The Visitors - Nathaniel Benchley

The Powell family has almost given up on finding an affordable New England house to rent for the summer when the agent shows them the old Twitchell place, offered at a suspiciously low price. What everyone in town - except the Powells - knows is that the place has been haunted ever since cantankerous sea captain Ebenezer Twitchell murdered his wife and mistress and hid their bodies in the cellar.

At first the ghosts aren't too much of a problem, although the flying dishes and blood-dripping walls are a bit of a nuisance. But when old Uncle George arrives for a visit and the ghosts sink his boat, it becomes clear their intentions are murderous and that the Powells' relaxing summer vacation has turned into a terrible nightmare....

A pitch-perfect blend of horror and humor with just the right balance of scares and laughs, The Visitors (1965) was adapted for the William Castle film The Spirit Is Willing (1967). This first-ever reprint features the original dust jacket art by Charles Addams (The Addams Family).

"[An] expertly spun yarn, droll and exciting, which moves swiftly and harrowingly to the last paragraph." - Boston Globe

"A pot-pourri of the realistic and fantastic; of slapstick and hair-raising terror ... side-splitting, suspenseful." - Tulsa World

"Once you begin this intriguing tale, each chapter ending with a blood-curdling crisis, you will be unable to put the book aside until the final dramatic climax." - Atlanta Journal

"A most amusing and engaging ghost story ... for those who are looking for an ingenious plot, zany entertainment and a fast moving, charming story, it is tops." - Baltimore Sun