Happy Horrordays

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

The Gardener - Memorial Day, 2026

Rudyard Kipling wrote every kind of story imaginable. He was an esteemed poet and writer, and a great booster of the British Empire. However, as he aged and understood loss, he wrote children's stories (The Jungle Books, Just-So Stories) and a plethora of ghost stories. I like how human these tales are. So often, the loss of his son John colors Kipling's thoughts on war, love, and the afterlife. I think "The Gardener" might be the finest example of Kipling's supernatural storytelling. Special thanks to my mother-in-law, Donna, for suggesting it. Vivek Abhishek's "The Door" is our theme music, our only music this week. As always, I owe him a thank you for putting out so much excellent royalty-free music online. Check out his YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/VivEKhsihbA] page if you like what you hear. Spend a little time with family today. And light a candle for someone who's left this world, but has never left your mind. Keep the memory in Memorial Day. #memorialday #horror #ghosts #kipling "Do you like Kipling?" "I don't know, I've never kippled."

The Yellow Wallpaper - Mother's Day, 2026

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's classic tale of a mother in distress! I managed to use a different voice for the husband every time he spoke, which I think is half hilarious blunder, half stroke of genius. After all, we're hearing the version of John that exists in the narrator's head, and I think it's fair to say she thinks of him as a different man almost every time he speaks. Hallmark holiday or not, I wish everyone a happy Mother's Day, and encourage you to spend some quality time with your mother. I ran out of mothers roughly two years ago, so it's a tough time of year for me. As always, I owe some thanks to Vivek Abishek's generosity! Check out his royalty-free music [https://www.youtube.com/user/VivEKhsihbA] and thank him for his work. "The Door" is our theme song; an excerpt from "The Forest" gave us our music at the climax. #mothersday #horror #charlotteperkinsgilman

"Not A Round-Eyed Monster Blinked" - Recommendations - May Day, 2026

Our first recommendations episode! I usually restrict myself to the public domain, but I've decided to touch on some of the fine writers I can't cover properly here. The excerpts are brief, but Theodore Sturgeon, Ray Bradbury, and Walt Kelly are our stars tonight. Sturgeon's "It" is a wonderful tale for spring, all mucky life and death. Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" is a celebration of life, love, and grisly murder in an early twentieth-century small town. Finally, Walt Kelly's "Dog-Gone" and "The Town on the Edge of the End" are humor classics, but they're also more than a little scary. Vivek Abhishek's "The Door" is our theme song. You can check out his royalty-free music at: https://www.youtube.com/user/VivEKhsihbA #horror #beltane #mayday #spring Good night, everyone. Happy horrordays to you.