On This Page
Description
A classic with elements of fantasy and mystery. This novel inspired the movie "Devil Doll."Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I have always admired Abraham Merritt as a no-nonsense fantasy story teller even if sometimes (although not here) he goes into imaginative states that suggest the influence of magic mushrooms. There is not much in fantasy that matches 'The Ship of Ishtar' in my view.
'Burn Witch Burn' (1932) is what we might call nowadays a 'mash up', in this case between the interwar gangster story and the witchcraft genre horror tale. Somehow, Merritt gets it to work. However, there is none of that cuddly Wiccan stuff here.
The counterpoint of ancient demonic sorcery with the ruthless mafia boss Ricori demonstrates that the badness of a gangster is as nothing to the evil of Madame Mandilip whose witchcraft is ancient, otherworldly, cruel and well show more beyond the imaginings of the modern scientific mind.
Coming more recently from an 'old country', Ricori sees the 'reality' of sorcery far more clearly than Dr. Lowell who is intended to represent the educated reader in his seemingly secure and scientific modern world. Merritt shows that even a benign disbelief can cost lives.
Merritt rather overplays the science versus faith debate, perhaps to press the matter with his younger male audience who may have been living in a world fascinated by science but also bound by a faith-based family culture. Perhaps that element does not work quite so well nowadays.
However, the story rattles along in a way that might not be high literature but still presents a solid and imaginative tale with moments of genuine horror. I defy anyone not to be moved by the deaths and torture of many innocents by this evil woman.
I have in my library an Avon paperback edition from 1942 (it sits alongside similar editions of 'The Metal Monster' and 'The Face from the Abyss') but I am going to recommend to you a remarkable audio dramatisation by the estimable Edward E. French on YouTube.
French has been reading from fantastic literature regularly in increasingly professional and exciting renditions for some eight years, mostly short stories but sometimes full novels. They are also proper readings and not 'radio dramatisations' with actors ruining the original ambience.
His Youtube Channel is here and the full playlist for Burn Witch Burn is here. From there you can trawl through the backlist. And, no, I am not on commission ... I've never met the chap! show less
'Burn Witch Burn' (1932) is what we might call nowadays a 'mash up', in this case between the interwar gangster story and the witchcraft genre horror tale. Somehow, Merritt gets it to work. However, there is none of that cuddly Wiccan stuff here.
The counterpoint of ancient demonic sorcery with the ruthless mafia boss Ricori demonstrates that the badness of a gangster is as nothing to the evil of Madame Mandilip whose witchcraft is ancient, otherworldly, cruel and well show more beyond the imaginings of the modern scientific mind.
Coming more recently from an 'old country', Ricori sees the 'reality' of sorcery far more clearly than Dr. Lowell who is intended to represent the educated reader in his seemingly secure and scientific modern world. Merritt shows that even a benign disbelief can cost lives.
Merritt rather overplays the science versus faith debate, perhaps to press the matter with his younger male audience who may have been living in a world fascinated by science but also bound by a faith-based family culture. Perhaps that element does not work quite so well nowadays.
However, the story rattles along in a way that might not be high literature but still presents a solid and imaginative tale with moments of genuine horror. I defy anyone not to be moved by the deaths and torture of many innocents by this evil woman.
I have in my library an Avon paperback edition from 1942 (it sits alongside similar editions of 'The Metal Monster' and 'The Face from the Abyss') but I am going to recommend to you a remarkable audio dramatisation by the estimable Edward E. French on YouTube.
French has been reading from fantastic literature regularly in increasingly professional and exciting renditions for some eight years, mostly short stories but sometimes full novels. They are also proper readings and not 'radio dramatisations' with actors ruining the original ambience.
His Youtube Channel is here and the full playlist for Burn Witch Burn is here. From there you can trawl through the backlist. And, no, I am not on commission ... I've never met the chap! show less
This story of devilish dolls attacking people, told by a reluctantly believing doctor, has some great scenes, but suffers from some unnecessary stupidity required to propel the plot, and it is overlong. There are some interesting characters, particularly a very religious Italian gangster and some of his henchmen, but their pursuit of the witch is clumsy at best. And in the end, other than pure evil, what is the motive?
El doctor Lowell, insigne neurólogo, nos narra esta insólita y aterradora historia. Todo empieza cuando Ricori, un reconocido mafioso, lleva al hospital a uno de sus hombres, que padece un extraño mal. Aunque parece comatoso, aparentemente está bien fÃsicamente, pero las muecas de su rostro son diabólicas. La muerte de este hombre llevará tanto a Lowell, como a Ricori y sus gángsters, a seguir investigando la posible existencia de casos similares.
‘¡Arde, bruja, arde!’ (Burn, Witch, Burn!, 1932), del escritor Abraham Merritt, es una excelente novela detectivesca, con tintes fantásticos y de terror. El ritmo que el autor imprime a la historia es francamente bueno y te deja enganchado a la trama hasta el final. La novela show more obtuvo tal éxito, que en 1935 se estrenó la versión cinematográfica, Muñecos infernales, a cargo del genial Tod Browning. show less
‘¡Arde, bruja, arde!’ (Burn, Witch, Burn!, 1932), del escritor Abraham Merritt, es una excelente novela detectivesca, con tintes fantásticos y de terror. El ritmo que el autor imprime a la historia es francamente bueno y te deja enganchado a la trama hasta el final. La novela show more obtuvo tal éxito, que en 1935 se estrenó la versión cinematográfica, Muñecos infernales, a cargo del genial Tod Browning. show less
You want horror? You got horror. It's dolls. Killer dolls controlled by an evil dollmaker. Indiana Jones and his snakes got NOTHING on these babies. You will never feel comfortable around a doll again.
УжаÑ/фентъзи от началото на Ð¼Ð¸Ð½Ð°Ð»Ð¸Ñ Ð²ÐµÐº. Ðко Ñи непретенциозен, Ñтава за убиване на 2 чаÑа.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Best Fantasy Novels
821 works; 361 members
Jones & Newman: Best Horror Books Further Recommended Reading
577 works; 4 members
Talk Discussions
Past Discussions
Burn Witch Burn Centipede press in Fine Press Forum (January 2023)
Author Information
73+ Works 3,181 Members
Awards and Honors
Notable Lists
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Burn, Witch, Burn!
- Original title
- Burn, witch, burn!
- Original publication date
- 1932
- People/Characters
- Austin Lowell, Dr.; Dr. Braile; Julian Ricori; Thomas Peters; Nurse Harriet Walters; Nurse Jobina Robbins (show all 10); Dan McCann; Madame Mandilip; Laschna; Tim Shevlin
- Important places
- New York, New York, USA
- Related movies
- The Devil-Doll (1936 | IMDb)
- First words
- I am a medical man specializing in neurology and diseases of the brain. My peculiar field is abnormal psychology, and in it I am recognized as an expert. I am closely connected with two of the foremost hospitals in New York, ... (show all)and have received many honors in this country and abroad. I set this down, risking identification, not through egotism but because I desire to show that I was competent to observe, and competent to bring practiced scientific judgment upon, the singular events I am about to relate. -Foreword
I heard the clock strike one as I walked up the hospital steps. Ordinarily I would have been in bed and asleep, but there was a case in which I was much interested, and Braile, my assistant, had telephoned me of certain devel... (show all)opments which I wished to observe. It was a night in early November. I paused for a moment at the top of the steps to look at the brilliancy of the stars. As I did so an automobile drew up at the entrance to the hospital. -The Unknown Death, Chapter 1 - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Nor do they.
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 823
- Canonical LCC
- PS3525.E6765
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 160
- Popularity
- 204,594
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.50)
- Languages
- English, Finnish, German, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 25
- ASINs
- 17
