Deal Me In Challenge: Stories #3, #4 and #5
The Deal Me In Challenge continues with three more macabre stories, each from a different one of Alfred Hitchcock’s anthologies. Over the past three weeks I drew the K♦, 7♦ and 2♥, which were assigned to the following stories:
K♦ – “Prolonged Visit” by Hal Dresner from Alfred Hitchcock’s Hard Day at the Scaffold (read January 15, 2017): This was a pretty mediocre story about a mother-in-law who comes to visit and overstays her welcome. Besides perpetuating the stereotype of the intrusive mother-in-law, the story did not interest me at all.
7♦ – “Side Bet” by Will F. Jenkins from Alfred Hitchcock Presents: 12 Stories for Late at Night (read January 22, 2017): This one was a little better than “Prolonged Visit,” as a man and a rat face off on a tiny deserted island.
2♥ – “Lukundoo” by Edward Lucas White from Alfred Hitchcock Presents: 12 Stories They Wouldn’t Let Me Do on TV (read January 29, 2017): This is my favorite so far of all all the stories I’ve read this year. Edward Lucus White’s tale of an expedition to the jungles of Africa was based on his own nightmare, and it has all the creepy, chilling atmosphere I have come to expect from these Alfred Hitchcock anthologies.
In the first five weeks of the Deal Me In Challenge I have yet to draw from the suit of spades, which means I haven’t yet had the chance to read anything from M. R. James’ Ghost Stories of an Antiquary. Perhaps next week!
