The Basement

by Bari Wood

New England aristocrat Myra Ludens is terrified of her basement, the burial site of a seventeenth-century accused witch, and soon horrific things begin to happen to anyone who has offended Myra. By the author of Doll's Eyes. 50,000 first printing. $40,000 ad/promo.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

326 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bari Wood published seven novels over the course of the 70s and 90s, with The Basement being her last. Set in Fallsbridge, Connecticut, the story revolves around a group of friends, the 'gang of eight', that have been friends since they were kids, now in their 40s, who all all come from old blue blood families that can just about track their arrival to the Mayflower. They all still live in Fallsbridge and get together weekly to eat lunch and hang out.

The book starts with Myra, one of the eight, meeting with a general contractor to do something about the basement in her ancient, sprawling farmhouse. Not only does the basement stink, but no one feels comfortable down there; it just makes people feel uneasy to say the least. So, after 30 grand and some work, the basement is finished, but still, people get bad vibes down there. For about the first half of the novel or so, Bari develops the group of eight, their interrelations and such, but these folks are pretty hard to root for. One lives in an physically abusive relationship with her husband that is difficult to read about, yet all are such mild mannered shmucks they never do anything about it but comfort her. Can you say restraining order? Please!

Myra, disappointed that the basement revamp did not get rid of the bad vibes, gets some of the eight to consult an Ouija board and then digs into the history of the town/house and finds out that the townies hung a witch back in the last 17th century. Long story and some dubious logic convinces Myra that her spirit is haunting the basement. It also just so happens that one of the eight's father collected books on the occult and they decide to perform a rite to free the basement of the ghost...

This was not really scary, but read more like the lifestyles of the rich and privileged. As an ethnography, it was fun, and Wood can turn a phrase for sure, but the overall plot was lackluster. Not sure what the intended audience was for this one. Still, a decent read if you stumble across a copy and the ending was cool. 3 stars!!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wealthy Connecticut housewife Myra Ludens is well aware of the inexplicable fear most people experience upon entering her cellar. While she knows that other people may feel dread, Myra truly believes that she is living in her dream house. However, her dream is about to turn into a nightmare...

For what Myra doesn't realize is that the recent remodeling of her basement has reawakened an evil presence that demands vengeance. Researching the history of her house, Myra discovers that in 1695, a woman by the name of Elizabeth 'Goody' Redman was hanged for witchcraft. Goody Redman's body was subsequently buried on Myra's land. To release the tormented spirit, Myra performs an impromptu exorcism - to her detriment.

In my opinion, this was an excellent book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Ms. Wood really knows how to create a chilling atmosphere, and I also appreciated the slow and steady increase in the horror - which was sustained throughout the story. I give this book a definite A+! - it's certainly a keeper for me!

[Nora Peevy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This ghost story followed the classic 80s feel of things that go bump in the night. When a falsely accused witch's bones are discovered in a rich debutante's remodeled basement, strange deadly accidents happen to people that cross Myra Fox. Is she possessed by the ghost of the witch in the basement or is she simply gifted with psychokinesis? I recommend this book for a weekend getaway or the first day back to school, when your house is quiet and you don't know what to do with yourself, if you're a parent. It's predictable, but entertaining, with a few heart chilling and creative death scenes. However, from the title and blurb on the cover, I was slightly disappointed because I expected a better basement monster and got less than I bargained for.

[Krista · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rich privileged people are super boring to read about, even if one of them is haunted by a falsely accused witch from the 1600s. Did not finish.

[Gilda Felt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooh, spooky! Myra Fox loves her house. Well, except for the basement, which creeps her out, especially after she learns who's buried underneath it. Things really get weird after Myra and her friends try to exorcize the troubled spirit. Suddenly, anyone who has crossed either Myra or one of her closest friends (it's a group of six that have been friends since they were children,) had better watch out.

I was surprised, sort of, at the ending, which takes the book in an entirely different direction. Still, it was a real page-turner and a very good read. My only complaint is that the spouses of the six aren't well drawn. They're more background stick figures than fully formed characters. Perhaps they're supposed to be that way in order to focus the story on Myra and her friends, but I would have liked if there had been more about them. I think it would have added more depth to the main characters.

[Cats W. Bats, Esq. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5

This was okay. The ending felt kind of anticlimactic.

I might come back to elaborate some more on this review later. There were definitely parts I really liked!

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Bari Wood. Great characters, great writing, fun story. I had a blast.

[Kim Smiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a weird book I came upon due to my friend offering a stack of books she bought at a library sale. The book's main character is Myra, who was always unhappy with her basement; the dirt floor and cement walls, and no one was ever comfortable down there. So, she spends $30,000 remodeling and still, no one wants to go down there. She's friends with an elite group of 8 people, all of whom she grew up with. Once the basement is remodeled, strange things start to happen. She gets a full blown panic attack when the door is stuck and she can't get out. Worse, she's having visions of "something" down there. After a bit of research she finds that in the 1800's, her house was where a woman lived who the town hanged as a witch. Now Myra believes her basement is haunted by this woman.

Every person she comes into contact with that "isn't the nicest person" ends up dying a hideous death. Soon she finds that the bones of the hanged "witch" were buried in her basement.

The book has a lot of characters and a lot of drama along the way. It was a good read for someone who just finished every single V.C. Andrews book out there and wasn't quite sure who the new author of choice would be. I'd recommend it, but it didn't really scare me, as I thought it would.

[John (JC) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very surprising book.

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a suspenseful horror novel, considering it’s called “The Basement”, and what’s scarier than that? Instead, it felt more like a mediocre mystery. None of the characters were likable or even relatable, but somehow I managed to finish the book in a few days. The ending was a major letdown and somehow felt “off” compared to the rest of the book. I don’t hate this book, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

[Bobby Stringini · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot is a bit of a mess, and it does take a while to get moving. The saving grace of this book is the characters. I enjoyed spending time with them, and made the muddled story interesting. Not great, but readable.

[Zak Thurbon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bit of a let down to be honest. I really enjoyed Bari Woods novel The Tribe, so went into this with expectations that were probably too high. The story is a mess topped off with a pretty bad ending in my opinion. Can't say I'd recommend this novel.

[Karen Berriman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book!

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1996. A chilling old-fashioned horror novel. I read eveything Wood put out back in the day. She was a reliable horror novelist.

[Samantha Hazelwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Big Chill, but for horror. Really enjoyed it and the author is quite funny!

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good first finish of the year. I read a couple of her other stories way back when but don't recall anything about them. They were probably enjoyable as well.

[Destiny Pifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was the most boring book I have ever read. I kept skipping ahead in hopes of getting into the action but nope it just didn't do it for me.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different!

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a bit of trouble with this one in the beginning. The characters, the setting, the tone just seemed a bit off. This all changed after a few chapters. The novel turned out to be a very good read and felt like I was reading something in the vein of 1980s horror.
It held my attention. What more can I say. Good plotting, good pace and some memorable deaths round out the story. The ending left me satisfied :)

[Jill Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book gets 4 stars even though I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I’m leaving 5 Stars for books that actually scare, depress or scar me.

I love this author. Her characters are well developed. She can make you like them or hate them or flip your opinion with compassion when she wants. Her writing is well paced and interesting.

This book is a well written, fun supernatural thriller with likable characters.

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book held my interest, but about 3/4 of the way through, it seemed the author opted to explain the "twist" starting with some behavior that made no sense and didn't fully fit with the story up until that point. So the climax of the book proved itself to just be irritating and ultimately silly. Disappointing.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't give this book more than 3 stars, because I was never actually scared while reading it! No racing pulse, sweaty palms, not even a glance over my shoulder when I took the dog out at midnight. It's not hard to scare me, either. It was a good book, but not what I hoped for in a horror novel.

[Anthony · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.... A bunch of yuppie rich friends in Connecticut get together, drink tea, and a woman may or may not have a haunted basement. A couple of weird accidents happen, and a violent last chapter. Not much else going on, except rich people problems. Skip it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read this, I couldn't give a fair review. All I remember was loving this book!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed most of this book. However, I found the ending to be somewhat of a let-down. I wouldn't read this book again.

[Patience · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read...stupid ending. The possibility was there for a way better ending.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bari Wood is a very talented writer. I enjoyed the book but was not sure if I cared for the way it ended..Very entertaining...

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptionally disturbing, and with an unsettling ending promising whatever you want it to.

[Linn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book more than a decade ago, and all I really remember is that it was terrifying. And the bees, oh god the bees...

[Darlene Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

strange little story...but fun to read