Hypnogoria

In the last of our ghost stories for Christmas, Mr Jim Moon presents an eerie tale from Victorian writer, painter and poet Hume Nisbet, a rather creepy story set on a cold dark Christmas Eve…

In this episode, Mr Jim Moon provides a hopefully illuminating commentary on the classic BBC TV adaptation of MR James's famous ghost story Oh Whistle and I'll Come To You My Lad. Directed by Dr Jonathan Miller, this short film version first screened in 1968 as part of the BBC art show Omnibus and would go one to inspire the creation of the BBC's classic annual series A Ghost Story for Christmas.

In the next of our ghost stories for Christmas, Mr Jim Moon reads one of MR James's most famous tales – the classic Oh Whistle and I'll Come To You My Lad

This week Mr Jim Moon wonders why in the name of Santa's beard did he think it was a good idea to do a commentary track for notorious Christmas schlock horror Jack Frost… However he has a cunning plan to get through it…

Well December is here once again, and as is traditional here at the Great Library of Dreams we are hosting a series of readings of ghost stories for Christmas. We begin this year's selection of festive chillers with a tale written by EG Swain, a good friend of the great MR James who was inspired to try his own hand at crafting ghostly tales. The result was a remarkable collection called the Stoneground Ghost Tales, which blended Jamesian frights with a touch of Wodehousian humour. In this story, the long suffering vicar of Stoneground, Mr Batchell, discovers something strange about one of the parish church's windows...

In the first of our festive offerings, Mr Jim Moon goes in search of that merry wintry rogue, Jack Frost! Who is he and where did he come from? Is he just a winter's fairy tale? Do his origins lie in Norse mythology? And does he have any relation to Father Christmas? Wrap up warm, and come with me to find out!

This Christmas, a certain quartet of scallywags are reforming to mark the 20th anniversary of their first broadcasts, and hence in this episode, MR Jim Moon is heading into deepest and darkest corners of the benighted little town of Royston Vasey to uncover the true and twisted history of that now legendary comedy troupe, the League of Gentlemen!

Just a very quick update on the news that Geekplanet Online is closing down and what this means for the podcast!

In this episode, Mr Jim Moon returns to the haunted shelf of childhood favourites and dusts off the very creepy tome, the Hamlyn Book of Ghosts by Mr Daniel Farson, first published way back in 1978!

In this addition to our history of the Triffids, Mr Jim Moon rounds up some triffid apocrypha. We discuss some comic book adaptations of John Wyndham's classic SF novel, and take an in-depth look at the official sequel Night of the Triffids by Simon Clark which was published to mark the 50th anniversary in 2001, and its audio adaptation produced by Big Finish.

As promised, here's an in-depth review of the new graphic novel The Dracula File from Rebellion. Collecting together all the episodes from classic British horror comic Scream, plus various strips that appeared in specials, at last we have the complete saga of The Dracula File by Gerry Finley-Day and Eric Bradbury! Mr Jim talks about the history of the strip and why no vampire lover should be without this marvellous new hardback collection!

Just in time for Halloween, Mr Jim Moon presents a special episode – a radio play that tells the tale of a most disturbing haunting, adapted from the classic chiller, Ghost Hunt by HR Wakefield.

Continuing in our annual series on the history of the spookiest night of the year, Mr Jim Moon takes at a look Halloween in the mid-twentieth century. We talks about the works of Ray Bradbury, the horrors of EC comics, and the Disney classic retelling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad (1949).

In this episode, Mr Jim Moon delves once more into the world of horror comics. In this show we review the second volume of Leah Moore and John Reppion's MR James adaptations Ghost Stories of An Antiquary Volume II, discuss classic reprints from Rebellion such as The Leopard of Lime Street and Monster, and round off with an in-depth review of their new Scream & Misty Halloween Special

Continuing our reviews of some recent horror movies, Mr Jim Moon takes a look at pleasure. In this show we review An Unkindness of Ravens, The Blackcoat's Daughter (AKA February), Get Out, and A Monster Calls. Once again all reviews are spoiler-free!

October is here and Hallowe'en is not far away. So then, in the first of a two part offering, Mr Jim Moon takes a look at some recent horror movies for your autumnal viewing pleasure. In this show we review Prevenge, The Evil Within, The Void and The Girl With All the Gifts. Note - all these reviews are spoiler-free!

Do you remember the '70s? Strange decade wasn't it? Post apocalyptic dramas, weird crime fighters, spooky SF shows, and some genuinely terrifying ghost stories... And that was just the children's television! Come take a trip back to that very disturbing decade where terror and horror lurked everywhere from TV to comics to board games and even snack foods! Relive those golden days with Mr Jim Moon as we take an in-depth look at Scarred For Life Volume 1 by Stephen Brotherstone and Dave Lawrence, a marvellous tome that both catalogues and celebrate that was weird and unsettling in the 1970s!

In this episode, Mr Jim Moon revisits one of the strangest ever TV shows for children, HTV's Sky, a bizarre SF tale that puzzled, perplexed and petrified a generation back in the 1970s!

In this episode, we mark the passing of another great talent, comics legend Len Wein, a man who penned classics runs on Spiderman, the Incredible Hulk, X-Men, the Phantom Stranger, the Justice League and Batman, and also created Swamp Thing and Wolverine!

The end of the summer is upon us, the days are beginning to shorten, and hence it's the perfect time for an autumnal tale of terror. Mr Jim Moon once again invites you to the cosy fireside of the Great Library of Dreams to hear a classic chiller from the man considered by the great MR James to be the best writer of ghost stories, Sheridan Le Fanu.

In another special episode, Mr Jim Moon pays tribute to the great Tobe Hooper, who sadly passed away this week. In this episode we take a look back over his life and works, discussing genre-defining classics such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Salem's Lot and Poltergeist, as well as some of his less discussed movies such as Eaten Alive, The Fun House and Invaders from Mars.

In this third but not final part of our (un)natural history of the triffids, we take a look at how Wyndham's horrible herbiage has fared on the small screen, reviewing the classic BBC six part series produced in 1981 and the 2009 mini series.

Continuing our exploration of the (un)natural history of the triffids, in this episode Mr Jim Moon looks at the various radio version produced down the years by the BBC, and then joins Howard Keel to take on John Wyndham's horticultural horrors on the big screen in the 1962 movie version.

This week, we are popping out into the gardens of the Great Library of Dreams, to see how our prize triffids are coming along. And along the way we discuss the origins of these infamous plants and the themes of John Wyndham's classic SF novel.

In an(other) unplanned impromptu episode Mr Jim Moon pays tribute the late Martin Landau, discussing Space 1999 and his Oscar winning performance as Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton's Ed Wood (1994). And then we take a quick look at Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster to round things off.

In a special episode, Mr Jim Moon pays tribute to the late great George A Romero, taking a personal trip through the legendary director's many classic movies, chatting about movies such as Martin, Creepshow and The Crazies as well as his famous Dead saga.

In this episode we discover how the dead walked across the airwaves and uncover a legion of zombies in the world of old time radio! In this episode we discover a legion of zombies in the world of old time radio! We discover how the dead walked across the airwaves in shows like Unsolved Mysteries, Creeps By Night and Lights Out!

In this episode we chart how the zombie genre was developed extensively in weird fiction, in tales from classic genre writers such as August Derleth, Clark Ashton Smith and E Hoffman Price, and in the pages of the more lurid shudder pulps.

Continuing our history of the walking dead, in this episode Mr Jim Moon traces the development of zombie cinema in the 1930s in movies such as Revolt of the Zombies and Ouanga.

In this episode, we turn once again to the Stoneground Ghost Tales by EG Swain. In this little story, we learn of how Mr Batchell's rural parish is being haunted by a strange figure...

In this episode Mr Jim Moon continues to explore the eerie and macabre works for younger folks produced by Daniel Farson with a look at a ghostly television serial he co-wrote. Created for ITV, The Clifton House Mystery was one of several children's drama serials produced by Bristol's HTV in the '70s and '80s, many of which were on SF, fantasy or horror themes. In this serial, an ordinary family move into an old house that proves to have a somewhat troubled history...

At long last, Mr Jim returns to explore once more the mysteries of the mummy! In this episode, we discover what the Mummy was doing in the years between the end of the Universal series and the dawn of the Hammer cycle. We track down appearances in popular culture, talk about the mummies found lurking in the infamous 50s horror comics, and discuss two mummy movies from that era - both of which you can view for free and legally online.

To mark the passing of the late great Adam West, Mr Jim Moon pays tribute with a special chapter of Bat-history - a complete commentary for Batman the Movie (1966)

In this episode, Mr Jim Moon tackles one of the most troubling questions of our times, a question that has perplexed the minds of man for... ohh.. ages now! Yes, in this episode we attempt to settle once and for all the age-old question of are mummies zombies?

In a special episode, Mr Jim Moon pays tribute to the late great Sir Roger Moore with a commentary track for his debut outing as James Bond 007, the voodoo flavoured Live and Let Die (1973)

In the second part of this special investigation, Mr Jim Moon explores the various macabre and strange theories advanced for the Bella in the Wych Elm case. Was this an occult murder? Or part of some sinister espionage plot? In this episode we weigh up assorted allegations implicating spies and witches, attempt to unravel the myths surrounding this notorious unsolved case, and get as close to the truth as we can...

In the first episode of a special two-part investigation, Mr Jim Moon ventures into the darkest part of the woods to investigate a most mysterious unsolved case. In 1943, some boys made a most macabre discovery in Hagley Woods, near Birmingham - the skeleton of a woman buried within a hollow tree. Who was she? Was this murder? Was witchcraft involved? And who was responsible for the cryptic graffiti that began to appear - "Who put Bella down the wych elm?"

We are continuing our investigations into the history of the grisly Hand of Glory, and in this episode uncover links to another mysterious item beloved of witches and sorcerers, the Mandrake root, and learn more of the lore of the grimoires.

As part of our mini-series on the legend of the Hand of Glory, in this episode we pay a visit to the fireside of the Great Library of Dreams to hear a classic horror tale inspired by these gruesome occult items, The Flayed Hand by Guy de Maupassant!

In this episode Mr Jim Moon explores the sinister legend of the Hand of Glory, a rather gruesome talisman connected with crime, witchcraft and black magic!

Once again Mr Jim Moon invites you to the cosy fireside of the Great Library of Dreams to hear a classic tale of terror. This time we have an eerie little story from Flavia Richardson AKA Christine Campbell Thomson, a lady who knew a thing or two about what made a terrifying tale!

In this little episode, Mr Jim is once more delving into the world of horror books for kids, and the writings of Mr Daniel Farson. Following on from our discussion of the Hamlyn Book of Horror, we now turn to a much-loved paperback tome, an indispensable guide to the realms of terror, The Beaver Book of Horror! Stop laughing at the back!

In this episode, Mr Jim Moon takes an in-depth look at the world's first ever zombie movie, with a full commentary track for White Zombie from 1932, starring the legendary Bela Lugosi. And as this movie is in the public domain, you can watch along legally and for free!

In this special episode, Mr Jim Moon pays tribute to one of the all time great artists in horror, Mr Bernie Wrightson - creator of Swamp Thing, illustrator of Frankenstein, star of horror comics from Warren and DC, and collaborator with Stephen King.

In this episode, Mr Jim Moon explores the original dawn of the dead... when the zombie first shambled from folklore into horror fiction. Hence we are taking a look at the first zombie tales that appeared in the 1930s, including HP Lovecraft's early classic Herbert West: Reanimator

The Zombi Zombi series continues with a very special reading of the true origin of the walking dead. Mr Jim Moon presents the original account of zombieism "Dead Men Working in the Cane Fields" from William Seabrook's book The Magic Island. We go on to learn much more of voodoo, Haiti, its history and, of course, its zombies...

In this special tie-in episode of From the Great Library of Dreams, we sample a tale of caribbean terror from Henry S Whitehead, the classic Jumbee, and learn more of the strange lore of the supernatural that lies within the origins of the zombie!

In this episode, Mr Jim Moon resurrects his Zombi Zombi series, and this time we are going right back to the beginning! In this show we unearth the earliest accounts of the zombi, hearing strange tales of haunted islands, voodoo rites, and discover something a little different to what you might be expecting!

This week Mr Jim Moon presents a tale from an unexpected source. For while John Buchan is best known for his adventure novels, such as the much filmed The 39 Steps, he also used to dabble in weird fiction too. And so tonight we present a tale of darkest Africa, ancient temples, and strange powers!

In this episode, Mr Jim Moon has a flip through a battered but much loved tome in the Great Library of Dreams, a huge favourite with monster-obsessed kids in the 1970s and 1980s - the Hamlyn Book of Horror by Daniel Farson!