The HorrorBabble Podcast

”Outside the Door” / A Classic Ghost Story by E. F. Benson

"Outside the Door" is a short story by the British writer, E. F. Benson. The tale first surfaced in Benson’s 1912 collection, THE ROOM IN THE TOWER, and explores the intriguing and often worrying phenomenon of phantom footsteps heard at night.

”The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow fall into madness. The lover, often identified as being a student, is lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore. Sitting on a bust of Pallas, the raven seems to further instigate his distress with its constant repetition of the word "Nevermore". The poem makes use of a number of folk, mythological, religious, and classical references.

”The Oblong Box” / A Macabre Tale by Edgar Allan Poe

"The Oblong Box" was first published in the Dollar Newspaper, back in August 1844. Quite simply, the story tells of a sea voyage and a peculiar, pine box.

”The Black Stone Statue” by Mary Elizabeth Counselman

"The Black Stone Statue" is a short story by Mary Elizabeth Counselman. It first appeared in Weird Tales Magazine in December 1937, described as "An amazing tale of weird sculpture–the story of a weird deception practised on the world by an obscure artist."

”Moxon’s Master” / A Classic Weird Tale by Ambrose Bierce

"Moxon's Master" is a short story by Ambrose Bierce. First published in the San Francisco Examiner in April 1899, the tale is notable in that it contains one of the first descriptions of a robot to be written in English Language literature. The story itself tells of an inventor, whose curious invention could have profound implications for humanity.

”The Challenge from Beyond” by H. P. Lovecraft

"The Challenge from Beyond" is a work of collaborative fiction by C. L. Moore, A. Merritt, H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Frank Belknap Long. The tale describes the discovery a strange artefact - an unusual stone imbued with the power to transport its possessor to distant worlds.

”The Shadow from the Steeple” by Robert Bloch / A Cthulhu Mythos Story

"The Shadow from the Steeple" is a short story by American author, Robert Bloch, first published in 1950. It completes a series of tales started by Bloch in 1935 with The Shambler from the Stars, and continued by H. P. Lovecraft in 1936 with The Haunter of the Dark. The story concludes the mystery surrounding the "Shining Trapezohedron".

”The Jelly-Fish” / A Weird Tale by David H. Keller

"The Jelly-Fish" is a short story by American author, David H. Keller. First appearing in Weird Tales in its January 1929 edition, the story tells of an obnoxious professor and a wild experiment under the microscope.

”Ghouls of the Sea” / A Weird Tale by J. B. S. Fullilove

"Ghouls of the Sea" is a rare weird tale by the American author, J. B. S. Fullilove. Appearing in the March 1934 edition of Weird Tales, the story asks what it was that came up out of the sea, spreading death aboard the freighter "Kay Marie".

”Grotesquerie” / A Rare Weird Tale by Harold Lawlor

"Grotesquerie" is a short story by the little-known author, Harold Lawlor. First appearing in Weird Tales in its November 1950 edition, the story was described by the magazine as follows: “The inmates of the house scuttled away in the purposely kept dimly lighted halls; the latest comer was never seen about at all.”