The MR James ghost story test
By Jeremy Howe, Commissioning Editor Radio 4 Fright Night.
I don’t know where I heard about the MR James test. Maybe on Radio 4. Maybe it is apocryphal. But it is a test we want to set you.
We expect you to fail.
I failed.
MR James is the father of the English ghost and horror story who wrote at the end of the 19th Century. His stories are generally very short, but that doesn’t mean they are all that easy to read, which is why we think you should partake of this test. I recommend Whistle and I’ll Come to You for its ability to give you nightmares.
1) You have to be alone to sit this test.
2) Find a quiet part of your home where you won't be disturbed.
3) Choose an MR James short story.
4) Wait until dusk when the light is fading.
5) Turn on just one light – enough to read by.
6) Find an armchair and place it with its back to an open door in a bedroom or a sitting room.
7) MAKE SURE YOU ARE ALONE and then sit in the chair.
8) Check that the door behind you is open.
9) Now the test. Can you read the whole MR James story in one sitting without getting up to check that there is no one else in the house, that that creaking sound isn’t someone coming to get you, that the fox barking in the distance isn’t a werewolf, that you are safe?
We expect you to fail.
We don’t recommend that you try and do the same with or on Radio 4. It just wouldn’t be wise so close to Halloween...
Good luck.
