Abraham Merritt's Burn, Witch, Burn! -is like a detective novel masquerading as a dark fantasy novel. It’s a cross-genre experimentation from the late 20's, blending horror, fantasy, and crime drama.
An unfortunate neurologist named Dr. Lowell, finds himself confronted with a series of mysterious deaths. Each victim falls into a state of paralysis, before later convulsing and finally expiring, stiffening into an abrupt rigor mortis. Merritt weaves a mix of creeping dread, action and mystery of animated, demonic, murderous toy dolls and gangsters on the loose in NYC. Of all the evil 'living doll' stories, this weird tale is definitely the most original and frightening and supports a great super villainess character in the shape- changing monstrous Madame Mandilip. It's an unforgettable performance reading by Oscar nominated Makeup FX Artist Edward E. French.
Where does fantasy end and horror begin? Is there beauty in terror? Does horror possess a spiritual dimension? In these five classic tales written by acknowledged masters of the supernatural, these haunting questions are explored...but not fully answered. First, in A. Merritt's haunting "The Moon Pool," a moonlit pool nestled among cyclopean ruins harbors a vampiric dweller both beautiful and terrible in its unearthly majestry. "The House and the Brain" by Edward Bulwer-Lytton may be the most powerful haunted house story ever written. But more than mere ghosts prowl these corridors..... The Legendary H. P. Lovecraft next lures us into "The Moon-Bog." Is "The Great God Pan" terrorizing the Welsh countryside? Arthur Machen's uncanny tale delves into the unnerving subtlety of horror. Finally, H. P. Lovecraft reveals to us "What the Moon Brings." And it is not pretty....
