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Classic Tales of the Paranormal
pFormerly called Classic Tales of Mystery and the Superntural these recordings are now entitled Classic Tales of the paranormal - irrespective of the overall title the stories contain all these elements making a terrifying listening experience. Not recommended for the faint-hearted! CSA has assembled a very unusual collection of intriguing tales all of which involve the 'paranormal' ("beyond the scope of normal investigation or explanation"). From the famous Dickens story 'The Signalman' to the terrifying Poe story of 'The Black Cat' which seeks to gain revenge for the death of one of her kittens, from two werewolf stories, 'Sredni Vashtar' and 'The Werewolf' to Edgar Wallace's gripping 'The Man of the Night'. Wilkie Collins and M.R. James completes this star-studded cast of authors who have contributed to these weird and wonderful stories of the paranormal.
Audio Cassette
First published December 31, 1999
21 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Wallace
2,161 books260 followersRichard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) was a prolific British crime writer, journalist and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and countless articles in newspapers and journals.
Over 160 films have been made of his novels, more than any other author. In the 1920s, one of Wallace's publishers claimed that a quarter of all books read in England were written by him.
He is most famous today as the co-creator of "King Kong", writing the early screenplay and story for the movie, as well as a short story "King Kong" (1933) credited to him and Draycott Dell. He was known for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, The Four Just Men, the Ringer, and for creating the Green Archer character during his lifetime.
Over 160 films have been made of his novels, more than any other author. In the 1920s, one of Wallace's publishers claimed that a quarter of all books read in England were written by him.
He is most famous today as the co-creator of "King Kong", writing the early screenplay and story for the movie, as well as a short story "King Kong" (1933) credited to him and Draycott Dell. He was known for the J. G. Reeder detective stories, The Four Just Men, the Ringer, and for creating the Green Archer character during his lifetime.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 3, 2024
a collection of 7 classic short stories of horror, suspense, and the macabre.
The Man of the Night, Edgar Wallace: a man, wanted for theft, betrayed by his spouse, and just generally done with life, sets out one night with one object: the murder of his wife. knife tucked in his coat, he meets a strange man on the street who seems to know everything about him. the burglar gets as far as his wife's house but finds, perhaps due to the stranger's gentle persuasion, that he cannot go through with the deed. as the story ends, the burglar has secured a place aboard a ship, and as he calls goodbye to the stranger, he realizes that nobody else can see him... a ghost? an angel? the hallucinatory embodiment of his conscience? who knows. 4 stars.
The Signalman, Charles Dickens: a classic. the narrator tells the tale of a signalman posted in the wilderness, a strange, faceless apparition, and a series of portended deaths. 5 stars.
The Black Cat, E.A. Poe: a man to be hung for murder sets down his self-professedly unbelievable story. it began with a large black cat, who, though once endeared to the narrator, slowly becomes abhorrent. one day, in a fit of rage, the man kills the animal. a new black cat comes to take its place, and the same hatred grows...as the man's mental state deteriorates, he determines to kill the beast, and takes an axe to it. his wife protests, and he kills her instead, and bricks the body up in the cellar. when the police come, he feels he has escaped detection...but what is that wailing coming from behind the wall? 5 stars.
A Terribly Strange Bed, Wilkie Collins: not so much a tale of the "paranormal", but certainly scary. a young englishman visits a disreputable Paris gambling house and soon finds himself winning tremendously. an old man befriends the lucky gambler, and suggests a few drinks to celebrate the night...before long, the latter is badly drunk, and is put to bed in the house. sometime during the night, unable to sleep, the narrator notices that the large canopy bed is not quite normal, . Frightened for his life, the man manages to escape through a window; perhaps others haven't been so lucky. 4 stars.
Sredni Vashtar, Saki: a young boy, often afflicted with illness and suppressed by his domineering cousin and guardian Mrs. De Ropp, finds relief in the worship of his pet ferret. he keeps the vicious beast in a shed in the garden, and considers him a sort of god he calls 'Sredni Vashtar'. the story climaxes when Mrs. De Ropp determines to discover the boy's secret and visits the shed of the fearful Sredni Vashtar... 4 stars.
The Werewolf, Frederick Marryat: a pretty morbid tale. Krantz, a hungarian serf, flees with his 3 children to the Hartz Mountains after murdering his unfaithful wife. one day he stumbles across a strange hunter and his daughter in the forest, and Krantz invites them to live with him and his children. he soon marries the daughter, a beautiful yet somehow disquieting woman...the young bride begins to take nightly excursions out into the snow, and a wolf's howls keep the children up; death soon visits the small, unhappy house in the wilderness. an excerpt from Marryat's novel 'The Phantom Ship'. 5 stars.
The Mezzotint, M.R. James: a university professor named Williams, an avid collector of topography prints, acquires a seemingly unremarkable mezzotint of an old English house. when a figure appears in the picture, and begins moving across the lawn when unobserved, a sinister history is revealed...4 stars.
The Man of the Night, Edgar Wallace: a man, wanted for theft, betrayed by his spouse, and just generally done with life, sets out one night with one object: the murder of his wife. knife tucked in his coat, he meets a strange man on the street who seems to know everything about him. the burglar gets as far as his wife's house but finds, perhaps due to the stranger's gentle persuasion, that he cannot go through with the deed. as the story ends, the burglar has secured a place aboard a ship, and as he calls goodbye to the stranger, he realizes that nobody else can see him... a ghost? an angel? the hallucinatory embodiment of his conscience? who knows. 4 stars.
The Signalman, Charles Dickens: a classic. the narrator tells the tale of a signalman posted in the wilderness, a strange, faceless apparition, and a series of portended deaths. 5 stars.
The Black Cat, E.A. Poe: a man to be hung for murder sets down his self-professedly unbelievable story. it began with a large black cat, who, though once endeared to the narrator, slowly becomes abhorrent. one day, in a fit of rage, the man kills the animal. a new black cat comes to take its place, and the same hatred grows...as the man's mental state deteriorates, he determines to kill the beast, and takes an axe to it. his wife protests, and he kills her instead, and bricks the body up in the cellar. when the police come, he feels he has escaped detection...but what is that wailing coming from behind the wall? 5 stars.
A Terribly Strange Bed, Wilkie Collins: not so much a tale of the "paranormal", but certainly scary. a young englishman visits a disreputable Paris gambling house and soon finds himself winning tremendously. an old man befriends the lucky gambler, and suggests a few drinks to celebrate the night...before long, the latter is badly drunk, and is put to bed in the house. sometime during the night, unable to sleep, the narrator notices that the large canopy bed is not quite normal, . Frightened for his life, the man manages to escape through a window; perhaps others haven't been so lucky. 4 stars.
Sredni Vashtar, Saki: a young boy, often afflicted with illness and suppressed by his domineering cousin and guardian Mrs. De Ropp, finds relief in the worship of his pet ferret. he keeps the vicious beast in a shed in the garden, and considers him a sort of god he calls 'Sredni Vashtar'. the story climaxes when Mrs. De Ropp determines to discover the boy's secret and visits the shed of the fearful Sredni Vashtar... 4 stars.
The Werewolf, Frederick Marryat: a pretty morbid tale. Krantz, a hungarian serf, flees with his 3 children to the Hartz Mountains after murdering his unfaithful wife. one day he stumbles across a strange hunter and his daughter in the forest, and Krantz invites them to live with him and his children. he soon marries the daughter, a beautiful yet somehow disquieting woman...the young bride begins to take nightly excursions out into the snow, and a wolf's howls keep the children up; death soon visits the small, unhappy house in the wilderness. an excerpt from Marryat's novel 'The Phantom Ship'. 5 stars.
The Mezzotint, M.R. James: a university professor named Williams, an avid collector of topography prints, acquires a seemingly unremarkable mezzotint of an old English house. when a figure appears in the picture, and begins moving across the lawn when unobserved, a sinister history is revealed...4 stars.
August 18, 2017
Classic Tales Of The Paranormal
Wow,what a truly amazing audio book that I absolutely loved.
I have read some of the stories before but what really made this book for me was the wonderful narration by Robin Bailey.
Awesome voice that kept me listening to the end.
I will certainly be looking out for more audio books with Robin Bailey as the story teller.
Really enjoyed and highly recommended. Storytelling at it's best.
Wow,what a truly amazing audio book that I absolutely loved.
I have read some of the stories before but what really made this book for me was the wonderful narration by Robin Bailey.
Awesome voice that kept me listening to the end.
I will certainly be looking out for more audio books with Robin Bailey as the story teller.
Really enjoyed and highly recommended. Storytelling at it's best.
July 18, 2013
I only liked three of the seven short stories in this collection, and one of those three, The Black Cat, I've read before. The other two that I enjoyed were The Man in the Night, by Edgar Wallace, and The Werewolf, by Frederick Marryat. I found the other stories in this collection to be lacking a bit of spine-tingling suspense, and frankly, interest.
This audio book was narrated by Robin Bailey, and he really did a great job.
This audio book was narrated by Robin Bailey, and he really did a great job.
November 16, 2015
This was the first full audio book I've ever listened to and I really enjoyed it. Excellent classic tales excellently narrated.
October 13, 2009
My favorite was "Werewolf." It reminded me a bit like Hansel and Gretel meets Cinderella's evil stepmother.
September 11, 2014
Most stories had been read before, found in many books
September 14, 2017
Pretty much perfect. I listened to all of them, even though I've heard Black Cat more than once.
November 4, 2022
Eh. A bit hit or miss. I wanted to listen to spooky stories because it was Halloween-ish time.
Some of the stories were ok, but rather predictable:
The Signalman by Charles Dickens
The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe (maybe predictable because I have read it before?)
A couple I liked pretty well:
A Terribly Strange Bed by Wilkie Collins
The Werewolf by Frederick Marryat (by far my favorite story in this collection)
A couple were not very interesting:
Sredni Vashtar by Saki
The Mezzotint by M. R. James
Unless you are a fan of Victorian ghost stories, I'd skip this one. Although, The Werewolf was an interesting story and pretty creepy. So maybe just read that one.
Some of the stories were ok, but rather predictable:
The Signalman by Charles Dickens
The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe (maybe predictable because I have read it before?)
A couple I liked pretty well:
A Terribly Strange Bed by Wilkie Collins
The Werewolf by Frederick Marryat (by far my favorite story in this collection)
A couple were not very interesting:
Sredni Vashtar by Saki
The Mezzotint by M. R. James
Unless you are a fan of Victorian ghost stories, I'd skip this one. Although, The Werewolf was an interesting story and pretty creepy. So maybe just read that one.
October 5, 2020
The man of the night - 2.5 stars
No 1 branch, the signalman - 3 stars
The black cat - 3.5 stars
The terribly stange bed - 4 stars
Sredni vashtar - 2.5 stars
The werewolf - 3.5 stars
The mezzotint - 3 stars
No 1 branch, the signalman - 3 stars
The black cat - 3.5 stars
The terribly stange bed - 4 stars
Sredni vashtar - 2.5 stars
The werewolf - 3.5 stars
The mezzotint - 3 stars
December 29, 2023
I have to admit Gothic horror might not be my cup of tea. Poe is absolutely terrifying. It was interesting to be introduced to some of the authors I didn't know before.
May 14, 2014
Amusing to while a couple of hours away.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews