Widow's Point

I ended up reading this little book in one sitting last night, and I absolutely adored it. Found footage, isolationist horror, illustrations, and hauntings...what more could you ask for in a gorgeously put together novella that even comes with illustrations? Not to mention the fantastic way the creepiness builds...

All told, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but once it hooked me in the first ten pages or so, I couldn't put it down--not even when the mounting creepiness made me wonder if I SHOULD put it down because I was getting so close to bed-time. There was no choice but to sit and read it in one sitting, enjoying every moment.

I'd absolutely recommend this one, and will look for anything else to come from these authors.

Widow's Point was originally a short story that was expanded into this fleshier novel, and I enjoyed the story quite a bit. Now I am not one to get scared easily and I definitely have not really found a horror novel that scared me, even this one, so when I review horror novels, my reviews are NEVER based on scare value as that is so personal for everyone. Yes, I've been grossed out, weirded out, disturbed, felt a lot of tension while reading horror novels, but scared, where I have to sleep with the lights on? Never. And I have read hundreds of horror novels. But I love atmospheric novels, and man, did this one have atmosphere galore. The tension was definitely there as the characters slowly lost their grip on reality and tried to figure show more out what was happening. Where I got lost was in the ending.

Most of the story is told through two story lines, the first in 2017 and the second, in 2025. Both are found footage using video cams, audio recordings, video recordings, diary entries, etc... I love found footage type horror novels so this was right up my alley. Both of the stories had slow-burn starts, but when they picked up, they definitely picked up and the tension continued right through to the end. And mannequins, the one thing that will creep me the hell out which is why there are no dolls in my house, AT ALL. The atmosphere was amazing, creepy, and the descriptions of the lighthouse just creeped me right out. I liked how the author combined the history of the lighthouse, the personal histories of the characters, and the legends and lord surrounding the lighthouse with what was currently happening in this locked-room type setting. Even though the characters could leave the lighthouse, you knew they wouldn't be able to actually leave the lighthouse, if you know what I mean. You could just see how the lighthouse was preying on each character, their fears, their past histories in order to destroy their minds and keep them there. It was definitely eerie, that's for sure.

Considering what was happening, you definitely have some half-decent character development and each character had their own individual quirks and nuances so it was easy to keep them separate. I empathized with all of them and hope that things would go well, but messing around with darkness is certainly not a wise thing to do. This had Blair Witch vibes all over it, and the way the authors created tension in this book was quite good. I prefer sinister tension, one that slowly builds to a crescendo, not cheap shock tropes that are so pervasive in so many novels, so this one appealed to me quite a bit. You know, the kind where you know something is going to happen, and you are constantly yelling at the characters to get out while they can, but they brush everything off, but the viewer can see what is happening behind them.

Verdict
Widow's Point had a lot of things in this book that I love in a horror novel: it had atmosphere, tension, found footage, diaries, historical events, creepiness, fog, water, etc... The tension built up slowly and never let up. Do I think there was anything really innovative and new in this book? No, not really. But what was here was well done, and I enjoyed it. Where it did lose me was the last entry in the book. I understood it, but... I am definitely looking forward to more from this duo as they write my kind of creepiness. For the record, if this lighthouse existed, I wouldn't step a toe in the building. show less

Truly enjoyed the original novella but found "the complete haunting" over-populated, somewhat frantic and weighted down by "everything and the kitchen sink." Just another layer of dust to the old light house.

This was my first time reading anything by both Richard or Billy Chizmar and I am blown away. You all know the drill by now when it comes to my reviews; I will not give you a full blown summary of this novella, for that you need to order the book.. and believe me, you're going to want to do that as soon as possible. Within the first ten or so pages of this book I was pulled in and wanting to know more about the history of Widow's Point lighthouse. This tale is accounted by the main character through both video and audio recording which I, at first, was a bit sketchy about because I'd never read anything like it. Within a few pages I found myself being able to perfectly picture what was being described and in the end didn't find this show more style of storytelling to be a problem whatsoever. In fact, it was incredibly enjoyable. Let's get to the creep factor. I read this alone in a big empty house on my phone... in the dark. Several times I had to stop reading because I was getting too freaked out and couldn't take it anymore. Another first for me is the fact that this was co-written. You'd never know because the story is so seamless and I absolutely couldn't be able to tell you who wrote what; which, for me, is a major plus. I flew through this one and would one hundred percent recommend to everyone who loves a good story involving the paranormal... Just be sure to leave a light on. show less

3.5 stars, this is written like a found footage film...but it's a book. I want my media to play to its strong points, so not seeing deeper into our characters than what is spoken or apparent on their faces makes this pretty flat. The actual plot is cool and creepy, but I wanted more from the story.

I wanted to love this. I expected to love this. I adore lighthouses, and anything ABOUT lighthouses. But, this is just so.......boring.
Nothing HAPPENS.
It's disappointing.

This was like a pale imitation of Stephen King's "1408" and I am disappointed :/

I will try more from this author though. Hopefully it'll be less derivative