The

CLASSIC HORROR BLOG

Literary Essays on Classic Horror, Ghost Stories, & Weird Fiction

— from Mary Shelley to M. R. James —

by M. Grant Kellermeyer

Sep 1237 min read

H. P. Lovecraft's Agonizingly Lonesome, Subterranean, Gothic Fiction

Excerpted from our anthology The Outsider, The Rats in the Walls, and More Tales of Ghouls, Gods, and Graveyards: The Subterranean Weird...

Jul 2511 min read

H. P. Lovecraft's The Doom that Came to Sarnath: A Detailed Summary and Literary Analysis

Expanding on the themes introduced in “Dagon,” and presaging the fleshed-out Deep Ones of “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” “The Doom That...

Jul 39 min read

H. P. Lovecraft's Polaris: A Detailed Summary and Literary Analysis

Like so many of his shorter stories, “Polaris” was inspired by one of Lovecraft’s dreams. In a letter to a friend, he claimed: “Several...

Jun 278 min read

H. P. Lovecraft's The Cats of Ulthar: A Detailed Summary and Literary Analysis

Lovecraft was a famous admirer of cats. In his essay “Cats and Dogs,” he explains his predilection in the following terms: “Between dogs...

Mar 138 min read

H. P. Lovecraft's The Terrible Old Man: A Detailed Summary and Literary Analysis

Like its eponymous hermit, “The Terrible Old Man” may be slight, but it packs a stunning wallop – especially for an early Lovecraft...

Sep 12, 202310 min read

H. P. Lovecraft's Dagon: A Detailed Summary and a Literary Analysis

One of Lovecraft’s perennial – and most famous – sources of horror was the sea. Like so many of his predecessors and influences, he...

Oct 5, 20164 min read

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...

Nov 8, 20134 min read

So What is Weird Fiction... Really?

As the proliferation of podcasts like A Podcast to the Curious, the H.P. Podcraft, the Edgar Allan Poe-cast, and the Yog-Sothoth Podcast...