Book Review: Friday Night in Beast House

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Friday Night in Beast House     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Richard Laymon
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Horror
Cemetery Dance, 2001, $35.00

In Malcasa Point, California teenager Mark physically fantasizes that one day he will date Alison. Mustering up his courage he finally asks her out; she accepts on the stipulation that he spend FRIDAY NIGHT IN BEAST HOUSE after it closes. Excited he agrees to meet her stipulation hoping this is the ticket to ecstasy even though he knows the day time tourist attraction has been the sight of several ghastly homicides.

On Friday night Mark breaks into Beast House. He proceeds to hide in the Beast Hole hoping to quietly pass time and emerge as a hero in the eyes of Alison. However, Beast House earned its reputation for grisly inexplicable murders and soon Mark and Alison will learn even wet fantasies can turn nightmarish in the wrong environs.

Richard Laymon’s final Beast House tale is a terrific entry in a great series that like it predecessors (see THE CELLAR, THE BEAST HOUSE and THE MIDNIGHT TOUR) hooks the audience into a complacency that slowly turns into tension and suspense wondering what will happen next to Mark. The delightful protagonist slowly realizes how much trouble he is in as he learns the truth about Beast House. Not quite at the emotional roller coaster levels of the previous three novels; this tale is a tense gripping thriller that will have readers searching for the previous books.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner