Dark Mountain (1992)

Pretty good fare from Richard Laymon! "Dark Mountain" details the story of two families who go on a camping trip deep into the woods only to find themselves threatened by an old crone and her beast of a son. Laymon does a great job making the reader feel part of the camping trip and setting the stage for the encounter with the creepy duo. The book really takes off though once the families return home and find that they may be dealing with a curse.

Laymon does his usual outstanding job creating memorable characters and scenes. Maybe more so in this novel than some of his others, the major characters are truly believable. There are plenty of plot twists that will keep even the most inveterate Laymon fan guessing. Laymon adds his usual amounts of violence, sex, and uncomfortable situations to a story, though somewhat understated for him, will leave readers turning pages with gusto.

Recommended for all horror enthusiasts and especially Laymon fans! ( )

I loved this Laymon novel much better than the past novels I've read of him. While it still contains issues in it that I find a bit too gratuitous in nature, they were better handled than say in The Woods Are Dark.

Following a group of families and friends who decide to go camping for a while, Dark Mountain shows the threat they face from a group of people who use magic as a means to kill people. Following a rough encounter, a curse is placed on several of the campers and it follows them home, leaving them with the chance to find a way to rid themselves of their supernatural affliction.

This is novel is a wonderfully written, logically placed, and follows a strict guideline on dealing with magic once it is placed in the story. Four and a half stars out of five and definitely a must for any Laymon fans to read. ( )

Typical Laymon. It's like reading a slasher flick from the eighties! Great gore and fast paced with a lot of sex and nudity thrown in! ( )