Said to be Julio Cortázar’s first published story, this suspenseful tale is about a middle-aged brother and sister who, having never married, live quiet but contented lives in their aging family mansion. One night, their solitude is interrupted by strange noises coming from a disused wing of the house. The brother locks and bolts the door leading to that part of the house. Unfortunately, the title foreshadows the final outcome. The brother and sister know the identity of the intruders (referred to only as “they”), but this is not shared with the reader. Themes: the idle rich, isolation, fear, change. More…
Archives
The Colour Out of Space
In this cosmic horror story by H. P. Lovecraft, a surveyor becomes curious about five acres of grey desolation known as “blasted heath”. He learns that a meteor like no other found on earth had landed near a farmhouse on the site. Within the meteor scientists found a globule of unearthly colour which, when cracked open, released a presence that caused every living thing nearby to mutate. Plants grew unnaturally large but were inedible. Animal life, including the farming family, went mad and deformed into grotesque shapes before dying. Themes include curiosity, fear, scepticism, the supernatural, realms beyond human understanding. More…
Wandering Willie’s Tale
Warning, this story by Sir Walter Scott can be hard going for inexperienced readers due to its use of original dialect and obsolete vocabulary. When a violent Scottish Lord presses a tenant for long outstanding rent, the man borrows the money and returns to pay it. The Lord dies as he hands it over, and the money disappears during the commotion. The Lord’s son doesn’t believe the rent was paid, and demands payment. A mysterious stranger helps the devastated tenant by accompanying him to hell to collect a receipt. Themes: changing times, the supernatural, beware who you travel with. More…
The Enchanted Buffalo
Contrary to the title, this story by L Frank Baum is about events that took place in a herd of American bison, not buffalos. With help from Pagshat, the “Evil Genius of the Prairies”, a treacherous bull kills his herd’s aging and much loved king. After defeating four challengers for the position, he is declared the new leader. His only remaining threat is the young son of the old king who, with more help from Pagshat, he plans to eliminate before he reaches maturity. Themes include aging, greed, betrayal, magic/the supernatural. More…
A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings
The major themes of this story by Gabriel García Márquez are doubt, cruelty and greed, and common reactions to those who appear strange or “different”. The treatment of the out of sorts angel and “spider girl” evoke genuine pathos and carry allusions to how some countries lock up refugees in miserable conditions and the likes of Joseph Merrick (the deformed gentleman paraded around 19th century England as The Elephant Man). The only uplifting moment comes when the innocent child climbs through a hole in the old man’s cage to play with him. Other themes include suffering, religion and the supernatural. More…
The Dunwich Horror
In this cosmic horror story by H. P. Lovecraft, an early 19th century practitioner of the black arts summons an “Elder Thing” from another dimension to mate with his daughter. The result is an unusual set of twins. One has enough human characteristics to allow it to function in society. The other, which takes more after its father, is an invisible monster the size of a house, intent on destroying life on earth and moving the planet to the “Other Side”. Themes include the occult, madness, fear, heroism, realms beyond human understanding, the potential transient nature of humanity. More…
The Monkey’s Paw
Today we are bringing you The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs, one of the most famous horror stories of all time. First published in 1902, it has since appeared in many forms including live plays, movies, TV shows, radio plays, books, comics and cartoons (even a Simpsons episode!). In the story, a man makes a wish upon an enchanted monkey’s paw with disastrous results for his family. First, some advice before you start to read. Don’t do it sitting at home alone on a dark and stormy night! Themes: family, greed, tempting fate, industrialization (work safety), death, the supernatural. More…
The Fall of the House of Usher
This Edgar Allan Poe story is a masterpiece of the Gothic Horror genre. A man visits a childhood friend in his crumbling family mansion to help him cope with an acute attack of depression. An interdependent relationship exists between the friend, his twin sister and the house (some say a shared soul), which ends in the downfall of all three. The story’s most remarkable feature is the almost total lack of physical action. The feeling of terror and impending doom develops solely from Poe’s descriptions of setting, characters, and atmosphere. Themes: isolation, friendship, fear, madness, the supernatural. More…
The Man with the Rose
In this story by Manuel Rojas, an evangelical priest is predictably dismissive when a man says he has “black magical” powers. The man begs to be put to the test, claiming that, if locked in a room for an hour, he can retrieve any distant object the priest nominates. The priest’s orderly view of the universe is shattered; not only when the man hands him a unique rose he requested from a Santiago convent, but also by what he saw when he unlocked the door and crept into the room twenty-five minutes early. Themes include religion, disbelief, disillusionment, the supernatural. More…