Monday, July 20, 2009

Robert Curran - The Haunted - The True Story of one Family's Nightmare

WARNING:The book you now hold in your hands may be the most frightful tale you'll ever try to forget. It's the story of an average American family assaulted by forces too awesome, too powerful, too dark, to be stopped. It's a true story, supported by dozens of eyewitnesses - neighbors, priests, police, journalists, researchers.
It will disturb you as no horror fiction can. The grim slaughterhouse odors. The deafening pounding. The hoofed half-man charging down the hall. The physical attacks, failed exorcisms, the succubus... and the final terror which torments the Smurl family to this day.

Be forewarned if you fear your dreams. Once you begin reading, you will be unable to stop - or forget. The Haunted will make you rethink what is real - and what real evil means.

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What a nice, catching blurb. Nevertheless after half of the book I put it down no longer eager to read it, asking myself why I wanted to read it in the first place.
As most supposedly real haunted stories begin, it always begins with a pounding, failing electric appliances and plumbing problems.
That the family put up with all that from 1977 to 1983, later followed by assaults and sightings seems to be a little odd.

I found it very irritating that the author constantly reminded the reader on how faithful the family ( Jack and Janet Smurl, their 4 children and father and mother-in law) was and how good each and every person in this household was.

Finally I had to put the book down when Ed Warren began to tell about his provoking the demons. His way of describing the whole situation is just too much for the normal thinking brain, even if open minded to the whole topic.

I found it utterly unbelievable and prefer to watch the 1991 TV movie version for entertainment.

Rating:

Paperback: 275 pages
Publisher: St Martins Mass Market Paper (January 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312928009
ISBN-13: 978-0312928001

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