The review is based on a bought copy of the book
A
horror anthology centered on burials and funerals is a very interesting concept,
with a wealthy potential for making the theme very scary. With fear of being
buried alive popping right away into mind, a torment made by Edgar Allan Poe’s
stories and the movie featuring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Rodrigo Cortés,
“Buried”, even more frightening, “Pumpkins
in the Closet – Burials” could pile up further nightmares related to the final
road we are all inevitably going to take.
“The Michael Ranft’s
Treatise” (El tratado de Michael Ranft) by Miguel Puente Molins – On the Halloween
night two friends go to the cemetery to dig out the grave of an alleged gipsy
witch, one to prove the affirmations of Michael Ranft’s two hundred years old
treatise on vampires, witches and living dead, one to prove the other wrong.
There is nothing groundbreaking at the opening story of this anthology, but
Miguel Puente Molins executes very nicely the subject of “The Michael Ranft’s
Treatise”. An obscure, occult volume on dark matters always holds an appeal for
me, but the author also creates some powerful imagery within his tale. The
violent acts surrounding the death of the alleged gipsy witch are brutal,
without descending into unjustified gruesomeness Miguel Puente Molins projects
on the readers’ eyes images not easy forgettable through the brutal act that
leads to the vicious suicide of the supposed witch. And the lack of an original
twist for the end of the story is heavily compensated by the way the
protagonist experiences the final event, even seeing rats as playful, sweet and
pleasant little things in hope that they are the cause for the dreadful sounds
surrounding him.
“Death Certificate” (Certificado de defunción) by Manuel
Osuna – Alfredo, an old undertaker who struggles to make ends meet, accepts
the odd job of taking an unidentified man, dead by drowning, to the nearby
cemetery. When in the middle of the night a winter storm prevents him from
going further and the roaming wolves from the surrounding forest spook his
horses making them bolt Alfredo faces an imminent death by freezing or by
falling prey to the nocturnal predators. His only means for escape seem to lie
on the dropped coffin from the runaway carriage. Manuel Osuna creates an
excellent atmosphere within his story, besides the uncomfortable feeling left
by the particularities of Alfredo’s job the extreme weather and the menace of
the nocturnal predators generate an oppressive setting, working in the fullest.
The end of the story is a bit predictable, but fortunately the situation
becomes apparent well towards the finale, up to that point “Death Certificate”
left me fumbling for the outcome of the tale, with plenty of room for
satisfaction in the process.
“How the Mayor Attended the
Night Debate of Buddy, ‘the Gravedigger’” (De cómo
el señor alcalde acude al debate nocturne de Buddy, “el Enterrador”) by Juan de Dios Garduño – Buddy, an
underachiever preferring to work as the gravedigger and cemetery caretaker of
his village, holds intellectual nocturnal debates in his home, but for the
latest, concerning the merits of horror literature over the more conventional
one, he needs to summon the presence of the mayor in support of his opinion. It
is a shorter story, but all the pieces of its plot fall, nicely, into place
right at the end. There is also a tint of humor in Juan de Dios Garduño’s tale
and although that is of a dark shade it still works favorably for the story,
adding it an extra interesting layer.
“Important is to Start” (Todo es empezar) by Pedro
Escudero Zumel – Samuel, the narrator of the story, recollects,
twenty-three years later, his first day of work as one of the cemetery’s
caretakers, when Antonio, the veteran occupant in a similar position, guides
him through some of the tasks of his new job. Only some of them require more
cold blood than Samuel imagines they would. I am afraid that I was not
impressed by this story. Although the tale takes another approach of the
anthology’s theme than the previous ones it does not manage to send a
frightening feeling across. Yes, the protagonist comes face to face with
something completely unexpected but his sense of terror left me cold and the danger
he faces over his years on the job doesn’t leave the impression of menace I was
left to believe it poses.
“The Procession of the
Mourners” (La procession de las plañideras) by Jorge Mulero Solano – A procession of
mourners follow the bodies and spirits of 26 women, dead in an unknown, strange
event, into the afterlife. I cannot pinpoint a specific plot within the very
short span of this story, I can only say that some of mourners walking in this
procession are the mythological virtues and there are a couple more references to
Greek mythology. Although it is hard to define Jorge Mulero Solano’s story it still
contains some powerful imagery.
“The Junction of Music” (El cruce de la música) by Francisco
Jesús Franco – The protagonist of the story kidnaps three girls he finds on
the roadside following a car accident. “The Junction of Music” is told through
the perspective of the main character holding a conversation with the three
kidnapped girls while taking them to a secluded place within the woods and at
the destination, although that is pretty much a monologue since the terrified girls
have no direct part in the dialogue. This approach from Francisco Jesús Franco
brings great fluidity to his tale. The character reveals his intentions early
on, creating the sense of dread quickly, the readers, as much as the three
kidnapped girls, are left to discover the manner through which he wishes to
execute his plan only late in the story. The constant chattering is marked by sudden
changes in the character’s attitude, sometimes very polite, sometimes angry,
sometimes mocking, and throws a light on the terror behind his acts and
motivation. The ordeal of the three girls unfolds also through little comments
made when they have a certain reaction to something the protagonist says, these
small glimpses on their responses to the fearful event looming ahead adding
further dread to the story.
“Harvest of Bones” (Cosecha de huesos) by José
María Tamparillas – Lucas Cebrián inherits a small farm from his uncle but
his efforts are rewarded only by very poor crops and a great number of buried
human bones. He is unaware that the people from the nearby village bury their
suicides on his grounds and when Lucas discovers that he suspects there is
something connecting these burials and his miserable crops. José María
Tamparillas builds a deeply dark, haunting atmosphere throughout his story.
Starting with Lucas, a character whose entire existence is full to the brim
with misfortune, and continuing with the setting, spilling further mischance on
Lucas’ already full of misery existence, “Harvest of Bones” is full of an
unsettling feeling.
“Month after month, year
after year, Lucas fought bravely against the fate he had inherited: a farm
infected with leprosy, in the middle of an unhealthy moorland where only the
mosquitoes, the snakes and the rats thrived: surrounded by a sterile land with
which he had to fight to get some fruit.”
This
disturbing feeling and overbearing atmosphere starts to grow however, the
constant presence of hot temperatures and humidity, the self-imposed isolation
together with the suspicions and rejections Lucas faces from the villagers and
the eerie events of the burial make the story even more chilling. The icing on
the cake comes with the end of the story in form of a long and very powerful
final scene, uncompromising imagery and high-voltage tension gathering around
one sinister event. José María Tamparillas strikes a balance of uncomfortable
images and bloodcurdling sensations making “Harvest of Bones” raise goose bumps
on my skin. Very strong characterization and excellently built atmosphere make
this story one of the best I read in recent times.
“We Are Nothing” (No somos nada) by Laura Luna
Sánchez – Assisting at the funeral of her friend the protagonist of the
story makes comments on those attending it alongside her. Although the story
touches on the theme of the collection it derails from its terrifying elements
being more of a statement on hypocrisy and modern social status. It is also a
very short tale, approximately matching the length of “How the Mayor Attended
the Night Debate of Buddy, ‘the Gravedigger’”, but while that one delivers a
punch through dark humor “We Are Nothing” doesn’t compensate in the same way. I
am afraid that although its comment on modern society and some of the
relationships born out of it is interesting the story misfires when it comes to
the unsettling and disturbing aspects related to the anthology’s purpose.
“Moroaica” (Moroaica) by Juan José
Hidalgo Díaz – Sophia Smith runs a herbalist shop, but the other side of
her business deals with more occult aspects. When a countess enters her shop
and her servant calls Sophia a very strange word she feels that can find an
answer, with the help of the countess, for the powerful dream that haunts her
constantly. The title of the story rang a bell as soon as I read it, the moroi is
an important part of the Romanian mythology. (It is believed that a baby dead
before being baptized, killed or buried alive or a person buried without a
religious ceremony can turn into a moroi. In other legens a moroi is the
offspring of two strigoi, which are bad spirits of the dead.) The story proved
that I was not wrong to think of that, “Moroaica” deals exactly with this
element of the Romanian mythology and it does so with outstanding efficiency.
Juan José Hidalgo Díaz clothes this legend with powerful scenes and shivering
feelings, his story sent, more than once, ice cold bolts down my spine.
Sophia’s bizarre dream, her visit to the madhouse and the story she hears there
are highlights of this very good tale. The author also flavors “Moroaica” with
dark aspects of the historical times in which the story is set, adding further
dread through some harsh realities of those years. I loved Juan José Hidalgo
Díaz’s deeply unsettling story not only for his excellent take on a Romanian
legend, but also because it tackles the anthology’s theme with originality.
“... And Avoid the Bad
Thoughts” (… Y evitar los malos pensamientos) by Manuel Mije – An uncle and his nephew,
both death and mute, go to a funeral in their village and on the road there
they place little objects on the road. This story is a bit odd, but not in a
bad way. It works in subtle ways and the outcome is left hanging in the air,
without a straightforward conclusion. Among the other stories of this
collection Manuel Mije’s tale is also the one leaving an optimistic feeling in
its wake, but still using some of the sad facts related to humanity along the
way.
“An Empty Grave” (Una tumba vacía) by Juan
Ángel Laguna Edroso – A young boy sneaks into the attic of his
grandparents’ house to read his favorite comic books. A nice little story, with
a catchy twist and a metafictional touch. It is not a spectacular story, but it
emits that lovely vibe similar to a point to that of “Tales from the Crypt”
vignettes.
“They’ll Cry for You” (Y llorarán por ti) by José
Ignacio Becerril Polo – A man wakes to find himself in the middle of one of
the worst nightmares, buried alive. I guess for the main topic of this
collection going at some point for the perspective of a buried was inevitable.
However, what hurts “They’ll Cry for You” is José Ignacio Becerril Polo
relating the story in first person, for me it took away some of the suspense
and tension of the situation. The first person perspective let me believe the
character will not end buried for good, otherwise how could his story reach out
with the details only the buried protagonist could experience. Towards the end
the author salvages something out of this through not one, but two interesting
turns of the story. Unfortunately, as much as I appreciated the first, the
second fell short from my point of view. Again it is the perspective nudging at
me and also the fact that I believe the second twist has more to do with the
soul than the body, which seems not to be the case here.
“It’s My Job” (Es mi trabajo) by Sergio
Mars – The village’s gravedigger is called to attend the latest deceased,
but some dead put him to harder work than others. It is not the most memorable
way to bring this anthology to a close, but “It’s My Job” matches in tone some
of the feelings associated to final departures. The sadness of a loss, the
difficulty of accepting a destiny that awaits us all, seen from both points of
view, are interesting aspects of Sergio Mars’ story. Like I said, not the most
memorable story of the collection, but quite fitted for its end.
“Pumpkins in the Closet –
Burials” is
not an anthology where every story is a hit, but it has the merit of avoiding
most of the pitfalls of its theme. With plenty of original tales, several
strong writers and a couple of memorable stories “Pumpkins in the Closet – Burials” is a collection worth reading.