I have never read Mr. Little’s horror fiction before, so as I was perusing the limited selection of books at the airport newsstand a blurb by my favorite Stephen King sat on the cover of “The House” by Bentley Little. I had a 14 hour flight to New Zealand ahead of me and I was desperate for something to read and if Stephen liked it, then I’m sure I would too. Oddly enough, this is the book King was reading when he was struck down by a van.

I couldn’t put it down; it was so different than anything else I’ve read. It had a rawness that I just can’t put my finger on. But I held that book in my hands from Los Angeles to Auckland. I stopped once to nap for awhile. Oddly enough, a number of critics did not like this book; but I have to say this is one of the scariest books I’ve read to date.

The book focuses on 5 main characters, four men and one woman. They’ve all repressed their childhood memories but as adults they have nightmares and hallucinations so terrifying it draws them all to their childhood home. Although they are all strangers and were born and raised in different states, they all share the same house. The houses are all the same all the way down to the placement of the furniture. The house is the key to their nightmares and as they meet up with the ghosts of their past, they confront a common evil. Seduced by disturbing lusty spirits and demonic entities, this group of strangers takes you on a rollercoaster of horror.

Bentley Little has become one of my favorite horror authors. His books are a guilty pleasure in the horror genre, as John Sanford is a guilty pleasure in the detective pulp genre.