The Shadow from the Steeple is a short story by American author Robert Bloch, first published in Weird Tales. It serves as the third and final installment in a trilogy that began with Bloch’s The Shambler from the Stars (1935) and continued with H.P. Lovecraft’s The Haunter of the Dark (1936). The story concludes the mystery surrounding the Shining Trapezohedron, a powerful artifact central to the Cthulhu Mythos.
The narrative follows Edmund Fiske, a friend of the late Robert Harrison Blake, who embarks on a quest to uncover the fate of Blake after his mysterious death. Fiske’s investigation leads him to Dr. Ambrose Dexter, the man who disposed of the Shining Trapezohedron by throwing it into Narragansett Bay. It remains a significant work in the Lovecraftian tradition, blending cosmic horror with Cold War-era anxieties.
0 Comments
The Hound is a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft published in the 1924 issue of Weird Tales. It is notable for containing the first mention of Lovecraft's fictional grimoire, the Necronomicon, and is considered part of the Cthulhu Mythos.
The story follows an unnamed narrator and his friend St. John, who are obsessed with grave-robbing and have built a macabre museum in their basement filled with preserved bodies, skulls, mummies, and other grotesque artifacts. Their obsession leads them to a Holland churchyard to exhume the tomb of a legendary grave robber. They discover a jade amulet in the shape of a winged hound with a semi-canine face, which they recognize as described in the Necronomicon. After stealing it, they are pursued by a monstrous hound, leading to the death of St. John and the narrator’s descent into madness. The Mound is a horror and science fiction novella by H.P. Lovecraft, written in 1929– as a ghostwriter for Zealia Bishop, based on her brief premise: "There is an Indian mound near here, which is haunted by a headless ghost. Sometimes it is a woman." Lovecraft expanded this into a tale of a hidden underground civilization, K’n-yan, beneath a mound in Oklahoma. The story is narrated by an ethnologist who investigates local legends of a man pacing the mound by day and a headless woman by night. He discovers a cylinder containing a scroll written by Pánfilo de Zamacona y Nuñez, a 16th-century Spanish explorer who stumbled upon the subterranean realm. K’n-yan is ruled by an immortal, telepathic race that worships Cthulhu, Yig, Shub-Niggurath, and formerly Tsathoggua. They practice sadism, biological modification, and ritualistic torture, and live in a decaying, decadent society. 
Something forgotten but not dead still lives in the earth of New England.
Sticks by Karl Edward Wagner tells the story of Colin Leverett, a horror illustrator, who, on a fishing trip in the Adirondack Mountains, stumbles upon an abandoned house surrounded by eerie, geometric formations of sticks and boards. He sketches the figures, and is haunted by what he saw. Years later, he is commissioned to illustrate stories by the reclusive author H. Kenneth Allard (a thinly veiled homage to H.P. Lovecraft). When Leverett uses his old sketches of the stick lattices for the illustrations, he unknowingly activates an ancient, supernatural conspiracy tied to a cult worshipping the Great Old Ones. 
A tale of eldritch horror and the awakening of Cthulhu.
"The Call of Cthulhu" is a cosmic horror short story written by American author H. P. Lovecraft in the summer of 1926 and first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in February 1928. It is considered a foundational work of the Cthulhu Mythos, a shared fictional universe that Lovecraft and other writers expanded upon. The story is presented in a documentary style, from the notes of the deceased Francis Wayland Thurston, who recounts his investigation into the mysterious death of his grand-uncle, George Gammell Angell, a professor of Semitic languages at Brown University. Thurston discovers a peculiar clay bas-relief sculpture and accompanying notes that detail a cult worshipping an ancient, monstrous entity named Cthulhu, described as having a pulpy, tentacled head and a scaly, draconic body, evoking simultaneous images of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature. The bas-relief is linked to the delirious dreams of Henry Anthony Wilcox, a Rhode Island art student, who claims to have sculpted it based on visions of "great Cyclopean cities of titan blocks and sky-flung monoliths". 
The classic horror story of an unspeakable being birthed into our dimension in the Massachusetts hamlet of Dunwich.
The Dunwich Horror is a cosmic horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in 1928 and first published in the April 1929 issue of Weird Tales. Set in the fictional village of Dunwich, Massachusetts, the story centers on Wilbur Whateley, the son of Lavinia Whateley, a deformed and unstable albino, and an unknown father who is later revealed to be the entity Yog-Sothoth. Wilbur exhibits extreme precocity, maturing to manhood within a decade, and is shunned by locals due to his grotesque appearance and an unnatural, inhuman odor. His grandfather, Old Whateley, a sorcerer, indoctrinates him into dark rituals and the study of witchcraft. 
Two stories, both strange, wondrous and terrifying.
The Watcher in the Green Room by Hugh B. Cave tells the story of Anthony Kolitt who has been on a five-day drunk since his wife left him. For some reason he’s started talking to a large bureau in his room and neighbor Bellini, a psychic, warns him against his morbid obsession lest he thinks what he fears into reality. Ubbo-Sathla is a short story by Clark Ashton Smith, first published in Weird Tales in July 1933. It is part of Smith's Hyperborean Cycle. The story follows Paul Tregardis, a London antiquarian who purchases a mysterious milky crystal from a curio dealer. The crystal, said to have been found in Miocene-era Greenland, allows him to experience visions of the past—eventually merging his consciousness with that of Zon Mezzamalech, a long-dead Hyperborean sorcerer. Through the crystal, Tregardis journeys back to the dawn of Earth, encountering Ubbo-Sathla, a primordial, amorphous entity described as the "Unbegotten Source" and Demiurge. There is an association with the Cthulhu Mythos through references to The Book of Eibon. 
Two early stories by H. P. Lovecraft: Dagon and The Statement of Randolph Carter. | Narrator and Producer Marlene Pardo Pellicer
Living close to Arkham always produces weird families.
"Witches' Hollow" is a short story by August Derleth, presented as a "posthumous collaboration" with H.P. Lovecraft. The story is set west of Arkham and revolves around an Arkham schoolteacher's efforts to save a student, Andrew Potter, from a malignant influence. The plot begins with the teacher noticing unusual behavior in Andrew Potter, who seems to respond to stimuli beyond the teacher's perception. Upon investigating, the teacher learns that the Potter family lives in isolation in a place known as Witches' Hollow, a location rumored to be haunted by dark forces. The teacher's inquiries lead him to discover that the Potters are connected to an entity brought down from the sky by their ancestor, Old Wizard Potter. The story includes Lovecraftian elements like a learned university professor from Miskatonic University, connections to the Sea of R'lyeh, the Elder Gods and the Necronomicon.  An eldritch story set in Lovecraft's haunted Vermont. | Narrator and Producer Marlene Pardo Pellicer 
The Black Island, Being the Narrative of Horvath Blayne" is a short Cthulhu Mythos story by August Derleth. | There is an island in the South Pacific that surfaces only at certain times, and it serves as the portal for the ultimate evil.
In the story, the protagonist, Horvath Blayne, encounters the Black Island, a mysterious place where Cthulhu is believed to be hidden. The story is notable for its blend of Lovecraftian horror and Derleth's own interpretation of the Cthulhu Mythos. 
The Keeper of the Key is part of The Trail of Cthulhu series. | In pursuit of the ultimate evil, you have to resort to raising the dead, because no living person has the answers you are seeking. | Narrated by Marlene Pardo Pellicer
The Gorge Beyond Salapunco: The Testimony of Claiborne Boyd" is a Cthulhu Mythos short story by August Derleth, part of his Trail of Cthulhu series. | Everyone has a crazy uncle in the family, but what if your crazy uncle turns out to be an Indiana Jones who sends you a map on where to confront evil beings from another dimension? What then?
Ignorance is bliss, knowledge brings no happiness or safety when you are confronted with the reality of great evil.
"The Watcher from the Sky" is a novelette written by August Derleth and is part of the Cthulhu Mythos series. It was first published in the July 1945 issue of Weird Tales and later included in the 1962 collection "The Trail of Cthulhu". The story follows Abel Keane, a divinity student in Boston, Massachusetts, who has some experience as a stage hypnotist and has taught himself psychic abilities, including telepathy. One night, Keane returns to his apartment and encounters a mysterious entity. 
You would think that working for an eccentric professor poses only one threat... boredom. Unless he can travel between dimensions and wants you to come along.
"The House on Curwen Street" is a short story by August Derleth, which is the first in his series "The Trail of Cthulhu." It was initially published in the March 1944 edition of Weird Tales under the title "The Trail of Cthulhu" and later reprinted by Arkham House in the collection "The Trail of Cthulhu" in 1962. The story introduces elements of the Cthulhu Mythos, including the Deep Ones and the byakhee, which are creatures that can transport individuals to other times or places through inter-dimensional travel. In the narrative, characters such as Laban Shrewsbury, Andrew Phelan, and Timoto Fernandez are involved. 
What if the missing link is not a primate, but something much slimier?
"The Seal of R'lyeh" is a short story by August Derleth, first published in 1957 under the title "The Seal of the Damned" in the July 1957 issue of Fantastic Universe Science Fiction.2 It was later included in the 1962 collection "The Mask of Cthulhu". The story is part of the Cthulhu Mythos and involves themes of good versus evil. In "The Seal of R'lyeh," Derleth suggests that R'lyeh, the sunken city where Cthulhu is imprisoned, might be an enormous ring-shaped sunken continent that extends from the South Pacific all the way to the Atlantic coast of Massachusetts. 
Selling your soul is easy enough, it's when the time comes to honor your end of the deal that things get dicey.
"The Sandwin Compact" is a novelette written by August Derleth, first published in Weird Tales in November 1940. The story is narrated by Dave, who spends summers at his uncle Asa's house. Uncle Asa exhibits unusual behavior, such as responding oddly to the call of a sea-bird, which Eldon reveals was not a bird at all but something else communicating with Asa. Dave experiences strange dreams and finds the house smelling of fish and with phantom footsteps and vocal sounds. Upon investigating, they find Uncle Asa arguing with something that croaks in an unknown language and the room dripping and wet, leading to Uncle Asa's confession that the Sandwin family has been selling off its oldest sons to Cthulhuoid hordes for generations to maintain their wealth. 
Evil beings from a distant dimension use the most unusual items to punch a hole into our reality.
"Something in Wood" is a short story by August Derleth that was first published in the March 1948 issue of Weird Tales. The story revolves around Jason Wecter, an art critic and collector of weird and macabre artwork, who wishes to obtain a wooden bas-relief that would complement his collection. His friend Pinckney finds a dark and heavy wooden sculpture of an octopoid creature in a second-hand shop in Portland, Maine, and purchases it as a gift for Wecter. The inscription on the base of the sculpture is in an unidentified language and reads: "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn". 
Spooky neighbors, weird-acting birds in a remote setting, sounds like a horror story to me.
The story The Whippoorwills in the Hills by August Derleth is a horror short story first published in the September 1948 issue of Weird Tales. It is set in the Cthulhu Mythos and draws elements from several H. P. Lovecraft stories. The story follows Dan Harrop, who takes possession of a country house in the vicinity of Arkham and Aylesbury, which used to belong to his cousin, Abel Harrop, who disappeared a few weeks before. The story is set in a rural New England where people speak an archaic diction. 
Some knowledge is forbidden and with good reason, and for some the very fact it's forbidden is a lure that cannot be denied.
The Mask of Cthulhu is a collection of short stories by August Derleth, first published in 1958. It is part of the Cthulhu Mythos and expands on the themes and characters introduced by H.P. Lovecraft. 
"Something from Out There" is a short Cthulhu Mythos story by August Derleth. The story involves rural English doctor William Currie, who investigates a man named Malvern who is in a state of madness, clutching a star-shaped stone acquired at a ruined priory.
Passing of Eric Holm is a short story by August Derleth, published in the December 1939 issue of Strange Stories under the pseudonym "Will Garth". The story is part of the Cthulhu Mythos and involves an inquest to determine the circumstances of Eric Holm's death. Holm was last seen alive on April 3, 1939, returning home with a newly-bought book titled "Confessions of the Mad Monk Clithanus".
Ithaqua, also known as the Wind-Walker or the Wendigo, is an entity in the Cthulhu Mythos, and one of the Great Old Ones. He is believed to prowl the Arctic waste, hunting down unwary travelers and slaying them in a gruesome fashion. Ithaqua's cult is small, but he is greatly feared in the far north, where human denizens often leave sacrifices for the elemental; not as worship but as appeasement.
This story introduces the Great Old One Ithaqua, a creature that is part of the Cthulhu universe created by H.P. Lovecraft. Authored by August Derleth it was first published in January 1933 in Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror. The story is set in Manitoba, Canada, where the entire population of the town of Stillwater mysteriously disappears overnight. The Royal Northwest Mounted Police are unable to find any of the townspeople and uncover the sinister implications of a town that had worshiped an "elemental," a spirit of one of the forces of nature.
The story revolves around two friends investigating the strange behavior of Professor Josiah Alwyn, the grandfather of one of the two men, and it features a threshold that must not be crossed, leading to ominous consequences if breached.
Beyond the Threshold is a Cthulhu Mythos story written by August Derleth, first published in the September 1941 issue of Weird Tales. The story follows a Miskatonic librarian who is summoned by a cousin to a house in Wisconsin, where their grandfather has become obsessed with the papers of his uncle. The uncle had trafficked with the Great Old Ones and left a warning to "not pass beyond the threshold, for fear of dire consequences." The grandfather discovers a rocky opening leading into the depths of the earth and crosses that threshold, only to be taken away by a Great Old One. The story is set in a "lonely house deep in the forest places of northern Wisconsin". 
It is a place with a fearsome reputation, a lake surrounded by dark woods, where people never return from.
"The Dweller in Darkness" is a Cthulhu Mythos story written by August Derleth that first appeared in the November 1944 issue of Weird Tales. The story concerns mysterious Mythos-linked goings-on at Rick's Lake, a remote body of water in north-central Wisconsin. The creature turns out to be Nyarlathotep, described as well as "the Blind, Faceless One" and "the Howler in the Night". The story introduces Cthugha, an elemental force that is used to defeat Nyarlathotep. It also provides an iconic image of Nyarlathotep as a vast, amorphous creature with tentacle-like appendages and hands, which has had a significant impact on the popular image of the entity. In addition to introducing Cthugha and creating an iconic image of Nyarlathotep, "The Dweller in Darkness" provided the name for the Marvel Comics villain Dweller-in-Darkness, an extradimensional entity that preys on human fear. |
Nightshade Diary Podcast Series
MarleneFrom the pages of Nightshade Diary come the haunting and hair-raising tales of ghosts, murder and mayhem. Who's hiding in the closet? What's under the bed? You'll be asking yourself these questions after you listen to these creepalicious tales that'll have you leaving the lights on when you go to sleep. 
Subscribe to your favorite podcast with your Android device
Archives
April 2026
Miami Ghost Chronicles: www.MiamiGhostChronicles.com
Nightshade Diary: www.NightshadeDiary.com Stories of the Supernatural: www.StoriesoftheSupernatural.info Eerie News - www.Eerie.News Stranger Than Fiction Stories: www.storiesofthesupernatural.info/strangerthanfiction LISTEN TO ALL MY PODCASTS www.EeriePodcast.com MY BOOKS: Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/marlenepardopellicer Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17113386.Marlene_Pardo_Pellicer SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER ON SUBSTACK: https://marlenepardopellicer.substack.com/ You can find me on major video and podcast platforms, just look for MP Pellicer or Miami Ghost Chronicles. Hypnosis DIY - https://www.hypnosis-diy.com Music - Pixabay.com, Purple-Planet.com Narration always by a human, no A.I. Categories
All
|
||
RSS Feed
Hire a Florida Mobile Notary VISIT www.EasyNotary.Online
|
Send an Email
|
|
Disclaimer |
Copyright © 2014-2026 Eleventh Hour LLC. All Rights Reserved ®
|