Happy Horrordays

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 Bo...

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...

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 pun...

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...

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...

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 Christma...

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...

"A School Story" is an underrated ghost story by M.R. James, who made a habit of writing and performing ghost stories for his friends at Christmas. First appearing in More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, this morsel of a tale gives horror fans a taste of the influential author's humor and love of the macabre. Our theme music is Vivek Abishek's rendition of "Jingle Bells" You can check out his video...

Christmas ghosts are an old tradition and who knows more about Yuletide ghost stories than Charles Dickens? While "A Christmas Carol" is his most popular fireside tale, it was a young man's story. "The Signal-Man" was the Christmas ghost story Dickens published in 1866. While his most famous work is full of whimsy, this tale is built on experience and genuine terror. My love of old traditions and...