Mysterion, February 2026

“The Murdering Hour” by Charlie Kondek

Reviewed by Axylus

“The Murdering Hour” by Charlie Kondek is a short horror/supernatural tale whose only connection to Christian themes is that it briefly and tangentially refers to a single Bible verse (Mark 9:22). In this current anecdote, a woman named Lucy has enlisted the aid of real demons to scam people out of money. When people who believe they have been haunted approach Lucy for help, she allows the demons to show themselves, alleging that they have been haunting her scam victims. She then pretends to exorcise them. She repays the demons by finding human prey and killing it for them. In this particular instance, however, Lucy reneges on her deal when she discovers the homeless woman she has selected as a victim has a young child. In retaliation, the demons turn their wrath on Lucy instead. I suppose that Acts 16:16–24 would have been a much more suitable Bible passage, since it involves a slave girl harnessing the abilities of demons for profit. In any event, this brief tale does not elicit any chills.