'The Elementals' by Michael McDowell - Review

by Samantha Shawking

*Reposted from my Instagram.

If you've followed me for a while, you know that 'The Elementals' by Michael McDowell (the screenwriter and mastermind behind 'Beetlejuice') is my favorite horror novel of all time. However, I'm not sure if I've ever taken the time to explain why.

'The Elementals' takes place on Beldame, a remote peninsula off the coast of Alabama, that's only big enough for three houses. Two belong to the wealthy Savage and McCray families. The vacant, third house is half-buried in the sand, and everyone seems to be afraid of it. India, a granddaughter of the McCray family, is visiting Beldame for the first time, and she's taken an interest in the ominous Third House. Her curiosity unleashes horrors upon Beldam that should have stayed locked inside. I can perfectly picture Beldame. McDowell's writing is so descriptive that I feel like I've physically been to this remote, unfathomably hot place. The characters are so interesting and at times are really funny. It provides a nice comic relief to the ever-building tension in the book. It's not immediately "in your face" horror, but little events and details build a lingering fear of the creepy house until the last 1/3 of the book, where the climax ramps up to a series of events that kept me up at night. It's rare that a book will give me that good of a scare. And this story haunts me. I revisit it at least once a year. If there's one thing I hope to achieve with my bookstagram, it's to give Michael McDowell the recognition he deserves. He was an incredible storyteller and more people need to know about him and read his work. Especially 'The Elementals.' I'd go as far as calling it a masterpiece.