"The Man-Trap" by Hamilton Craigie
“The Man-Trap” by Hamilton Craigie, first snapped its leaves in the November 1925 edition of Weird Tales Magazine. The tale was described as follows: “A monstrous plant makes its kill.”
Jun 24, 2025•20 min•Ep. 447
The HorrorBabble Podcast
The official HorrorBabble podcast: a home for horror classics and rare weird tales.
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Episodes
"Ghost" by Henry Kuttner
First published in the May 1943 edition of Astounding Science-Fiction, "Ghost" tells of an attempted exorcism at a centre of science in Antarctica.
Jun 17, 2025•42 min•Ep. 446
"Smith: An Episode in a Lodging-House" by Algernon Blackwood
"Smith: An Episode in a Lodging-House" is a short story by Algernon Blackwood, appearing in his 1906 anthology, The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories. "There was something very strange about the man who lived on the floor above the doctor."
Jun 10, 2025•43 min•Ep. 445
"Decay" by J. C. Moore
"Decay" is a short story by the British author and conservationist, John Moore. The story was first collected in The Third Omnibus of Crime in 1934. "Walking between his larches today, Mr. Cotter recognized them all as old friends."
Jun 03, 2025•26 min•Ep. 444
"The Law of the Hills" by Grace M. Campbell
"The Law of the Hills" is a short story by the one-time Weird Tales author, Grace M. Campbell, first published in the August 1930 edition of the magazine. "A tragic, tender tale of the slim white shape that ran with a wolf-pack over the snow."
May 27, 2025•23 min•Ep. 443
"The Thing in the Tree" by Harold Standish Corbin
"The Thing in the Tree" is a short story by the little-known author, Harold Standish Corbin. The story first appeared in the February 1927 edition of Ghost Stories. "What influence could make a tree take on human characteristics?"
May 20, 2025•32 min•Ep. 442
"Father's Vampire" by A. Taylor and L. J. Moffatt
"Father's Vampire" is a short story by Alvin Taylor and Len J. Moffatt, first published in the May 1952 edition of Weird Tales Magazine. "Father collected things—but he wasn’t at all in a rut as to what he collected."
May 13, 2025•22 min•Ep. 441
"In Terror of Laughing Clay" by Robert W. Sneddon
"In Terror of Laughing Clay" is the first of four stories concerning the fictional ghost hunter, Mark Shadow. Written by the Scottish author, Robert W. Sneddon, the story first appeared in the October 1926 edition of Ghost Stories. "No scientists experimenting ten thousand years could make a lump of potter's clay live—and yet——"
May 06, 2025•29 min•Ep. 440
"The God with Four Arms" by H. T. W. Bousfield
"The God with Four Arms" is a work of weird fiction by the English writer, H. T. W. Bousfield, first appearing in his 1939 anthology, The God with Four Arms and Other Stories. "A shady man, owed a small fortune, takes his frustrations out on a rare bronze idol, with sinister consequences."
Apr 29, 2025•24 min•Ep. 439
"A Vignette" by M. R. James
"A Vignette" is the very last short story penned by British author, M. R. James. It tells of a haunted plantation, allegedly influenced by real events experienced by James as a boy.
Apr 27, 2025•13 min•Ep. 438
"The Burned House" by Vincent O'Sullivan
"The Burned House" is a ghost story by Vincent O'Sullivan, first published in The Century Magazine in its October 1916 edition. In the story, a man recounts his eerie experience in a Lake District village where he witnessed a ghostly house fire and a hanging body, only to find no trace of them the next day.
Apr 22, 2025•21 min•Ep. 437
"The Swooping Wind" by Wilford Allen
"The Swooping Wind" is a short story by American author Wilford Allen, which first appeared in Weird Tales in December 1927. The tale focuses upon a scientist who has a strange connection to the winds.
Apr 20, 2025•17 min•Ep. 436
"The Spectre of Rislip Abbey" by Dick Donovan
"The Spectre of Rislip Abbey" is an 1899 ghost story by Dick Donovan, published in his TALES OF TERROR anthology. "Then I was still further amazed—I might almost say dumfounded—by seeing a hand, only a hand, slowly draw the panel into its place again."
Apr 15, 2025•29 min•Ep. 435
"The Ordeal of Wooden-Face" by Hal K. Wells
"The Ordeal of Wooden-Face" is a rare tale by the American author, Hal K. Wells. The story first appeared in Weird Tales back in January 1932, and was described by the magazine as follows: “His dead eyes came to life when he saw the young American stagger into the bungalow like a specter out of the past.”
Apr 13, 2025•8 min•Ep. 434
"The 19 Club" by A. J. Alan
"The 19 Club" is a mystery story by the English writer, A. J. Alan, first published in Alan's 1932 anthology, A. J. Alan's Second Book. “He asked who we were and the people down below couldn’t tell him because they didn’t know—they said they had no information about us of any kind.”
Apr 08, 2025•23 min•Ep. 433
"The Grinning Ghoul" by Robert Bloch / Cthulhu Mythos
"The Grinning Ghoul" is a short story by the American author, Robert Bloch. First appearing in Weird Tales back in June of 1936, the story was described as follows: "A story of stark horror in the subterranean depths beneath the tomb."
Apr 06, 2025•30 min•Ep. 432
"Croatan" by Malcolm Ferguson
"Croatan" is a short story by Malcolm Ferguson. First published in Weird Tales in July 1948, Croatan concerns the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony. "Creatures summoned from outer eons, our masters by an eternity of time and progress."
Apr 01, 2025•40 min•Ep. 430
Announcing THE LOVECRAFT VAULT
The Lovecraft Vault: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Z8IjQ7GPxte6JIIMbs2Ua Bandcamp (work in progress): https://thelovecraftvault.bandcamp.com
Mar 27, 2025•36 sec•Ep. 431
"The Worm" by David H. Keller
"The Worm" is a short story by the American writer, David H. Keller. The story was first published in the March 1929 edition of Amazing Stories. "The floor, cut through, disappeared into the Thing's maw and with it the red hot stove."
Mar 25, 2025•38 min•Ep. 429
"The Dark Demon" by Robert Bloch / Cthulhu Mythos
"The Dark Demon" is a Cthulhu Mythos story by Robert Bloch, first published in the November 1936 edition of Weird Tales. “The strange story of a man who communed too closely with things from beyond space.”
Mar 18, 2025•30 min•Ep. 428
"The Phoenix on the Sword" by Robert E. Howard / Conan the Cimmerian
"The Phoenix on the Sword" is a Conan the Cimmerian novelette by Robert E. Howard, first published in the December 1932 edition of Weird Tales. "A soul-searing story of a fearsome monster spawned in darkness before the first man crawled out of the slimy sea."
Mar 11, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 427
"The Fisherman's Special" by H. L. Thomson
"The Fisherman's Special" is a short story by the one-time Weird Tales author, H. L. Thomson. The story appeared in the August 1939 edition of the magazine. "I caught myself up short when I heard him say 'werewolves'."
Feb 25, 2025•11 min•Ep. 426
"The Second Interment" by Clark Ashton Smith
"The Second Interment" is a short story by the American writer, Clark Ashton Smith. The story first appeared in the January 1933 edition of Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror, and concerns the terrible fate of an ailing figure by the name of Uther Magbane.
Feb 18, 2025•31 min•Ep. 425
"Bitter Gold" by B. C. Bridges
"Bitter Gold" is a short story by the little-known author B. C. Bridges. The story, which first appeared in Weird Tales in December 1931, was described as follows: “The old man and his wife needed money—a brief, grim tale of Siberia.”
Feb 11, 2025•7 min•Ep. 424
"The Decoy" by Algernon Blackwood and Wilfred Wilson
"The Decoy" is a short story by Algernon Blackwood and Wilfred Wilson, first published in the 1921 collection, The Wolves of God and Other Fey Stories. “John Burley sought to dispel the ugly superstition that clung to the unlovely house.”
Feb 04, 2025•53 min•Ep. 423
"By One, by Two, and by Three" by Adrian Ross
"By One, by Two, and By Three" is a short story by the British writer, Adrian Ross -- aka Stephen Hall (real name, Arthur Reed Ropes). The tale, which first appeared in the December 1887 edition of Temple Bar, concerns a curious character by the name of Angus Macbane, whose dislike of a wealthy uncle is expressed in the most unwholesome of ways.
Jan 28, 2025•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 422
"Night and Silence" by Maurice Level
"Night and Silence" is a short story by the French author, Maurice Level. First appearing in Weird Tales in February 1932, the story was described as follows: “They seemed to personify Age, Night and Silence.”
Jan 21, 2025•11 min•Ep. 421
"The Dark Castle" by Marion Brandon
"The Dark Castle" is one of two short stories penned by the little-known author, Marion Brandon. First appearing in the September 1931 edition of Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror, the story was described as follows: “The spirit of Archenfels broods ominously over the two stranded travelers in the deserted castle.”
Jan 14, 2025•33 min•Ep. 420
"The Silver Bullet" by P. A. Whitney
"The Silver Bullet" is a short story by the American author, P. A. Whitney. First published in the February 1935 issue of Weird Tales Magazine, the story was described as follows: “An eldritch tale of horror, of a terrible adventure on Loon Mountain, and a talisman that was potent in the old days against witches and warlocks.”
Jan 07, 2025•42 min•Ep. 419
"Out of the Sea" by A. C. Benson
"Out of the Sea" is a 1904 horror story by the English author, A. C. Benson. "It was a beast—a beast about the size of a goat. I never saw the like—yet I did not see it clear; I but felt the air blow, and caught a whiff of it—it was salt like the sea, but with a kind of dead smell behind."
Dec 31, 2024•35 min•Ep. 418
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