Elsewhere

"...a witty ghost story of Jamesian complexity."
— The Boston Herald

"...may be the first truly original haunted house story in decades."
— Denver Rocky Mountain News

Elsewhere
by William Peter Blatty

cover photograph by Bruce Haley
featuring interior artwork by Alex McVey

About the Book:
This incredible haunted house novel from William Peter Blatty, the legendary author of The Exorcist, is disturbing, unsettling, chilling, and laced with a nasty streak of dark humor. Elsewhere is a must-have for all fans of dark fiction and sure to become a time-honored classic in the genre.

"Horror old-timer Blatty (The Exorcist) takes a new route down an old road in this disorienting tale. Realtor Joan Freeboard, trying to dispel the title mansion's creepy reputation, arranges for a psychic, a parapsychologist and a noted author to move into Elsewhere with her and declare it ghost-free. Isolated by a storm from civilization, they become absorbed by the house and its growing sense of strangeness; exploring its secrets exposes their own. Ultimately, Elsewhere forces them to accept the individual realities that they have created for themselves. Blatty neatly entwines the twin branches of psychological and supernatural horror, and save for a late scene of violence, the work is more life-affirming than shocking. Includes otherworldly b&w illus by Alex McVey."
— Publishers Weekly

"William Peter Blatty's excellent haunted house/ghost story, Elsewhere, certainly brings into question Stephen King's recent assertion... that the traditional ghost story is dead."
— Michael Revel Reviews

"Innovatively constructed and skillfully written, the short novel is witty, scary, touching and thought-provoking."
— Chicago Tribune

"...a witty ghost story of Jamesian complexity."
— The Boston Herald

"...may be the first truly original haunted house story in decades."
— Denver Rocky Mountain News

"...an eerie new novel by William Peter Blatty."
— Library Journal

"William Peter Blatty, author of The Exorcist, returns to the horror genre with a story that is more subtle than that classic novel, but by no means less powerful. This is a story in the vein of Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting” or Richard Matheson’s “Hell House” in that the horror and atmosphere build slowly as psychological stress builds upon the inhabitants... It’s a classic haunted house mood with strange sounds and apparitions. Blatty is so skillful at working his spell upon the characters that you are not sure whether they are really seeing and hearing ghosts, or if their sanity is breaking down... Blatty throws numerous curveballs at the reader and saves his best pitch for the book’s shocking climax that every good horror book should have. A quick read but one that is perfect for a dark and stormy night…or a bright sunny day, whichever you prefer!"
— Tim Janson, Mania.com

"Blatty proves that a good haunted house story can still be written. Elsewhere is haunting and genuinely eerie. Though the book is short it still packs quite a wallop. Blatty’s crisp writing and characterizations will keep you turning the pages. He once again proves that there are things beyond our understanding that are truly terrifying whether it be a possessed girl or a possessed house. If you like being scared, if you sleep with your closet door shut tight and a light on you will enjoy this book. I emphatically recommend it. If you don’t like being scared my advice would be not to read it, you might not like what it does to you."
— Peter David Schwotzer, Famous Monsters of Filmland

"Possession is the indisputable peanut butter to William Peter Blatty’s chocolate. The writer who gave us the landmark The Exorcist returns with Elsewhere, a short work from Cemetery Dance that represents his first novel since 1996."
— Rod Lott, Bookgasm.com

"William Peter Blatty's novella Elsewhere proves that the man who terrified us with The Exorcist still has the power to captivate and to scare the reader."
— Denise Dumars in Mania

"In many ways this excellent haunted house tale is a psychological suspense thriller as much of the story line (except for the climax) follows the quartet as the house coaxes them to reveal their secrets. Illustrations by Alex McVey add depth to the atmosphere of pending doom. Fans of Blatty will welcome his fresh approach of psychological paranormal paradigm twist to the haunted house horror sub-genre."
— Alternative Worlds

"...the author of one of history's most popular horror novels, subsequent made into a blockbuster film, The Exorcist, is back to scare you all over again with Elsewhere, a chilling haunted house tale... Dark humor suffuses this tale of terror and misdirection where the only thing that can be believed is that 'Dead people lie. They're just people'. Disturbing full-page interior illustrations leap out at the reader like bogeymen, and the evocative cover photograph by award-winning photographer Bruce Haley exudes a sense of the dread awaiting the reader within."
— J. L. Comeau, Count Gore De Vol's Tomb of Dark Delights

William Peter Blatty is the author of The Exorcist, The Ninth Configuration, Legion, Elsewhere, many other books and numerous screenplays.

In 2009, Cemetery Dance published a special hardcover edition of his classic haunted house novella, Elsewhere. The signed editions are sold out, but the trade edition is now in its second printing.

Cemetery Dance #62 was a William Peter Blatty special issue and it featured three original contributions by Blatty: "Epilogue: The Exorcist" and "Prologue to Exorcist III: Legion", which were "lost" sections of the screenplays of those movies, and "Terry and the Werewolf", an original short story Blatty wrote in the 1960s that never saw print. Also in the issue was an excerpt of a career spanning interview conducted by Cemetery Dance Managing Editor Brian James Freeman and "An Invitation To The Dance, Legion: Exorcist III" by Kealan Patrick Burke. The cover artwork was painted by Les Edwards.

In 2010, Cemetery Dance published The Exorcist and Legion in one special volume. Featuring two classic William Peter Blatty novels in one beautiful volume for the first-time ever, this oversized deluxe special edition is a must-have for any collector of horror. This incredible collector's edition included original B&W artwork by acclaimed artist Keith Minnion and the entire career spanning interview conducted by Cemetery Dance Managing Editor Brian James Freeman, covering Blatty's life and career from the 1950s to the present.

Bruce Haley is the recipient of the Robert Capa Gold Medal, one of the most prestigious photography awards in the world. Haley received this honor for his 1990 coverage of Burma's bloody ethnic civil war.

This self-taught photographer with a military and police background began his career in 1988, covering Afghanistan's mujahideen resistance to Soviet occupation; shortly thereafter the legendary Howard Chapnick accepted Haley into Black Star, one of the industry's premiere photo agencies. With a primary focus upon war and its aftermath, Haley photographed areas of conflict in Asia, Africa, Europe and the former Soviet Union. His images (from Burma) of a grisly execution by stabbing shocked the world and engendered much controversy and discussion. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize by the Baltimore Sun in 1992, for helping to break the story of the famine in Somalia. Since the birth of his son, Haley has eased away from the battlefield, exploring subjects as diverse as the Bolivian altiplano, Eastern Europe's persecuted Roma (Gypsies), and the decaying infrastructure of Soviet-era industry.

Haley's photographs have appeared in books, magazines and newspapers worldwide, as well as in corporate publications and on CD, video and DVD covers; his clients include Time, Life, U.S. News and World Report, The London Sunday Times Magazine, Stern, GEO, Aperture, Georgia-Pacific, and the Chevron Corporation. Numerous magazines and newspapers have profiled Haley and his work, among them American PHOTO, (French) PHOTO, and B&W. His limited-edition portfolio, entitled 13 Million Tons of Pig Iron, was #1 on the Photo-Eye Bestseller List. Haley's exhibition prints have hung worldwide, under the auspices of such disparate entities as the Ansel Adams Gallery, the Visa pour l'Image in Perpignan, Photo Americas, the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography and the United Nations.

Alex McVey is an award-winning, Chesley-nominated illustrator whose work has been published internationally, ranging from album art to graphic design to book illustration. He has illustrated the works of Stephen King, Joe R. Lansdale, Gahan Wilson, Brian Keene, Ramsey Cambpell, and Richard Matheson, among others. His clients include ad firms, gaming companies, film studios, bands, and book and magazine publishers.

Published in four states:
• Trade Hardcover Edition, Second Printing ($25)
• Trade Hardcover Edition bound in full-cloth and Smyth sewn with full color dust jacket, First Printing ($25)
• Slipcased Hardcover Limited Edition of 350 signed and numbered copies bound in full-cloth and Smyth sewn ($75)
• Traycased Hardcover Lettered Edition of 52 signed and lettered copies bound in leather and Smyth sewn with a satin ribbon page marker ($250)

Sample of the Interior Artwork by Alex McVey: