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The Unholy
HIS EVIL TOOK SO MANY FORMS—
EACH MORE HORRIFYING THAN THE LAST
Ben Hugo was dead. No longer did the men in town have to hate and fear his wealth and power. No longer did the women have to both loathe and lust for him as he seduced and-savaged them.
Ben Hugo was dead—but his death gave birth to a strange and terrifying evil. An evil that took control of living creatures and everyday objects alike. An evil that bathed the town in the blood of victims. An evil that reached out to claim the two women who had borne children to Ben Hugo—and who now discovered the sickening, shattering truth about what they had done...
EACH MORE HORRIFYING THAN THE LAST
Ben Hugo was dead. No longer did the men in town have to hate and fear his wealth and power. No longer did the women have to both loathe and lust for him as he seduced and-savaged them.
Ben Hugo was dead—but his death gave birth to a strange and terrifying evil. An evil that took control of living creatures and everyday objects alike. An evil that bathed the town in the blood of victims. An evil that reached out to claim the two women who had borne children to Ben Hugo—and who now discovered the sickening, shattering truth about what they had done...
- GenresHorror
274 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 2, 1982
72 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 18, 2024
This was a surprisingly good "haunted town" tale, of which there's seemingly a never-ending supply from the 80s (not all good, mind you). What made this one stand out for me was the constantly mounting tension and near-constant supernatural shenanigans. The Northern California community is temporarily cut off due to a rockslide and downed telephone lines, and the mysterious demonic force can strike anywhere and possess certain people or animals at any time, so even when a scene appears to be of normal everyday life, the characters are never truly safe. Of course there's a teen psychic here as well, and he's the only one who senses the true danger they're all in. But they'll learn soon enough.
The chapters are short (3-4 pages), keeping a nice fast pace, and rarely do two chapters go by without something strange or creepy happening, at least after the initial setup. It's a fast-paced slow burn, if that makes sense, with an ominous atmosphere, a host of well-written characters — some with dark secrets in their past that may be connected to the invading entity somehow — and even a handful of genuinely chilling moments, including one with a mentally challenged/disturbed girl possibly under the influence of the presence that conjured up images of the girl from The Ring.
I wish this author had written more horror like this, but it looks like he mostly wrote romances and gothics in the 70s as Parley J. Cooper (which is the name this book lists as the copyright holder). I would certainly be open to checking out more of his work, though his sf novel The Feminists looks exceptionally trashy and….“problematic.”
4.5 Stars (this is my personal rating as someone unhealthily drawn toward pulpy “supernatural evil besets town” stories, so take it with a shit-ton of salt. Either way it’s definitely a well above average midlist paperback original from this era).
The chapters are short (3-4 pages), keeping a nice fast pace, and rarely do two chapters go by without something strange or creepy happening, at least after the initial setup. It's a fast-paced slow burn, if that makes sense, with an ominous atmosphere, a host of well-written characters — some with dark secrets in their past that may be connected to the invading entity somehow — and even a handful of genuinely chilling moments, including one with a mentally challenged/disturbed girl possibly under the influence of the presence that conjured up images of the girl from The Ring.
I wish this author had written more horror like this, but it looks like he mostly wrote romances and gothics in the 70s as Parley J. Cooper (which is the name this book lists as the copyright holder). I would certainly be open to checking out more of his work, though his sf novel The Feminists looks exceptionally trashy and….“problematic.”
4.5 Stars (this is my personal rating as someone unhealthily drawn toward pulpy “supernatural evil besets town” stories, so take it with a shit-ton of salt. Either way it’s definitely a well above average midlist paperback original from this era).
November 5, 2025
A small California town is possessed by an evil force soon after the most horrid and hated man in that town is found hanging from his barn by a noose. Dead by suicide. Now everyone who had problems with him and vice versa seem to be turning up dead or terrified out of their minds.
A nice solid story. The small town atmosphere gives it that extra push. I would say 4.5 stars to be honest. This falls somewhere between your quite horror of Charles L. Grant and the over the top doings of a Shaun Hutson or such. Worth to time.
A nice solid story. The small town atmosphere gives it that extra push. I would say 4.5 stars to be honest. This falls somewhere between your quite horror of Charles L. Grant and the over the top doings of a Shaun Hutson or such. Worth to time.
October 24, 2013
Creepy and crazy scary. You would think twice about what is happening and who is doing what. Really, really, really good read :))
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews