The Freak Show

by Peter Haining (Editor), Jim Souder (Cover Artist)

11 The Truth About the Bearded Lady essay by Peter Haining
15 The Magician (1726) short story by Daniel Defoe
31 Hop-Frog (1850) short story by Edgar Allan Poe (variant of Hop-Frog; or, The Eight Chained Ourang-Outangs 1849)
41 Spurs (1923) short story by Tod Robbins
59 The Ampoi Giant short story by Clark Ashton Smith
75 The Dwarf (1954) short story by Ray Bradbury
89 The Gnarly Man (1939) novelette by L. Sprague de Camp
111 The Gay Deceiver (1961) short story by Mildred Clingerman
121 The Rabbit Prince (1949) short story by Davis Grubb
133 Beidenbauer's Flea (1964) short story by Stanley Ellin
143 The Power of the Puppets (1942) short story by Fritz Leiber
165 The Rising Man (1958) short story by Joseph Payne Brennan (variant of Levitation)
171 Jizzle (1949) short story by John Wyndham
183 Carousel (1945) short story by August Derleth
193 Heads You Win ... [Dr. Aesop Abercrombie] (1953) short story by Esther Carlson
203 Girl from Mars (1950) short story by Robert Bloch (variant of The Girl from Mars)
211 At Last, the True Story of Frankenstein (1965) short story by Harry Harrison
219 Mutants for Sale short story by Eric Frank Russell (variant of This One's on Me 1953)
227 Horrer Howce (1956) short story by Margaret St. Clair
239 Big Sam Was My Friend (1958) short story by Harlan Ellison
253 After the Fair (1934) short story by Dylan Thomas

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

239 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Peter Alexander Haining was an English journalist, author and anthologist who lived and worked in Suffolk. Born in Enfield, Middlesex, he began his career as a reporter in Essex and then moved to London where he worked on a trade magazine before joining the publishing house of New English Library.

Haining achieved the position of Editorial Director before becoming a full time writer in the early Seventies. He edited a large number of anthologies, predominantly of horror and fantasy short stories, wrote non-fiction books on a variety of topics from the Channel Tunnel to Sweeney Todd and also used the pen names "Ric Alexander" and "Richard Peyton" on a number of crime story anthologies. In the Seventies he wrote three novels, including The Hero (1973), which was optioned for filming.

In two controversial books, Haining argued that Sweeney Todd was a real historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800, was tried in December 1801, and was hanged in January 1802. However, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims. A check of the website Old Bailey at for "Associated Records 1674-1834" for an alleged trial in December 1801 and hanging of Sweeney Todd for January 1802 show no reference; in fact the only murder trial for this period is that of a Governor/Lt Col. Joseph Wall who was hanged 28 January 1802 for killing a Benjamin Armstrong 10 July 1782 in "Goree" Africa and the discharge of a Humphrey White in January 1802. Strong reservations have also been expressed regarding the reliability of another of Haining's influential non-fiction works, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack.
He wrote several reference books on Doctor Who, including the 20th anniversary special Doctor Who: A Celebration Two Decades Through Time and Space (1983), and also wrote the definitive study of Sherlock Holmes on the screen, The Television Sherlock Holmes (1991) and several other television tie-ins featuring famous literary characters, including Maigret, Poirot and James Bond. Peter Haining's most recent project was a series of World War Two stories based on extensive research and personal interviews: The Jail That Went To Sea (2003), The Mystery of Rommel's Gold (2004), Where The Eagle Landed (2004), The Chianti Raiders (2005) and The Banzai Hunters (2007).

He won the British Fantasy Awards Karl Edward Wagner Award in 2001.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those books I took out of the library over and over again as a kid, just so I could re-terrify myself with evil puppets and killer carnivals and vengeful dwarves. (The story "Spurs," which inspired the film "Freaks," is included here. Disturbing stuff, even for grown-ups.)

[Gerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ungeheuer ist im Englischen Original treffender mit The Freak Show betitelt, obwohl auch das trifft es nicht ganz, Sideshow wäre wohl geeigneter gewesen.
Worum geht es?
Peter Haining präsentiert uns eine Sammlung von zwanzig Kurzgeschichten aus dem Feld des Phantastischen, mal mehr dem Horror zugewandt mal nur fantasievoll verspielt, doch alles vor einem gemeinsamen Hintergrund: Der Faszination Jahrmarkt und seiner Schausteller.
Der interessierte Leser findet hier klassische und (zur Drucklegung) zeitgenössische Autoren versammelt und mit geschickter Hand präsentiert uns Haining somit gleichermaßen einen Überblick über die Vielfalt des Horror Genres und seiner Randbereiche und einen kurzen Streifzug durch die Geschichte dieser Gattung.
Dass er es dabei schafft den Bogen zu spannen von Tod Robbins "Sporen", der wohl furchtbarsten Geschichte in der Sammlung, hin zu der nur am Rande erschreckenden, überaus amüsanten Erzählung "Der Mann, der aufstieg" von Joseph Payne Brennan, beweist die Sorgfalt mit der Haining die präsentierten Geschichten ausgewählt hat.

Nun schaffen es Anthologien nahezu nie mit allen Geschichten gleichermaßen zu überzeugen, und auch Ungeheuer vermag dies nicht, doch es findet sich keine Geschichte in dem Buch die einem deplaziert erschiene, oder gar als Füllmaterial.
Dem Titel fast schon zum Trotz versammelt Ungeheuer dabei jedoch mehr Geschichten für Freunde des sanften Schauders und der spitzen Ironie, denn Geschichten über die Grausamkeit der Menschen.