Between the Lights by E F Benson | Supernatural Horror Short Audiobook for a Sleepless Night
Ойын-сауық
Welcome back to the fireside, where we endeavor to bring weird literature back to life through (hopefully) captivating audiobook presentations. In this latest installment, we continue our odyssey through E F Benson's The Room in the Tower and other stories with "Between the Lights."
This story was first published in this collection in 1912. I have already uploaded three other tales from the anthology; "The Dust Cloud," "Caterpillars," and "The Bus-Conductor." Still to come are the following:
"Gavon's Eve," "The Confession of Charles Linkworth," "At Abdul Ali's Grave," "The Shootings of Achnaleish," "How Fear Departed From the Long Gallery," "The Cat," "The Man Who Went Too Far," "Outside the Door," "The Terror by Night," "The Other Bed," "The Thing in the Hall," and "The House with the Brick-Kiln."
In "Between the Lights," a Christmas gathering of old friends culminates in an exchange of ghost stories, in which some of the tales told prove as weird as they are horrifying. The host of this party tells his own true story.
This is a rather unusual and subtle gothic horror yarn and a prime example of the British tradition of Christmas ghost stories. Although it can be enjoyed at any time of the year for sure. It is a creepy, atmospheric tale of terror in the vein of Lovecraft.
I've heard it said that the story is somewhat dated and doesn't translate well into modern horror fiction. But I like the bizarre creepiness of the setup and the weird and subtle (possibly anti) climax.
To paraphrase the great man:
"These stories have been narrated in the hopes of giving some pleasant qualms to the listener or viewer. If, by chance, anyone is occupying a leisure half-hour before they go to bed when the night and the house are still, they may, by some chance, cast a wary glance into the corners and dark places of the room where they sit to make sure that nothing unusual lurks in the shadows. This is the object of horror stories and tales that deal with dim, unseen forces that sometimes disturbingly manifest themselves. The narrator, therefore, fervently wishes his listeners a few uncomfortable moments."
I hope you enjoy this presentation, and thank you, as always, for watching/listening.
We'll catch up soon on the next one.
Пікірлер: 16
Would be great if they made a TV series of Benson's stories as they did with M.R.James.
@scarystoriesbythefireside
2 ай бұрын
That would be fabulous. I can think of a number that would transfer well to the small screen. There was a version of Mrs Amworth made in the 70's. I believe it can be found on KZread. I didn't particularly like it because it was set in the 70's. But I would love to see some new period adaptations. They would be great to settle down and watch at Christmas.
@vintagebrew1057
2 ай бұрын
@@scarystoriesbythefireside Yes indeed. Mark Gatiss seems to be re-hashing M.R James stories that to be frank, were not better than the excellent BBC ones in the 70's. A really good adapter like Andrew Davies would do a fine job with Benson. Thank You for sharing.
@scarystoriesbythefireside
2 ай бұрын
I agree @vintagebrew1057 I'd love to see an Andrew Davies treatment of a Benson tale or two. He would know just how to transfer the period and the atmosphere of the subject matter to screen. Ah! If only. You are very welcome. Thank you for watching and listening.
Robin reads E. F. Benson! Nohing better.
@scarystoriesbythefireside
2 ай бұрын
🤣 Thank you.
Wow how wonderful this is
@scarystoriesbythefireside
2 ай бұрын
Thank you so much for saying so. Glad you enjoyed it 😊
Wonderful!
@scarystoriesbythefireside
2 ай бұрын
Thank you! 😁 Glad you liked it.
Excellent reading! I'm thrilled you'll be narrating the whole catalog; but who is the voice behind the screen? I love the illustrations with the smoke and fog! Perfect!
@scarystoriesbythefireside
2 ай бұрын
Thank you so much @kimmorgan3122. It's really kind of you to say so. It's my voice 😁 , I'm not a professional voice actor, which is why it takes me so long to complete these readings with all the mistakes I make and retakes I have to do 😂. Thanks for your lovely feedback regarding the imagery too. I do wonder how many people watch the video content rather than just listen to the audio, so it is useful know.
Superb narration of a superb story. Loved the summing up at the end and loved that, at first, I thought the narrator was William Hague MP. 😃
@scarystoriesbythefireside
2 ай бұрын
Thank you for saying so😊. That's very kind of you. I never realised that I sounded like William Hague😃. But now that you mention it🤣. He comes from just a few miles up the road from me which might account for the similarity.
@alisonaustin7299
2 ай бұрын
Is that around Doncaster way! I think his folks ran a kennels near me. 😃
@scarystoriesbythefireside
2 ай бұрын
Yes indeed😃. I think he's from Wentworth. I live in a small farming village about 9 miles from Doncaster. Small world! Great to have a local lady listening and watching! 😁