A novelisation of Richard Matheson's script for the AIP cult favourite, which was fun to read because it shone a light on Matheson's work, often overlooked in discussing this film. People praise (deservedly) the work of Price, Corman, Lorre, etc, not to mention Dan Haller, and chat of Lorre's improvisation - but it's a strong story too.
It's not one of Matheson's classics, but the structure is solid, the action is always moving forward, there is a decent twist every 20 minutes or so (Lenore is still alive, Lorre is in cahoots with the baddies, Lorre dies then comes back), the characters are well defined (even Price's pretty daughter has a bit of spunk, insisting on going on the trip), it build to a clever magic duel. And the touch is just right - it's light, but the stakes are always high. The only real debit are there are two "people being possessed by baddies" scenes, right after each other (Price's servant and then Jack Nicholson).
As an extra treat there is a terrific collection of interviews at the end about the making of the film - with Matheson, Karloff, Price and Corman. There are some funny stories, as well as some conflict between Karloff and Corman (Karloff didn't like the physical trials the director would put him through). A lot of fun.
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