Although highly regarded as a classic, chilling ghost story, die-hard Richard Matheson fans may find Slaughter House somewhat disappointing. Matheson deliberately changes his normal crisp, easy to read writing style to experiment with the formality of mid-Victorian writing. The result: some extremely obscure vocabulary and very long, pompously formal sentences that are sometimes disjointed and confusing. The story itself is captivating. Two brothers, whose described relationship suggests a little more than brotherly love, fall for the lustful ghost of a young woman that enchants, has its way with, and then tries to kill them. Only one of the three survives!
Original Text / PDF / Audio (12,965 words)