Review of Brian Moreland’s ‘The Girl From The Blood Coven’ and ‘The Witching House’

The Girl From the Blood Coven gives the reader a short story introduction to Brian Moreland’s novella, The Witching House.  Back in 1972, a slaughter occurred at the old Blevins House in Texas.  A blood drenched girl stumbles into a bar in the nearby small town and the sheriff must go investigate when she tells him “they’re all dead”.  What he finds is both shocking and does a very effective job in setting the stage for the novella that follows.  We are given hints at what supernatural darkness is at work within the old stone house and its gore splattered walls.  They are tantalizing, disturbing hints, but left me intrigued and hungry to find out more.

The Witching House takes us 40 years into the future and we are introduced to Sarah Donovan, a timid girl who recently started dating Dean Stratton, an adventurer who loves exploring old buildings with his friends.  Taking a chance, Sarah agrees to go on a trip with Dean to check out an old haunted house in rural Texas where 25 hippies were murdered 40 years earlier.  Their heads were severed in many cases, and others hung themselves, but in some other instances, the bodies of the victims were never found.

The quartet enter the house with the assistance of a local guide and find that the old stone house isn’t just a creepy old place, but seems to be an almost living, breathing entity that seems bent on their destruction.  Whether it is the house itself or some dark unknown menace it is clear something hungers for their flesh and blood.

I’ve read Brian Moreland’s two previous novels and was impressed by his ability to spin a horror tale.  There is a certain level of dread that builds in his works that is based both on his talent as a researcher who provides his readers with a very detailed and vivid world and a knack for creating suspense with solid pacing.  This story is simpler than the historical horror tales he has crafted previously-a ghost story that still has a depth to it because of the believability of the characters and the underlying secrets that are causing the horror to take place.

If I have a criticism of this tale, it perhaps has to do with the character Otis, who I wanted to understand better, especially given his ominous yet sad existence.  There was more to him-I could feel it, and wish I could have gotten to know him better.  This is a minor quibble though, as this tale is another solid effort from the author that did not disappoint.

The Girl From The Blood Coven can be found here:   http://www.amazon.com/The-Girl-Blood-Coven-ebook/dp/B00CI3WCEO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374729375&sr=8-1&keywords=the+girl+from+the+blood+coven

The Witching House can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Witching-House-ebook/dp/B00CJ96E78/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374728045&sr=8-1&keywords=the+witching+house