Having just endured the death of his son during the First World War, Delapore moves from the US to his ancestral property, Exham Priory, in England, seeking space and peace to mourn his loss.
He begins to restore the estate - despite dire warnings from locals - and hears rats scurrying behind the walls. Joined by academics, he investigates - and discovers a truly spine-chilling family secret.
His ancestors had an underground city populated by prisoners, some walking on all fours, who were kept to feed their desire for human flesh!
As the sound of the scurrying rats grows to a cacophony in his ears, Delapore is seized by madness and the uncontrollable urge to feast on flesh.
Fans of James Herbert's 'Rats' trilogy, 'The Rats', 'Lair', and 'Domain', will get a similar shiver from 'The Rats in the Walls'. There is also a taste of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'.
Howard Phillips (H.P.) Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an American author famed for his horror and fantasy fiction.
Born in Rhode Island, he became a pioneer of ‘cosmic horror’, conjuring up the lore of supernatural creatures who exist beyond our understanding. His best-known stories include "The Call of Cthulhu", "At the Mountains of Madness" and "The Colour Out of Space".
While he was a mainstay of pulp magazines, Lovecraft never achieved wider literary recognition in his lifetime. But his posthumous influence has been profound. It can be found in everything from the fiction of Stephen King and Neil Gaiman to the HBO series "Lovecraft Country".
