"The Crawling Horror" by Thorp McClusky / Houses of Horror

[@AlexDraco]

That was a great Lovecraftian horror tale ! As a non-native english speaker, I also have to thank you for the effort you put in speaking slowly, and comprehensibly, which makes listening to you so much more pleasant.

[@HorrorBabble]

Thank you!

[@cobrachicken07]

Ian's pacing is well suited for comprehension, even for English language speakers. That becomes very important when Googling those fancy Lovecraft words during a story. 😂

[@gregbors8364]

This holiday season, I just want to give thanks to this lovely channel that presents Weird Tales and other obscure fantasy fiction from the early 20th century in audiobook format.

[@Wombats555]

*cough* and his brand spanking new stuff like Seacliffe and Van Melsen.

[@gregbors8364]

@@Wombats555 Yes, that too

[@riphopfer5816]

I love this illustration. I don’t think there’s a single element of it that is not unsettling.

[@stephaniestevenson6335]

I am always grateful that I have access to this channel. Your talent for tale telling keeps me entertained for hours. I listen to your stories multiple times. Thank you all!

[@johnthorpe8341]

A BEAUTIFULLY DETAILED STORY MADE PERFECT BY YOUR VOICE

[@cobrachicken07]

Thanks for wrapping this series up with such a wonderfully weird tale. Love it!

[@cody1570]

I love your narration of H.P. Lovecraft. Anything and all things H.P. is a treat and your telling sets the tone theme and pace of it all, captivating our attention to a well read story

[@ZephaniahL]

Let us fight to ensure a future for Lovecraft at a time when antiracist fanatics would destroy every memory of him if they could.

[@soulreaver1983]

Another excellent story to enjoy many thanks as always Ian 🙂👍

[@TransRoofKorean]

This reminded me so much of _The Thing_ -- that is, the film's eponymous creature. That's based (apparently fairly closely) off the 1936 _Who Goes There?_ Maybe that would be an interesting one to read... I'm wondering if the inspiration for that creature came directly from this story. I found this story great but frustrating... frustrating because the doctor is listening to this story, not willing to assume anything. If he assumes the farmer is telling the truth, he should, for example, be trying to get someone else around the house to help stand watch. But he seems like he's one of those hyper-rational people willing to assume nothing without evidence. Then immediately after this thing comes to a window and then leaves that night, he's willing to make all sorts of leaps of assumption: "you can let it try to take you over and if your will is stronger then you'll beat it!" Based off what, some vaguely hinted at Slavic legends? Who knows! Argh. You half expect the monster to just take over permanently that night as soon as Hans (or whomever) goes to sleep. I feel like it was so close to a coherent story but the author just couldn't get there, so instead skipped a bunch because it didn't really make sense. S:

[@vali6717]

A few years ago I did mention the posibility of a reading of Who Goes There? and unfortunately as it is, or at least was at the time, not within the public domain such a thing is impossible. A shame to be sure but understandable.

[@TransRoofKorean]

@@vali6717 Weird that it's not. Story came out only 2 years after this one. But yeah, sometimes people manage to extend those copyrights impossibly long times. Damn that Sonny Bono Act, heh... when this country was founded copyrights were 7 years extendable to 14 years, eventually expanded up to 70 years, then Sonny Bono ends up a Senator and pushes that 70 year to be extendable. Insanity! Section 1 of the Constitution says straight-up that copyrights are for "limited" times and their only purpose should be to promote creativity and innovation... blatantly unconstitutional crap that these neverending copyrights are S: sorry had to rant

[@benalexander2104]

Also, letting the girl/horror into the house and letting it out of your sight with another person who's asleep?! After you're convinced it's a real thing and someone has explained IN DETAIL it's behaviour patterns?! What?! That's beyond the realm of simple common sense and believability. However, it's still a great story and narration. I particularly liked the bit where the tracks in the snow turn from human footprints to those of a shapeless a dragged mass.

[@paulsmart4672]

@@benalexander2104 Yeah, the narrator screwed up so bad. Poor Hilda, she'd have survived if only the village doctor had had his head screwed on straight.

[@Raao1]

The narrator is the epitome of modern teen horrors where main characters do stupid things like hearing a noise in the dark and going to explore. Characters acting against their natural instincts is so annoying.

[@andreasfilis9001]

Totally stunned! What a story! Thank you very much Ian

[@awarningtothecuriouswerewolves]

The Crawling Horror is when you are lying in your coffin...& your back starts to itch! Cheers Warren, who knows more than scratch about lying in coffins!

[@valkyrienazgul6109]

Your stories always cheer me up after a long day at work. Thank you!

[@walterfechter8080]

What a truly "absorbing" tale. Many thanks, Ian.

[@William72-o4y]

Ha!

[@Arwcwb]

I've never been disappointed - great work.

[@justinjex1]

Thanks!

[@HorrorBabble]

Thank you!

[@RelativelyBest]

Nice to find a Lovecraftian horror story where the heroes actually win. Also a rather interesting monster concept.

[@Nerodrgn]

another great story and another great series thanks again for all the hard work Ian

[@battlehaggis4421]

Nice! Just in time for bed 🛏️☺️

[@infrared7759]

I listen to HB to fall asleep. It's made for some strange dreams. Ian has a nice voice for narration and I love early 20th century horror. This one however I haven't finished yet. It's a very unnerving story and it scares me too much for me to fall asleep. I'm 20 minutes in and I really want to finish the rest, but I can't have it keeping me up. I've found stories scary before but this is the first that I'm too frightened to finish.

[@1701EarlGrey]

Good story; it reminds me of remake of "The Thing" from 80's

[@Raao1]

Fans consider this version as cannon and the closest to the novella "Who Goes There".

[@MisterBones2910]

@@Raao1 Have you read the full Frozen Hell yet? I recommend it more highly than the short version released as Who Goes There.

[@lisamariehennessey4532]

Thank you for you lovely and hard work .this channel is definitely becoming one of my favourites again thank you keep up the good work x

[@JasonJason210]

I like the artwork on this one. Wow!

[@wwjudasdo]

Zdzislaw Beksinski

[@zama422]

@@wwjudasdo nope

[@Eris123451]

@@zama422 I don't recognize it either. But as I commented earlier I assume it would be in copyright if it was Beksinski , but it certainly has something of that feel about it ?

[@zama422]

@@Eris123451 very similar vibe, but it’s AI generated. They’ve been using midjourny to create thumbnails for a while now.

[@richardportman8912]

I like horrorbabble. I don't have a chunk fire, nor a pipe, nor a collie dog. My feet are not toasting before the coals. But these are great stories.

[@TheHappyhorus]

Fantastic artwork to match a beautifully done series, thank you 🙏

[@wwjudasdo]

Zdzislaw Beksinski

[@zama422]

@@wwjudasdo it’s AI generated art, specifically midjourney.

[@wwjudasdo]

I'm not convinced. This screams Beksinski.

[@TheHappyhorus]

If it’s AI generated art this kind of even more impressive in some ways. Either way I like it, it’s got a real ethereal feel, a little dune-esque in a mirror darkly.

[@zama422]

@@wwjudasdo read the description.

[@michaelgoodridge6813]

What a great tale and beautifully narrated; many thanks indeed.

[@charlottewolf1096]

I have just found your channel and loved this xxx thank you xx

[@robbabcock_]

A wonderfully Lovecraftian tale, eerie and strange!

[@adamscrivner30]

Good of the doctor to pitch in to help and get his Hans dirty.

[@lastofthe4horsemen279]

Good one

[@adamscrivner30]

@@lastofthe4horsemen279 apologies 🙏

[@TyCollage]

​@@adamscrivner30😂😂😂 no need, good one lol.

[@bradgilbert9546]

Possibly one of the best tales ever written or narrated. I was lost in it...and that takes a lot. Thank you.

[@Leftyotism]

I love me a good intro for getting under me blanket.

[@cobrachicken07]

I love this tale! So creepy. Excellent narration! ❤

[@aaronweaver9751]

I wonder if Hans will end up like Tal Rasha. Imagine if such a creature were to appear in a urban setting. Kudos to the narrator and author.

[@evelanpatton]

Like zombies…or the BLOB!

[@aaronweaver9751]

@@evelanpatton Blob Zombies or Zombie Blobs or folks who hand out pamphlets to join the Church of All Others.

[@asageaspa]

This one was extra creepy! Poor animals!

[@mauricedavis2160]

Excellent as always Sir, encore and Happy Holidays Horror Babble!!!☃️👻❣️

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

It gets more horrifying every time I listen to hit.

[@RedcoatsReturn]

This was a real scary one 😲 Wonderfully read with vivid description and animated projection in my mind 😊👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏😊👍👍

[@beverlyamarantes9775]

Thank you Sir Ian!

[@michaeltalpas]

Did he become the monster, or did the monster become him? A terrifying tale. Thank you.

[@RelativelyBest]

Presumably Hans gained the abilities of the creature, as well as the knowledge of all the people it consumed. So, both, in a way? The important thing is, he won.

[@michaeltalpas]

@@RelativelyBest or, at least, that’s what ‘it’ wants us to think! I’m joking. But it’s a terrifying thought. Let the monster eat you, so you can take the monster over from the inside.

[@RelativelyBest]

@@michaeltalpas You know, I'm actually glad the author didn't go for that _"...or did he?! Dun-DUN!"_ stinger at the end. I know it's a horror staple but sometimes it can really undermine the conclusion, plus I prefer it when stories are straightforward about what's going on. And yeah, the battle of wills was a serious gamble, but I'm a sucker for that sort of thing. By the way, a neat detail is that the monster actually confirmed that its victims were still in there in some capacity, meaning it wasn't just an unfounded hypothesis of the narrator. (It was actually sort of weird how the doctor went from not really believing a word of it to talking like he knew all about how to fight these completely unheard of creatures.)

[@michaeltalpas]

@@RelativelyBest Yeah, I'm glad the author didn't go that route as well. It cheapens the story, in a way. I'm just so used to modern stories ending with a stinger, or a cliffhanger, my mind immediately goes to that.

[@RelativelyBest]

@@michaeltalpas Really, that's part of the problem. It's such a common cliché that everyone has been conditioned to expect it. Which, you know, is kinda the opposite of the intended effect.

[@teslastellar]

What a great story. Thanks for the narration and happy new year 🎆🎉

[@Martial-Mat]

The thing but with an incongruous supernatural element at the end that somewhat undermined an otherwise good story.

[@VildhjartaFanGurl]

Surprisingly delightful.

[@DocZ82]

Love my Horrorbabble!

[@Eris123451]

Individually, with a couple of exceptions, (Blood Drips is particularly strong,) the new illustrations aren't necessarily always that striking, however taken as a set they definitely have; something.

[@plantlord3266]

very well done sir. As I said on another video reaction your voice fits these stories perfectly-continued success....

[@potatojoe370]

An amalgam of vampire, the blob and the thing with a touch of spirit capture.

[@MisterBones2910]

Has an element of Gene Wolfe's "Alzabo" in it too near the end.

[@OccultNoir]

Wow this was great

[@St.Linguini_of_Pesto]

Love the illustration.

[@carlapomeroy3808]

What a chilling treat!

[@misfitsatanas5756]

More!! I demand more of this amazing content!! 🤘☠️🤘

[@blakmajk3512]

Banger!

[@AcornElectron]

Keep up the good work and, as always, stay safe!

[@Wombats555]

Oooh The Verbing Noun, you know how to tease a Weird Tales fan you eldritch gibbous minx, you :)

[@libertycowboy2495]

My fave channel!

[@Ivanhoe52]

Yeeeyyy.... The description of dead woman is quite vivid. Exquisit. I don't know which option is creepyer; the one where the souls of the killed ones is within that being, or that it is bluffing, and it's on the loose.

[@PlayNiceFolks]

I feel like this could have a sequel

[@spookystoriesandweirdtales918]

Dear HorrorBabble. Where do you get these absolutely enthralling art pieces for the thumbnail??

[@angelaverbowski995]

#942-✅👍🏻 Always, A wonderful Story. 🌹

[@jeffreyriley8742]

This is The Thing! This is more Thing than the Thing!

[@Doperwtje81]

This was a great story!

[@Haerleif]

crazygood horror , this should be a movie

[@thom-novi]

So good. I wonder if it influenced the writing of The Thing...

[@feralbluee]

DO NOT read til you’ve listened!! . . . . . . . Thanks, Ian and company for this beautiful story. But i so wanted Hilda, with Hans’ help, to be the strong one to fight it off and shrivel it up!! She was such a beautiful, strong soul. but the conclusion was a man strong enough to contain the entity and join with his wife, while they both took care of the others. :). 😾🌹🌱

[@hoverpantsz262]

That was good i think they should have just set light to the bloody thing though haha good stuff.

[@cameronechols1810]

This one is so good

[@lifewladye]

Loved this 👏🏿👏🏿🥰

[@elizabethlyons1066]

❤️Horror Babble❤️

[@danbernstein4694]

I hope Warren is doing ok. We have not heard from him in some time.

[@stern4141]

Hot off the press!

[@Super-650]

Great reading, and that screen art...where did that come from?

[@owensthilaire8189]

Haha! The blob meets Dracula!

[@EricDaMAJ]

Warren would say the thumbnail art is wonderfully creepy. But he’s dead, you fool!

[@wwjudasdo]

Zdzislaw Beksinski.

[@Eris123451]

@@wwjudasdo Artwork produced via Midjourney

[@Insult2inquiry]

such a good one

[@jerichohill487]

Pretty sure this is an almost hundred year old case of "you had one job. And failed, Doctor."

[@PlayNiceFolks]

This one was good. Actually had some gore in proper amounts.

[@bold810]

@2:15 "Idle Hans"

[@bertramgunn]

Great story

[@thefisherking78]

So... there were rats...in the walls? 🧐

[@lastofthe4horsemen279]

A Lovecraft scholar!

[@thefisherking78]

@@lastofthe4horsemen279 seems intentional

[@ScullyPop]

House of Horror!

[@Mark-vs9rk]

Is Warren still dead?

[@sarge4455]

Yes

[@Biodeamon]

The Thing before The Thing was a thing

[@samsonsoturian6013]

I see where John Carpender got his ideas. Just another reminder that nothing you love is original.

[@joannewatts9892]

shouldn't that read : nothing ONE loves .. use your sintacks .

[@joannewatts9892]

correction : syntax

[@JohnGauntSega32]

@@joannewatts9892 Thin stacks?

[@paulandreotti1639]

"Who goes there?", though written in 1938, was the direct inspiration for "The Thing from Another World" and "The Thing", not this.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

@@paulandreotti1639 most writers have plenty of inspiration

[@sergedenovo2389]

Oh nononono! Not rats! I remember when I was in a hotel in Greece Athens, There were rats EVERYWHERE! They were in the ventilation ducts! YOU HEARD them! ...This was not a bad hotel. It was kinda nice. Merry Christmas, everyone.

[@praywithpio6028]

I did enjoy the swan. 😉

[@BryinWillis-e8g]

Complete

[@jasoncookman3158]

Unreal story

[@tomcurran8470]

Brubacher is a good Pennsylvania German/Amish/Mennonite name.

[@cafeacupiper]

By Thorp Mccussy

[@schnoz2372]

Is that AI art or real art?

[@paulbrozyna3006]

Good grief that got gorier than I expected. Rather made me think of the eye popping remake of The Blob.

[@bigsarge2085]

❤

[@KennyBell-o7j]

Well this one "inspired" at least two stephen king books, aka mr. copycat.

[@schnoz2372]

Wow he let bertha in the house why? Why didn't he send her home

[@glowingunknown5625]

You think the crawling horror is terrifying. Wait 'til you meet ... the waltzing horror.

[@evelanpatton]

***SPOILER ALERT POSSIBLY*** Would you have really let him go as a psychologist, I wonder? Ideas? What would you do? Might you get lighter fluid while they were kissing…

[@richardwilliams5387]

A good one, somewhat let down by a convenient idiot turn by the Doctor...

[@polynomial]

Clueless people get easily outwitted by a monster.

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

The doctor tells the poor man to get attacked and defeat it in a contest of wills, on what basis does he make this recommendation?

[@donaldscholand4617]

A good game of pinochle can be very distracting.

[@dirkbruere]

A bit blobby

[@orchunter8388]

By impeachable witness do you mean like Donald Trump or Theodore Rosevelt? Because that is two totally different meanings.