What is your opinion?
Creepy decent into madness
"I really enjoyed your creepy little tale. I like the use of the journal to help move the story along while giving the readers a glimpse into moments of horror and madness. I could truly feel the terror the main character was feeling towards his unknown malevolent foe. I love that we never really know why or who is giving him food. Is it his tormentor? I don't need to know all the answers to enjoy a story. The main character does not know why this is happening to him, so why should we? Nice job!"
Creepy
"It might be intentional, but the word "I" is not capitalized several times. Other than that this is a great little creepy story. Is the narrator trapped inside his own mind? The ending is like "whoa". Great work, Ell."
Delightful Descent into Madness
"Scarrowcroft Manor is one of those rare finds. Our nameless protagonist is subjected to a rather unfortunate incarceration at the hands of a demonic force. I very much like the author's writing style, beginning with an interesting overview of the manor from a third party perspective, thus anchoring us with the impression that the manor is a building in the "real" world. I imagine some may read the start of this story and suggest that the beginning, pre-journal entry, is unnecessary however I would beg to differ and feel that actually this lays some interesting groundwork. The journal entry approach is a fascinating way of writing this tale. We really do experience the main character's descent into madness, more so as the story develops as the character begins to lose track of the dates. As the menace around him taunts him further, I really did feel the character's panic take hold as he retreats further into the house until he is eventually backed into one room. My only gripe, and it is only a very minor one, is the occasional "i" non-capitalised. But I won't dwell on that, the main character has enough on their plate. A marvelously effective horror. Inspirational I would say. Well worth a read... especially if you are alone in an old house/hotel."
Oh my!
"From the get go, intrigue carries your flight the story. The mysteries of this house start just notable enough for you to read more entries which, in turn, contain further hooks that escalate more and more, until you're frantically reading, as if on a hunt. I really enjoyed the diary entry style of delivery and the way the language in them conveys not only how confused the main character is and how strange his situation is, but also clearly conveys his mental state throughout the story. Because of this, and the fact that you're reading it in first person, it's very easy to feel empathetic towards him and put yourself in his place. All of this only drives your curiosity even further - it's really well done. I can't spoil anything for those who may not have read it yet, but the ending was really satisfying - another reviewer mentioned that the story poses questions but doesn't answer them and I agree completely. That's a GREAT thing. Horror, just in general, has lost its mystery as of late and it's hard to find movies or stories (both long and short) that leave anything to your imagination, which is a real shame; I can't think of anything more terrifying to consume via media than something that forces you to re-enact and picture in your mind - in detail - something truly horrifying. Simply seeing something on screen or reading a paragraph of descriptive or explanatory text just doesn't match up. Great story and I hope you win!"
Fantastic story!
"To get this out of the way, there were some incredibly minor punctuation errors - but, that's really not important. I loved the story, I loved the straightforward descriptions, it seemed quite realistic. I honestly would love to hear more stories about the Scarrowcroft Manor, from various perspectives, maybe where it came from? I don't know. I greatly enjoyed the choppiness of the story, due to its format. Having said that, I didn't quite understand why the demon was so terrifying - I would personally want to at least explore more about that demon, since, in my head, said demon is the only thing that supplies the main character's food. Maybe a thank you and an explanation could be in order? :D I'm really digging for details at this point. Fantastic story!"
Hope you win!
"This story is the best I've read in sometime! :D I couldn't stop until it was all finished, it's one of those stories that you just don't want to end :) It's brilliantly fantastic. It grabs you by the throat and won't let you go. If I was a judge, I would defiantly vote for you. There were a few mistakes here and there, mostly capital letters etc, but we're all humans here ;) All I can say is that it's a wonderfully horror-able horror!"
WOW!
"Kafka, Poe, Winters and Lovecraft thank you. I thank you. This was an absolute joy to read and kept me enaged all the way to the end. All chores and errands went out the window and I was not going to peel my eyes away from the screen until I knew how it all played out. Save for a few moments of tense confusion this is one of the best stories I have read in my short time being involved with this awesome site. I acannot WAIT to read more of Ell Mack."
Great Work
"The grammar and wording in this story is phenominal! Kudos to you for your outstanding story. I liked the way the story slowly evolved into a crazy mind twisting plot."
Simply Superb
"The opening of this story was immediately gripping. the first paragraph gives the house a personality of its own which is instantly more intriguing than any character could be. That is, of course, until you meet the smiling demon from the cellar who raises several questions in the readers mind. Questions that never get answered, which is fine because this is one of those stories in which the questions don;t need to be answered, answers would only take away from the story. The story was mysterious and thrilling,. The author builds suspense wonderfully throughout. The story is also superbly written. This is easily one of the best short stories I've read in a long time."
