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The final tale to the trilogy is 'Sagittarius', which weaves a traditional style horror story taking on the tale of Gilles de Rais as a creepy psychopath.

Sardonicus', in which Russell himself adapted the story for the screenplay. This short was later to be filmed in 1961 by William Castle as 'Mr. The story twists and turns to a creepy conclusion, as the darkly atmospheric location takes its toll on our poor hero. The tale is told by the English doctor who is summoned to try some rather radical treatments to cure the chronic affliction. The next story of the trio is 'Sardonicus', in which a wealthy Polish man's face is frozen into a horrifying grin akin to that of the 'risus sardonicus' found in extreme cases of lockjaw. The writing is still easy to follow with its contemporary twist added to the text. Russell attempts to write the story in a 16th century style, giving an historical and credible atmosphere to the story.

The tale is told from her perspective, taking on a breath of defense for her bloody actions. The first short story is 'Sanguinarius', a reworking of the tale of Countess Elizabeth Bathory who was the 16th century Hungarian aristocrat who became one of history's most notorious mass murderers. Ray Russell was a fiction editor for the magazine.First published back in 1964, Ray Russell's 'Unholy Trinity' brings you three short stories of a reasonable length that hark back to the dark years of the gothic and exist somewhere between homage and pastiche. The only reason I'm limiting the review to 4 stars is that I don't know the quality or character of the other stories in this book.įor others who may be seeking out Sardonicus, the classic title story: I just discovered that it is also available in a mass market paperback from 1971 called "Sagittarius," published by Playboy Press. The plot is compelling the writing is elegant. Rich veins of sex, death, greed, and betrayal run through the story, all of which made this a breeze to read. The story employs tropes you've probably encountered before (like a skull-shaped castle, and a journey to an exotic locale), but there are also uniquely disturbing elements, such as the incurable rictus of the central character. Although penned in the early 1960's, it has the feel of Poe or an earlier gothic-style writer. Instead, it is a short story of approximately 30 pages.Īt any rate, Sardonicus is a wonderful tale. I found the title story in a hardcover anthology called "13 Short Horror Novels." I wouldn't call Sardonicus a "novel," however. Copies seem to start in the $25 range, which is a lot to pay for an old mass market paperback! Unfortunately, I don't have this book yet.