Widow’s Point: The Complete Haunting

More is less in this expansion of a 2017 novella by World Fantasy Award winner Richard (Memorials) and son W.H. Chizmar (Them) about a haunted Nova Scotia lighthouse, the ghastly history of which includes the 1933 bludgeoning murders of the entire family of lighthouse keeper Patrick Collins, and the 1988 cannibalistic murder of two teens. Access to the building was then restricted, but in 2017, ghost hunter Thomas Livingston persuades the owner to lock him inside for several days—with predictable results. The Chizmars’ extension of the story then jumps forward to 2025 as a new team of ghost hunters visit the lighthouse. The events of both time periods are recounted via transcripts of video and audio recordings, a device that proves less effective the longer it is used. The tale feels bloated and often derivative, and the scares fail to make much of an impact. Both Chizmars have done better before. (Sept.)