Every family has their demons. But for the Barnes family, theirs are a little more literal… Rachel Harrison, best known for her monster stories Such Sharp Teeth and So Thirsty, tackles the haunted house and demonic possession genres in her latest horror novel, Play Nice, which came out back in September. If you like horror that centers on messy women and dysfunctional families, don’t miss this one! Continue reading Review of Play Nice—Demons and Dysfunctional Families
Tag: demon
Classics: The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner
Though a bit more obscure than the classics I usually discuss here, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824) by James Hogg is an iconic work of Scottish Gothic that mixes elements of religious and political satire with truly harrowing depictions of demonic forces. I recently read this novel as part of the Romancing the Gothic book club, and am much indebted to Dr. Sam Hirst for walking us through the theological and political context behind the story. Continue reading Classics: The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner
The Devil & Demon Literary Canon
So I’ve already done the Vampire Literary Canon and the Zombie Literary Canon. I feel like at this point, I’ve got to make one for all the Big Bads of gothic fiction. And who could be bigger or badder than the Devil himself? Devils and demons have been an important part of the tradition of disturbing and macabre literature long before Gothic even became an official genre. As the personification of all of humanity’s fears, the Devil is arguably a touchstone of the horror genre. Continue reading The Devil & Demon Literary Canon