Happy Labor Day! If I understood Billy Joel correctly, we didn't start the class war, it was always burnin' or some such.

An aristocrat's view of horror in today's story, Guy de Maupassant's "L'Horrible." There's class struggles aplenty here but also a deliciously grisly cannibalistic march through the Algerian desert. Perhaps the enlisted men were wrong to turn their forks and knives on each other, n'est ce pas?

All ribbing aside, it's a great story. Last week's writer, Lafcadio Hearn, was one of Maupassant's early English translators, so it's neat to see two of our writers working together from time to time.

Our theme music is "Forgotten Carousel," by Vivek Abhishek. As always, I urge you to check out his royalty-free collection of atmospheric music on his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/VIVEKABHISHEK

#horror #laborday #guydemauppasant

Light a lantern in memory of Hoichi for Obon, the Japanese feast of the dead! This peerless blind musician had an encounter with deadly forces that, in a roundabout way, enriched him but also cost him more than he could have imagined.

Obon snuck up on me. In fact, I didn't realize it was a real holiday until very recently. I thought it was a plot device in "Kubo and the Two Strings." Once I realized my error, though, I knew I had to honor it appropriately. Enjoy the episode!

I'm reading Lafcadio Hearn's translation of a traditional Japanese horror story here. Vivek Abhishek's "The Door" is our intro and exit music. Check out his royalty-free library at https://www.youtube.com/c/VIVEKABHISHEK#horror #ghost #obon

Happy horrordays to all, and to all a good night.

All-American writer Ambrose Bierce wrote plenty of horror fueled by his experiences in the Civil War. "One of the Missing" might be his most genuine and realistic horror story, though, about the liabilities inherent to being a good soldier and the inevitability of the fear of death.

Vivek Abhishek's copyright-free music, "The Door" is our intro and outro, though I also picked out "Yankee Doodle Boy" on my guitar. Check out Vivek's work at: https://www.youtube.com/c/VIVEKABHISHEK

Happy Independence Day, my friends. Go fight for everyone's freedom, not just your own.

-Matt

Mister Abney of Aswerby Hall is one of horror's quintessential Bad Dads. I hope you'll tune in for Father's Day and the tale of a genial monster, the power of privilege, and the value of innocence in a dark world.

For his part, the story's author, M.R. James was a scholar but never a father. He was the guardian of a departed friend's daughter, though, so he had some experience with children. While no one's ever confirmed it, he also might have been queer? I think he's the first Ace I ever read about but that's just me. Everything indicates he was a decent, beloved, brilliant person, so Happy Pride?

Yes, Happy Pride, regardless, all y'all.

Our music this week is Vivek Abhishek's "The Door." It seemed appropriate for a story where thresholds play an important role. As always, check out VA's copyright free music at https://www.youtube.com/c/VIVEKABHISHEK

#fathersday #ghosts #horror #mrjames #happyhorrordays

Now go tell your dad you love him and know he loves you better than Abney loved Stephen, or the other children in his supposed care.

Lucy Lane Clifford was a well-regarded novelist and playwright in her day but her oddball children's book, The Anyhow Stories, Moral and Otherwise, is probably her most enduring legacy and even that's not well-known.

It's a pity. As "The New Mother" demonstrates, Clifford had a real talent for inflicting inevitable fates on naughty children. If you like awful, undeserved punishments, this one's a treat.

There's a lot online about how this story inspired Neil Gaiman's Coraline and The Other Mother. If we can discuss Gaiman's work and not the violence he's inflicted on women for a moment (allegedly, I guess) then I'd like to put paid to that idea. The New Mother, with her glass eyes and wooden tail, is a distant figure of menace. It's the Village Girl, a veritable False Knight that the children meet on the road, who's the villain here.

Our music this week is "The Raven's Lullaby" by Vivek Abishek (https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=YRWAit0WLt8&t=30s). My uncle Willy Longori's "Nachtmerrie Waltz" also made its second appearance on the show, providing the discordant music of the peardrum.

Happy Mother's Day, all y'all! Be nice to your mom. You never know what she might do to you if you're not!

#horror #mothersday #thenewmother #podcast

Easter is about life, death, and rebirth and so is Saki's painfully funny horror story, Sredni Vashtar. All I can say is that religion looks different to children than adults.

My uncle-in-law, Willy Longori, was kind enough to loan me his composition, "Nachtmerrie Waltz," for tonight's show. Catchy in'n't it?

#Easter #horror #short #saki

April sweet is coming in, let the Feast of Fools begin!

H.H. Munro, who wrote under the name Saki, specialized in humor and horror. "The Open Window" is one of his most famous stories, and I think "Gabriel-Earnest" is my favorite Saki piece, I couldn't resist this tale of a terrible prank for All Fools Day.

Our theme music is Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, by Richard Wagner. The 1945 recording was in the public domain and I couldn't resist.

#humor #horror #saki #aprilfools

Au revoir, mes petits poissons d'Avril! April makes fools of us all.

Algernon Blackwood was a believer in supernatural events and one of the greatest crafters of weird, ghostly stories. Since Americans associate Saint Patrick's Day with leprechauns, fairies, and the like, his tale "Ancient Lights" seemed like the perfect choice on this chilly March night.

Our theme music this week is Vivek Abhishek's "The Door." As always, please check out his royalty-free music on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_x7-wAuE2A

And don't forget to celebrate every season with a scare! Happy horrordays!

Rudyard Kipling's story of a woman, her surrogate family, and an unfortunate gentleman caller is an unlikely choice for Valentine's Day. Still, I think Mary is a romantic at heart, even if she'd never characterize herself that way. And she certainly carries more than a little horror with her!

Our theme music this time around is Vivek Arbhishek's "Santa Is Coming," which is theoretically a Christmas horror theme but I like it in this context. Here's a link to the song on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_L2R4OPAd4

I'll be back for St. Patrick's Day with Algernon Blackwood's "Ancient Lights," or maybe "Teig O'Kane and the Corpse," which my father told me when I was young. Until then, be good to people.

First, I turned to the greats, Charles Dickens and M.R. James. In my arrogance, I've placed my own Christmas horror story alongside them. As I recorded it, I realized its strengths and shortcomings, and if you've read this far, I think you'll enjoy it.

For the record, I'm a North Carolinian by birth if not by current state of residence. I'm not making fun of anyone. Neither Dark Mountain's natives nor Charlie Krawl are perfect or particularly admirable, in my opinion, though Charlie grew up a bit before the story's end. If I can give y'all any single piece of advice, though: never, please never, emulate the Good Neighbors.

Our theme music is Vivek Abishek's rendition of "Jingle Bells" You can check out his video for the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP1Er3W6Zk8

#Christmas #Ghost #Horror #ChristmasGhosts