''The Godsend'' is a

horror novel Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J. ...

by British writer

Bernard Taylor Bernard Taylor may refer to: *Bernard Taylor (author) (born 1934), British horror and suspense author *Bernard Taylor, Baron Taylor of Mansfield (1895–1991), British coalminer and politician *Bernard Taylor (boxer) (born 1957), American boxer *Be ...

. It is his

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

and was first published in 1976 by

Souvenir Press Ernest Hecht (21 September 1929 – 13 February 2018)Katherine Cowdrey"'Wise and witty' Ernest Hecht dies, aged 88" ''The Bookseller'', 13 February 2018. was a British publisher, producer, and philanthropist. In 1951, he founded Souvenir Press L ...

Plot summary

The story concerns the Marlowe family and an abandoned child named Bonnie, who they take into their home after she is left with them by a mysterious woman they meet on a day out at a nearby lake. The story is told in first person by Alan Marlowe, the father of the family, who gradually starts to suspect that the subsequent tragic deaths of his children were caused by Bonnie.

Adaptations

The story was adapted into a film released in 1980 directed by Gabrielle Beaumont and starring

Malcolm Stoddard Malcolm Stoddard (born 20 July 1948) is a British actor who has appeared in films and television. Early life He attended the all-male grammar school Chichester High School For Boys. Career His TV credits include '' The Voyage of Charles Darwin' ...

, Cyd Hayman and

Angela Pleasence Daphne Anne Angela Pleasence (born 30 September 1941) is an English actress. Trained in theatre, Pleasence's first major film role came in '' Hitler: The Last Ten Days'' (1973), followed by roles in horror films such as ''From Beyond the Grave'' ...

. The film made its DVD debut courtesy of Shout! Factory and

MGM Home Entertainment Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC ( d/b/a MGM Home Entertainment and formerly known as MGM Home Video, MGM/CBS Home Video and MGM/UA Home Video) is the home video division of the American media company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. History ...

on August 20, 2013 and in summer 2015 for the first time on Blu-Ray via

Scream Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

.Scream Factory Details Scarecrows Release; Announces Nomads, Jack’s Back, Ghost Town and More
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References

External links

* British horror novels 1976 British novels British novels adapted into films 1976 debut novels Souvenir Press books {{1970s-horror-novel-stub