Episode 414 - From the Dead

I've listened to this one a couple of times, and every time you mention the nurse giving him the business, my brain goes here: https://youtu.be/AlKzA72PpxY?t=4

Thanks! Yes I should have posted a link, come to think of it. Creepy, no?

Here you go if anyone is interested =&gt; <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=3&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiZo8iEluPcAhUQsKQKHWOhClsQFjACegQIBxAC&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.royalholloway.ac.uk%2Fenglish%2Fdocuments%2Fpdf%2Fcentrevictorianstudies%2Fguildeaetext.pdf&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Y_ZMzIPM5zLUBk-vXTypV" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=3&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiZo8iEluPcAhUQsKQKHWOhClsQFjACegQIBxAC&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.royalholloway.ac.uk%2Fenglish%2Fdocuments%2Fpdf%2Fcentrevictorianstudies%2Fguildeaetext.pdf&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Y_ZMzIPM5zLUBk-vXTypV</a> I'm currently reading it, thanks for the suggestion Mr. Mathew! ^^ Best regards Raoul G. Kunz

Raoul Kunz

It also just occurred to me that if you want a much better exploration of clinginess and obsession, "How Love Came to Professor Guildea" is brilliant.

Oh it certainly does, it gives my mom a job that people are idiots this way ;). However to me it takes away a lot of the effect when the whole ghostly event happens , and even minimizes the creepiness of the hollow-born child when the setup a) took so loooooong ab b) was so extremely constructed that it was obvious from quite a distance that there would be something like what happens eventually. I mean I have a half-brother I didn't know a thing about until I was 16 and still my dad didn't care to appear to the mother when he dies 18 years ago in ghostly form to give her a bad conscious for not being into ghosts. I think at the heart of my critique of the story lies the fact that, if we remember one of the maxims of the bloke who is the reasons we ended up here we see that it makes the mistake of starting out already unrealistic, which minimizes the effect of the weird once it enter the story because it's not rooted in a realistic setting top begin with. Sorry I had to re-type the whole thing because the comment system it a bit finicky with deleting things by accident so my diction probably suffered from doing this a second time ;). Best regards Raoul G. Kunz

Raoul Kunz

My brother is law didn't know he was a father until his child was 5 as his ex kept it a secret. So it does happen.

Well, wasn’t this offering a real little cheerer-upper? It reminds me of the one with the class concious prig that wouldn’t return the wall taps from the dieing girl. Yessiree, think I’ll go get blasted and open a the ole viens.

Wow! Super dismal life but incredibly riveting too- overwhelming tragedy, the Fabians, HG gets a punch in the face!! Never thought so grim an episode would also be so interesting. As this is Weird Women month I think it's relevant to mention here that I heard this episode on the same day I learned Hedy Lamarr invented the technology that lead to the very bluetooth that feeds me my weekly HPPLP fix: <a href="http://www.women-inventors.com/Hedy-Lammar.asp" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.women-inventors.com/Hedy-Lammar.asp</a>

I thought this story was kind of affecting in the overwrought, melodramatic way that some Victorian stories still manage, but it does seem to lack the element of weirdness. that is the focus of the podcast. Chris describes the weirdness as "subtle," but I think that's too strong a word for it. I felt like it's no more weird than any conventional ghost story. But, as always, YMMV. The comment about the silly juvenility of their actions is accurate, I think; on the other hand there's nobody so mature that they aren't capable of acting the ass when matters of the heart are involved.

I felt that this story had a sadly underwhelming and way too long set up for a pay off that, while weird to a degree, was a bit strong on the "ghost story" trope of the sad undead apparition. Granted, it had a whiff of the more weird psychological elements than the usual sheeted figure but it still worked along the lines of Sir Walter Scott's "The Tapestried Chamber" supplanting the later's "evil passions" with "sad sinister clingyness". And while there are obvious elements in it that probably resonated personally with Nesbit it has way too much of the soap-opera-ish feeling that conventional late Victorian / Edwardian stories involving relationships on display as a result of their inherently ludicrous (by modern standards, I know, the past is a foreign country) sexually chaste ideals of relationships and as a result does not resonate as strong as it could if it featured a more understated (or just less melodramatic actually) emotional foundation - humans are perfectly capable of treating each other horrible as a result of miscommunication without all the trappings encountered here. Anyhow - an entertaining episode about a decidedly underwhelmingly conventional ghost story! Best regards Raoul G. Kunz

Raoul Kunz

I don’t cry. Never have. Never will.

I really wasn't feeling this one. E. Nesbit is capable of truly chilling horror (see her 'Man-Sized in Marble') but the relationships here just didn't seem real enough. The characters evoke the worst sort of late Victorian sentimentality (again in contrast to '...in Marble') and the plot is far too melodramatic to be more than bizarre. MR James' dictum that the milieu of a ghost story needs to be plausible comes to mind, and Nesbit fails in this. These characters are just that. I know the guys don't really like James (as much as they should, he said bitterly) but since this story is basically in the " Edwardian ghost story" subset of the weird I felt secure in invoking James.

If you haven't already checked them out, Alison, give a listen to pseudopod, escapedpod and podcastle which regualry feature women, poc and lgbtq+ writers. It's mostly contemporary weird, scifi, horror and fantasy but all very good. I also recommend The White Vault a radio drama with an international cast very much in the vein of At the Mountains of Madness and The Thing but with several women involved on the voice and writing side.

He seemed to find just the girl for him, they were both nuts. I just don't see the poignancy in their silly love affair, turned single-argument-tragedy, or in emotionally immature stories in general. The prose might be nice, but very juvenile.

Frank Lee

You should pitch this idea to HBO. I would watch it.

It just goes to show that good communication is the most important component of any successful relationship. If only these people had just used their words. I didn't understand quite why the scream resulted in her death or re-death or whatever it was. You go to all the trouble of coming back from the dead and then give it all up over a little screaming? Honestly what was she expecting? I also just wanted to add that I really enjoy the months you guys dedicate to doing stories by women or people of color. I don't mean to harp so much on social justice as I maybe do in these comments, but I just wanted to say that it makes a really big difference to me and I'm always so happy when it happens. Maybe it's just me, but my experience is that female authors in weird fiction, sci fi and horror often get left out of the conversation so I just wanted to express my support and gratitude. You guys are awesome.

After a couple of weeks of meager fare (the stories, not the hosts) we get a good ol' pile of gristle to chew over. Weird gristle. Odd. Scaly. Best not to think too much on it. Especially not at night. When the door does not open. And your child does not smile. Or talk. Best not.

Well you could sum it up with men are just the worst. but imagine if they were even the slightest bit goth. she wouldn't have even had to ask for a kiss, and they and their mute non-binary child would be living happily never after. Sounds like an updated night gallery meets love american style mashup.

How do I get ahold of that track y'all played at the end of the episode?

Wulf Mungus

Also i'm glad you mentioned crying since I cry about 6 or 7 times every time I listen to that one episode where Chris sang " a Holly Jolly Christmas" what a great time that was!