Classic Ghost Stories

"The House of Horror," despite its pulp sensibilities, clearly resonates with the Poe-esque tradition of detective fiction intertwined with the macabre and the sensation novel. Like Poe's tales, Quinn's story utilises a combination of rational investigation and visceral horror to create a sense of dread and suspense. De Grandin, though more flamboyant than Poe's Dupin, embodies the detective figure who seeks to unravel a dark mystery through observation and deduction. The story shares Poe's fascination with the grotesque and the psychologically disturbed, as exemplified by the character of Dr. Marston and his horrifying experiments.

While Quinn's style is less atmospheric and more reliant on plot-driven thrills than Poe's, "The House of Horror" nonetheless shares a common lineage in its blend of mystery, horror, and a fascination with the darker aspects of human nature.

In W.F. Harvey’s The Beast with Five Fingers, we enter the world of Eustace Borlsover, an eccentric gentleman immersed in the study of the natural world and its more unusual phenomena. Set within the quiet gloom of Borlsover Conyers, his ancestral home, the story gradually evolves into a tale of obsession and nightmare. What if part of our very selves could act with a will of its own—and meant us harm? Join me as we step into a place where reason begins to unravel, where dust settles thick on forgotten shelves, and where something spiderlike begins to crawl across the library in the dark depths of the night.

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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. 

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Can Death be bargained with?

In the town of Erlach, whispers of an old legend linger. They speak of Agnes Weberin, a woman known for her piety, her devotion— and her fate. Her husband, Berchthold Weber, was a learned man, a physician whose success in saving lives came at an unspeakable cost. The town murmured of a pact, a debt owed not to man, but to Death itself.

As the appointed time drew near, Agnes made a choice. But when the moment arrived, when the valley of Totesdal echoed with the presence of something unseen, was it love that triumphed... or something far more mysterious?

⭐ Join my Patreon ⭐

https://patreon.com/barcud

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

Nothing scares an atheist… so they'd have you believe. For Hector Greatorix, intellect, charisma, and a complete lack of faith mean a life lived to the fullest. Freed from his vows, and called by his friends The Bishop of Hell, this scandalous clergyman can drink and debauch right to the end with no fear of the consequences. Certain that damnation is a myth, he carries on his evil. Will this Bishop of Hell cheat justice at the last, or will something... else claim him?

⭐ Join my Patreon ⭐

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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

Katherine Mansfield's "The Daughters of the Late Colonel" draws you into the subdued world of two sisters, adrift in the aftermath of their overbearing father’s death. Yet with the death of their patriarch, a new kind of burden takes hold. Long silences, stifled desires, and a sense of… something unseen echo through the house. Is freedom really possible, or is the past a ghost that will forever cling? Listen, and lose yourself within this subtly devastating story of lives haunted by what might have been.

The Lodger in Room 16 by David Dixon

In a faded guesthouse perched on the edge of an unnamed northern town, Room 16 has always had its secrets. When an elusive lodger, rumoured to work in the local cemetery, takes residence, reality begins to fray at the edges. The residents soon discover unsettling truths—each revelation more absurd and disturbing than the last. As it becomes clear that the lodger has always been there, predating even the current landlord, the occupants find themselves trapped in an escalating nightmare, haunted equally by their quiet desperation and the uncanny presence behind Room 16’s door. Dixon's chilling tale captures the grim absurdity and psychological unease of modern British horror, where dread seeps through the mundane, and the most disturbing terrors are those quietly entrenched within.

⭐ Join my Patreon ⭐

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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

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Denys Val Baker (1917-1984), a prolific author and editor, made significant contributions to British literature, particularly in short fiction and regional writing. His work often drew inspiration from his adopted home of Cornwall, where he settled in 1948. "The Face in the Mirror" is the title story from Val Baker's first American collection, published by Arkham House in 1971. This limited edition of 2,045 copies introduced Val Baker's unique blend of everyday observation and uncanny elements to a new audience. The collection showcases his ability to capture the essence of human experience with both humour and poignancy, traits that had already established him as a notable figure in 20th-century British letters. "The Face in the Mirror" exemplifies Val Baker's skill in crafting tales that blur the boundaries between the ordinary and the extraordinary.

My voice has given up so I can't record a story without it sounding like a rubber tyre riding on polystyrene. So, I dug into the archives and found an old 'true ghost' / timeslip story I narrated on an H5 zoom in a closet using the H5 Zoom built in microphone. As such, forgive the audio.

On 10th August 1901, two English women walked into the past.

During a visit to the Palace of Versailles, on the anniversary of the French Revolution, two ordinary women saw the French Queen, Marie Antoinette sitting in the gardens in front of them, along with nobles, gardeners, houses, bridges and stones that when they went back, were no longer there.

Backed up by a decade of research, the two women decided to publish their extraordinary adventure in 1910. Their timeslip experience has become known as the Ghosts of the Petit Trianon.

Did these two Edwardian women actually experience time travel, or did they see the ghosts of things that had been?

Previously, out of print, this is a new edition, edited and translated for the modern age, with additional material that looks at subsequent timeslip type experiences at Versailles

An Adventure Ebook For You To Read Along

Here's a link to a PDF I made of the book so you can read along and see where I made mistakes.

An Adventure by Charlotte Moberley and Eleanor Jourdain

Book Club

Áine Moroney has asked me to remind you of the existence of The Classic Ghost Stories Podcast Book Club to be found on Discord. Please use this link to join.

https://discord.gg/tZQrbsCf

The Open Window by Saki

In this masterful tale by Saki, a nervous man arrives for a formal call, bearing a letter of introduction. Greeted by the niece of his intended hostess, he finds himself drawn into an unsettling conversation. As they await the lady of the house, the young girl recounts a tale of family tragedy, casting a shadow over the pleasant autumn afternoon. Despite his best efforts, the visitor finds his eyes straying to the open window, unable to shake a growing sense of unease. Saki's sharp wit and keen observations of Edwardian society shine through every carefully chosen word.

Plus +++

The Return by R. Murray Gilchrist

What spectres haunt the moors of Derbyshire? In this chilling Gothic tale by R. Murray Gilchrist, a man returns to a remote rural village after decades away, seeking his long-lost love. Mist-shrouded orchards and decaying manor houses harbor dark secrets, while ghostly figures flit through moonlit corridors. As he searches, reality warps and time unravels. Gilchrist's prose drips with dread and melancholy, weaving a tapestry of promises kept and promises broken.

⭐ Join my Patreon ⭐

https://patreon.com/barcud

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

In Edith Wharton’s story Kerfol, published in 1911, a solitary traveller visits an ancient house in Brittany—a place shrouded in silence and mystery. Wandering the grounds, he encounters a pack of strange, silent dogs, their watchful eyes heavy with meaning.

But Kerfol is no ordinary house. Its walls seem to echo with an unspoken history, a lingering presence that refuses to be forgotten. What happened within its cold stone halls? And why do the dogs remain?

Step into this haunting tale of solitude and shadows. Listen now and let Kerfol draw you into its unsettling secrets.