Horror | Lecturia

F. Marion Crawford: The Dead Smile

“The Dead Smile” is a short story by F. Marion Crawford, first published in August 1899 in Ainslee’s Magazine and later included in the collection Uncanny Tales (1911). Set in an old Irish mansion, it unfolds the unsettling tale of the Ockrams, a family burdened by a cursed inheritance. Before his death, Sir Hugh—an old man both cruel and merciless—utters cryptic warnings to his son Gabriel and to his niece Evelyn, who intend to marry. Yet he takes his secret to the grave. From that moment on, the young couple’s happiness is overshadowed by a growing threat and an insistent summons that seems to rise from the family crypt itself.

Algernon Blackwood: The Kit-Bag

Synopsis: “The Kit-Bag” is a short story by Algernon Blackwood, published in December 1908 in Pall Mall Magazine. Johnson has spent ten days in court observing the trial of a brutal murderer named John Turk, whose image haunts him. Eager to leave for the Alps and put this disturbing experience behind him, he is packing his bags when he hears furtive footsteps on the stairs, as if someone were lurking in the shadows. As his unease grows, the atmosphere becomes increasingly oppressive, and the night, which promised to be peaceful, turns into a terrifying experience.

H. P. Lovecraft: The Outsider

“The Outsider” is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft, published in April 1926 in Weird Tales magazine. It recounts the bleak existence of an isolated individual in an ancient, gloomy castle, completely cut off from the outside world and deprived of all human contact. Feeding on fragmentary and obscure memories, the protagonist lives in oppressive solitude, surrounded by shadows and books, unaware of his origins or his own appearance. Driven by a deep longing for light and contact with the outside world, he embarks on a reckless climb to the top of the castle, where he will have a shocking experience.

Arthur Conan Doyle: Playing With Fire

“Playing with Fire” is a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle, published in March 1900 in The Strand Magazine. The story follows a small group of intellectuals and occult enthusiasts who, driven by curiosity and a desire to explore beyond the material world, organize séances in a London house. The arrival of an enigmatic French visitor, an expert in psychic phenomena, introduces an unexpected twist to their experiments. As the session progresses, the participants cross increasingly dangerous boundaries, and what begins as a game becomes a disturbing and out-of-control experience.

Frank Belknap Long: The Hounds of Tindalos

Synopsis: “The Hounds of Tindalos” is a short story by Frank Belknap Long, first published in Weird Tales in March 1929, within the Cthulhu Mythos universe. The story follows Halpin Chalmers, a scholar obsessed with the mysteries of time and space, who decides to carry out a daring experiment to prove his theories. Using a strange Asiatic substance that alters perception, Chalmers intends to travel mentally through time, witnessing the lives of his ancestors back to the very origins of humanity. However, what begins as a fascinating journey soon turns into a horrifying nightmare.

Richard Matheson: Button, Button

“Button, Button” is a disturbing short story by Richard Matheson, first published in Playboy magazine in June 1970. The story follows Norma and Arthur Lewis, who receive a strange package at their New York apartment. Inside, they find a device with a button protected by a glass dome, along with a note announcing a visit from Mr. Steward. When he arrives, he makes them a chilling offer: if they press the button, someone they don’t know will die — and they will receive fifty thousand dollars. This moral dilemma puts to the test the couple’s ethics and their deepest ambitions.