“Accursed” is a horror novel by Guy N. Smith, published in 1984. Smith, known for his prolific output and knack for creating gripping, often gruesome horror stories, delivers another intense and chilling narrative in this novel.
Plot Summary
Accursed defies the cliché of the stock Egyptian curse trope, delving instead into the harrowing descent of the Brownlow family into madness. At its heart are two displaced mummies, vessels for ancient spirits and vengeful gods, stirred from their slumber by the unwitting actions of English house husband George Brownlow. His innocuous excavation for a fallout shelter in the backyard unleashes a malevolent force that seeps into the very fabric of their existence.
What follows is a relentless onslaught of terror, as the Brownlows and those closest to them are ensnared in a web of supernatural horrors. With each turn of the page, the boundaries between reality and nightmare blur, until the omnipresent madness that grips the characters becomes palpable, seeping into the reader’s psyche and refusing to let go.
Accursed is not for the faint of heart. Its pages drip with a visceral, gut-wrenching horror that leaves a lingering unease long after the book is closed. From grotesque rituals to spine-chilling encounters, the novel pulls no punches, immersing readers in a world where terror reigns supreme.
For aficionados of paperback horror, Accursed is a must-read. With its relentless pace and unflinching portrayal of terror, it stands as a testament to the enduring power of the genre to unsettle and enthral. So steel your nerves and prepare to be swept away on a journey into the darkest recesses of the human soul—just don’t expect to emerge unscathed.
A question which I am frequently asked is “where do you get your ideas from?” In many cases something occurs to me and I jot it down for future reference and expansion. It either works or it doesn’t.
There are occasions when something springs to mind from either a personal experience or maybe related to me by family members when I was a small boy. One of these ideas came to me from my grandfather who was Tamworth’s only professional photographer, upon his return from the Boer War and through to the 1950’s. He had a wealth of unusual stories to tell, one of which spawned my novel ‘Accursed’ many years later.
The Reverend William MacGregor, vicar of Tamworth, was also a keen Egyptologist who made several expeditions to the pyramids, bringing back many of his finds. During the 1920’s he returned with a pair of mummies. My grandfather was requested to photograph them. These formed part of the MacGregor collection in the vicarage until, in the vicar’s own words, they began to “niff a little.” So he gave them a Christian burial within his own grounds. Sadly, many years later, the Vicarage was sold and became a Working Men’s Club with the mummies’ graves lying forgotten beneath the tarmac of the car park.
Surprisingly few, if any, of the local residents knew the story of the mummies. I wrote a magazine article about these strange events which in due course led to me appearing in a short TV documentary. The landlord of the WMC was far from impressed and commented, “before you know it folks will be digging up the car park!”
Anyway, it was a germ of an idea for a novel. Of course here the mummies were evil, seeking revenge on those who had stolen them from their original last resting place in Egypt.
“Accursed” was first published by New English Library in 1983 and then re-issued by Arrow in 1988.
Guy N. Smith