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A lost horror film holds the key to terrifying secrets.
The legends have persisted for decades of a lost horror film starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi that was never released. Rumor has it that, for reasons long forgotten, powerful forces suppressed the film and burned all known prints. Nobody now living has seen the finished film. But that might no longer be true…
Film researcher Sandy Allan is invited to a screening of a newly discovered sole-surviving print, but then the film disappears and the real horror begins. Sandy’s search for the film leads her to Redfield, a rural community known for its rich soil, fertilized by blood from an ancient massacre. But Redfield guards its secrets closely, with good reason. During every step of her search, Sandy is watched, shadowed by strange figures. Is it paranoia, or is someone—or something—determined to keep the lost film and the secrets it reveals buried forever?
This book has been previously published.
BokononWH
Posted April 27, 2012
A very entertaining read by one of the best writers of horror fiction. Fans of the concept of lost films which hold sinister secrets will enjoy this.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.AMDonovan
Posted October 23, 2011
We have a film that doesn't exist (really, but easily could have) the censorship of horror films that occurred in Britain and a family curse (that the family doesn't really know the extent of). Unfortunately the family curse does come with a blessing for the family and all the people dependent upon them. After all, the sacrifice isn't every year, or even every generation. This also begs the question, what would you do to defend a dead friend's honor? What sacrifice would you make, what danger would you endure, who would you defy or endanger? Combining elements of legend and history to make a cohesive whole. (Remember this is before cell phones.) © Night Owl Reviews
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 31, 2012
Being a big movie fan, "Ancient Images" was a delight to read. The story follows a young film editor on a quest to recover a supposedly lost Karloff and Lugosi film. The more she learns about the film's troubled production and its withdrawal from theaters, the more the darkness closes in around her. Campbell's unique writing style is on full display, and his word images spring to life in one's imagination. Several scenes are standouts and, with the right director, would translate well onto the screen. The creatures are handled superbly, just as in the old black & white horror films: we are given only hints, suggestions, shadows, until the climax. If you are new to Ramsey Campbell this is not a bad place to start.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 11, 2013
Relax
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 13, 2013
Ok.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 14, 2013
Na na na bo boob! La la la la laaa laaaaaa you are stupid *spits the tune*
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 23, 2012
The nook edition of this book has text which is very tiny and impossible to adjust. This ebook is an example of a greedy publisher putting out a crappy product
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.WineGuy95113
Posted September 14, 2012
This creepy book reminded me of King's Dark Tower series. It may seem to plod along at first, but the buildup is worth it, and while it seems to be based on a Karloff/Lugosi lost film, the truth is even stranger and more hideous. Great ending!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 29, 2012
This was a wonderfully creepy book, done so very subtly - no graphic gory messes or obvious horror. I loved it. I also enjoyed learning about classic British horror films (though I admit, I expected ancient Egypt to be the topic, based on the title and author's name).
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.kimkaboom
Posted June 29, 2012
While I love the concept of this book, it didn't totally live up to the level I think it could have achieved. It did keep me reading because I wanted to find out if film researcher, Sandy Allan survived to the end. I was a bit disappointed that neither she, nor anyone investigating the missing Karloff and Lugosi film had any imagination. When everyone you talk to is mentioning a dog or the feeling of being followed and you are having the same experiences.............Anyway, the ending was a bit anti-climatic for me, but if you don't want to worry about being kept up at night, this is an OK read.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.d3crry
Posted June 25, 2012
I give this book 3 stars. The story line was not easy to follow and the ending was disappointing...
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.AmaSAF
Posted June 20, 2012
I was thrilled that a Ramsey Campbell book was offered on Free Friday recently. It is a long book and I raced right through it. The first book I read on my new Nook! I was not disappointed. I have a few Ramsey Campbell books and he is so good at conveying that creepy, hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-your-neck feeling. I highly recommend this book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 6, 2012
It was ok. The premise was new but the author's style and overall writing skill was just average. I felt a little let down at the end.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 2, 2012
Maybe Mr. Campbell really *is* the deft horrormiester so many of the review blurbs claim, & I just picked his one & only novel he happened to write while his talent was taking a hiatus. While I undertand & appreciate the concept of subtlety in weird fiction- creating a sense of dread by hinting at the unseen, or revealing only shadowy glimpses while leaving the true scope of the unnamable to the reader's imagination- this novel did not even come close to hitting that target.
The premise- a hitherto lost film starring Lugosi & Lon Cheny, suppressed by staid cultural censorship & an old aristocratic family with bloody secrets tied to their rural English land holdings- that had potential. The author just never managed to make the story pan out, & the plot was completely half-baked. The scene in the opening chapter (the only truly horrific & spine-chilling paragraphs in the book, btw), which describes a burning at the stake, wasn't even followed up on or tied into the story, except with the thinnest of threads. There's a big difference between leaving some points of a plot undescribed, to keep the reader thinking by drawing their own conclusions, and just plain sloppy lack of organization & oversight.
If I had a quarter for every time the protagonist saw a bush or a dog or a bit of litter in the street (bushes and dogs or what appear to be dogs figure annoyingly and very repetatively into this tale, and comprise the whole of.its supposed atmosphere of tense paranoia)- well, I'd have a lot of quarters.
At least I appreciate the author's nod to the classic English weird tale 'The Dammned Thing', thare was some tall grass moving around by itself, but Algernon Blackwlood or H.P. Lovecraft this author is decidedly not. Reading 'Ancient Images' was like a long, unsatisfying slog through a bunch of vaguely stray dog-shaped bushes, searching for an anticlimax.
Anonymous
Posted May 31, 2012
Just too boring. No action, nothing to grab yiur attention.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 18, 2011
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Posted January 1, 2013
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Posted November 5, 2012
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Anonymous
Posted May 29, 2012
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Anonymous
Posted October 16, 2012
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Overview
A lost horror film holds the key to terrifying secrets.
The legends have persisted for decades of a lost horror film starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi that was never released. Rumor has it that, for reasons long forgotten, powerful forces suppressed the film and burned all known prints. Nobody now living has seen the finished film. But that might no longer be true…
Film researcher Sandy Allan is invited to a screening of a newly discovered...