Markku Sadelehto

David Keller is an interesting writer, the first psychiatrist to write in the fantasy and horror field and very much a mid-twentieth century Lovecraftian. Neglected perhaps because of his ferociously right-wing and bigoted views, this story is, regardless of that, exceptional.

Keller is interested in fear (there was an essay on fear published with this tale which I have not read). This horror set within an American lower middle class family is fundamentally about what his profession explains show more away as just childhood fantasy being, in fact, grounded in reality.

The idea is simple, almost trite, but he carries it off by seeing the drama through the eyes of a vulnerable child with whom we identify ... through to its brutal conclusion. This is true, visceral horror and leaves one with a strong feeling of sadness for a fictional boy.

Deep down, what I think it does is appeal to a long-lost memory of our own - not of monsters but of not being listened to and respected as an independent little person in a world of adults with power. If the lad had been trusted and listened to, there would have been a different ending. show less

One of the first horror short stories I had read in my life! And one of the absolute best! It's a classic for a reason.

I had asked my horror-loving friend for scary short-fic recommendations and of the three names she had provided, this is the one that created the maximum impact. The haunting aftereffect still stays with me.

Little Tommy Tucker has always been unhappy in the kitchen, and his parents don’t know why. Right from when he was a baby, he did all he could to get out of the show more kitchen – cry or crawl or complain. When he learns to talk, he tries explaining his reasons to his parents, but they consider it foolish. After a few years, when his behaviour shows no signs of changing, his parents resort to calling the neighbourhood physician to rid Tommy of his irrational fear. What happens next? You have gotta read and find out!

Such tales are the perfect example of how horror can be written by using nothing but atmosphere. There’s no gore on the page, nor are there any paranormal entities jumping out of corners. And yet, the ending will leave you chilled. I have read this story thrice, and a small part of me still hopes for a different finale each time. The writing is spot on in generating a sense of fear without penning anything openly scary. In fact, it starts off very innocently, but soon it seems like only two people know something is drastically wrong – Tommy and the reader.

This isn’t a story for the faint-hearted. It is creepy. It is macabre. It is disturbing. It is brilliant. It is, by far, my favourite horror short. The ending doesn’t offer any closure.

5 spooky stars.

This story first appeared in Weird Tales Magazine in March 1932, and is in the public domain. As such, it can be read for free online. I read it from the below link:
https://weirdfictionreview.com/2012/03/the-thing-in-the-cellar-by-david-h-keller....

A fifteen-minute audio version is available on the below link, but I haven't tried it out. I prefer reading paranormal stories. :)
https://horrorbabble.bandcamp.com/album/the-thing-in-the-cellar

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