The

CLASSIC HORROR BLOG

Literary Essays on Horror, Ghost Stories, & Weird Fiction

— from Mary Shelley to M. R. James —

by M. Grant Kellermeyer

Fitz-James O'Brien's The Wondersmith: A Two-Minute Summary and Literary Analysis

Cinematic and farsighted – a perfect subject for the pulpy comic books of ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘80s, with their over-the-top villains with...

Fitz-James O'Brien's The Diamond Lens: A Two-Minute Summary and Literary Analysis

O’Brien has not been called the “Celtic Poe” without cause. Among the most famous of his works (after “What Was It?”), “The Diamond Lens”...

Fitz-James O'Brien's What Was It?: A Two-Minute Summary and Literary Analysis

Most famous in O’Brien’s oeuvre is the following episode: “What Was It?” In the original publication (which we have included), references...

Fitz-James O'Brien's The Lost Room: A Two-Minute Summary and Literary Analysis

Perhaps none of O’Brien’s tales are stranger than “The Lost Room.” A bizarre, unelucidated nightmare, it combines the conventions of the...

Fitz-James O'Brien's Wildly Futuristic, Otherworldly Horror Stories

On February 26, 1862 Lieutenant Fitz-James O’Brien of the Seventh Regiment of New York Volunteers was reconnoitering a battlefield in...

31 Classic Horror Stories Every Fan Should Read in October: A Literary Advent Calender for Halloween

Why should Christmas have all the fun? Oldstyle Tales proudly presents a literary advent calendar for your favorite season. Each day has...

7 Brilliant Irish Horror Writers to Read on St. Patrick's Day

For centuries Ireland has fostered a culture swarming in mystery, magic, and the macabre: it gave us Samhain and jack-o-lanterns, Dracula...