A journey into cosmic horrors with creepy mannequins and themes like aging and identity in changing times. 

• Entertainment factor: ★★★★★
• Psychological factor: ★★★★★
• Cosmic factor: ★★★★★
• Creepy factor: ★★★★☆
• Originality factor: ★★★★★

I Found a Hallway in a Dying Mall is the first of the “I Found Horror” novellas. All these stories have themes like aging, identity, grief, motherhood, fatherhood and other psychological themes intertwined into the weird cosmic horrors the characters find themselves in. With creepy original liminal horrors, psychological themes are discussed which results in an interesting but scary read. 

It consists of 162 pages.

Plot

Lisa works in the mall at Dillard’s. Her husband Hank recently suffered from a stroke and he is still recovering but also still working. After a nasty divorce their daughter Marissa moved in with them with her young son Jake. Lisa is happy with the situation because she is needed and can take care of all of them. Marissa has been offered a job and has to move away but she asked Lisa and Hank to join them and move in with them. Hank wants to come but Lisa has her doubts and also feels she is needed at Dillard’s and the Mall where only a few stores are left and she likes her job. 

Every day she and Hank take a stroll at lunch time through the mall. One day they walk through the Sears section of the Mall where all the shops are closed and see something very strange. A head of a mannequin lies on the floor and an arm is attached to its head. Then it starts to move, the head turns and the fingers pull the head forward. They think its a prank or an old leftover prop from one of the stores.

But after Lisa has an argument with Hank about moving she finds herself at the Sears section again. Then she hears a former co-worker Saswin who has retired but also has Alzheimer’s. She’s afraid he got lost in the Mall and goes looking for him. Instead of Saswin she finds more mannequins and when she finally sees Saswin he goes into Sears. Meanwhile the mannequins are closing in on her and something else very strange and frightening happens. The world is pushed away from her and she feels like she’s left behind. 

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Short Review

First of all it’s a very original cosmic horror story that blends themes about aging and identity with terrifying horrors. The mannequins are very creepy and reminded me of the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who but with another backstory and a totally different appearance. Still if you keep an eye on them and don’t blink they can’t touch you, but if they do, the world is pushed away from you. It’s a bit similar to the Weeping Angels who stole your years and transported you back to the past when they touched you. The descriptions of the Mannequins are vivid and nightmarish. But they also are highly connected to the themes of the story.

The story revolves around Lisa. She is middle-aged, not yet retired and her grown-up daughter is now a mother too. Her relationship with Marissa is changed and Lisa is no longer the only Mom, but also Grandma. Lisa is at an age that she is no longer needed by Marissa but Jake still does and Hank too now he is struggling with his health. 

But times are changing as Marissa is moving out again and Hank is on the mend. Soon Lisa won’t be needed anymore. But Saswin who already struggled with early dementia when he still worked with her, depended on her and she always helped him. Lisa is a woman who wants to help people, not just for their sake but for her own sake as well to fulfill the desire to be needed. However when Marissa moves away Lisa will be left behind, being no longer a permanent part of Jake’s life. If she moves with them she leaves her career that is very important to her. In that way she just wants things to stay the same.

The dying mall is a perfect metaphor for not being needed anymore, now people shop online. It’s going through a change and will be obsolete, something Lisa feels herself but first won’t admit it. Aging, wanting to be needed, struggling with changing identities, are interesting themes that are fully integrated into the cosmic horror that is happening around Lisa. 

While this is intriguing it also makes the story sometimes too long and obvious. The themes are over explained which isn’t necessary, and it slows the story down too much. Everything is told from Lisa’s perspective and from the first person and she continuously contemplates whether she should move or not. The search for Saswin is therefore a search for her own new identity that she wants to embrace or not. Like the author himself said in the acknowledgments, there is no right or wrong choice. That dilemma is very tangible but it also drags the story a bit.

Still, the cosmic horrors, the mannequins and the one who’s behind it all make up for a very creepy and entertaining story with interesting themes that are intertwined with the plot. 

Read more reviews of books by Ben Farthing:

• I Found Christmas Lights Slithering Up My Street (2023) review
• I Found Puppets Living In My Apartment Walls (2023) review