Back with another book/movie pairing. Something is wrong in this house. These two have a lot more in common than that but I won’t spoil too much for you. Although one has a male protagonist and the other female ultimately making what happens to them very interesting.
The Reaping by Bernard Taylor was originally published in 1980. He’s written quite a few interesting horror novels but this one in particular became a part of Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix and republished by @valancourtbooks it is about a down on his luck painter named Tom, that gets an opportunity to make a lot of money painting a young lady in a secluded country mansion. However things are not what they seem and the people of the house have a larger plan in store for Tom.
The House of the Devil is a favorite of mine. This 2009 film was directed by Ti West. It is about a young girl trying to make extra money for an apartment. She takes on a babysitting gig but it is not until later that she realizes she is in fact watching over an older woman. As the night unfolds creepy things begin to happen to the young girl and she might just be the target of something truly evil.
There are many interesting parallels between the main characters and the events that unfold. Their desperation for money ultimately puts them at the whims of terrifying individuals. Also both of the characters find themselves in the midst of a plot to bring about the son of satan. While The House of the Devil feels like an homage to films like Rosemary’s Baby, The Reaping has more of a unique storyline that is not often found in these types of stories.
The Neon Banshee 