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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 Get exclusive members episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/barcud
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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Go here for a library of ad-free stories, a monthly members only story and early access to the regular stories I put out.
You can choose to have ghost stories only, or detective stories or classic literature, or all of them for either $5 or $10 a month.
Many hundreds of hours of stories. Who needs Audible?
Or, if you'd just like to make a one-off gesture of thanks for my work
https://buymeacoffee.com/10mn8sk
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In the leafy paths of Kensington Gardens, where Victorian ladies take their morning walks, one woman feels an impossible touch. Not in darkness, but in searching daylight. Not with terror, but with recognition that defies reason.
Someone watches her from behind curtained windows, measuring time with a doctor's patience. Family ties can bind or strangle, and some kinds of protection leave no visible trace.
Wilkie Collins crafts a story where morning sunshine holds more mysteries than midnight, where what cannot be seen might prove more solid than shadow, and where the line between protection and possession blurs in the space between heartbeats.
Take a while out of your busy day and listen to "Mrs. Zant and the Ghost," where daylight offers no refuge from what waits beyond the veil
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In Charlotte Riddell's "The Old House in Vauxhall Walk," a young man's desperate search for shelter leads him into a world where past and present collide. As Graham Coulton unravels the mysteries of a haunted Victorian mansion, he confronts the spectral remnants of greed, regret, and unfinished business. This ghostly tale weaves together themes of redemption, social responsibility, and the enduring consequences of our choices. Riddell's nuanced approach to the supernatural offers more than mere scares; it presents a poignant reflection on morality and human nature in Victorian society. If you're intrigued by stories that blend historical insight with otherworldly encounters, consider giving this classic ghost story a listen.
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In the shadowy corners of Arkham, where ancient gables loom and whispers of eldritch horrors echo through time-worn streets, lies the infamous Witch House.
Within its warped walls, young Walter Gilman finds himself ensnared in a web of mathematical arcana and otherworldly terror. As he delves deeper into non-Euclidean geometries and the forbidden lore of long-dead sorceress Keziah Mason,
Gilman's fevered dreams begin to blur the boundaries between reality and nightmare. H.P. Lovecraft's "The Dreams in the Witch House" weaves a tale of cosmic dread and insidious witchcraft, where the very fabric of space and time unravels before the protagonist's—and the reader's—horrified gaze.
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In *The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar*, Edgar Allan Poe presents a gripping tale where the boundaries of life and death are pushed in ways both fascinating and unnerving. The story unfolds with clinical precision, yet reveals a deeper, more disturbing reality that lingers long after the last word. If you’re drawn to stories that provoke thought and unsettle in equal measure, this is one you won’t want to miss. Listen now for an experience that quietly questions the limits of science and the mysteries that lie beyond.
⭐ Join my Patreon ⭐
Go here for a library of ad-free stories, a monthly members only story and early access to the regular stories I put out.
You can choose to have ghost stories only, or detective stories or classic literature, or all of them for either $5 or $10 a month.
Many hundreds of hours of stories. Who needs Audible?
Or, if you'd just like to make a one-off gesture of thanks for my work
https://buymeacoffee.com/10mn8sk
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the shadowy tunnels of the London Underground, Laura Munro encounters a ghostly figure from the past that will unravel the very fabric of her family history.
R. Chetwynd-Hayes' "The Underground" weaves a haunting tale of wartime secrets, generational trauma, and the spectral echoes that linger long after the bombs have fallen silent.
As Laura navigates the claustrophobic world beneath the city streets, she finds herself drawn into a mystery that blurs the lines between the living and the dead, challenging her understanding of both her family and herself. This chilling story explores the depths of human guilt and the power of unresolved grief, all set against the backdrop of post-war Britain's changing social landscape.
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In a dimly lit room on Curwen Street, an old wooden table bears the stains of countless encounters. A mysterious woman offers a strange drink, and memories begin to blur.
What starts as a simple recollection of childhood fears spirals into a haunting journey of self-discovery.
As the lines between past and present, memory and reality fade, one question emerges: who really sits at this table, and what awaits in the small, windowless room at the top of the stairs? This chilling tale explores the inevitability of fate and the secrets we keep, even from ourselves.
Here's a short story that I've written for my forthcoming live readings around Halloween. People have been asking me to post more of my own, so here you are.
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In the remote Serbian countryside of 1759, a young French diplomat finds himself entangled in a chilling tale of familial love twisted by ancient superstition. As night falls on a secluded village, the air thick with dread, he witnesses a family's agonising vigil for their patriarch's return.
But when the old man appears precisely at the appointed hour, an unsettling question arises: has he come back as the loving father they remember, or as something far more sinister?
Aleksei Tolstoy's "The Family of the Vourdalak" weaves a haunting narrative where the lines between the living and the undead blur, and where the warmth of hearth and home may conceal the coldest of horrors.
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Henry Fern, an elitist who nevertheless lives a most un-elite life, finds himself drawn to Venice by a recurring dream of romance and connection. His arrival in the famed city brings not the fulfillment of his fantasies, but a stark confrontation with decay and disillusionment. As Fern grapples with his shattered expectations, a mysterious encounter leads him on a haunting gondola ride through Venice's shadowy canals. What begins as a journey to reclaim a lost dream soon unravels into a chilling exploration of desire, mortality, and the thin line between reality and nightmare. This narration delves into the depths of human longing and the sometimes terrifying consequences of pursuing our deepest wishes.
⭐ Join my Patreon ⭐
Go here for a library of ad-free stories, a monthly members only story and early access to the regular stories I put out.
You can choose to have ghost stories only, or detective stories or classic literature, or all of them for either $5 or $10 a month.
Many hundreds of hours of stories. Who needs Audible?
Or, if you'd just like to make a one-off gesture of thanks for my work
https://buymeacoffee.com/10mn8sk
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
19 Great Hanover Street by Lillie Harris
In the shadows of Victorian England, 19 Great Hanover Street stands as a silent witness to unspeakable horrors. Dr. Alan Forsyth, a man of science and reason, finds his convictions challenged as he confronts a terrifying presence that defies explanation. As the boundary between the living and the dead blurs, Forsyth must unravel the dark history of his new residence before it claims him as its next victim. Lillie Harris weaves a chilling tale that explores the limits of rationality and the power of the unknown, leaving readers questioning what truly lurks in the corners of their own homes
Thanks to Ed Winter for sponsoring this episode.
To sponsor further stories (you get to choose!) please contact me via:
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Amanda is a wife. A mother. A blogger. A Christian.
A charming, beautiful, bubbly, young woman who lives life to the fullest.
But Amanda is dying, with a secret she doesn’t want anyone to know.
She starts a blog detailing her cancer journey, and becomes an inspiration, touching and
captivating her local community as well as followers all over the world.
Until one day investigative producer Nancy gets an anonymous tip telling her to look at Amanda’s
blog, setting Nancy on an unimaginable road to uncover Amanda’s secret.
Award winning journalist Charlie Webster explores this unbelievable and bizarre, but
all-too-real tale, of a woman from San Jose, California whose secret ripped a family apart and
left a community in shock.
Scamanda is the true story of a woman whose own words held the key to her secret.
New episodes every Monday.
Follow Scamanda on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
Amanda’s blog posts are read by actor Kendall Horn.
