A weekly podcast that reads out ghost stories, horror stories, and weird tales every week. Classic stories from the pens of the masters Occasionally, we feature...
A Humorous Victorian Ghost Story for Christmas
Set against the charming backdrop of Cornwall's picturesque villages and folklore-filled hedges, "The Vicar's Ghost" by Lucy Farmer weaves a tale of intrigue and whimsy. During a Christmas visit, Lucy, her son Charley, and Aunt Martha become embroiled in a series of mysterious events at the vicarage. Charley's sighting of an enigmatic clergyman leads to Aunt Martha revealing a local legend of a vicar who died many years ago and whose ghost is said to return each year, accompanied by eerie disturbances. As a winter storm brews, the story transforms into a light-hearted romp, reminiscent of a Victorian-era adventure, with the community rallying to solve the mystery.
Unraveling the tale, Lucy and her companions discover that apparitions might not be as supernatural as they seem, hinting at Victorian times being unexpectedly "progressive." The story unfolds with a blend of humor and suspense, reminiscent of a playful detective story. As secrets hidden as a silver sixpence in a Christmas pudding come to light, it becomes clear that truth is sometimes stranger—and more delightful—than fiction. The captivating conclusion leaves both the characters and readers pondering the charming complexities of reality and folklore.
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1:08:10
The Ghost of the Cross-Roads by Frederick Manley
On a stormy Christmas night in Ireland in 1843, a warm peat fire blazes inside Andy Sweeny's simple home while a fiddler plays jigs and reels for those gathered.
Suddenly, a piercing cry is heard from the darkness outside—a cry of anguish, a cry for help!
Against his wife's advice, Andy Sweeny opens the door. A stranger, breathless and pursued by shadows, stumbles across the threshold.
He falls to the floor, and as the party-goers help him up, he asks one haunting question: "Do you believe in ghosts?"
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59:34
Horror — a True Tale
What lurks in forgotten rooms?
In an ancient Tudor mansion in the remotest English countryside, a young heiress's pride becomes her downfall.
Rosa enters a room that servants shun. As she tries to sleep, strange noises keep her awake until she finally realizes the true horror of her situation.
Through a seemingly endless night, Rosa is pushed to the very limit of her sanity, and when dawn comes, she sees with terror that she is still not safe.
Perhaps some rooms should remain locked and wise girls should run away...
Published by John Berwick Harwood anonymously in 1861
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1:32:12
Gibbet Hill by Bram Stoker
An innocent autumn walk turns into a nightmare of supernatural terror.
A lone traveler seeks solace in the misty hills of Surrey, expecting nothing more than a peaceful day of landscape exploration. Instead, he encounters three children who are far from ordinary—two exotic Indian girls and a golden-haired boy with an unsettling presence.
What begins as a curious meeting spirals into a bone-chilling encounter that defies explanation. Strange music echoes through ancient woods. A snake moves with impossible precision. And suddenly, the traveler finds himself trapped, facing a ritual of unimaginable menace, where children hold powers beyond human comprehension.
As darkness falls and reality blurs, one question remains: Who are these children, and what do they want?
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1:00:44
Someone in the Lift by L P Hartley
And so it begins... my run up to Christmas. This isn't a massively Christmassy story though it takes place at Christmas.
Who's really in the lift?
In L.P. Hartley's "Someone in the Lift," a young boy's festive hotel stay turns into a chilling encounter with the unknown. As he repeatedly glimpses a shadowy figure in the elevator, his parents' dismissals only deepen the mystery. The line between childhood imagination and genuine supernatural presence blurs, leading to a haunting climax that defies easy explanation. Hartley's masterful storytelling weaves innocence, fear, and the uncanny into a tapestry of unease that clings to the mind like frost on a winter window.
Listen to this classic ghost story and decide for yourself: is there truly someone in the lift? Ha ha ha ha! (etc)
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A weekly podcast that reads out ghost stories, horror stories, and weird tales every week. Classic stories from the pens of the masters Occasionally, we feature living authors, but the majority are dead. Some perhaps are undead.
We go from cosy Edwardian ghost stories (E. F. Benson, Walter De La Mare) to Victorian supernatural mysteries (M. R. James, Elizabeth Gaskell, Bram Stoker, and Charles Dickens) to 20th-century Weird Tales (Robert Aickman, Fritz Lieber, Clark Ashton-Smith, and H. P. Lovecraft) and wander from the Gothic to the Odd, even to the Literary, and then back again.
Each episode is followed by Tony's take on the story, its author, its content and any literary considerations, which may be useful to students!
Here's a poll that helps me plan future stories, if you have the time to fill it in. It's short!
https://bit.ly/gqform
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