In “The Landlady,” a short story by Roald Dahl published in The New Yorker in 1959, a young man named Billy Weaver arrives in Bath on business and looks for affordable accommodation for the night. Instead of going to “The Bell and Dragon” hotel as planned, he’s drawn to a “Bed and Breakfast” sign on … Read more
Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Body Snatcher” tells the story of Fettes, an alcoholic man who spends his nights drinking with his friends. One night, a chance encounter leads Fettes to meet Wolfe Macfarlane, a renowned doctor who has come to treat an important man. The meeting between the two is tense and raises many questions. Fettes’ friends decide to investigate his mysterious past and discover that Fettes was a medical student in Edinburgh. Along with Macfarlane, they were assisting a surgeon known as K., famous for having a constant supply of corpses to teach his students, obtained from unorthodox sources.
In “The Mother of Monsters,” a story by Guy de Maupassant, a man recounts a creepy tale while walking along the beach, where he spots an elegant and enigmatic woman. Years before, during a visit to the countryside, his friend took him to meet a robust and sinister woman residing in an idyllic country house. Nicknamed “Devil,” this woman was infamous in the area for a horrifying reason: all her children were born with monstrous deformities. Infused with an atmosphere of mystery and terror, the story gradually unveils the dreadful secret of the “Mother of Monsters.”
“The Tell-Tale Heart” is a story by Edgar Allan Poe, published in 1843, that delves into the dark recesses of the human mind. The tale follows a protagonist who insists on his sanity as he narrates the events surrounding his cohabitation with an older man. The story centers on the narrator’s obsession with a particular … Read more
In the short story “The Judge’s House” by Bram Stoker, a college student named Malcolm Malcolmson is looking for a quiet place to study, so he decides to settle in an old, uninhabited house in the village of Benchurch, known as The Judge’s House. The house has imposing Jacobean architecture and a sinister reputation, making it seem perfect for his purposes. Despite the locals’ warnings, Malcolmson begins his routine study but is soon disrupted by strange noises and the appearance of a sinister-looking rat. As unsettling events unfold, Malcolmson realizes that the house conceals dark secrets that threaten his safety.
The Oval Portrait, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, tells the story of a badly injured man who takes refuge in an abandoned castle with his servant. Intrigued by the numerous paintings in the castle, he discovers an oval portrait of a young woman that appears almost lifelike. Reading a book on the history of the paintings, he learns that the painter of the portrait was obsessed with capturing the essence of his young wife, devoting himself wholeheartedly to the task. The painting and the artist’s story reveal a deep connection between art and life, unveiling the painter’s intense dedication and the consequences of his obsession.