HALLOWEEN SEASON HORROR TALES FROM THE 1800s and EARLY 1900s

Halloween Season is underway here at Balladeer’s Blog! This time around I have so many new readers that I’ll start out with this look at some VERY old horror stories that are basically Halloween versions of the Ancient Science Fiction reviews I write.

CARL BLUVEN AND THE STRANGE MARINER (1833) – Fans of the supernatural elements in the Pirates of the Caribbean films may really enjoy this Norwegian short story. Businessman Carl Bluven strikes a dangerous bargain with the undead Kahlbranner, whose ghost ship haunts and commands the Maelstrom off the coast. Kahlbranner also guards the countless valuable cargos from all the ships to sink in that whirlpool.

FOR THE FULL-LENGTH REVIEW CLICK HERE. 

ALL HALLOWS (1926) – A nighttime exploration of the crumbling All Hallows Cathedral results in unimaginable terror. The site is 300 years old and only the elderly and deranged verger knows all of the sinister secrets of the place. CLICK HERE.

CARMILLA (1871) – I’m often surprised by how many people tell me they have never read this classic pre-Dracula vampire story. We get the centuries old title vampress, her victims in the Austrian countryside, the woman she has fallen in love with, and the lone Baron Vordenburg, whose family of vampire hunters have been clashing with Carmilla for 200 years. CLICK HERE.

THE DEVIL OF PEI LING (1927) – Far Eastern mysticism helps a malevolent criminal come back from the beyond to get revenge on those who contributed to his execution. A hospitalized woman with stigmata is somehow linked to the sinister figure. CLICK HERE.

THE MAGICIAN (1908) – Somerset Maugham’s horror novel about a modern-day sorcerer named Oliver Haddo, who victimizes people around him by tormenting them with his infernal powers. It’s no secret that Maugham based Haddo on the real-life Aleister Crowley. CLICK HERE.

ISABELLA OF EGYPT (1812) – Isabella is a young beauty who becomes Queen of the Gypsies in Europe. This tale goes by the old legends that claimed gypsies originated in Egypt, hence the title. Multiple monstrous figures become involved in Isabella’s life, including a Mandragore, a She-Golem, a Barenhauter and a gypsy witch. CLICK HERE.

SONGS OF MALDOROR (1868) – My review of this pioneering work of surreal horror about the supernatural being Maldoror, who stalks victims and kills in the most brutal ways imaginable. I often call this work an honorary 20th Century creation given the still-disturbing violence, sexuality and concepts. Don’t let the year fool you – this baby packs a punch. And my review was so in-depth it was pirated overseas! CLICK HERE. 

FOR SIMILAR WORKS CLICK HERE.