Watcher

by Charles Maclean

Charles Maclean's horror classic is finally back in printFriday, rush hour. Martin Gregory just manages to catch the 4:48 train. Tomorrow is his wife's birthday and he plans to devote the weekend to her and their beloved dogs. But when he rises in the morning, Martin does something so horrific, so inexplicable, and so out of character that his only option is to run. A lost horror classic back in print at last, The Watcher chronicles Martin as his quest for understanding plunges him through shifting realities and twisted corridors of time, and into the deepest recesses of the human mind.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Adult Fiction, Fantasy

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the goodreads data base.

Charles Maclean is the author of crime thrillers, and has also written about the Scottish countryside and other non-fiction.

He is the son of Sir Fitzroy Maclean – an Etonian, brilliant linguist, near-legendary adventurer, war hero, diplomat and author of Eastern Approaches. Charles Maclean is something of an adventurer himself, and certainly in his own literary journey. His first job was helping set up the Ecologist magazine; he also worked on a ranch, and as a merchant seaman. His 1972 book, St Kilda: Island on the Edge of the World, is an evocative study of the island that has never been out of print. Other successes as a non-fiction writer included 1977's The Wolf Children, examining the cases of two girls in India, claimed as feral children raised in the wild.

Reviews

[Jack Tripper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep seeing reviews saying this isn’t scary, or that they’re not sure why this is categorized as horror, but I found this book to be pretty damn horrifying. But then my biggest fear is losing my mind, or not being able to trust or control myself, and this took those fears and amplified them to 11. I just put myself in the shoes of our protagonist Martin, who commits an unimaginably heinous act in the opening pages*, and has no idea why he did it. He’s generally a good person otherwise. I tried to imagine what I’d do, and decided I likely couldn’t live with myself any longer. What he decides involves hypnotherapy and past life regression in order to try and get to the bottom of it all, which gets pretty out there, but I mostly loved it, even if it disturbed the hell out of me.

I hesitate to say any more, as there are so many realty-bending twists and turns along the way, going places I never would have imagined, and I don’t want to risk spoiling anything. I’ll only add that this connected with me on a level that others might not relate to, so your mileage may vary. Horror is very subjective, after all.

* This terrible act involves animal cruelty, so if that’s a deal-breaker for you, here’s your heads-up. It was a deal-breaker for me for a long time, as I knew going in what the incident was thanks to reviews, but I’m glad I finally took the plunge.

[Trudi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know what went wrong with this book. I liked it. It was okay, but I expected so much more after reading such blurbs as:

The number one horror novel of all time!--The Guardian (London)

If you are easily upset...stop right here.--The New York Times

Not one to usually be influenced by such things, I couldn't help myself when even Paul Newman went out of his way to blurb this book: "I'm something of an insomniac. I read The Watcher and stopped sleeping altogether". How could I resist such an endorsement as that?

I think the biggest problem I have with this book is that it's miscategorized as horror, when really it's a psychological thriller/crime/mystery ... maybe with supernatural overtones (something that's never made explicitly clear one way or the other). I was expecting to be disturbed, creeped out, unsettled, but I didn't experience any of that. Rather I spent my time reading trying to figure out what the hell is really going on here. Is he crazy, or isn't he? Is what he's seeing real, or a product of an over-taxed, diseased mind?

Rightly or wrongly, this book is considered a "horror classic". Originally published in 1982, Penguin Books re-released it this year with a brand new eye-catching (pardon the pun) cover:


I can tolerate some ambiguity. I don't need to have everything explained or all loose ends tied up neatly into a bow. But too much uncertainty drives me crazy, especially when nothing is really resolved and pretty much the novel's entire set-up is left shadowed in doubt. You turn the last page hoping for some resolution, but are left only with more questions.

There is a decent atmosphere here. The set-up is contagious. I needed to know how it was all going to end. The only trouble is by the time I got to the end I was left feeling meh and really, that's it? But we still don't know. I pretty much had the same reaction when I finished reading Threats by Amelia Gray. If you're going to get me all worked up like that with lots of foreplay, don't leave me hanging goddammit. I hate that.

Anyway, all of that to say I really wish I'd liked this one more.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is insanely good. It’s a psychological, philosophical, mythical horror novel.

Yeah.

And somehow, it’s just a book. It’s not guaranteed to be on the shelves; it’s not being purchased on a regular basis; and it’s not being talked about.

Let me Pigeon-out for a second: But WHY?!?! It’s soooooo great!

Martin Gregory is an average businessman in New York City, living with a beautiful wife, and on this particular day, he boards his train home prepared with packages for her birthday weekend. But on the following morning, he commits a terrible act, and doesn’t know why he did it. And as the story unfolds, author Charles Maclean weaves a web of hypnotism, dogs, pouring rain, possible past lives, possible conspiracies, and white boxes.

While reading The Watcher, there was one true holy shit scene. Not because of something horrific, but because of just how well Maclean crafted, and wrote it, and laid it all out on a silver platter -- with a big, pretty bow.

It pre-dates Cloud Atlas, yet it could be described as a baby-Cloud Atlas horror story.

Jeez Louise!

Buy this from Powell's.

[Kamilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to rate this book. Even though I couldn't put it down, it was a big disappointment. Given how the book was described as psycho-horror, psycho-thriller, can mess with the head of a sensitive person, I found this largely misleading. There is NOTHING horror, not even a little thriller about this at all. To say that this book is the best horror book of all time is an all out lie. Whoever would say that, clearly didn't read the book! While the plot is intriguing, the story sucks you in from the beginning, and there is the sense that the reader isn't quiet sure who's messing with who's head, nothing really happens in the first 200 pages. Then it starts getting interesting (the whole book is 291 pages). But then when you think ahaaa, finally there might be some thriller in it, the story dies, and the last 10 pages just ruin the whole thing. The ending was especially idiotic - I thought. All in all, the book, the way it is advertised is all misleading! The horror lovers who would pick up this book, thinking they'll get a good thrill out of it will feel cheated, while those of us, like me, who after reading the advertisement would not even think about reading it, would miss out on a good read. This is why I am so conflicted. It was a good read, but it left me feeling mislead, cheated and disappointed after the way it was advertised. Well... Just thought of it: If the misleading was the whole point, then it really, truly hit the mark. :)

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, intense exploration of the power of the human mind. This novel is a powerful psychological thriller with an open ending that really leaves you guessing. Throughout, you'll be constantly wondering just who the actual hero/protagonist is, or if there even is one.

[Matthew Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the fine folks at Penguin approached me recently about reviewing THE WATCHER, I jumped on the opportunity like a dog on a steak-bone. I had heard of this book numerous times over the years but never got the chance to check it out. It is dubbed by The Guardian (London) as “the number one horror novel of all time.” With a plug like that, how could I resist? I’m very happy to report that this book is an excellent read by a visionary author, and is destined to be a literary classic.

I will state up front that this book is amazing. It is nothing like what I was expecting. The synopsis above doesn’t do the book justice; there’s just so much going on that it’s hard to put into words.

Author Charles Maclean writes with a simple and pure technique. His prose is modest but fast-paced, and the intensity within his words will leave you breathless. I particularly enjoy how he can portray such stark imagery with just a few words; this ability is a true testament to his talent as an author.

I do have to confess that THE WATCHER is not really horror, in my opinion, but rather a psychological thriller. Still, there are scenes in this book that are outright chilling and will haunt you long after the story is over. I still don’t know if I’ll ever be able to look at a plain white box the same way again.

My sole complaint about the book is the ambiguity of its conclusion. As much as I enjoy the cliffhanger ending in most cases, I’m not too sure I like it here. I will not give away specific details about what happens, but let’s just say I was hoping for a bit more of an explanation.

But don’t let my misgivings about the ending dissuade you in any way from reading THE WATCHER. This is a definite must-read for anyone looking for a good page-turner. I highly recommend it and hope Hollywood entertains the idea of turning it into a movie. Check this one out for sure.

[Morgan Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is going to stay with me for a while. Try as I may, I don’t think I’ll ever work it out. But am I really supposed to?

This review teeters on spoilery, but knowing a little about the plot will not hinder any enjoyment gained from this brilliant book.

Martin Gregory is a regular guy. He has a loving wife, 2 dogs affectionally referred to as ‘the boys’, a good job, everything that many would consider to be perfect.

Great husband as he is, he decides to surprise Anna on her birthday with a pile of presents, and a secret, mysterious box containing something truly wonderful.

But on the morning of her special day, he wakes up, goes downstairs and commits an act so horrifying and out of character without any thought of the consequences. Even though this happens at the beginning of the story I’m not going to say what it is.

Suddenly enraptured by what he assumes is guilt, Martin disappears leaving the birthday girl all alone and very confused.

He’s not off-the-radar, as it were, and so is soon referred by his GP and family friend, to see a psychiatrist. Martin is reluctant to undergo therapy, though. He cannot understand why he did what he did, but worries about doing it again, or something similar, so eventually agrees to help.

Anna is obviously troubled by his behaviour, but believes he’s in the best possible hands to try and help him with his troubles.

After his first session, Dr Somerville, the quack, suggests hypnosis to get to the bottom of Martin’s predicament. But both he and Martin get more than they bargained for.

Martin relives past lives through hypnosis. These lives go way back and are seemingly unrelated on the surface, but delve a little deeper…

Has Martin been here before? Does his life have a purpose he is destined to accomplish? Or is he just crazy?

Dr Somerville is convinced Martin is unwell and being in therapy is the best course of action available. Well, he would wouldn’t he? I’m sure the dollar signs were lighting up right before his very eyes.

Martin, on the other hand, thinks he’s quite sane. But who’s right?

And that is the brilliance of this novel; you never really know. Both sides have a story to tell. The majority of the book is told by Martin and he’s quite the unreliable narrator.

Or is he?

As well as Martin’s telling of the tale, there are excerpts from his diary as well as medical reports and telephone call logs from Dr Somerville. Both accounts greatly contradict each other and you read it wondering who exactly to believe.

One case in point; Martin mentions how Dr Somerville mimics his mannerisms during consultations and how he feels this is some kind of psychological ‘trick’ or attempt to manipulate him; either way it makes him suspicious. We then hear Dr Somerville explaining, in his notes, Martin doing the exact same thing and how he feels this is a subconscious reaction.

So who’s telling the truth? Exactly!

The narrative switches between first person past-tense to first person present-tense, sometimes paragraph to paragraph. At first I wondered whether the editor had had a day off at this point, but the switching really enhances the irrationality of Martin’s mental state. It doesn’t ‘flow’ like you’d expect, but reading the story told by a supposed mad man would never be coherent, would it?

This book throws more questions at you than answers. Ordinarily I’d find this frustrating; not that I need everything wrapped up perfectly, but a nice conclusion to a story is satisfying, most of the time.

Here, there is none of that. Right up until the end I didn’t know if Martin was genuinely crazy or whether this whole series of events was dreamed up by Somerville. It’s never explained and I sure didn’t get any subtle clues either way. Perhaps they were there, perhaps not. Maybe it is up for the reader to decide exactly what’s going on, and different people will have different interpretations on what actually happened. And isn’t that a great thing?

The blurb puts it perfectly. “…Martin Gregory is either lost in a dark maze of madness and horror, or is frighteningly sane.”

This book is labelled as a horror novel, but it really isn’t. Yes it has a couple of horrific scenes and is pretty disturbing throughout, but it’s definitely leaning more towards the fast-paced thriller label.

I really can’t recommend this enough. Crazed mad man, or dude manipulated with psychotic precision? You decide.

Read. This!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martin Gregory is in a hurry. He has arm loads of presents for his wife’s birthday. Martin just makes the train. The next morning Martin surprises his wife with a gift that she will not soon forget. Martin slaughters their dogs and leaves their corpses for his wife. Martin then leaves town.

Martin decides to seek help. It seems that the help Martin is receiving has opened the doors wide open. Martin is having a hard time trying to figure what exactly is real and just who he is.

The Watcher is a mind game of a read! It will have you wondering just how much is your mind playing tricks on you and what is real. This book is more a psychological thriller then it is a horror novel. So if you are in for the gore then you will be disappointed. However, there is one scene in the beginning that is pretty gory. After that, the story got darker and sucked you in. I could not stop reading as I wanted to figure out what was going to happen next.

Martin turned out to be a good narrator and voice for this book. I say this because in the beginning, I thought that Martin was going to be boring. So when Martin turned out to be a strong presence, I was mildly surprised and happy. This helped because it made me connect with Martin more and made reading this book go by quickly. From start to finish this book is a good read. I would suggest checking it out. It will give you a few chills.

[Dave Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seriously, this book has the most pretentious dust jacket summary I've ever read -- the marketing blurbs compare it to Lord of the Flies, Tolkien, and Fowles' 'The Collector'. This book is nowhere in that league -- nor do any of the comparisons actually make sense. It's an interesting read, and an effective example of the unreliable narrator -- though which narrator is unreliable is ultimately one of the questions of the book.

The Guardian listed this in their top 10 horror novels of all time. It's falls under psychological horror. The narrative structure is well done, to the point that it transcends the genre. But there are many better horror novels that transcend the genre than this one. It's worth your time only if you don't believe the hype going in.

[Ruby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty gripping, but the ending was bad, and it was basically just another book about a woman-hater's descent into madness.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original review: http://www.booksbiscuitsandtea.co.uk/...

The Watcher by Charles Maclean is another great example for the common saying “don’t judge a book by its cover”. When I looked at my review copy and read the synopsis, I thought I knew what was coming: a fast paced horror story, people dying one by one, the protagonist getting madder by the day. Boy, was I wrong. Even though it’s completely different from what I expected, it’s an interesting read and without a doubt nothing like any of the horror stories I’ve read before.

Contrary to my expectations, it’s definitely not an easy read. It starts in a rather shocking way which, if you’re easily upset, might put you off. If you like dogs, I don’t recommend that you pick this up at all. While it didn’t put me off entirely, it was enough to make me feel a contempt for Martin from the very beginning. The narrative, on the other hand, is very cleverly written – one minute we see everything from Dr. Somerville’s (the therapist) perspective and think that Martin’s a lunatic, then we see things from Martin Gregory’s perspective and think that Somerville is trying to set him up, to manipulate him. Throughout two-thirds of the story, I had no idea who to belive – Martin or Somerville.

As I said, the plot is very different from what I expected. For me the first half of the novel dragged on a little bit and it didn’t really wow me, but the second half was really creepy. It’s not even what happens in the story but how Martin acts – as he’s getting more and more paranoid and mentally unstable, us readers feel less and less insecure because we have literally no idea what he’s capable of or what he might do next.

It’s quite a disturbing read, I have to agree with that – but not in a gory way, rather psychologically. If you’re looking for a murder mystery, this one is definitely not for you. Since the novel deals with regression therapy, hypnosis and how our subconscious works (rather than who kills whom), fans of psychology or psychological horror/thriller will no doubt find The Watcher rather interesting.

[Alex Abbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me a lot of sort of psychological horror in the vein of Kiyoshi Kurosawa, The Last Wave, Obsession, Don’t Look Now, White of the Eye. Got under my skin heavy, all of the unreliable narrator stuff combined with sort of fire-and-brimstone apocalyptic mythos makes it really intoxicating but unnerving and sometimes brutally sad. A great, and underrated, book that I’m not sure if I’ll ever be reading again (this is not a pejorative).

[Gayatri Sriram · Rating 2 out of 5]

Straight up, this book is not horror. It's a psych thriller, with supernatural undertones. The author creates a decent enough atmosphere, his prose are tightly knit n fast paced, but he fails to deliver any of the things that the blurbs on the cover claim; horror, chilling, number one horror book of all time, etc. It's a frustrating read because at no point do you really know what's going on. is he crazy or is he just gifted with supernatural powers? I don't think even McLean ever knew. The entire book is shrouded in uncertainty n the ending feels more like the cliff hanger end of a chapter. Avoid.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watch a lot of horror movies and read some horror books and none of them made me feel as uncomfortable or anxious as this book. At times I literally thought that the suspense was inducing a stroke. It was a total mind fuck and as soon as I think I have the story sussed out I remember some detail that just confuses the shit out of me again. I will definitely be reading this again, probably more than once. Enjoy!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good. How I had never heard of it or read it on any great horror lists is beyond me. Yay local libraries for having this out as a recommendation - it blew my mind.

It is your monsters/creepy horror? No. Is it full of tense scenes, skewed reality and losing your mind scary? Yes. And the ending is perfect. I need to discuss!!!
Read it - there is something in here for everyone.

[Priya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book went from intriguing premise to promising beginning to a really interesting story and then moved into the unbelievable, confusing and totally bizarre really quickly!

A regular businessman intending to do something special on his wife's birthday, ends up committing a horrific violent act instead; something even he doesn't know why he did. A psychiatrist attempts to unlock the reasons why, leading to all sorts of thoughts and revelations.

The story devolves into a lot of areas including history and mythology which though fascinating, are difficult to relate to after a while, not really seeming to tie in or move the tale forward.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gruesome beginning, but sets off an intriguing back-and-forth of perspectives, guilt, and psychological warfare, it seems. Feels like an influence on David Mitchell's work. Had a fun, off-balanced time.

[Nick]

The first time I read this, the gestures towards an apocalypse resonated with me. Knowing the destination, the past lives and end of world doom feel like smoke and mirrors. The Watcher gets under your skin because of how well Maclean writes the small details of married life. It reminded me of Lost Highway - the lengths that bad people will go to create a fantasy where they’re the victim.

[Nike Melson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pack Watcher

[Michelle Leah Olson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
*Complimentary copy received in exchange for an honest review

The Watcher is a deep psychological thriller with mind numbing twists and turns, reminiscent of the good 80's style psycho-horrors where nothing is quite as frightening as the human mind.

I honestly wasn't sure if I would be able to read this book to completion. The Event that takes place at the beginning that sets up the rest of the story is utterly and completely disturbing and I literally had to take a break from the book after reading it to let it settle.

Once I got back to the tale though, it was a steady influx of madness and paranoia, mystery and intrigue, and had me wondering over and over again who the hero and villain really were, or if there were actually any at all!

It's definitely a tale that will have your mind working overtime to try and figure out what's really going on, and even when it's all said and done, if you're like me, you still won't be sure what exactly happened, which all leads to the beauty of the doubt that Charles Maclean weaves into his story.

While not the best horror/thriller I've read recently, it was solid and compelling, and I'm glad I had the chance to read it.

LITERAL ADDICTION gives The Watcher 3 1/2 Skulls.

[Craig DiLouie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martin Gregory is a happy man with a normal life living with his beautiful wife in a country home near New York City with their two beloved dogs. It’s his wife’s birthday, and he is in a hurry to get home and give her a special present. He ends up doing something so horrible, so strange, he flees. This is how THE WATCHER, a remarkable horror novel by Charles Maclean, long out of print but now published in a new edition, begins, and once it hooks you, it never lets go.

The novel proceeds primarily from Martin’s terrified perspective as he explores why he did what he did, believing he wasn’t responsible and that something dark and terrible was. Guiding him is his psychiatrist, Dr. Somerville, at times an ominous figure in Martin’s eyes, whose perspective is provided in his professional notes of their sessions.

It’s a terrific read. THE WATCHER builds an amazing amount of tension by the end of the novel, and Martin’s perspective will have you guessing to the end. Has he descended into complete madness? Or is he chosen to realize a special destiny–to prevent the apocalypse? Highly recommended if you’re looking for a unique horror read.

[Leigh Kenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

What did I just read??! I had never heard of this book going into it, bar the back cover which really didn't give much away. It went real quick from zero to sixty and from that point on (if you've read it you'll know what point I mean!) I hadn't a clue what was going on or what was even real. I would agree with other reviews and say that I don't think this falls into the category of horror, it's definitely psychological thriller material but I actually did enjoy it a lot! There was some interesting subject matter that isn't utilised in fiction the way it could be and I enjoyed that freshness but that being said, the ending was too abrupt for me. I was left with an awful lot of questions that I'd rather were answered. If psychological mysteries are your thing this is a quick and really enjoyable read. If you're only considering it because of the horror blurbs on the cover then don't bother. Here's hoping the author considers writing a sequel to tie things up neater.

[Timofey Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Послушал аудиокнигу Чарльза Маклина “Страж” и получил удовольствие. Это триллер. Если вам заходят книги/фильмы типа “Девятые врата” — смело читайте/слушайте Стража. Слушал в великолепном исполнении Олега Булдакова долгими прогулками по парку.

У одного вполне себе респектабельного и обеспеченного дяденьки ВНЕЗАПНО отъезжает кукушечка, он убивает любимых собак, отрезает им головы, упаковывает в красивую коробочку и дарит любимой жене. Красота!

Дяденька очухивается и такой “эээ… что это было”? Надо идти сдаваться доктору. Психиатр предлагает сеансы гипноза на которых происходит странное — наш герой натурально проживает несколько жизней совершенно разных людей в прошлом.

Сюжет развивается, герой становится участником таинственных, необъяснимых и пугающих происшествий. Начинает собственное расследование и в конце… В конце там спойлеры, не буду портить впечатление, читайте сами, книга хороша.

[Hugo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the wildly enthusiastic reviews, this was a book I found myself with no great urge to continue with, only reading it because it was the book I was currently reading, not through any great interest. Individual segments of it are compelling, though they fail to add up to anything. The question as to the narrator's sanity became secondary to the feeling that nothing was going to be resolved satisfactorily by the end, which is the case, and connections introduced as twists seemed painfully obvious from very early on. I was intrigued as to how I could get to be a middle-aged horror fan without being aware of the so-called “number one horror novel of all time.” - turns out it's nothing of the sort.

[JJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wasted my weekend reading this book. Picked up this book on a whim, wanting to get back into psychological thrillers. This one had a promising premise and keeps you guessing throughout the book, but I'm disappointed to say that you'll end up guessing even after the last word. Nothing is really resolved. Some of the theories/visions the main character experiences are so farfetched, they reduce the momentum of the plot carrying forward.

To sum up, great set-up, but outlandish theories about reincarnation and prophecy, with no resolution about whether or not the main character is actually crazy. Waste of time.

[Sophie Carsenat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this many years ago, shortly after it cam out in '83, and it had such a strong affect on me. I foolishly loaned my copy out and never saw it again, and the book drifted into obscurity but apparently developed a bit of a cult status.
Reissued and now re-read, this following is totally validated. The Watcher takes some interesting turns, and is more sinister/disturbing than outright horrific. It twists your melon - and is written so clearly and seamlessly at the same time. Outstanding.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts off with a punch to the gut that may be too much for some readers. After that it take a turn into strange territory, strange dreams, past lives and lots of psycho analysis. Charles Maclen blends elements of fantasy into The Watcher which leads to an enjoyable and unique horror read. An excellent but somewhat ambiguous ending caps it all off perfectly. A most enjoyable book overall and a worthwhile read for fans of weird fiction.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally underrated book, and I'd also say it was way ahead of its' time. I wouldn't really call it horror but I also don't know what other genre to put it into either. Going to be rather difficult to explain the book without giving away anything. If you like horror/fantasy then I'd highly recommend this. I was totally blown away by this one.

Edit: wow sad to see how few ratings this had on Goodreads. Truly an amazing novel that sticks with you! I was just thinking about it earlier today.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

insanely good. a man so consumed by narcissism that his perception of reality is obscured beyond recognition, extremely prescient! also funny; something about a guy who believes himself to have an impossible moral responsibilty and channels that by destroying everything around him had me earnestly laughing the whole time.

[Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not expect it to be that great!
For me it was just the perfect mixture of psychological thriller, mystery and fantasy.
Very unexpected twists and it stays exciting until the last page.

It is not a horror story though, just the beginning seems like it.