Originally Published In Issue 27
Reprinted In Issue 86
First published back in February of 1972, Issue 27 of the ‘Pocket Chiller Library’ comic series was titled ‘The Secret In The Cellar’. The comic was later reprinted under the alternative title ‘Harridan Of Doom’ within Issue 86.
During the 1970s the ‘Pocket Chiller Library’ was a pocket-sized mainstream horror comic which ran for a total of 137 issues between 1971 and 1977. Each month, two issues of the comic were published, amounting to a total of twenty-four issues of the comic published each year.
However, it should be noted that from issue 86 onwards, the publishers started reprinting the earlier stories. Of these reprints, the first 28 reprints (issues 86 – 113) retitled the story. As such, there were only a total of 85 different stories within the series, despite there being more titles.
Unfortunately, each issue was undated, making it difficult to be sure of the date for first publication of each issue. However, it is widely understood the comics were monthly publications, with two publications released simultaneously each month, with the original stories running from January 1971. Therefore, the above date of publication is a relatively reasonable assumption.
Additionally, each issue was unfortunately uncredited to either the writer or the comic artist(s).
Laura Gossard had been the paid companion of wealthy and eccentric Miss Emma Clive for the last eight years. She lived at the old woman’s house with her, keeping the house clean and putting up with the woman’s demands. However, that would all come to a bitter end when Miss Clive receives a letter from someone who’d seen them together in the village and recognised Laura from an old newspaper.
Laura’s past had finally caught up with her! Ten years ago, she’d been convicted robbery. A dishonest past which Miss Clive was having none of. Without any further consideration, Miss Clive gives Laura a week’s notice to get packed and out of the house.
However, as joyless as the house had been, it was all the home Laura had known since she’d been released from prison. Laura couldn’t cope with the idea of going back out into that cruel and uncaring world, without anywhere to go. So, in a moment of panic, she did the only thing she could think to do. She smothered the old crone with a pillow before dumping her corpse in the old disused coalbunker in the depths of the house cellar. That night the cellar became Miss Clive’s grave.
But Laura’s shady past isn’t the only thing which will eventually catch up with her. Despite her untimely death, Miss Clive would return night after night to haunt Laura, until the dead woman’s bitter revenge is finally fulfilled…
There’s something about these stories which you can spot as a PCL tale from a mile off. For a start there’s those recurring themes – like the story involving a paid companion – which we’ve seen in the likes of ‘PCL – Issue 54: Shadow On The Mind’ (1973) and ‘PCL – Issue 69: Born To Be Evil’ (1973). Then there’s the whole murderous plot, the haunting from the grave, and the corruptive influence of a no-good opportunist in the whole matter. They’re all themes we’ve seen appearing in multiple PCLs time and time again.
As such, this particular issue is a pretty run-of-the-mill PCL affair. You can basically where everything’s leading and what’s going to happen along the way, and then the grim ending certainly comes as no surprise as well. Although to be fair, it’s still a fun little read, nonetheless.
That said, Miss Clive’s repeated haunting isn’t exactly the most chilling of depictions about a murdered woman returning from the grave. It’s basically just the deceased old woman creeping around her large house, incessantly tapping her walking stick on the floor and lurking outside Laura’s room at night. Okay, not much fun if it happened to you, but in a PCL comic, the chill factor is pretty mild to say the least!
The sudden arrival of Richard at the house – a bad apple from Laura’s past who wants in on the whole thing – adds another layer of entertainment to the story. He’s an opportunist whole’s quick to see the potential in the situation and soon has young Laura wrapped around his little finger.
Through Richard we have some of those gloriously outdated moments we’ve come to love in these PCLs. In particular, when he slaps Laura hard across the face to snap her out of her hysteria, supported by his manly command “Stop it and listen to me, you little fool”. Oh Richard!
If I’m honest, that’s really all there is in the story. Much of the comic is given over the Laura and Richard trying to settle into the house after Miss Clive’s frail body has been disposed of in the incinerator. That and spending the old woman’s money during an extravagant trip to London.
The accompanying illustrative artwork is pretty good. Sketchy in places, however, there’s more attention, detail and emphasis put on the characters, which is what’s needed given such a character driven story. Which works fine for the tale too.
So, all in all, a relatively middle-of-the-road PCL offering. Probably not one to go out of your way to hunt down a copy, but worth a read if you do manage to get one.
The comic book runs for a total of 64 pages.
© DLS Reviews
