The Vampire's Ghost - Leigh Brackett and John K. Butler

An almost horror movie if you like. Set in a town called Bakunda, in Africa. Multiple deaths of locals have happened, all with puncture marks in the neck.

The outsider in town is a gin-joint owning gambler complete with exotic accented dancer in tow.

Being Africa, got to have a safari - through cheesy sets - and said gin-joint owner tags along. Shootings, traps, and putting people in your power. All that sort of thing. Of course, the bloke he is safari with has a woman of interest (and a not very quick on the uptake variety, being the last of them to defend the vampire).

Hypnotised one, bumps off some more, has plans to vampirise the women - but promptly forgets about his dancer and moves on to other ritual plans.

Some stalwart locals know what the score is, and Phantom fans would be pleased with their jungle telegraph - the drums being the best bit of a cheesy movie with no acting talent. The vampire is around 400 years old, too, he says. Fortunately it is only about an hour long.

Interestingly the vampire can actually wander around whenever he wants - but bright direct light he is not a fan of. Shady jungle not so bad, it appears.


1.5 out of 5

Sheriff Leigh Brackett

"Sheriff Leigh Brackett is a recurring character in the Halloween franchise. He first appears in the original Halloween, played by Charles Cyphers. ..."

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"The character in the movie Halloween, Sheriff Leigh Brackett, is named for her. Her well-known SF trilogy, The Ginger Star, The Hounds of Skaith, ..."

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The Tapestry Gate - Leigh Brackett

Short Story

Number of words : 5000
Percent of complex words : 7.8
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 10.5


READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 7.3
Flesch : 74.7
Flesch-Kincaid : 5.5



SETTING

A town in the USA that is not specified.


CHARACTERS

Dick Stratton

Husband of Jane, or bank account of Jane more to the point it appears. Unwilling Tapestry owner.

Jane Stratton

His spendthrift wife and Tapestry purchaser.

Bootblack

Man who tells Dick of the Tapestry's powers.

Alice Kelly

Friend of Jane's.

Mrs Lydell

Town resident having a reception.

Doris Ryder

Woman Jane threatens smearing Dick with to get money out of him.


MEDIA

The Tapestry

Strange artwork made of human hair his wife buys rather than the print he wanted.


PLOT

Brackett's lone horror story.

Jane buys The Tapestry over Dick's objections, and continues to extract money out of him to keep up with the Joneses. However, this purchase is evil, and can actually seduce people to enter it with promises. Dick meets a man who tells of its past, and then his wife disappears. What will happen to him, given he can't bring himself to burn it.


3.5 out of 5