Happy Horrordays

One Of The Missing (Rerun From 2025) - July 4, 2026

Happy 250, America! May the wings of liberty never lose a feather. Welcome back to Happy Horrordays, my friends. This is my first recycled episode, but I think it's one of the best stories ever on the pod. Ambrose Bierce, of course, was an irascible writer, journalist, and soldier in the service of his country. If this tale is anything to judge by, he paid a heavy price. I wanted an American story for the Fourth of July. Otherwise, you might have gotten "After Dark in the Playing Fields" by M.R. James. But let's not talk about what might have been! As always, we owe a debt to Vivek Abhishek. His song, "The Door," is our theme song. Check out his YouTube page [https://www.youtube.com/user/VivEKhsihbA], sample some of his fine royalty-free music, and boost his signal when you get the chance. And hey, write me a review, friends! As long as it's five stars, of course. Pleasant dreams. #independenceday #july4 #fourthofjuly #ambrosebierce #horror

The Great God Pan, Part 3 (Featuring David Milloway) - Summer Solstice, 2026

Welcome back to Arthur Machen's "The Great God Pan!" Chapter 3 is titled "The City of Resurrections," but I don't think anyone was bent on raising the dead in Helen's experiments. That said, there's certainly a kind of resurrection here. Details in the episode, but did you know that Pan is the only member of the Greek pantheon whose death was reported to men? As Plutarch records it, "...take care to proclaim that the great god Pan is dead." Once again, my dear friend David Milloway has joined us, and I think his voice work is exceptional here! He tells me he worries about consistency, but he established and retained several excellent, distinct voices here. Thanks for joining us in this long, hot summer. Happy horrordays, to you. #horror #machen #pan #stories #gods

When John Comes - Father's Day, 2026

I've been a dad for almost 13 years, and I'm not sure if I've gotten more than a day right. I've been a son a lot longer than that, though, so I'm paying tribute to my dad this Father's Day. "When John Comes" is a variation on a story Dad used to tell me when I was a boy. I hope I've nailed it, but I'll be honest. This episode is mainly for my dad, just so he knows I appreciate all the time he spent telling me stories when I was growing up. "The Great God Pan" will continue shortly, never fear! We've just got too many holidays clustered in one month to leave the story uninterrupted. Vivek Abhishek's music, as always, is very much appreciated. "Sumala" and "Mister Cheeze" are the pieces of music I've never featured previously. "The Door" remains our theme song. Check out his YouTube page [https://www.youtube.com/user/VivEKhsihbA] when you get the chance!

The Great God Pan, Chapter 2 (Featuring David Milloway) - Midsummer, 2026

Hello, my friends! Our month-long celebration of the Summer Solstice continues with chapter 2 of Arthur Machen's "The Great God Pan," as read by my illustrious friend, David Milloway. Here, we see Mister Clark trace his memories and manuscripts, searching for Pan's fingerprints and actively trying to avoid them at the same time. I'm indebted to my friend Anna, who pointed out that Midsummer and Midsummer's Day are different holidays. Midsummer is the third Friday in June, so June 20th this year. The two holidays are close cousins, and in fact Midsummer Night is also June 20; Midsummer Day is of course 6/21. A quiet thank you to Vivek Abhishek, whose royalty-free music lends this show so much of its atmosphere and impact. As always, please take a look at his YouTube page [This image of a Black Dog is in the public domain, but I'm afraid I couldn't find out anything else about its provenance. Fun, though! Welcome back to Fae of the Day! Yesterday's Church Grim is a specific example, but Black Dogs pervade legends throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. These Fae beasts inhabit a wide spectrum of roles. Church Grims are potentially dangerous guardians; creatures like the Moddey Dhoo (aka Mauthe Doog) of Peel Castle on the Isle of Man are essentially canine ghosts. That said, they're more dangerous than most phantoms, and if someone mocks them, they might frighten the offending fool to death. Black Dogs are more of a theme in fairy lore than a specific legend. Most of these large, shaggy canines are quite dangerous. However, some dedicate themselves to protecting people. These Guardian Black Dogs are known for doing things like protecting travelers from robbers (]. He really does have a fine assortment of compositions there. Until next week, pleasant dreams. #midsummer #pan #machens #horror

The Great God Pan, Part 1 (Featuring David Milloway) - Midsummer, 2026

Our first multi-part episode! My friend David Milloway offered to read "The Great God Pan, "and once I heard his familiar voice turn completely alien to me, I couldn't say no! Stephen King has said he considers "The Great God Pan" the scariest horror story in existence. Who am I to argue? It certainly gives us a suitably pagan way of celebrating the Solstice. We'll see how things shake out, but this is the first of 4-5 weekly installations, spread out across the summer. In addition to "The Door," I've also included Vivek Abhishek's "Obsession" on today's soundtrack. As always, thank Vivek for his hard work by subscribing to his YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/user/VivEKhsihbA]! #midsummer #solstice #summer #horror #greatgodpan