Secrets of Sinister House #5

As I alluded to in my reviews of The Sinister House of Secret Love, this DC title began its initial run under that mischievous title. The comic ran four issues before giving way to a sort of reboot for issue five, the new title of Secrets of Sinister House. It ran another 14 issues through July 1974. Although the first four issues were prominent displays of 1970s gothic lore, the series expanded into more traditional horror concepts similar to the EC brand and other mid-20th century fright mags. 

Despite the title switch to Secrets of Sinister House, the production team still had one more gothic story to tell, that being the fifth issue's "Death at Castle Dunbar!" This was written by Lynn Marron, who also wrote stories for Vampirella, Creepy, and Eerie. The artwork was created by Mike Sekowsky (Green Lantern, House of Mystery) and Dick Giordano (Batman, The Flash). 

A woman named Mike Hardy (yes, her first name is Mike!) arrives at the gloomy Castle Dunbar in Scotland under the guise of being an author chronicling the Dunbar family throughout military history. She's actually the sister of a recently deceased woman named Valerie, the former bride of the Castle's Laird, Alec Dunbar. Valerie fell from a seaside cliff to her death and Mike thinks she may have been murdered.

The story follows Mike's exploration into the family history, which introduces several suspects. Like any tight gothic romance tale, the house itself becomes a character. Common tropes like abandoned wings and floors, intruders stalking the hallways at midnight, and the obligatory proposal that someone may be locked up in an upstairs bedroom all become key components to the story and atmosphere. 

I enjoyed the first four issues of The Sinister House of Secret Love and was surprised to find this fantastic gothic story tucked away in the pages of Secrets of Sinister House. This sort of storytelling departs with the next issue's “When is Tomorrow Yesterday”, written by Sheldon Mayer, although Alfredo Alcala's artwork is simply amazing.