Tag Archives: horror stories

October 30, 2014 · 10:50 pm

THE WEREWOLF (1896) AND THE OCTAVE OF CLAUDIUS (1897)

WerewolfTHE WEREWOLF (1896) – By Clemence Annie Housman. Halloween month continues at Balladeer’s Blog! Here are two more neglected works of Gothic Horror, this first one features a female author writing about a FEMALE WEREWOLF so that makes it a bit special right there.

The Werewolf is set in 1890’s Denmark. Amidst werewolf attacks plaguing the countryside a Danish family finds itself being charmed by a sultry, seductive woman who calls herself White Fell. The woman travels alone by night so is obviously the werewolf at large. Unfortunately her potent beauty allays suspicion and even pits brothers Sweyn and Christian against each other.   Continue reading →

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October 29, 2014 · 10:36 pm

GOTHIC HORROR: CARL BLUVEN AND THE STRANGE MARINER (1833)

KahlbrannerCARL BLUVEN AND THE STRANGE MARINER (1833) – By Henry David Inglis. Halloween month continues! This story from Norway would likely appeal to fans of the recent Pirates of the Caribbean movies with its combination of marine lore and supernatural doings.

One evening Carl Bluven, a poor fisherman, is given a gift for his upcoming wedding. That gift is a cask of butter washed back up from a merchant ship that was sucked into the legendary Maelstrom off the coast near Bergen and Stavenger. The gift is from Kahlbranner, the undead and supernaturally-powered mariner who rules the whirlpool called the Maelstrom and owns all the booty from the ships sucked into it.

After his honeymoon Bluven is settling into married life with his bride Uldewallas and one evening the tide, commanded by Kahlbranner, withdraws prematurely, grounding Carl’s fishing boat amid rocks. The strange mariner rises up from his home at the bottom of the Maelstrom in a sailboat that moves with no wind in its sails. Pointing to a ship on the horizon Kahlbranner informs Bluven that the whirlpool he controls will suck that ship down to the bottom of the sea and he will send along another gift.   Continue reading →

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October 3, 2013 · 10:21 pm

SUMMER CUMMINGS: APPEARING IN BALLADEER’S BLOG’S HALLOWEEN SPECIAL THIS MONTH

Summer Cummings will be appearing soon in a Balladeer's Blog original horror story.

Summer Cummings will be appearing soon in a Balladeer’s Blog original horror story.

The world-famous sex symbol Summer Cummings is something of an expert on off-beat horror films. Summer will be appearing in an original horror story here at Balladeer’s Blog in just a matter of days!

Be sure to Continue reading →

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October 16, 2012 · 12:04 am

HALLOWEEN READING: THE KING IN YELLOW (1895)

THE KING IN YELLOW

If you’re like me you’re sick to death of the flood of vampire and zombie stories in recent decades. It’s gotten unbelievably monotonous. When it comes to Goths in particular you just want to shake them and scream “There’s more to Gothic horror than just vampires!”

In that spirit and in keeping with my blog’s overall theme here’s a look at an 1895 work of Gothic horror that is among my favorite Halloween reading material, The King in Yellow by Robert W Chambers. This unjustly neglected book was praised by H.P. Lovecraft himself and has been called America’s most influential volume of horror between Poe and the moderns.

The King in Yellow is a collection of short stories in which a published but unperformed play, also titled The King in Yellow, brings madness and death to anyone who reads it. Daring to peruse the pages of this damnable drama also makes the reader susceptible to attacks from the sinister minions of the eponymous King, who rules over his own private Hell like Freddy Krueger rules over the Dream Dimension. Here, then, are the Continue reading →

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March 17, 2011 · 1:50 am

SNEAK PREVIEW OF MY PULP HERO PAGE – FIRST UP: SILVER JOHN

This is a sneak preview of my page that will take a look at old pulp heroes. As I’ve stated on my About page I won’t be covering the obvious heroes like the Shadow, Doc Savage, etc. In keeping with my blog’s theme I’ll be looking at those forgotten pulp heroes and heroines that I feel deserve to be better known. We’ll start with Silver John, many of whose tales were collected in Who Fears The Devil?

SILVER JOHN – Created by fantasy and horror writer Manly Wade Wellman, Silver John heroically fought supernatural forces in the Continue reading →

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