"The Haunted Dolls' House" is a short story by British author, M. R. James. The tale first appeared in the British magazine, Empire Review, in March of 1923, and tells of an individual who acquires a curiously low-priced antique dolls’ house, complete with a family of ‘ghostly’ figurines. Chapters: 00:18 - Introduction 00:59 - The Haunted Dolls' House 29:03 - Further Listening Bandcamp link: horrorbabble.bandcamp.com/album/the-haunted-dolls-house Narrated by Ian Gordon for HorrorBabble Music and production by Ian Gordon Support us on Bandcamp or Patreon: horrorbabble.bandcamp.com www.patreon.com/horrorbabble HorrorBabble MERCH: teespring.com/stores/horrorbabble-merch Search HORRORBABBLE to find us on: AUDIBLE / ITUNES / SPOTIFY Home: www.horrorbabble.com Rue Morgue: www.rue-morgue.com Social Media: facebook.com/HorrorBabble instagram.com/horrorbabble twitter.com/HorrorBabble
We had one around when I was a kid, my sisters were 10 years older, so no one played with it. It sat upstairs in the attic, and who knows what went on inside, with no one to witness the atrocities and mayhem.
No-one does M.R James quite as brilliantly as Horror Babble. One can almost imagine James, in his oak-panneled Cambridge rooms, telling the tale on a Wintery night.
Interesting. 🙂 I had come across your recording before, but it took reading Aickman’s THE INNER ROOM to tempt me to listen to this. Thank you for another excellent reading 😊
SPOILER: all i was thinking about was how i would change what was going on? would that make a difference or would everything just keep going no matter what i did? like taking the old man out of the house or burning the parents - grisly, know, but they’re only dolls and i don’t like them. take the kids out and put them in a nice house by themselves. would that stop the nightly tableau? it would make a different story about trying to change things until it just becomes a plain old toy. . .
This character has a pretty tricked out doll house. Church with stained glass windows....... must have been custom made. M.R. James stories seem to always be about inanimate objects taking control, or in fact, killing the main characters. Is it about man's obsession with his obsessions/ possessions? Grown man playing with dolls is funny by itself. Ian is the king of pronouncing staggeringly daunting words!
"The Haunted Dolls' House" is a short story by British author, M. R. James. The tale first appeared in the British magazine, Empire Review, in March of 1923, and tells of an individual who acquires a curiously low-priced antique dolls’ house, complete with a family of ‘ghostly’ figurines.
Chapters:
00:18 - Introduction
00:59 - The Haunted Dolls' House
29:03 - Further Listening
Bandcamp link: horrorbabble.bandcamp.com/album/the-haunted-dolls-house
Narrated by Ian Gordon for HorrorBabble
Music and production by Ian Gordon
Support us on Bandcamp or Patreon:
horrorbabble.bandcamp.com
www.patreon.com/horrorbabble
HorrorBabble MERCH:
teespring.com/stores/horrorbabble-merch
Search HORRORBABBLE to find us on:
AUDIBLE / ITUNES / SPOTIFY
Home: www.horrorbabble.com
Rue Morgue: www.rue-morgue.com
Social Media:
facebook.com/HorrorBabble
instagram.com/horrorbabble
twitter.com/HorrorBabble
We had one around when I was a kid, my sisters were 10 years older, so no one played with it. It sat upstairs in the attic, and who knows what went on inside, with no one to witness the atrocities and mayhem.
One can only guess, William!
No-one does M.R James quite as brilliantly as Horror Babble. One can almost imagine James, in his oak-panneled Cambridge rooms, telling the tale on a Wintery night.
Great creepy story and fantastic narration!
Thanks!
I love M.R.JAMES !! TY ...YOU'RE JUST THE BEST...🙋🌷👍
Wonderfully recited. I was reading along the whole way through. What a fantastic story!
I've always loved lil houses, wether it be wooden, or plastic.
Amazing job as always!!! Thank you very much!!
Oh boy this is going to be great!!! Haven't heard this story in a long time!!
Thanks for an enjoyable tail well told.
Excellent read. I loved the whole thing.Well done,thank you.
Beautiful job
Interesting. 🙂 I had come across your recording before, but it took reading Aickman’s THE INNER ROOM to tempt me to listen to this. Thank you for another excellent reading 😊
I very much liked it but i got lost here n there, i will have to listen again anothee time but great work as always thank you
I shop in antique shops that look somewhat like the photo, but I never buy antique dolls or houses. Maybe that's why. It was a delightful reading.
Wow. Great!
I really want to use the phrase "Quintessence of Horace Walpole" in a sentence somewhere now. (Also, very well read, as always!)
More M R James, capital!
If you missed our M. R. James series, here's a link: th-cam.com/video/NYT1awGBPXI/w-d-xo.html
That's why I hate dolls and doll houses hahahaha.
Great story as always, thank you so much.
Who is the best character that you like in story and why
And listened with a face of consternation..
SPOILER: all i was thinking about was how i would change what was going on? would that make a difference or would everything just keep going no matter what i did? like taking the old man out of the house or burning the parents - grisly, know, but they’re only dolls and i don’t like them. take the kids out and put them in a nice house by themselves. would that stop the nightly tableau? it would make a different story about trying to change things until it just becomes a plain old toy. . .
I was reading this just last night in my collection of his work I own. Can someone please explain the ending? I didn’t get it
What don't you get?
He found the location of what he believed to be the real house, and heard a clock identical to the one that woke him.
This character has a pretty tricked out doll house. Church with stained glass windows....... must have been custom made. M.R. James stories seem to always be about inanimate objects taking control, or in fact, killing the main characters. Is it about man's obsession with his obsessions/ possessions? Grown man playing with dolls is funny by itself. Ian is the king of pronouncing staggeringly daunting words!