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kilcannon's review against another edition
1.0
I liked the part where nothing happened for 280 pages and then everything that did happen was really stupid and happened for no reason.
barnstormingbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the e-ARC
I usually like a good horror story, especially when there is a lot of suspense over gore, and Campbell does build the suspense. The first 3 rd of the ok had a subtle building suspense that made the reader uneasy throughout. The premise of a cursed family and a lost film was an interesting premise, and well researched. It was also fun to read a book written in the late 80s… some realities would be suspense elements now.
Unfortunately, the story didn’t quite deliver for me. As a wheat farming family, that element wasn’t well researched, the over use of Sandy’s period (and Sandy in general) didn’t feel authentic, and the suspense devices that started off strong were repeated often leading to a cry wolf situation.
sucharita's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
snowmaiden's review against another edition
4.0
When I heard about this book, I was pretty excited. I've always loved novels in the "cursed book" genre, and I also loved the only other "cursed film" story I've read, [b: House of Leaves|24800|House of Leaves|Mark Z. Danielewski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403889034s/24800.jpg|856555], so I figured I'd be bound to like this one as well. The book started out well. I love the main character, Sandy Allen, a strong woman who nevertheless feels like a real, vulnerable person. The descriptions of her daily life before the horror kicked in never seemed boring. This might be aided, of course, by the fact that the book takes place in England, so scenes that were probably run-of-the-mill to British readers seemed wonderfully exotic to me. The love story feels a little bit tacked on, but not egregiously so, and the horror itself, once it finally started happening, was of the "something scary outside the window" variety, not the "decapitated and/or disemboweled bodies" variety.
One thing that did bother me was way too much foreshadowing of the horror throughout the book. Sandy is noticing strange smells, rustling noises behind her, and wild animals following her every few pages, and when she always writes it off as just her imagination, she starts to seem like an idiot after a while. If I kept noticing those things all the time day after day, I'd probably think that something was up, even if I didn't know what it was. At the very least, I might start to question my own sanity, but Sandy never does that either. I think this book could have used another pass by an editor, and the first thing I would have done is take out a lot of those references, which were laid on way too thick to be effective.
As we came closer and closer to the end of the book without a resolution, I was afraid the ending would be a big disappointment, but although the story concluded very abruptly in 70's adventure movie mode, with the screen fading to black the moment the danger was over, it was a good resolution that did make enough sense to satisfy me.
I'm glad I read this book, and I'll be interested to read something else by this author in the future.
One thing that did bother me was way too much foreshadowing of the horror throughout the book. Sandy is noticing strange smells, rustling noises behind her, and wild animals following her every few pages, and when she always writes it off as just her imagination, she starts to seem like an idiot after a while. If I kept noticing those things all the time day after day, I'd probably think that something was up, even if I didn't know what it was. At the very least, I might start to question my own sanity, but Sandy never does that either. I think this book could have used another pass by an editor, and the first thing I would have done is take out a lot of those references, which were laid on way too thick to be effective.
As we came closer and closer to the end of the book without a resolution, I was afraid the ending would be a big disappointment, but although the story concluded very abruptly in 70's adventure movie mode, with the screen fading to black the moment the danger was over, it was a good resolution that did make enough sense to satisfy me.
I'm glad I read this book, and I'll be interested to read something else by this author in the future.
charshorrorcorner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rage_among_the_page's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.75
I feel a bit of shame for having not read this in the decades since it’s first publishing. Thanks to NetGalley, I had the opportunity to indulge in it for the republishing.
I love the chokehold beginning that eases into a slow burn. Even as a sucker for a slow burn, I did have a few moments of impatience. That being said, I still wouldn’t refer to it as a book that in itself is slow nor is it boring.
I would have loved to be a bit more invested in the characters, but I definitely latched onto the settings and plot of Ancient Images. Some areas of the story had me reminiscing about our less tech heavy times, and others had me excited about the references along with the hunt for the most obscure, banned or questionable (back then) movies.
Does it age well? Absolutely! It may not be 100% relatable to all, but it’s like a time capsule and if every republishing took the road of modernization, we’d never know the roots of the arts…or ourselves for that matter. While I’d be curious to see how all would have played out with modern resources, the state of society and lack of accessibility are (in my opinion) relevant to the plot.
Campbell is a beast when it comes to providing vivid imagery and making the reader uneasy…all accomplished without the shock value fluff. It’s refreshing to read a story that can carry its own without a sprinkle of jump scare gore every few pages. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy those too (when they don’t feel like plots picked out of a hat), but I love substance, eeriness and build up.
I love the chokehold beginning that eases into a slow burn. Even as a sucker for a slow burn, I did have a few moments of impatience. That being said, I still wouldn’t refer to it as a book that in itself is slow nor is it boring.
I would have loved to be a bit more invested in the characters, but I definitely latched onto the settings and plot of Ancient Images. Some areas of the story had me reminiscing about our less tech heavy times, and others had me excited about the references along with the hunt for the most obscure, banned or questionable (back then) movies.
Does it age well? Absolutely! It may not be 100% relatable to all, but it’s like a time capsule and if every republishing took the road of modernization, we’d never know the roots of the arts…or ourselves for that matter. While I’d be curious to see how all would have played out with modern resources, the state of society and lack of accessibility are (in my opinion) relevant to the plot.
Campbell is a beast when it comes to providing vivid imagery and making the reader uneasy…all accomplished without the shock value fluff. It’s refreshing to read a story that can carry its own without a sprinkle of jump scare gore every few pages. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy those too (when they don’t feel like plots picked out of a hat), but I love substance, eeriness and build up.
rachelunabridged's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
[ Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC! ]
I had a really fun time with this book! This is my first Ramsey Campbell read, and it's gotten me excited to check out more of his work. He did a fantastic job building up the atmosphere and tension in this story + I appreciated that he was able to subvert some of my expectations too.
This story centers around a lost horror film starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, so it's no surprise that there were a lot of classic horror references sprinkled throughout the book. Additionally, the story takes place in 1980s England and gives some interesting history about the horror panic happening at the time. I'd never heard about this before so I found it really fascinating to read about. (Love learning about real things from my fiction reads, lol.)
There were some things that brought the rating down for me, however. While the opening + ending of the book were very satisfying to me, there was a definite saggy middle. I got tired real fast of pages and pages of the main character driving everywhere. Didn't really need to hear the details about every. single. trip. Additionally, I was only lukewarm about the characters. Sandy was the only character that I really cared anything about, but she wasn't very well developed. The minor characters all kind of blended together and were meh at best.
All told, I still enjoyed this book for what it was. If you're looking for some plot-driven horror that's just an atmospheric + scary good time, I think this is worth the read.
I had a really fun time with this book! This is my first Ramsey Campbell read, and it's gotten me excited to check out more of his work. He did a fantastic job building up the atmosphere and tension in this story + I appreciated that he was able to subvert some of my expectations too.
This story centers around a lost horror film starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, so it's no surprise that there were a lot of classic horror references sprinkled throughout the book. Additionally, the story takes place in 1980s England and gives some interesting history about the horror panic happening at the time. I'd never heard about this before so I found it really fascinating to read about. (Love learning about real things from my fiction reads, lol.)
There were some things that brought the rating down for me, however. While the opening + ending of the book were very satisfying to me, there was a definite saggy middle. I got tired real fast of pages and pages of the main character driving everywhere. Didn't really need to hear the details about every. single. trip. Additionally, I was only lukewarm about the characters. Sandy was the only character that I really cared anything about, but she wasn't very well developed. The minor characters all kind of blended together and were meh at best.
All told, I still enjoyed this book for what it was. If you're looking for some plot-driven horror that's just an atmospheric + scary good time, I think this is worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Alcohol, Cursing, Sexual content, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Car accident
arthurbdd's review against another edition
4.0
Solid effort from Campbell, albeit with a somewhat weaker second half; The Grin of the Dark comes back to similar themes and deals with them more effectively. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/terrors-between-the-moon-and-sun/
kansass's review against another edition
4.0
Dentro del terror o del thriller hay una especie de subgénero (totalmente inventado por mí) al que llamaría ficciones cinéfilas que podría tener como tema central el mundo de la obsesión por el cine; he leído ya varias de estas novelas ([b:Flicker|243162|Flicker|Theodore Roszak|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386923638l/243162._SY75_.jpg|235581], [b:Experimental Film|25867895|Experimental Film|Gemma Files|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436299737l/25867895._SX50_.jpg|45740056], [b:Última sesión|25117252|Última sesión|Marisha Pessl|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1426036784l/25117252._SY75_.jpg|15182838]...), algunas mejores que otras, pero he tenido la suerte de que de los pocos titulos que me he leido hasta ahora (o de los pocos que me he encontrado), todos me han gustado. Se podría decir que colecciono de alguna forma novelas de este subgénero por las que siento una especial debilidad.
"Imágenes Malditas" (Ancient Images) también rezuma obsesión por el cine por los cuatro costados, Ramsey Campbell crea una protagonista, Sandy, que es montadora de cine, con lo que esto conlleva, por lo que es una forma por parte de su autor de sentar las bases del argumento de lo que va a ser la novela. Cuando empieza, Sandy se dirige a casa de su mejor amigo, Graham, que ha encontrado después de muchos años de búsqueda, una película de terror perdida de los 30 protagonizada por dos iconos del cine de terror: Bela Lugosi y Boris Karloff. Una pelicula que hasta ahora se había creido que era una leyenda urbana y lo primero que hace Graham cuando la encuentra es montar una sesión de cine en su casa para que Sandy y él la visionen. Pero antes de que que Sandy llegue a su casa, la película es robada y comienza a partir de ahí una cruzada por parte de ella para encontrarla mientras bucea en sus orígenes.
Empiezo diciendo que la estructura de la novela me ha encantado, se sale un poco de los tópicos en este género del terror. Los dos primeros tercios de la novela son lentos, atmosféricos, con mucha carga psicológica y también con mucha carga a la hora de preparar al lector en lo que significa "sugestionarle" para que pueda sumergirse en la atmósfera oscura, desconocida, mientras investiga Sandy. Casi sin darte cuenta, te has leido los dos primeros tercios de un zarpazo, pero realmente no ha pasado nada: Sandy se recorre media Inglaterra en su coche entrevistando, encontrándose con miembros que participaron décadas antes en la película. Y durante estos viajes ella siente una amenaza que la acecha, algo que la sigue...y es de las pocas veces que realmente he sentido este terror mientras leo una novela. Hay varias escenas que son la prueba de la maestria de Ramsey Campbell a la hora de crear estos momentos turbadores y oscuros y en todas estas escenas, Sandy se ha visto sola frente a esta amenaza ¿es real o es solo una invención de su estado mental??
"Incluso aunque la hubiera inquietado mientras la veía, ahora estaba encerrada. No eran más que dos rollos de celuloide dentro de unas latas, nada más que una sucesión de imágenes muertas en la oscuridad. Sin luz ni maquinaria que les dieran vida, no significabann ninguna amenaza".
Y son estas escenas las que a mi me merecen la pena totalmente. La escena del cementerio, la de Sandy atrapada en la torre oscura y sobre todo la escena del cine, casi al final... Esa amenaza invisible mientras ella permanece sentada totalmente a oscuras, sola, en un cine desvencijado y casi en ruinas, me han fascinado.
"Las manchas parduzcas de la pantalla parecieron hincharse emborronando la imagen, y empezó la proyección de la segunda bobina. ¿Por qué le producía una sensación de alivio que ya hubiera pasado la mitad de la película? No había visto nada que diera a entender que había alguien detrás de ella, pero había alguien...(...) Sandy miró atrás, pero Barclay no estaba en la cabina de proyección. Estaba sola con la película -con la imagen que apenas nadie más que ella había visto".
Es cierto que aunque no hay duda del talento narrativo de Ramsey Campbell y de que en la construcción de atmósferas es un maestro, hay algunas concesiones que me sobraron y que no voy a citar por aquí para no dar pistas pero las he tomado como concesiones casi obligadas en este género, porque sin ellas, el "viaje a la oscuridad" de Sandy hubiera sido demasiado arriesgado imagino que por parte de la editorial: una chica sola durante dos tercios de la novela, conduciendo por media Inglaterra imaginándose que algo la acecha y la vigile, sin que poco más pase, hubiera sido un suicidio de ventas. Es una novela también que rinde homenaje al cine, sobre todo al cine de terror concreto de los 30 y 40, y se me hizo muy evidente que para escribir sobre estos detalles, Ramsey Campbell no solo tiene una gran cultura cinéfila, sino que además ama el cine.
La lectura es un tema muy subjetivo, lo que a ti te llega o a lo que le das valor, no tiene porqué ser igual para otro lector pero lo dicho, leyéndolo he sentido el terror de volver la vista y mirar por encima del hombro, el miedo a la oscuridad, a lo desconocido, el terror a lo que se esconde tras una sombra y tener que cerrar la ventana por la noche
"Imágenes Malditas" (Ancient Images) también rezuma obsesión por el cine por los cuatro costados, Ramsey Campbell crea una protagonista, Sandy, que es montadora de cine, con lo que esto conlleva, por lo que es una forma por parte de su autor de sentar las bases del argumento de lo que va a ser la novela. Cuando empieza, Sandy se dirige a casa de su mejor amigo, Graham, que ha encontrado después de muchos años de búsqueda, una película de terror perdida de los 30 protagonizada por dos iconos del cine de terror: Bela Lugosi y Boris Karloff. Una pelicula que hasta ahora se había creido que era una leyenda urbana y lo primero que hace Graham cuando la encuentra es montar una sesión de cine en su casa para que Sandy y él la visionen. Pero antes de que que Sandy llegue a su casa, la película es robada y comienza a partir de ahí una cruzada por parte de ella para encontrarla mientras bucea en sus orígenes.
Empiezo diciendo que la estructura de la novela me ha encantado, se sale un poco de los tópicos en este género del terror. Los dos primeros tercios de la novela son lentos, atmosféricos, con mucha carga psicológica y también con mucha carga a la hora de preparar al lector en lo que significa "sugestionarle" para que pueda sumergirse en la atmósfera oscura, desconocida, mientras investiga Sandy. Casi sin darte cuenta, te has leido los dos primeros tercios de un zarpazo, pero realmente no ha pasado nada: Sandy se recorre media Inglaterra en su coche entrevistando, encontrándose con miembros que participaron décadas antes en la película. Y durante estos viajes ella siente una amenaza que la acecha, algo que la sigue...y es de las pocas veces que realmente he sentido este terror mientras leo una novela. Hay varias escenas que son la prueba de la maestria de Ramsey Campbell a la hora de crear estos momentos turbadores y oscuros y en todas estas escenas, Sandy se ha visto sola frente a esta amenaza ¿es real o es solo una invención de su estado mental??
"Incluso aunque la hubiera inquietado mientras la veía, ahora estaba encerrada. No eran más que dos rollos de celuloide dentro de unas latas, nada más que una sucesión de imágenes muertas en la oscuridad. Sin luz ni maquinaria que les dieran vida, no significabann ninguna amenaza".
Y son estas escenas las que a mi me merecen la pena totalmente. La escena del cementerio, la de Sandy atrapada en la torre oscura y sobre todo la escena del cine, casi al final... Esa amenaza invisible mientras ella permanece sentada totalmente a oscuras, sola, en un cine desvencijado y casi en ruinas, me han fascinado.
"Las manchas parduzcas de la pantalla parecieron hincharse emborronando la imagen, y empezó la proyección de la segunda bobina. ¿Por qué le producía una sensación de alivio que ya hubiera pasado la mitad de la película? No había visto nada que diera a entender que había alguien detrás de ella, pero había alguien...(...) Sandy miró atrás, pero Barclay no estaba en la cabina de proyección. Estaba sola con la película -con la imagen que apenas nadie más que ella había visto".
Es cierto que aunque no hay duda del talento narrativo de Ramsey Campbell y de que en la construcción de atmósferas es un maestro, hay algunas concesiones que me sobraron y que no voy a citar por aquí para no dar pistas pero las he tomado como concesiones casi obligadas en este género, porque sin ellas, el "viaje a la oscuridad" de Sandy hubiera sido demasiado arriesgado imagino que por parte de la editorial: una chica sola durante dos tercios de la novela, conduciendo por media Inglaterra imaginándose que algo la acecha y la vigile, sin que poco más pase, hubiera sido un suicidio de ventas. Es una novela también que rinde homenaje al cine, sobre todo al cine de terror concreto de los 30 y 40, y se me hizo muy evidente que para escribir sobre estos detalles, Ramsey Campbell no solo tiene una gran cultura cinéfila, sino que además ama el cine.
La lectura es un tema muy subjetivo, lo que a ti te llega o a lo que le das valor, no tiene porqué ser igual para otro lector pero lo dicho, leyéndolo he sentido el terror de volver la vista y mirar por encima del hombro, el miedo a la oscuridad, a lo desconocido, el terror a lo que se esconde tras una sombra y tener que cerrar la ventana por la noche