Spawn of Hell

by William Schoell

Such a peaceful little town...

...Or so it appears when David Hammond and Anna Braddon arrive in Milbourne, Connecticut where the horribly mutilated body of Anna's brother has been discovered.

Nobody knows what caused Jeffrey's death, or the mysterious disappearance of other townspeople over a period of time. Only one man has the courage to speak the truth, and in a subterranean cavern beneath Milbourne's quiet streets, he has come face to face with a horror beyond description. But he can never share his dreadful knowledge, for the sight has driven him insane...

It is David who finally stumbles on the true nature of the evil creatures, and despite his fear he knows it is up to him to destroy the things themselves, and the bizarre conspiracy against mankind of which they form a hideous part.

Genres: Horror

399 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1984

About the author

WILLIAM SCHOELL was born in Manhattan where he resides. He is the author of over thirty-five books in various genres, including celebrity biographies (some written with co-author Lawrence J. Quirk); horror-suspense novels; biographies of such people as Edgar Allan Poe and Giuseppe Verdi for young people; and books on the performing arts and pop culture. He has been a radio producer and talk show host, worked for Columbia pictures, and is a blogger, playwright, and activist.

Reviews

[Warren Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opening pages of this book are some of the scariest I've read in horror fiction. How does the rest stack up? Read on and see.

"Things that Go Bump in the Night" is a classic paperback from hell by William Schoell that was originally released as "Spawn of Hell" in 1984. Personally, I like the new title better, which can be found on the e-book version available on Kindle. The novel concerns a starving artist who unwittingly gets involved in a conspiracy involving big pharma, and the narrative is equal parts romantic drama, thriller, and creature feature.

I really enjoyed Schoell's writing in this entry, which is delightfully descriptive, elegantly simple, and brimming with pathos. Though it does become very dark and gruesome at times, there is an overall sweetness and sense of humanity threading every page. The characters are all very likeable, and even loveable. The cast are all fully realized with believable motivations. There are tender relationships between characters that go beyond physicality. People care for one another and do nice things for each other. There are no snarky comments that pass for witty banter. Our heroes are not bitter, square-jawed silent types, and our heroines are neither bitchy feminist fantasies nor screaming tits and ass. The result of this attention to character is to lengthen the book considerably, and some readers may find it drags somewhat. But for me, these details increase the stakes because you become emotionally invested in the characters.

The book is also smarter than it has any right to be, exploring themes of loneliness and loss. There is a relationship that develops between a gorgeous and wealthy supermodel and a disheveled struggling bohemian that highlights how love is not just pure physical lust but springs eternal from empathy, mutual respect, and friendship. Also explored are the bonds between family, and you will forever hesitate to ever say "good bye" the next time you speak to your loved one on the phone again.

All that being said, the pacing of the horror elements is a little sparse. Sometimes you forget you are reading a horror novel. I think that is because, like Victor LaValle's "Devil in Silver," the book is not at heart a horror. The author had a lot more to say, and the horror elements are merely a device to bring emotional impact to the themes involved. For this reason, some readers will feel like this is a mashing of two different books into one. Perhaps this is why the novel suffered under it's original marketing as "Spawn of Hell," because 1980s audiences were looking for an over-the-top gore fest featuring hoards of demonic monsters, not a thoughtful romance and character study.

But believe me, when the book gets horrific, it really delivers. The last act also becomes a nonstop onslaught of man-eating monsters, and the creatures are straight out of my nightmares. Unfortunately, the book also loses some of it's careful characterization in favor of action at this point, so people do things that don't make a lot of sense, and worst of all, when the motives of the corporation responsible for this mayhem are revealed, it comes across as cartoonish evil that makes even less sense.

One last complaint involves the Kindle version. Words seem to be repeated accidentally and punctuation is missing. This makes some sentences very confusing. I don't think these mistakes were original to the "Spawn of Hell" paperback, but it does happen frequently enough that I wondered if it was part of how the author wrote dialogue. Fortunately, it didn't distract from my overall enjoyment.

But despite some of the flaws, I say this is an overlooked gem of the genre and one of Schoell's better works. Collect a vintage copy for yourself or get the e-book title. Either way, I think most horror fans will enjoy a solid three to four star novel and come away happy, even if they have to check under the covers before getting in the bed.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. If genetically engineered slime-ridden slug-earwig monsters are your idea of fun, then this is the book for you! If they’re not, well, re-examine your priorities, lameoid, because obviously.

Also, I have to say, I freakin loved the final battle. Spoilers ahead: the protagonist defeated one of the creatures by repeatedly using its own claw against it! Now what does that remind me of?



Yep, it was almost exactly like that. Only slimier. Super cute.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good B-grade blast from the past creature feature. I was really looking forward to reading this because I loved the authors Late At Night novel. A few problems I had that held this book back from four or five stars was, the main characters. A beautiful model and a struggling artist who become more than lovers when they are thrown into a nightmare of genetically modified monsters. These people are just not interesting to me. I like all the other people they come in contact with. In the town of Milbourne . Even when David, the artist goes home. The slimy corporate creep. The resentful father of David's boyhood friend. These are what kept me reading. The main protagonists just didn't do it for me. Also, the Spawns Of Hell are kept in reserve. The don't strike out as much as I would of liked. They are used to good effect to built tension, but I was hoping for a little more action.

One really strange thing that I found in here was that a character in Milbourne that owns a sporting good store that helps to end the spawns killing in that town, his store turns into a hardware store at last mention of him and is business. I don't know if this was a mix up with the author or something else. I don't think I've ever seen that happen in a novel to that extent before. Not a bad book.

[Lizz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t write reviews.

‘David had heard enough. He was close to going crazy from this horrible conversation and everything it meant. “Just… what are these things? I want to know, and I want to know now. I want to know what we’re up against.”
Before Bartley could reply, Anton spoke, his voice calm, his words almost soothing, despite their repulsive content. “They are, primarily a combination of -REDACTED- and -REDACTED-, as incredible as that may sound. A blending of different species, who never could, and never would, mate with each other through normal sexual channels.”’

I’m not going to spoil the disgusting surprise of what spawn these be, or, depending on the edition you’re reading, what goes bump in the night. I find this the inferior title.

Schoell created some nice characters to root for, though he went a little too deep into their thoughts, mainly the romantic couple. Do I love him? How do I really feel? Do I love her? Are we rushing things? None of the concerns of the characters had any effect on the gruesome horrors that await them, so it could have been trimmed back a smidge. Also, I found Schoell’s descriptions of David’s chest a bit odd. A lot of focus on the hairiness of said chest, Anna running her fingers through it and one time calling his pectoral muscles, breasts. Never a dull moment with Schoell, that’s for sure.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been reading a lot of horror lately...

http://sleaze-factor.blogspot.ca/2016...

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schoell's first novel, published in 1984, still packs a punch, even with the overused horror tropes that almost define 80s horror. A creature feature, yes, but Spawn of Hell reminded me of the great monster B-movies of the era. In fact, this would have been a great movie of the era! Our main protagonist, David Hammond, is a struggling artist (graphic design, etc.) in NYC barely making ends meet. He is recovering from a recent car accident which claimed his only real friend in the city and his meager funds are almost tapped. Nonetheless, one day he ventures to one of his favorite pubs (e.g., a really cheap one) and sees Anna Braddon-- a famous model in many TV ad campaigns. Against all odds, when she sees him at the same place a few days later, she picks him up and they become an item. When she finds out her only brother died up in Milbourne, Connecticut, the two drive out there to see what is what...

Enough with the sitrep. Spawn of Hell starts off with a bang, with a prologue featuring some really horrible creatures. The denouement rocks in a big way as Schoell cuts loose in an almost splatterpunk way with the beasties. Getting from point A to Z, however, has never really been Schoell's strong point and the plot meanders on quite a few tangents that add some heft to the book, but really not much more. Anna is also a rather problematic lead, being at times a classic 'damsel in distress', even though she recognizes she is being so and does not like it one bit. Finally, we have (almost of course) a mysterious but evil corporation that has something to do with the beasties, but they cover their tracks very well thank you.

You can tell Schoell did quite a bit of research on this one. Mild he noted the first patented human life form that was created to eat oil spills (1980) and went from there to more 'advanced' human creations . He also has a gift to give you the feel for a character with very little prose. This may not be his best horror novel (I would cite Bride Of Satan for that one), but still pretty damn good. 3.5, rounding up for the splatterpunk ending!

[Jon Von · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s an excellent monster story here, buried beneath all the character detail. It’s almost feels like two books. In one there’s a good-looking but broke cartoonist who meets a gorgeous, high-profile model in a bar and begins a relationship with her. And what does a man do when a woman earns more money than him, is so beautiful that every head turns when she enters a room? And what does a woman do when she realizes that she is entering into a time in her life when she has to think about who she is as a person and not an object designed for magazine ads? It’s weirdly honest, I guess, as it explores the negotiating that takes place when two people want to begin a relationship as people, talking about the future and their dreams. This is a book that spends a lot of time examining a relationship that starts off as a male fantasy and proceeds to ask, but how can you be a good partner to her once you have this supermodel who buys all your dinners? Too much time. Way too much.

Oh yeah, and there are disgusting human-eating monsters. The thing is there are some incredible monster scenes here. The last fifty pages are stunning. The book is largely very well-written, very descriptive with natural dialogue. But it sets a scene and then just keeps setting it. You sit there with the side characters for a dozen pages as they talk about their lives and what their hopes are. And it’s like, there’s a cave full of razor tooth, slug monsters! What about the slug monsters?! Some interesting choices being made here, but you got to wade through what feels like a lot of unnecessary detail.

Aside for the wild extended climax, there’s a part I really liked where a search party going into the woods looking for some people and disappear. Another search party comes and they disappear. A couple cops come and they too vanish. Meanwhile the side of the road is littered with cars. Thought that was pretty creepy. But the book changes gears halfway through and I think it would have been better to focus less on the adult realities of forging a relationship and more on, I don’t know, being a horror novel?

[oddo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Debut Schoell entertains enough, however, is bogged down by unnecessary length, a romance grown middling, and a few exposition dumps near the end buried in evil gloating. Not to mention, the cover art is sadly misleading as to the physiological nature of these beasts. A couple of welcome nasty surprises here though as Schoell flirts with what would become a signature flourish of his, which is good people dying bad deaths. Dark punchlines to a miserable life. You could do better than Spawn of Hell in any case.

[Sue Gerhardt Griffiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️s

SpookTober read 2025


This book was freaky. Jeepers, those lab creatures would give anyone bad dreams. The story wasn’t gory, but the unsettling atmosphere and the way things were implied gave me the heebie jeebies.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the descriptions of the protagonists' sexual affair and their careful attention to it while in the midst of a battle with a fatal mutant blob rising from the sewers. In my defense, I read it when I was ten.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great eerie creatures and scenes, but drawn out entirely too far in an unecessarily lengthy book that feels like two smashed together.

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not a snob, and I usually enjoy trashy 80s horror. The one thing I ask is that it isn't boring. Spawn of Hell fails at this. The story could have been told in 150 pages, not 400. Spending the first 100 pages on character studies of extremely uninteresting people sucked all of the fun out of the book. Once the setting changed I was relieved, but it became more of the same, describing in detail the disappointing love life of a secondary character we just met. The dialogue is wooden and laughable. I hate to trash a book, but this one was bad. I started skimming around the half way mark, and decided I didn't care and stopped even that. DNF.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't stop reading this book even at times I wanted to. I would feel goosebumps on my arms and imagine noises into the night. Definately stays with you when you're finished. If you are looking for an adrenaline rush this is the right book for you. A science project gone wrong leads to some really freaked out individuals. Read this if you dare. Overall, rate this a 3.5 star.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first chapter of this is so good but the rest of it just never comes close to replicating the pure terror of that opening.

[Jake Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A down in his dumps guy gets drunk and meets a model who in an unlikely turn of events decides to throw him a bone. Said model finds out that her brother has been killed by some...thing.
Model and Morose Man go to small town, and eventually half assedly discover a conspiracy - a conspiracy involving C.H.U.D's, labs, hardware stores, moustache twirling sadists, and more!

The book starts off strong and really hammers in the ultra violence and the growing age old conspiracy of 'morons using science badly'. It reaches a pretty fantastic half way point, but it then tapers off and almost becomes a sequel. It loses all of its momentum and takes a little while to get it back.
Then you get to the last 50 pages and it cant be put down.
I really enjoyed it, but the middle section almost slows it to a halt.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things That Go Bump in the Night was originally released back in 1984 under the title Spawn of Hell, and though I was an avid reader of horror during that time I had not read anything at all by its author, William Schoell. After reading Things That Go Bump in the Night I thought it was a shame I hadn't encountered the book when I was younger. I would have enjoyed it a great deal as a boy, and I would no doubt worked my way through the rest of the author's work.

As an adult, I have reservations about the book that I wouldn't have had back then. Growing older inevitably means changing values, and as a teen, I was interested in entertainment alone, and Spawn of Hell (as it would have been known then) would have entertained me a great deal. I think I would still have felt there was something a little wrong here and there, and there would be one thing that would probably have bothered me more then than it does now, but the increasingly extravagant action would have won me over and left me feeling it was a satisfying read.

The episodic story begins with a struggling artist as he is drawn into a tale of creatures living under the town in which his girlfriend's brother was found dead, but then evolves into a tale about the origin of the creatures and how they connect to the artist's past. With each twist the story introduces new characters and locations, gradually growing the story until it transforms from a small tale of a single small town into something that could potentially involve the whole world. Anyone who has played, read or watched anything to do with the Resident Evil franchise will find a lot in Things That Go Bump in the Night very familiar, as the (later) Resident Evil franchise follows many of the same patterns. In both, we have creatures who have a connection to humanity, and in both, we have a devious corporation making money from it. We even have a similar evolution from "small-town horror" to something that is world-threatening. But more importantly, we have a tale that scratches many of the same itches of the later franchise.

This is not to put this book in the same category when it comes to quality. Not to speak poorly of Things That Go Bump in the Night, but it does not have nearly the same polish as anything in the Resident Evil franchise, and some may find the comparisons too meagre to consider valid, but as I was reading I found them quite compelling in places. The book also reminded me of a movie released the same year, Mutant (starring Wings Hauser), which was also a favourite of mine from the time, so these connections probably made me like Things That Go Bump in the Night a little more in retrospect than I otherwise would have.

There is a lot to like about the book, but there are also some significant things I didn't like about it. Thankfully what I enjoyed outshone the things I didn't, and they didn't mar the experience too deeply because of it.

Our protagonists, a struggling artist in the shape of David Hammond, and his girlfriend, the successful model Anna Braddon, are unfortunately quite unlikable people. I found Anna particularly so, she is shallow and narcissistic, and I found that when her ex-husband spoke of her I agreed with every word he said in his description of her. I felt that the book would be improved infinitely by the character's removal. I found that everything I disliked about the story was connected with her in some way. She is a perpetual victim who denies her agency when it suits her, and I found the excessive amount of sex scenes with her (it seemed we had almost one in each chapter, though thankfully they are short) to be increasingly repulsive because of my growing dislike of her.

I have to admit a general dislike for sex scenes in entertainment. Unless it is directly related to the plot (Terminator is a good example of this) then I don't see the purpose of such scenes. I can't help but think that each word used in them is a word that could be used in the description of something more useful. Which is silly, I know, it isn't as if they have a limited word count to work to, but at the very least the scenes waste my time. There are far better ways to show a growing intimacy between characters, and I guess the prude in me thinks that sex scenes reduce rather than increase my belief that characters are connected in a soulful way, and if you like sex as entertainment there are also better options for you. I found the preoccupation with sex to be distasteful in Things That Go Bump in the Night, the only things I wanted bumping these nights were the creatures against locked and barricaded doors, not narcissists knocking boots.

Many may not see any issues with this, and if you don't that's fine, it's a personal preference, but for me, it was a little overwhelming at times. and it did lead to my main issue with the book as a whole.

Unfortunately, the story is rather convoluted and takes a little too long to get itself off the ground. Much of this, I thought, was due to the set-up of the 'romance' and delving into the character's pasts a little more than was necessary. It doesn't matter to the story that David is an artist or that Anna is a model, Anna's ex-husband injects nothing of worth either, and it seemed to me that a person could start reading from chapter six without missing a great deal of useful information, and the whole book is only fifteen chapters long.

Now I know this all sounds so damning, but I don't mean it to be. These are, for the most part, minor issues that you flip by quite quickly, but they are also cumulative and slow down the narrative far more than they should. The reader in me doesn't care too much, as when the story gets to the meat of it it's pretty enjoyable, but the writer in me can't help but be irritated by the inclusion of things that hurt the overall story and I hope they don't irritate you as much as they did me. Because you should give Things That Go Bump in the Night a go, I have little doubt you'll notice some of the things I have mentioned, but I also think it extremely likely you'll think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill.

Ultimately we have a tale that takes a little long to get going but once it does it doesn't stop. It increases the turmoil the characters find themselves in until the whole world around them seems to be shrouded in a mass of squirming creatures, and there seems little chance of escape from a certain painful death.

And as a horror reader, what more would you want?

[Marina · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very strange book. Very much a B-movie horror story brought to the page, Schoell does a fine job writing horror sections of the book, and building pace and tension. His character studies throughout the book are also very well done. The first two-thirds of this is great, great horror stuff.

The final third, however, starts to feel a bit muddled, a bit rushed, and a bit more cliched than the rest of the book. Where the first two-thirds of the book were engaging, and allowed me to rush through really quickly, I just lost interest in the final parts of the book, where things are supposed to be at their most climactic and exciting, when everything is coming together. And it all does come together, technically - but the ending was quite abrupt, and I just was left feeling like I needed more closure that the book never gives.

[DJMikeG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pitch perfect 1980s horror fun. William Schoell swung for the fences his first time out as a horror writer, and even if he didn't hit the ball completely over the fence, he scored a couple RBIs with this one. As other reviewers have mentioned, the relationship between the protagonist and his supermodel girlfriend is the weakest part of the book, and a little too much time is spent on their relationship. That said, who cares? I don't read books like this for realistic romantic drama anyway. What the book does well is why I read books like this one, it brings you into a feverish, paranoid nightmare and cranks up the suspense and action all the way right up to the last page. A great horror novel that I highly enjoyed and makes me look forward to reading more Schoell.

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to beat '80s horror. It's cheesy, pulpy, gory, and almost always entertaining. "Spawn of Hell" displays all of those tags. A cold opening immediately introduces the reader to the "spawn" and then author William Schoell teases us by keeping them out of the story for quite a while. We get to meet the down-on-his-luck protagonist, David Hammond, and quickly develop a relationship with him. David is reeling from a car accident that has left him crippled, both physically and mentally because he lost a close friend in the crash. Now dealing with survivor's guilt, he is visited by an old friend within hours of his release from the hospital. Something is not right with the friend from his hometown in Vermont. He's paranoid and disheveled. When David tries to talk his friend into contacting his parents back home, the friend flips out and soon disappears.
David's luck turns in a positive way when he catches the eye of supermodel Anna Braddon who is rebounding from a failed marriage. He can't believe that a woman as beautiful and rich as Anna would be interested in him, but he goes with it and decides to ride the wave as long as he can.
When Anna is notified that her estranged brother has died in Connecticut. She talks David into traveling with her to help deal with his death and belongings. Once they arrive in Connecticut, they realize that her brother's death is very mysterious and they set out to find out what happened.
From this point on, the book takes off in a positive way (honestly, it was pretty slow up to this point). David and Anna, and the residents of Milbourne, CT, are thrust into a terrifying situation involving mutated creatures that prey on humans.
All in all, "Spawn of Hell" is a decent story that is pretty straightforward with few plot twists. It's not that you won't see the ending pages before you get to it, because you probably will. With that said, Schoell cranks up the gore and descriptive interpretations of the creatures. One thing that did bother some was the poor editing of the book. It's unlike Leisure Horror to overlook the number of gaffs present in this book.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid creature feature that could have been rather better if an editor had cut the excess fat. After a nightmarishly effective opening scene, the author really takes his time setting up the underlying mystery and exploring his main characters, so much so that the plot frequently loses momentum. It doesn't help matters that the protagonists--a struggling artist and a model with some personal problems--aren't especially likable. Still, the horror they find themselves a part of makes us sympathize with them and hope they survive, and the final act is practically a masterclass in page-turning suspense. The creatures are finally revealed to be something quite unique, and they are certainly creepy, if not as mind-bendingly horrific as the aforementioned opening sequence implies. Overall, this is a good read if you don't mind a plot that takes its time to get rolling and want to really get acquainted with your main characters.

[Nick Scarbrough · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finished up the audio book for Things That Go Bump In The Night by William Schoell and holy crap this book was creepy!

I've been reading horror for well over 20 years and there aren't many books these days that have the power to creep me out, but this one did! Think of things slithering around in the dark and skin walker/ mimics.

It wasn't overly gory or graphic but still managed to give me the heebie jeebies several times throughout. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good spooky/creepy read!

[Zachary Ashford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a tonne of fun with the Encyclopocalypse audiobook version of this. Sean Duregger does a great job with the narration, and you can tell he's really digging the source material.

You can't blame him. It's pure pulp goodness. The story's so much fun the minor flaws it does have aren't a big deal, the characters classic paperback from hell fodder, and the monsters are awesome.

Lots here to love.

[Chrissy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quite possibly the worst thing I've ever read. I honestly don't understand how it got published in the first place.

[Janelle Halstead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to audio of this book renamed “Things that go bump in the night”. Very good book about lab created creatures.