Characterized by gratuitous acts of brutality and surprise endings, these tales of obsession and violence are the creations of a twentieth-century French writer whose works were staged by the legendary Théâtre du Grand-Guignol of Paris. The precursors of modern thrillers and slasher films, these stories have been specially selected for this edition and introduced by horror specialist S. T. Joshi.Thirty-nine conte cruel ("cruel tales") include "In the Light of the Red Lamp,"...

A second collection of those intriguing thrillers that keep us on the edge of our seats.Contents:The Look by Maurice LevelA husband and wife commit a terrible, haunting crime together.Guarded by Mearle ProutA mountain murder unleashes deadly, unforeseen consequences.The Gong Ringers by Hasan VokineTravellers fall into a deadly trap set by unlikely suspects.An ...

Maurice Level was a French writer of supremely twisted and macabre fiction with demented plotting and gruesome violence reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe and admired by the likes of H. P. Lovecraft. But beyond the Grand Guignol set pieces and O' Henry-esque twist endings, Level was a humanist at heart, giving us truly empathic characters, full of sadness and regret, and showing us who these people really are at their core once all trace of society has been stripped away. Here presented are 26...