Weird Tales

A BBC Radio Collection of Chilling Plays Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft

By: Various

Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh, Derek Riddell, Eddie Marsan, Elizabeth Berrington, full cast, Geoffrey Streatfeild, Jamie Glover, Sara Poyzer, Stella Gonet, Stephen Hogan

Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

Eleven uncanny stories inspired by the master of uncanny terror, H.P. Lovecraft.

One hundred years ago, H.P. Lovecraft created the Necronomicon, a grimoire of lost souls, magical rites and forbidden lore. Now, locked away, the hoarder of horror is after new voices, new blood, to add to his collection. 

Listen as he shares the tales that come to him, whispered through the keyhole and written in the dust. From ghost stories to encounters with demons, haunted houses and a fateful Celtic goddess, they will draw you into his claustrophobic and disturbing world, stir your imagination and awaken your deepest fears and nightmares.... 

Introduced by Stephen Hogan as H.P. Lovecraft, these chilling, intimate dramas feature full casts including Elizabeth Berrington, Geoffrey Streatfeild, Stella Gonet, Derek Riddell, Jamie Glover, Adjoa Andoh, Sara Poyzer and Eddie Marsan.

Including:

1. Out of the Depths by Melissa Murray
2. The Loop by Chris Harrald
3. Bleeder by Ed Hime
4. The Fly by Lynn Ferguson
5. Connected by Melissa Murray
6. Split the Atom by Lynn Ferguson
7. The House on Pale Avenue by Richard Vincent
8. Original Features by Christopher William Hill
9. The Burial of Tom Nobody by Richard Vincent
10. Louisa's by Amanda Whittington
11. Night Terrors by Lizzie Nunnery

©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Lovecraft would turn in his grave

There's nothing particularly wrong with this collection of short BBC plays. They're all competently written and performed, and the production is excellent, as it always is. The problem is the "Lovecraft" tag. If you're a fan of HP Lovecraft, or even remotely interested in his brand of fiction, this production will disappoint. There's really nothing remotely Lovecraftian about it. Arguably the first story, Out of the Depths, has a vaguely Lovecraftian feel, with bleak fishing villages occupied by gloomy, sinister people with shady pasts. Other than that... no. Most of the offerings are essentially ghost stories. So far as I know, Lovecraft never wrote a traditional ghost story, and I think he'd have turned up his pompous nose at the very idea.

Each play is proceeded by a camp introduction by somebody who calls himself "Lovecraft". These introductions are in "Tales from the Crypt" style, and not remotely connected to anything that follows. Using this kind of presentation doesn't really disguise the fact that the stories are not really related to one another.

The BBC has produced many spooky, eerie plays, some of which are both entertaining and thought-provoking. If this collection had been marketed under the usual "weird tales" banner, I probably would have thought it was OK. It was the unfulfilled promise of a Lovecraft fix that disappointed me.

Lovecraft for the modern age

This is a fantastic selection of very different tales. It captures the ethos of Lovecraft perfectly and brings his style up to modern standards. All of the stories were enjoyable. It's a worthy collection to any horror library.

Weird Tales indeed! Entertaining? ...... never!

A collection of utter rubbish as far as i'm concerned. Obscure and outlandish in almost every way.

Excellent story twists

I was searching for a collection of Lovecraft inspired horror stories. These fitted the bill very well. I will admit that some were more traditional horror, but the twists in all the stories worked well.

good stuff.

good stuff. narrator was naff but sure it's meant to be a bit of a "man in black" thing. get Mark Gattiss back