The Catacombs of Fear

by John Llewellyn Probert

House of God or House of Horrors? The dinner party gate-crashed by the undead... The beautiful girl whose looks are maintained by acts of violence... The crippled ballerina desperate for new legs... The television producer who discovers that murder improves his ratings... The hideous deaths in an old country house that lead to something far worse... The Reverend Patrick Clements arrives at Chilminster Cathedral to take up his new post, only to find his introductory tour taking rather longer than anticipated. As the sun sets and the evening draws on Patrick meets staff and parishioners, and learns far more of the macabre history of the community he is destined to become a part of than any mortal man should hear. But these stories are only the beginning of what has been planned for him. John Llewellyn Probert's follow up to his award-winning The Faculty of Terror provides five macabre tales bound together by a framework story, the climax of which will take its readers into the very depth

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

192 pages, Paperback

First published February 10, 2009

Reviews

[Jeannie Sloan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful stories based on the plot of a young priest who goes to a cathedral to be interviewed by the bishop. Along the way he encounters supernatural stories in the cathedral above ground and below ground.
Very entertaining.I liked it so much that I ordered his other book about an University.I've read a few of his stories in assorted anthology's and have never been let down.
A great book to own for those who like their horror cerebral and scary.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is stylistically, very similar to "The Faculty of Terror". It follows the portmanteu format, where a loose structure allows the protagonist to listen to/share a number of horrific experiences/incidents that had apparently befallen unfortunate "others", but might happen to you, at any moment, anytime. The episodes are:

*) Prologue
1) The Neighbourhood Watch
2) Catacombs Interlude No. 1
3) At First Sight
4) Catacombs Interlude No. 2
5) The Markovski Quartet
6) Catacombs Interlude No. 3
7) Mors Gratia Artis
8) Catacombs Interlude No. 4
9) A Dance to the Music of Insanity
10) Finale
*) Strolling Shadowy Corridors [Story-Notes]

Its mixture of bizarre & humour can put some of the readers "off", but might appeal others. Despite all the bizarre trappings, some of the episodes are indeed scary in a genuine old-fashioned way. Recommended.

[Richard Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

A second portmanteau horror novel from Probert, following on from his previous The Faculty of Terror. I enjoyed that book when I read it last year, and this one follows the same basic idea of having five otherwise unconnected tales linked by a framing story, in the style of the old Amicus movies. Unfortunately, I struggled with Catacombs, the contents of which seemed more derivative of seventies cinema than inspired by it. I wonder how my enjoyment of the previous book might have been enhanced by nostalgia for those old British films. For me, the novelty doesn't sustain a second volume.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful.