--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The crying wailed, somewhere beneath the…" description: "\"“The crying wailed, somewhere beneath the planks. Several sweeps of the light showed that the cellar was otherwise deserted. Though the face mouthed be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/677/ramsey-campbell-34724_horror_the-crying-wailed-somewhere-beneath-the_1524103.jpg" --- # The crying wailed, somewhere beneath the planks. Several… ![“The crying wailed, somewhere beneath the planks. Several sweeps of the light showed that the cellar was otherwise deserted. Though the face mouthed behind him, he ventured down. For God’s sake, get it over with; he knew he would never dare return.” quote by Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/677/ramsey-campbell-34724_horror_the-crying-wailed-somewhere-beneath-the_1524103.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/677/ramsey-campbell-34724_horror_the-crying-wailed-somewhere-beneath-the_1524103.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/677/ramsey-campbell-34724_horror_the-crying-wailed-somewhere-beneath-the_1524103.jpg) > ““The crying wailed, somewhere beneath the planks. Several sweeps of the light showed that the cellar was otherwise deserted. Though the face mouthed behind him, he ventured down. For God’s sake, get it over with; he knew he would never dare return.”” [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character faces fear and dread in a dark, isolated place, confronting an unknown terror. **In simple terms:** Fear drives a desperate push for closure. Key Takeaway Confront fear directly rather than avoid it. Themes fear isolation confrontation Mood tense foreboding Type literary horror When to use this quote - exploring abandoned spaces - dealing with trauma - nighttime anxieties - psychological therapy Key Concepts psychological horror existential dread Questions to Reflect On - What does the darkness symbolize for you? - When have you felt compelled to act despite terror? A Different Perspective The narrative may glorify reckless bravery over cautious assessment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) ## Related quotes > [“He asked me a lot of questions about my recipes, wanted to see my kitchen, my garden, was amazed when I showed him my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/he-asked-me-a-lot-of-questions-about-my-recipes-wanted-to-see-my/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [I don't know anything!' Tim(Caleb) wailed. He'd never spoken a truer word in his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/i-don-t-know-anything-tim-caleb-wailed-he-d-never-spoken-a-truer-word/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [No evil lost is wailed when it is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/no-evil-lost-is-wailed-when-it-is-gone/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“I had never fully understood our tradition- why women wailed so loudly and for so long after someone died. It was only now I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eucabeth-a-odhiambo/i-had-never-fully-understood-our-tradition-why-women-wailed-so-loudly/) Eucabeth A. Odhiambo > [She had wailed loudly enough to wake the dead and make them call the cops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/she-had-wailed-loudly-enough-to-wake-the-dead-and-make-them-call-the/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [“Oh, God, is this like Silence of the Lambs?" Tears flowed down her face. "I don't want to go down the hole! I won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanea-alder/oh-god-is-this-like-silence-of-the-lambs-tears-flowed-down-her-face-i/) [Alanea Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanea-alder/) > [“Unlike the rest he had seen of the bungalow, the hall beyond the door was dark. He could see the glimmer of three doors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/unlike-the-rest-he-had-seen-of-the-bungalow-the-hall-beyond-the-door/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [“Damn it, it wasn’t quite fresh enough!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/damn-it-it-wasn-t-quite-fresh-enough/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [One day, if I had to do a horror movie, it will be a very realistic war movie. For me, war is horror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-noe/one-day-if-i-had-to-do-a-horror-movie-it-will-be-a-very-realistic-war/) [Gaspar Noe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-noe/) > [What I love about watching classic horror films is that they take you on a ride and they obviously make you scared because you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-holmes/what-i-love-about-watching-classic-horror-films-is-that-they-take-you/) [Katie Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-holmes/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Pakistan now is like a horror film franchise. You know, it's 'Friday the 13th, Episode 63: The Terrorist from Pakistan.' And each time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/pakistan-now-is-like-a-horror-film-franchise-you-know-it-s-friday-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I will say that when it comes to the horror genre, for me, the scariest thing is when something is actually in the frame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-whannell/i-will-say-that-when-it-comes-to-the-horror-genre-for-me-the-scariest/) [Leigh Whannell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-whannell/) > [“In the attempt to find the just measure of horror and terror, I came upon the writing of Carole Gill whose work revealed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-gill/in-the-attempt-to-find-the-just-measure-of-horror-and-terror-i-came/) [Carole Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-gill/) ## More by Ramsey Campbell > [“Unlike the rest he had seen of the bungalow, the hall beyond the door was dark. He could see the glimmer of three doors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/unlike-the-rest-he-had-seen-of-the-bungalow-the-hall-beyond-the-door/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [“Leaves that rustled, twigs that scraped and rattled. But the thin shapes weren't falling, they were scurrying head first down the tree-trunks at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/leaves-that-rustled-twigs-that-scraped-and-rattled-but-the-thin/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [“Smile while you can,’ Hettie Close had scrawled in ink almost as faded as the print above it. ‘Smile like the skull you’ll be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/smile-while-you-can-hettie-close-had-scrawled-in-ink-almost-as-faded/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [“I nearly forced my own way through the undergrowth to leave the sight behind. I was afraid I'd encouraged the figure to advance by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/i-nearly-forced-my-own-way-through-the-undergrowth-to-leave-the-sight/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [“She walked Toby to Victoria Station and left him at the barrier. On her way into the underground she thought he’d followed her, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/she-walked-toby-to-victoria-station-and-left-him-at-the-barrier-on/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [One way to avoid what has already been done is to be true to yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/one-way-to-avoid-what-has-already-been-done-is-to-be-true-to-yourself/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [“Perhaps the woman was waiting beneath the lamps for cats to drop from the trees, like fruit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/perhaps-the-woman-was-waiting-beneath-the-lamps-for-cats-to-drop-from/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [Now I rewrite more and more severely, and I take great pleasure in cutting thousands of words out of first drafts; I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/now-i-rewrite-more-and-more-severely-and-i-take-great-pleasure-in/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [Thomas Ligotti is an absolute master of supernatural horror and weird fiction, and a true original. He pursues his unique vision with admirable honesty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/thomas-ligotti-is-an-absolute-master-of-supernatural-horror-and-weird/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [“Tradition is a pretty poor excuse for perpetrating stereotypes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/tradition-is-a-pretty-poor-excuse-for-perpetrating-stereotypes/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [“He hurried back. Walls seemed to shift and advance. Right here, it must be. Wasn’t this passage too short? No, it wasn’t a wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/he-hurried-back-walls-seemed-to-shift-and-advance-right-here-it-must/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [“All day Ben had felt surrounded by signs too secret to interpret: the dance of decaying leaves in the air, the long shadows where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/all-day-ben-had-felt-surrounded-by-signs-too-secret-to-interpret-the/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [“He slammed the door and ran blindly down the corridor, grabbing at handles. What exactly had he seen? They had been eating with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/he-slammed-the-door-and-ran-blindly-down-the-corridor-grabbing-at/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) [Explore all 14 Ramsey Campbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) ## More Horror quotes > [“In the attempt to find the just measure of horror and terror, I came upon the writing of Carole Gill whose work revealed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-gill/in-the-attempt-to-find-the-just-measure-of-horror-and-terror-i-came/) [Carole Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-gill/) > [I will say that when it comes to the horror genre, for me, the scariest thing is when something is actually in the frame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-whannell/i-will-say-that-when-it-comes-to-the-horror-genre-for-me-the-scariest/) [Leigh Whannell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-whannell/) > [Pakistan now is like a horror film franchise. You know, it's 'Friday the 13th, Episode 63: The Terrorist from Pakistan.' And each time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/pakistan-now-is-like-a-horror-film-franchise-you-know-it-s-friday-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [What I love about watching classic horror films is that they take you on a ride and they obviously make you scared because you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-holmes/what-i-love-about-watching-classic-horror-films-is-that-they-take-you/) [Katie Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-holmes/) > [One day, if I had to do a horror movie, it will be a very realistic war movie. For me, war is horror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-noe/one-day-if-i-had-to-do-a-horror-movie-it-will-be-a-very-realistic-war/) [Gaspar Noe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-noe/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Damn it, it wasn’t quite fresh enough!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/damn-it-it-wasn-t-quite-fresh-enough/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Photojournalists know the horrors of war can only be exposed at close range. Kodak Film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nachtwey/photojournalists-know-the-horrors-of-war-can-only-be-exposed-at-close/) [James Nachtwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nachtwey/) > [“Other folk thought the Rage was simple bloodlust, a berserk savagery that neither knew nor cared what its target was, and so it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-weber/other-folk-thought-the-rage-was-simple-bloodlust-a-berserk-savagery/) [David Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-weber/) > [“When we mated I felt your heart stop beating and it was as if the world had stopped turning. It was only while surrounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/when-we-mated-i-felt-your-heart-stop-beating-and-it-was-as-if-the/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [I'm generally never at a lack for words, but it's indescribable how poor the response was from our own government officials, ... We could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannibal/i-m-generally-never-at-a-lack-for-words-but-it-s-indescribable-how/) [Hannibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannibal/) > [“Unlike the rest he had seen of the bungalow, the hall beyond the door was dark. He could see the glimmer of three doors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-campbell/unlike-the-rest-he-had-seen-of-the-bungalow-the-hall-beyond-the-door/) [Ramsey Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-campbell/) > [Some of my fondest and most impressionable movie memories are from those early sci-fi and horror films. I've always been a Dracula/vampire aficionado, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-wise/some-of-my-fondest-and-most-impressionable-movie-memories-are-from/) [Ray Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-wise/) [Browse all 4,296 Horror quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The crying wailed, somewhere beneath the planks. Several sweeps of the light showed that the cellar was otherwise deserted. Though the face mouthed behind him, he ventured down. 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