A Watcher by the Dead

by Ambrose Bierce, John Michaels (Narrator)

A dare and a wager to spend the night locked up in a room with a corpse: What could go wrong? Be prepared to be surprised.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, American

Audiobook

First published October 31, 1889

About the author

died perhaps 1914

Caustic wit and a strong sense of horror mark works, including In the Midst of Life (1891-1892) and The Devil's Dictionary (1906), of American writer Ambrose Gwinett Bierce.

People today best know this editorialist, journalist, and fabulist for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his lexicon.

The informative sardonic view of human nature alongside his vehemence as a critic with his motto, "nothing matters," earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."

People knew Bierce despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, to encourage younger poet George Sterling and fiction author W.C. Morrow.

Bierce employed a distinctive style especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, the theme of war, and impossible events.

Bierce disappeared in December 1913 at the age of 71 years. People think that he traveled to Mexico to gain a firsthand perspective on ongoing revolution of that country.

Theories abound on a mystery, ultimate fate of Bierce. He in one of his final letters stated: "Good-bye. If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico--ah, that is euthanasia!"

Reviews

[Althea Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another Bierce story where the simple reality of 'dead bodies' is presumed to be a lot more fear-inducing than it is. Here, a group of doctors make a bet that basically, anyone who's not a doctor or a soldier, who spends the night alone with a corpse will be unable to take it, and will go insane. So, the guy who takes the bet sets himself up to stand vigil... and well, the 'prank' goes horribly wrong.

I dunno, the story seems to ignore the long-standing and respectful (and non-horrific) tradition of standing vigil over the dead...

[Jovanić Dunja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dugo su mi ga preporucivali, hvalili, navlacili, a akcija na Makartu ucinila mi se idealna da pazarim Birsa.
Mlako je, jako mlako. Vazno je napomenuti i to da dosta prica nema horor karakte. Neke su kratke, isuvise kratke. Tematika mi se dopala, samo im nedostaje razrada, a kod horor kratkih prica veoma je vazno stvoriti atmosferu, sto je veoma tesko, slozicete se. On to nije uspeo i vecina prica je ispod proseka, nazalost. Ukoliko zelite dobru horor zbirku, dozivotno cu preporucivati Nekronomikona. 🕷️
Neke price koje su mi se dopale: Pastir Haita (nije horor, ali sjajna prica o sreci); Oci pantera (zanimljiva radnja); Cuvar mrtvaca (malo astralna projekcija ko voli); Loza na kuci (Lavkraftovski prizvuk)…

[Nicolás Ortenzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un lindo jugueteo sobre el temor a la muerte. Tres hombres realizan una apuesta terrorista para probar su punto, pero sus sospechas terminaron por realizarse.

[Felipe Oquendo · Rating 4 out of 5]

[The following review refers to the Portuguese edition of this short story]:

Esse conto me lembrou a peça/ filme "Festim Diabólico", não precisamente pelo enredo - embora haja o elemento comum do caixão na sala - mas pela forma irresponsável com que os protagonistas lidam com situações arriscadas e com a própria vida humana. Ao fazer uma aposta bizarra como essa, fica claro que os médicos estão entediados da vida e buscam apenas o "divertissement", no sentido pascalino, resgatado pelo Eric Voegelin: querem brincar, viver ludicamente, num mundo em que os riscos são ilusórios e as consequências devem ser evitadas, tudo em prol de uma emoção fugidia, um pequeno "thrill". Esse conto se passa no último quartel do século XIX. Esses mesmos médicos irresponsáveis se transformaram nos estudantes nietzscheanos da década de 50 do "Festim Diabólico". A única diferença é que no conto de Bierce sua omissão é fatal enquanto na peça/ filme a morte é causada pelos próprios personagens. Mas no fundo de ambos está o mesmo desdém pela vida humana.

Do ponto de vista expressivo, o que mais me chamou a atenção foi o discurso interno autojustificador do "Vigilante" do morto, uma mistureba de cientificismo e ateísmo de almanaque que, como bem se vê, não resistiu ao menor teste. Estruturalmente, achei magistral a forma como o conto se desenrola: um capítulo na mansão, outro em flashback com os médicos concatenando o seu chiste e assim por diante. O leitor participa dos segredos, mas também é deixado no escuro, há um jogo de mostrar e esconder que vai prendendo a atenção até o desenlace final. Cinematográfico "avant la lettre"!

[Aleksandar Obradović · Rating 4 out of 5]

Par izuzetnih priča. Prijatno iznenađenje za mene.

[Artsalnov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Обожаемый мной Бирс! Ох, да под настроение, как же он хорош.
Но поскольку автор он не очень плодовитый, получилось так, что многие рассказы повторяются из сборника в сборник! "Несостоявшаяся кремация" - однозначно шедевр! В лучших традициях жанра!

[Antipoet · Rating 2 out of 5]

if i were locked up for the night with a corpse i would simply not have a heart attack when it came to life

rip to manifest destiny laddies but i'm different

[Pascal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sehr gutes kurzes Buch

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

A man is challenged to spend a night in a room with a recently deceased corpse. The twist being that the 'corpse' is in fact a doctor who is alive. Upon visiting the house the next morning, the protagonists (who are medical men, examining the reactions of the living when in close proximity to the deceased) are alarmed to find the house the focus of the nearby community, with people flocking around and lurking inside. Upon their arrival the challenged man appears, alarmed and manic, and runs down the stairs and disappears. The doctor pretending to be a 'corpse' is now in fact lying dead in the room.

Later the men escape to New York where they are accosted by the 'corpse'. He had swapped clothing with the man challenged to spend the night with him after the former died of shock, and used this disguise to effect his escape.

Again, nothing thrilling here. A little twist, but very factual and stark in style. Almost like a news report.

[midnightfaerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as scary as it could have been. I feel like the tone was trying to be really frightening but just came off as silly. Kind of like a preteen scary Netflix show. I liked the little twist at the end, but honestly it wasn't hard to guess. Fun for the season, but not my favorite horror story by far.

[Juergen John Roscher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Bierce's better short story.

I think in general that Bierce is a master of the short story but this one is lacking.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[Malena]

Me suena el autor de Libro de fantasmas.

No me acuerdo, creo que me decepcionó.

[Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start. Good idea. Too short.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A watcher by the dead – It opens with, “In an upper room of an unoccupied dwelling …” You know it’s gonna crack on!

[Jamille Parks · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this story would freak me out! But in the same breath I would probably volunteer to do this in real life. This was a fun story.

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/10

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember finding the concept of this story fascinating the first time, but then was somewhat disappointed with the way it turned out. There was another story written by Wilkie Collins which had an almost identical concept, but that one kind of wasted it also. Reading this story again, however, I found there was still much to appreciate. As is the custom with Ambrose Bierce, the premise is laid out bare and simple in the beginning, and the simple idea of it is enough to grab your attention. What then devolves from this marvellous set-up starts out creepy and fairly nail-biting (though I resort to an exaggeration I've never liked), before taking a turn for the worse, and proving more of a dark comedy. I always imagined this story making a cool short film, something a student could make for a school assessment. If I had ever been given that opportunity, I would have tried to turn this into a short film. It's just got that perfect capability of being both creepy and hilarious, and is not an entirely hard situation to pull off.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that's a spooky story to read by a campfire on a moonlit night. What's it like to spend a night in a room alone with a corpse before the advent of electricity? Originally published in 1889 in the San Francisco Examiner. At times the narration by Geraint Wyn Davies was somewhat overdramatic, but not comically so. This can be found on Audible in Great Classic Hauntings and An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge: Collected Stories of the Supernatural.

[Alexey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Бирс — гигант рассказа, особенно военного, деликатный рассказчик, большой знаток страха и привратник мира сверхестесвенного. Понравится любителям По и Лавкрафта (как минимум).