To see Count Magnus

For today's countdown to Halloween's post, I am going to dwell into a horror story classic by M.R. James. You know how much I love M.R. James and I cannot have my spooky season without at least some of his ghost stories, either by rereading them or by watching some of his many adaptations. One of my favourite of his is Count Magnus, a ghost (or maybe a vampire) story set in Sweden and which is perfect for the weeks leading to Halloween. I plugged it back in 2015. Recently, I found on BBC iplayer an adaptation of the short story done in 2022 for Christmas. I don't know why I skipped my attention then, but in any case, I find James' stories more suitable for Halloween. So I watched it. And I must say I quite enjoyed it. I was worried as it was adapted by Mark Gatiss, who made a massacre and a joke of Dracula. He obviously has more respect for James than Stoker. Okay, so the story was flawed and Gatiss made a few questionable creative decisions, but overall pretty faithful and it had a few genuinely scary moments. If you wish to read the original, you can find it online here. Fair warning: it is a scary read.

Count Magnus

For tonight's countdown to Halloween post, I am plugging (again) a story by M.R. James. It is a ghost story, although the first time I read it it was in an anthology of vampire stories. The undead villain of the story shares the characteristics of both creatures, without clearly taking the shape of one or the other. Let's just say he is one particularly malevolent ghost and not unlike some other famous count of another great classic horror story. It may be one of the most chilling tale written of the mild mannered academic. I am referring to Count Magnus. You can read it on this website and if you feel more like listening to it, see (well, listen to, really) this YouTube video. The action is set in Sweden, which is in this story just as eerie and darkly exotic as the most remote corner of Transylvania. The protagonist is Mr Wraxall, an academic, like most of James's protagonists. Like many the others, there is nothing heroic about him. He has an overwhelming curiosity mixed with carelessness that will unleash terrifying forces. Anyway, I will say no more, I don't want to spoil your first chill discovering the story for yourself. The Halloween season would not be completed without M.R. James. Enjoy.