Bizarre things continue- NOW I am able to post here!!!!! I will not question this oddity, only post and ghost before the Fates change their minds again!
Excellent review and critique - as usual for you!Â
And when I first read this story, many years ago, I was so overwhelmed by the sometimes jarring elements that seemed to crash into the main story=- "Ginger Ale was only twelve years old..."  A sort of pedohorror implied but never developed. Matheson  the Master of brevity, leaves us moving forward in the tale but with a residual cloud of unease following us.... " Ance in your pants would be a pity!"... the hints again of the post apocalyptic nightmare scenario. And as you mention, after the semi climax, we are left with no answers, only wondering and perhaps - in my own case - a feeling of dread for a young girl who has now crossed into a darker world from which we cannot know if she can ever return.
There have been at least two television versions of this story, one was pretty decent although it added a sort of "post script" which, I understand, Matheson's son added in preparing the script for the TV series Masters of Horror.. The addition did bring a more settled conclusion; if you have not seen it, I would recommend giving it a look just to compare the two. But Matheson himself had such a gift for delivering jolting, terrifying moments within the space of a page or two.
One of the most horrific tales I recall, from my first reading of it as a child, to every subsequent reading- is Dress of White Silk!!!!! OMG!!! I will say no more lest I ruin it for anyone who is not familiar with it but I can think of no other writer who could bring the readers emotions into such a bubbling, frothing mixture of childhood innocence, empathy, sorrow, curiosity, anxiety, dread and finally, revulsion, in so few lines of text! A story which haunted me for a long, long time and perhaps still does! This author was truly a phenomenon.Â
Also, just read 'Dress of White Silk'. Turns out I had read it before, but reading it again, I found it to be incredibly eery. I particularly enjoyed the childlike writing, although it takes a spell to get into it.
the fact that the protagonist is a little child!!!!!! Then the introduction of demonic, homicidal and cannibalistic layers to the story, all implied and never spelled out, left me with a sort of "dread hangover" Admittedly, some of my reaction may be slightly tinged with memories from the years when I worked as a volunteer at a ranch for abandoned or abused kids; some of the sweetest, most innocent children had been sp harmed taht I could not but wonder if later, perhaps in teen years, they m ight react in unpredictable ways stemming from the horrors physical, mental and emotional, they had suffered. So perhaps this story starting with an innocent, lonely, shunned child.... I dunno.
Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying my bletherings!
As you so rightly put, Matheson really knows what he's doing in playing with our emotions, building the tension and creeps throughout.
Were there TV versions? I'll have to check them out.
I can't recall having read that tale, I'll have to look it up. I very nearly posted Dual instead of Dance of the Dead, but I think this tale is a better discussion piece. His Best Of collection is full of memorable tales.
PS I recall the story you mentioned being made into a TV movie with Dennis Weaver; and although I have not seen it I THINK the somewhat new movie starring Russel Crowe as a demented truckdriver, may be based on it as well.
I am pretty sure the Masters of Horror episode would still be on YouTube; that is the one Matheson's son edited and added the ending which I thought added a nice touch. The other one was years ago and if I recall correctly, a BBC production, which was, well, mediocre.
So interesting that you wrote this because I think about this story about once or twice a year. Thanks for the read!
It's the same with me! I just had to dive into it more and find why it affected me so.
Bizarre things continue- NOW I am able to post here!!!!! I will not question this oddity, only post and ghost before the Fates change their minds again!
Excellent review and critique - as usual for you!Â
And when I first read this story, many years ago, I was so overwhelmed by the sometimes jarring elements that seemed to crash into the main story=- "Ginger Ale was only twelve years old..."  A sort of pedohorror implied but never developed. Matheson  the Master of brevity, leaves us moving forward in the tale but with a residual cloud of unease following us.... " Ance in your pants would be a pity!"... the hints again of the post apocalyptic nightmare scenario. And as you mention, after the semi climax, we are left with no answers, only wondering and perhaps - in my own case - a feeling of dread for a young girl who has now crossed into a darker world from which we cannot know if she can ever return.
There have been at least two television versions of this story, one was pretty decent although it added a sort of "post script" which, I understand, Matheson's son added in preparing the script for the TV series Masters of Horror.. The addition did bring a more settled conclusion; if you have not seen it, I would recommend giving it a look just to compare the two. But Matheson himself had such a gift for delivering jolting, terrifying moments within the space of a page or two.
One of the most horrific tales I recall, from my first reading of it as a child, to every subsequent reading- is Dress of White Silk!!!!! OMG!!! I will say no more lest I ruin it for anyone who is not familiar with it but I can think of no other writer who could bring the readers emotions into such a bubbling, frothing mixture of childhood innocence, empathy, sorrow, curiosity, anxiety, dread and finally, revulsion, in so few lines of text! A story which haunted me for a long, long time and perhaps still does! This author was truly a phenomenon.Â
Also, just read 'Dress of White Silk'. Turns out I had read it before, but reading it again, I found it to be incredibly eery. I particularly enjoyed the childlike writing, although it takes a spell to get into it.
the fact that the protagonist is a little child!!!!!! Then the introduction of demonic, homicidal and cannibalistic layers to the story, all implied and never spelled out, left me with a sort of "dread hangover" Admittedly, some of my reaction may be slightly tinged with memories from the years when I worked as a volunteer at a ranch for abandoned or abused kids; some of the sweetest, most innocent children had been sp harmed taht I could not but wonder if later, perhaps in teen years, they m ight react in unpredictable ways stemming from the horrors physical, mental and emotional, they had suffered. So perhaps this story starting with an innocent, lonely, shunned child.... I dunno.
Hi Julian, glad it worked (eventually) for you!
Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying my bletherings!
As you so rightly put, Matheson really knows what he's doing in playing with our emotions, building the tension and creeps throughout.
Were there TV versions? I'll have to check them out.
I can't recall having read that tale, I'll have to look it up. I very nearly posted Dual instead of Dance of the Dead, but I think this tale is a better discussion piece. His Best Of collection is full of memorable tales.
Thanks for commenting!
PS I recall the story you mentioned being made into a TV movie with Dennis Weaver; and although I have not seen it I THINK the somewhat new movie starring Russel Crowe as a demented truckdriver, may be based on it as well.
I am pretty sure the Masters of Horror episode would still be on YouTube; that is the one Matheson's son edited and added the ending which I thought added a nice touch. The other one was years ago and if I recall correctly, a BBC production, which was, well, mediocre.