Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories

A monthly series of classic tales to chill the marrow of your bones.

The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral, by M.R. James

After he happens upon an old obituary notice our narrator unravels the mysterious and unusual circumstances surrounding the death of a clergyman a century earlier.Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsleyIf you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

11-09
36:55

The Judge's House, by Bram Stoker

In his search for somewhere secluded for his studies, a student happens across what appears to be the perfect location. However the house he chooses has a sinister history which soon threatens his peace and quiet in the most terrifying manner.Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsleyIf you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

10-12
43:47

The Portent of the Shadow, by E. Nesbit

The housekeeper of a country house relates to a group of party guests the story of the unsettling supernatural events which befell a married couple of her acquaintance many years before. Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsleyIf you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

09-14
25:53

The Mask, by Robert W. Chambers

A sculptor living in Paris makes a discovery which has unexpected and terrible consequences.Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsleyIf you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

08-10
43:16

The Lost Room, by Fitz-James O'Brien

In 'The Lost Room' a man returns from taking the evening air to discover that the room in which he lives has undergone a mysterious transformation and its new inhabitants perhaps not as genial as they might appear.Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsleyIf you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

07-14
46:35

The Upper Berth, by F. Marion Crawford

Whilst on a transatlantic voyage, a man is perplexed by strange events within the cabin he has been assigned. Soon he discovers its chilling history and finds himself confronted with the terrifying presence within it.Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsleyIf you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

06-08
51:02

The Door in the Wall, by H.G. Wells

A successful politician recounts how thoughout his life he has been haunted by the memory of a chance childhood encounter with another world, accessed through a mysterious and elusive green door.Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsleyIf you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

05-11
46:22

The Willows, by Algernon Blackwood - Part 2

The concluding part of this story to mark the 4th anniversary of the podcast. Once again, I'd like to thank everyone who has listened in the past and hope you continue to enjoy these tales in the months to come.Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsleyIf you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

04-18
01:08:13

The Willows, by Algernon Blackwood - Part 1

Two friends canoeing down the Danube encounter a terrifying, otherworldly presence which inhabits the islands on which they make their camp.This is a the first part of a story to mark the 4th anniversary of the podcast. I'd like to thank everyone who has listened in the past and hope you continue to enjoy these tales in the months to come.Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsleyIf you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

03-09
56:59

The Shadow on the Blind, by Louisa Baldwin

When Mr Stackpoole takes on a run down old country house, little does he realise that the truth behind the tales he hears about the reasons why its previous tenants left will soon become all too apparent to him and his family.Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley.Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsleyIf you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

02-09
49:55

Ligeia, by Edgar Allen Poe

In "Ligeia," an unnamed narrator mourns the loss of his ethereal, otherworldly wife. When he finally marries again, his second wife becomes ill and things take a mysterious turn which challenges the boundaries between life, death and love. Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley. Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

01-12
43:47

Between the Lights, by E.F. Benson

A group of friends gather around the fireside on Christmas Eve to hear their host relate the story of a most frightening experience which began for him a year ago to the very day. Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley. Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

12-08
28:45

Opening the Door, by Arthur Machen

When he is sent to interview a retired clergyman whose predictions has recently gained a certain notoriety, a newspaper reporter hears the tale of a most strange and unusual series of events which seem to have no rational explanation. Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley. Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

11-10
31:06

Pickman’s Model, by H.P. Lovecraft

When a talented but shunned artist's friend is brought to visit his studio in an old part of town, the paintings he finds there reveal terrifying subject matter that may be based in more than just imagination. Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley. Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

10-13
36:03

The Tractate Middoth, by M.R. James

When a young librarian is tasked with retrieving a certain old book, he finds himself entangled in a family feud where a forbidding secret of the past refuses to stay buried. Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley. Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

09-08
40:08

Dig Me No Grave, by Robert E Howard

In "Dig Me No Grave," an old man’s unsettling death leads his friend to carry out bizarre final instructions involving dark occult rituals. As they follow the deceased’s cryptic demands, they uncover horrifying truths about his past and the malevolent forces tied to his existence. Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley. Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

08-11
36:24

The Voice in the Night, by William Hope Hodgson

In "The Voice in the Night" a ship's crew encounters a mysterious, disembodied voice pleading for aid from the darkness of the sea. The tale unfolds as the voice recounts a harrowing story of shipwreck, survival, and a frightful transformation. Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley. Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

07-14
33:08

The Horror of the Heights, by Arthur Conan Doyle

After the disappearance of celebrated aviator Joyce-Armstrong, a notebook is found which chronicles his perilous journey to the upper reaches of the atmosphere where he discovers strange and wondrous creatures. However, not all the life he finds there is harmless... Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley. Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

06-09
40:59

The Crystal Cup, by Bram Stoker

Bram Stoker's first published story tells of an artist, torn from his lover and held captive in the palace of a king, forced to create a work of art for him in order to win his freedom at the forthcoming Feast of Beauty. Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley. Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

05-12
36:46

The Most Dangerous Game, by Richard Connell

Big game hunter Sanger Rainsford is stranded on an island in the Caribbean. There he meets the enigmatic General Zaroff who puts to him a most unusual proposition. Mr Spike's Bedtime Stories theme and incidental music composed by Graham Walmsley. Graham is the creator of role playing games including 'Cthulhu Dark' and 'Cosmic Dark' and you can find him on Substack at https://grahamwalmsley.substack.com/ and Twitter @grahamwalmsley If you are enjoying these tales, why not leave a review on your listening platform of choice.

04-14
53:19

Patricia Matson

I enjoyed this very much, both the story and the narration of it.

09-11 Reply

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