Two teenagers sneak into an abandoned mansion that was briefly owned by John Lennon and discover that an even more infamous and sinister former inhabitant still holds sway there.
This is a good, tense, creepy story, with blossoming teenage romance upended by a psychedelic terror. Beatles references are woven throughout, and the backstory is just believable enough that I had to Google the sinister figure’s name just to be sure …
This edition of “The Best Horror of the Year” is very UK-heavy – of the 17 stories I’ve read, 8 are by UK authors, and two by Canadians with strong UK ties. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – all have been strong stories, and distinct from each other even if often also distinctly British – but it’s noteworthy, I think.