A reading of "The Tomb," by H.P. Lovecraft. It was first published in the March, 1922 issue of The Vagrant, and first read aloud here, by me, in November of 2025.

Please note: this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone. In particular, this story is concerned with loneliness, the idle rich, monomania, desiccated corpses, some lightly implied necrophilia, some ribald poetry, drunkenness, and an involuntary commitment. If this subject matter is likely to disturb you, you may wish to skip this episode.

You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com, or enjoy the ambient Haunted Cemetery Ambience soundscape by Sound Illusion.

You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God.

Support the show

Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @podsothoth@defcon.social. Or email us at hideous@podsothoth.club. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

Tod and Claire discuss "The Loved Dead" by C.M. Eddy, Jr. and H.P. Lovecraft, which was first published in the May/June 1924 issue of Weird Tales. As this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone. In particular, this story is about necrophilia, or as we refer to it, "corpse snuggling." There's also brief mention of suicide as a viable out for the main character. Finally, there's a fairly long conversation about the nature of evil and how parricide (the killing of one's parents) figures in the balance of evil. We kinda go back to that over and over in this one.

Claire mentioned Jonica's Island, which was published in 1945. Claire says, "check it out!"

We never solved the mystery of "what was Tod thinking of" when he suggested a) Wuthering Heights has a plot element of indenturing, and b) that it takes place in Nova Scotia. Tod was thinking of Anne of Green Gables, which is, indeed, set in NS, Canada. But we're still unclear if any of the characters were indentured because we still haven't looked it up.

Finally, give @GreatOldBot a follow on Mastodon. Do it! And also Kevin -- find him in my mentions!

You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God.

Support the show

Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @podsothoth@defcon.social. Or email us at hideous@podsothoth.club. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

A reading of “The Loved Dead” by C.M. Eddy, Jr. and H.P. Lovecraft, which was first published in the May/June 1924 issue of Weird Tales, and first read aloud here, by me, in July of 2025.

Please note: this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone. In particular, this story is about necrophilia -- though it is heavily suggested, the dead are not loved in a graphic or overtly sexual way. But, that's pretty much this story's whole thing. If this subject matter is likely to disturb you, you may wish to skip this episode.

You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com, or enjoy the ambient "Haunted Cemetery Ambience" soundscape by Sound Illusion at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu_mMqKt_lU.

You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God.

Support the show

Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @podsothoth@defcon.social. Or email us at hideous@podsothoth.club. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

Tod and Claire discuss HP Lovecraft's "He," which was first published in the September 1926 issue of Weird Tales.

Please note: this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone. In particular, this story contains some unkind depictions of New York immigrants and Native Americans, a fancyboy-turned-necromancer, rum poisoning, a use of the Wither spell, and an inexplicable, multi-eyed ooze-ghost monster. If any of these elements are likely to disturb you, you may wish to skip this episode.

Check out our friend Kai's story in the Spring 2025 issue of 34 Orchard, "Change in the House of Flies," which is very horror-noir.

Also: 99 Percent Invisible's deep dive into The Power Broker starts here -- strong recommend!

Also check out sketches and history of the wizard's manor at this BlogSpot site!

Oh and of course find us in the Best 90 Lovecraftian Podcasts! (I'm pretty sure we're going to clinch this year's America's Top Lovecraft Following Man.)

You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God.

Support the show

Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @podsothoth@defcon.social. Or email us at hideous@podsothoth.club. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

A reading of H.P. Lovecraft’s “He,” which was first published in the September 1926 issue of Weird Tales, and first read aloud here, by me, in May of 2025.

Please note: this is a horror podcast, and may not be for everyone. In particular, this story contains some unkind depictions of New York immigrants and Native Americans, an unexpected amount of architectural detail, a fancyboy-turned-necromancer, rum drinking, tobacco smoking, poorly inflected Georgian-era English, a particularly damaging bout of madness, and an inexplicable, multi-eyed ooze monster. If any of these elements are likely to disturb you, you may wish to skip this episode.

You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com, or enjoy the ambient "Victorian London" soundscape by The Vault of Ambience.

You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God.

Support the show

Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @podsothoth@defcon.social. Or email us at hideous@podsothoth.club. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

Claire and Tod discuss HP Lovecraft's "The White Ship," first published in 1919 in The United Amateur. What better way to celebrate ☘️ St. Patrick's Day ☘️ than talking about Lord Dunsany at some length! Also, Claire, a sophisticated and educated lady of Irish decent, learns what a shillelagh is in this episode, so that's a bit of St. Patty's fun!

Links for you:

• Lord Samuel's Lovecraft Metal Spotify Playlist
• Tod's Dreams and Nightmares Apple Music Playlist
• Check in on Fantasy Flight's Dark Side of the Moon at Board Game Geek, but it's out of print so you'll probably have to go to eBay to find it
• A short article about Lovecraft and Lord Dunsany
• A free version of Idle Days on the River Yann by Lord Dunsany
• Del Rey's Dream Cycle collection, which you can of course read for free at https://hplovecraft.com

Weirdly, I don't think we swear at all in this episode, but I'll mark it explicit just to be on the safe side.

Oh, and I spent a fair amount of time learning about The White Ship Disaster at Wikipedia, and then went down a rabbit hole learning about Empress Matilda and The Anarchy, but alas, it didn't make it into the show. Also, it has nothing to do with the story, so it's probably for the best.

You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God.

Support the show

Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @podsothoth@defcon.social. Or email us at hideous@podsothoth.club. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

HP Lovecraft's "The White Ship," first published in the November, 1919 issue of The United Amateur, and first read here by Tod in March of 2025. As this is a horror podcast, it may not be for everyone. Specifically, this story contains descriptions of fanciful, far off lands, a celestial bird of impossibly beautiful plumage, the river Narg, a city paved with bones, and the rejection of paradise. If these elements are likely to disturb you, voyage no further with this episode.

You can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com, or enjoy the ambience by itself as Creaky Wooden Pirate Ship by Captain Sleepy.

You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God.

Support the show

Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @podsothoth@defcon.social. Or email us at hideous@podsothoth.club. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!

Claire and Tod discuss HP Lovecraft's "The Outsider," which was first published in the April, 1926 issue of Weird Tales, though purportedly written around 1921. Is it really about body dysmorphia? Could be! Is it goth a fuck? Absolutely it is!

Anyway, here are some links!

First off, check out Hell Cat Speed and Design's YouTube channel. If that's not quite noisy enough for you, then you're urged to experience Nile's Amongst the Catacombs of Nephrem-Ka with your entire body. Too loud? Head on over to Walking on Mars' Stacy's Mom (from Stacy's Perspective), since it's delightful.

Finally, if you're physically and psychologically able, you are COMMANDED to visit with the fine folks and deranged cultists at London Lovecraft Festival at the Drayton Arms in South Kensington on February 16-17, 2025! Go! Now! No time to explain!

As always, you can read this story yourself at HPLovecraft.com if you can't be bothered to back up one episode. You might also enjoy The Eve of St. Agnes, if you want just a little smackeral of goth in an otherwise Romantic love story.

(BTW, I think all these links are clickable in all normal podcast players. If they're not, please tell me! I spot checked Apple's and Spotify's, and those work just fine.)

(And yes, I know how to math. I'm deeply embarrassed for getting my powers of two wrong.)

You can text us now. Why? That’s between you and your Elder God.

Support the show

Like the show? Say so with money! Or just hang out with us on Mastodon, at @podsothoth@defcon.social. Or email us at hideous@podsothoth.club. Best thing? Rate us (positively!) in your favorite podcast app. That helps other people find the show!