I’ve covered a total of 31 E. F. Benson short, horror stories spread out over three separate posts here at Horror Delve over the years. He’s long been a favorite horror of mine, so I thought we’d take a look at seven more.
THE STORIES (Listed By Order of Publication):
“The House with the Brick-Kiln” (1908) – Two friends rent a house in Sussex which has stood empty for several years. Inside they find several paintings of the house and its surroundings, each of which depicts the old brick-kiln which still stands inside the garden. One of the pictures also contains the eerie figure of a man. They soon begin experiencing signs that the place is haunted by a dark specter. You can listen to a reading here for free: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY29ydmlkYWUuY28udWsvYmVuc29uL2JlbnNvbi54bWw/episode/aHR0cDovL2NvcnZpZGFlLmNvLnVrL2JlbnNvbi8yOHRoZWhvdXNld2l0aHRoZWJyaWNrLWtpbG4ubXAz?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwj0iaKK86nxAhXKX80KHUWkCvgQieUEegQIBRAF&ep=6
“Outside the Door” (1910) – A woman, who’s a Spiritualist, posits a potential reason for the disembodied sounds of footsteps heard inside a house where a tragedy once occurred. You can listen here for free: https://player.fm/series/the-ghost-stories-of-e-f-benson-read-by-richard-crowest/outside-the-door
“The Gardener” (1922) – While vacationing in a house near a golf course for the Christmas holiday, Hugh Grainger notices an abandoned gardener’s cottage by a footbridge. Even though it’s vacant, he feels a grim presence lurking around it which begins producing audible and physical manifestations. Hugh’s wife Margaret decides to use a planchette to communicate with the spirit. (You can listen here for free https://youtu.be/RcBV7DzejTI?si=vFKcGJxerAtDEfLl)
“The Outcast” (1922) – After a woman’s husband shoots himself, people begin to get a weird feeling around her and when she later turns up dead herself, her body is rejected by both the earth and the sea. You can listen here for free: https://tonywalker.substack.com/p/the-outcast-by-e-f-benson
“The Shuttered Room” (1929) – After inheriting a house from a pair of twin uncles he didn’t know, a man and his wife come to realize the place is haunted. One of the twin brothers had mysteriously disappeared and the other went mad before his death. All of these mysteries are explored as the story progresses. You can listen here for free: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shuttered-room/id490499570?i=1000515760293
“The Flint Knife” (1929) – After a man discovers a secluded, completely walled-in garden on his property, he decides to have a door installed so he can enjoy it. A sacrificial altar is discovered inside, as are glimpses of a threatening, hooded figure. You can listen here for free: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-flint-knife/id490499570?i=1000546053910
“James Lamp” (1930) – Alongside his housekeeper wife, James Lamp serves as caretaker for bothJohn Storley’s London and country houses. When the husband and wife begin having marital issues and she suddenly disappears, suspicions are aroused and the worst is expected. Then she is spotted in the streets only to vanish soon afterwards. Is she still alive, or a revenant out for revenge? You can listen here for free: https://player.fm/series/the-ghost-stories-of-e-f-benson-read-by-richard-crowest/james-lamp
Previous E. F. Benson Articles:
Article by Matt Cowan
Horror Delve 