So much of Christmas is supposed to by happy, jolly and filled with thoughts of prancing reindeer that we often overlook the darker side of winter solstice. But if we think about it for a while we start to realize that Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is certainly a ghost story. The Nutcracker, especially E.T.A. Hoffman’s version, while it may not have ghosts per se, is clearly very creepy.
There are quite a few other ghostly, creepy and malevolent stories set around Christmas time – think The Shining and Psycho.
So if you’re in the mood to settle down with some good old fashioned gothic horror this Christmas look at what sites like Scroll.in are serving up – creepy stuff like M.R. James’ Mezzotint. Also check out NPR’s Linda Wertheimer’s reading of a selection from Marjorie Bowen’s Crown Darby Plate.
On that note, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
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