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Title: The Specialty of the House and Other Stories by Stanley Ellin ISBN: 0-89296-049-3 Publisher: Mysterious Press Pub. Date: June, 1979 Format: Hardcover List Price(USD): $15.00

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (1 review)

Rating: 4
Summary: The Specialty of the House
Comment: This collection of Stanley Ellin short stories gets four stars based almost solely on the lead story, which by itself deserves five stars.

'The Specialty of the House' is a mystery story, a horror story, and a minor masterpiece. While reading it, a sneaking suspicion about what is really going on at the restaurant depicted may enter your head. The farther along you progress, the more chilled you may feel about your dreadful theory being correct, but it will be as if the story won't quite reveal the true horror. Then, at the end, even though there is no actual revelation to confirm the truth, you will know in your heart what goes on concerning that wonderful lamb dish that is the specialty of the house. At least, that is pretty much what happened to me. I also reflected on the details of this wonderful short story, and realized that it was even better-conceived than I had thought.

Stanley Ellin's famous short story works along the same lines as two films I can think of, both shockers in the end: Seconds, and The Parallax View. The idea is to create a mystery that, once apparent, gives way to a reality so terrible that a final reaction could very well be that the writer has really come up with something unique, and something close to perfect in its malevolence. Then one hopes it really is just fiction. And though the concept can be defined as mystery, it is the "nonrevelation" at the end--the assigning of the reader (or filmwatcher, as the case may be) to realize on his/her own just what sort of terror is going on behind the scenes--that makes the thing a tale of horror.

'The Specialty of the House' by Stanley Ellin is a story that is going to linger, insidiously, in my mind for a very long time indeed. It is a must-read piece for horror afficionados. Absolutely a must-read.

The rest of the stories cling to its coattails, dealing more in twist-endings, somewhat familiar descents into madness, or turnabout revenge. They are satisfactory tales, and I will never hesitate to read a Stanley Ellin story when I come across one, but it is 'The Specialty of the House' that will stay with you like a fly crawling in your ear.