The titular Greyfriars Reformatory in my recent horror novel is one place you would never want to spend the night!
A lifelong horror fan, I have always been fascinated by haunted landscapes and creepy buildings. My childhood in the Midlands of England prepared me for my career as a horror writer and filmmaker with its abundance of spooky ruins and foggy canal paths.
I have since explored ancient sites all across the U.K. and Europe and my novels are inspired by these field trips into the uncanny, where the contemporary everyday rubs shoulders with the ancient and occult. Places become characters in their own right in my work and I think this list of bookscelebrates that.
I hope you find them as disturbing and thought-provoking as I have!
(And if you’re looking for similar reads, why not browse this book list featuring more titles set in psychiatric hospitals)
An impassable storm forces a group of travellers to disembark from their steam train and take shelter in a remote castle for the night. Their enigmatic host invites them to take part in some after-dinner entertainment. But as they each explore the castle’s rooms and passageways, they discover they have become part of a deadly game. Only one guest may leave in the morning and it is up to each of them to use their wits, and weapons, to survive the night.
For the others, Damnation awaits.
Who will survive the night?
I’ve always wanted to write a Dracula story, especially one with a unique twist, so this book is a nightmare come true for me.
I’m super excited to share this book with you and I hope that it gives you chills and thrills in equal measure.
Drop a rating / review at Amazon / Goodreads and let me know what you think of it.
Spooky Samhain Blessings & Happy Halloween! x Frazer
ABOUT THE GAME
Damnation: The Gothic Game is a brilliant new version of my all-time favourite board game. The original Gothic Game was created by ‘Blood on Satan’s Claw’ screenwriter Robert Wynne Simmons and Nigel Andrews, and became a horror fan favourite when it was released back in the 1990s.
My own experience withThe Gothic Gamebegan when I was working at The London Dungeon (where my Saturday job was scaring the life out of tourists!). The Marketing Manager popped down and said they had this preview copy of this creepy new game. He asked me to take it home and play it, and tell him if I thought it would be a good addition to the gift shop. The concept of the game took competitive play to dastardly new levels with the aim being to kill all the other players on the board. Terry Jones of Monty Python fame said, “This game will make you turn in your grave!” And of course it did! For me, it was love at first bite and I played it every Halloween after that fateful night.
Damnation, the updated version from Kris Rees & his talented team atBlackletter Games, expands beautifully on the original with a cast of cunning characters, tons of new traps, weapons, and artefacts, and also the added attraction of being able to haunt the other players from the graveyard if you get bumped off!
The game was a smash hit success on Kickstarter, fully funded in just 20mins & raising over £77k!
My thanks to the organisers of Shockfest 2021 for selecting my award winning folk horror film The Stay to screen in Las Vegas in Official Selection.
You can join haunted host Bill Oberst Jr. on December 10th live from Las Vegas for this year’s Ghost Ship themed event. Online event tickets are available here and the frightening fun begins at 18:30 (PST).
It’s great to be rounding off this year’s festival screenings at Shockfest. My thanks again to everyone involved in making it happen, and congrats to all the other filmmakers and creators!
In my last post from Castle Dracula I promised you a 2nd reading from my forthcoming Damnation: The Gothic Game tie-in novel… and here it is!
Spoiler alert though — this reading includes an early death scene from the book, so if you prefer to wait and find out who comes a cropper and when, avoid hitting ‘play’ on the video below my exclusive interview about the book.
Today marks the last day of the Kickstarter campaign for Damnation: The Gothic Game, so if you want to get your claws on a copy of the game & my book, plus some very cool perks, make a deal with the devil now!
Many of us have felt like this spider, clinging on for dear life during what has been a very challenging year:
Hang in there kids, it’s almost time!
But some of us are lucky enough to be emerging from our solitude – for a while, at least! And for that I, for one, am truly thankful. As the veil grows thinner this weekend I’ll be thinking of those I’ve lost to Covid-19, cancer, and old age this year, and finding ways to carry some of their light into the dark corners of the year ahead.
I think it’s very true to say that horror fans take great solace in spooky season. (It’s also true all year round, I know, but October is THE special month for many). And whether it’s an opportunity to party with family/fiends, go trick or treating, or hunker down and watch some scary movies (or all of the above!) I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all Spooky Samhain blessings, a Happy Halloween, a very merry little Goth Xmas, or whatever macabre moniker is the best fit for you!
And by way of a modest treat (or trick?) for this year, I have recorded the first ever reading from my new tie-in novel Damnation: The Gothic Game, with another to follow soon. Check it out below, or over at the Damnation Kickstarter, where you can pick up a copy along with the game.
Damnation awaits!
I hope the extract gives you pleasant nightmares! And if it does, perhaps it is testament to how important it is right now to treat yourselves, and those that you love.
Because if we try, we can also feel like this spider – feasting on the stuff of life – if only for one, perfectly spooky night:
Everyone’s favourite demonic dermatologist, The Skintaker, in a handsome, strictly limited hardcover edition.
Limited to only 350 copies worldwide
It’s been fun (and a little bit surreal) to revisit my backlist of books, and to give them a makeover via my own imprint Reel Fearz Editions.
Bound in human skin?
Last but not least to receive the hardcover treatment is The Skintaker (the prequel to my Bram Stoker Award nominated debut novel The Lamplighters), and I’m thrilled with the result. The book features black cloth binding and a matte dust jacket that feels just as luxurious as, well…. human skin.
Aww, feeling the love, you guys!
Order your copy now & get 15% off the print price. Use code BOOKSTORE15 (offer valid through 10 September 2021)
If you prefer a signed copy, gimme a shout on social media or email: info(at)frazerlee(dotcom) and we’ll work out the shipping costs & any special dedication requests.
About ‘The Skintaker’ “You have what he wants!” Reclusive nineteen-year-old Rosie Shields hopes for a new lease of life that will free her from the stigma of her debilitating skin condition. Making a pilgrimage to the Amazon rainforest, Rosie experiences a new world beyond her wildest dreams among the mysterious Myahueneca tribe. But Rosie’s dreams soon turn to nightmares when she embarks on a ritual vision quest that takes her to the very heart of darkness. Trapped between murderous hunters and raging forest fires, Rosie is thrust into a fight for survival, a struggle that awakens an ancient evil stirring in the shadows…the demonic deity known as The Skintaker.
Praise for ‘The Skintaker’ “A grandly entertaining period horror adventure in the classical Kipling and Conrad tradition…THE SKINTAKER has never a dull moment. I thoroughly enjoyed it.” (Eric Red, writer of The Hitcher and Near Dark)
“A phenomenon in horror fiction that is truly chilling.” (Horror Novel Reviews)
“I loved this book! Filled with fabulous descriptions and fully formed characters I devoured The Skintaker in one sitting…I didn’t want the adventure to end. This was my first novel by Frazer Lee but it definitely won’t be my last. If you’re looking for a great read, grab this 5 star book and hold on for the ride.” (Horror Maiden’s Book Reviews)
For the full line-up of Reel Fears Editions limited hardcovers, check the webstore.
Five years in the making, The Daniel Gates Adventures series of occult horror novellas began with The Lucifer Glass in 2013 and concluded with The Lucifer Gate in 2018.
Samhain Horror, and then Crossroad Press, published the ebooks, but these stories have never been in print—until now.
This handsome hardcover edition, combining all four books in one volume, is strictly limited to only 350 copies worldwide. When they are all sold, the book will be out of print. It’s a handsome tome and features blue cloth binding and a matte finish dust jacket.
My folk horror novel The Jack in the Green is now available in limited edition hardcover with matte finish dust jacket and green cloth. This edition is strictly limited to only 350 copies worldwide. I’ll be honoured if you add one to your shelfie!
Praise for The Jack in the Green: “I have enjoyed all of Frazer Lee’s work, but The Jack in the Green is by far my favorite! Lee strikes the perfect balance between psychological horror…and vicious violence and gore.” (☆☆☆☆☆ The Horror Bookshelf)
About the book: “A nightmare made real.” On Christmas Eve, six year-old Tom McCrae witnessed an unspeakable atrocity that left him orphaned, his childhood in tatters. Now in his mid-thirties, Tom still has terrifying nightmares of that night. When Tom is sent to the remote Scottish village of Douglass to negotiate a land grab for his employer it seems like a golden opportunity for him to start over. But Tom can’t help feeling he’s been to Douglass before, and the terrible dreams from his childhood have begun to spill over into his waking life. As murderous events unfold and Tom’s feverish nightmares escalate, he will discover the hideous truth behind the villagers’ strange pagan ritual of The Jack in the Green.
Now i’ve clickbaited your attention i’d like to let you all know that my Amazon #1 bestselling folk horror novel Hearthstone Cottage is on sale for only 0.99 until August 15th!
Would you like (s)cream with your coffee?
If you like haunted Scottish cottages, mysterious stone circles, and wicked witchery, you should hit the links below:
FrazerLee.com 