nominee for the next round of Pulitzer's.
Overall "Night Show" and "Allhallow's Eve" kept me interested, were quick and easy to read, and didn't make me feel that I'd wasted my time reading them.
Three scary abandoned houses out of five.
"Night Show" is about a young girl, terrorised in an abandoned house and her need to not get mad but to get sweet revenge.
"Allhallow's Eve" is about mysterious invitations sent out for people to attend a Halloween party to be held in the old Sherwood house...where a family was brutally slain 15yrs before. Who sent the invites, why were they sent...and what a great location for a Halloween Party!
Both of these books get to the point of the story very quickly and set up the final scene very well. The biggest issue is that they also both end very quickly - in some ways it's almost like Laymon worked so hard on the set up that he was just too tired to give the stories the finish that they both deserved. This is probably the only real gripe I had about the books and was what I felt stopped them from being better than average. The Epilogue/final chapter of each book, however, were good.
I've come to accept that with Laymon many of his characters are about as deep as a parking lot puddle, there are inconsistencies in the way some characters act, and the writing is very basic and to the point. That said I don't read his books for great character development and award winning literature. I mean, you don't go to the movies to see "Friday the 13th" or "Saw" because you think they are films worthy of winning an Oscar. You go because you know what to expect - some blood and guts horror and suspense.
The same with Richard Laymon. You know what you're going to get every time you open the cover - an in your face assault of splatterpunk not a nominee for the next round of Pulitzer's.
Overall "Night Show" and "Allhallow's Eve" kept me interested, were quick and easy to read, and didn't make me feel that I'd wasted my time reading them.
Three scary abandoned houses out of five.
July 4, 2019
Richard Laymon books are great if you just want something light. Most follow a standard formula. Wasn't fussed with these two, NIGHT SHOW was a tad slow and I couldn't care less for some of the characters.
ALL HALLOWS EVE, was the better of the two stories but the ending was rushed and sudden, but the concept of the story was intriguing.
ALL HALLOWS EVE, was the better of the two stories but the ending was rushed and sudden, but the concept of the story was intriguing.
November 4, 2012
Both of these stories start of great but both have disappointing endings.
Had the potential for great things but short quick endings. Not a pair of Laymons best duos.
Had the potential for great things but short quick endings. Not a pair of Laymons best duos.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews