Fearsome Fiction Podcast: Bram Stoker’s Classic ‘The Judge’s House

This week on Fearsome Fiction we’re sharing a rare gem. “The Judge’s House” buy Bram Stoker follows Malcolm Malcolmson, a student who rents a remote, cheap old house in the fictional town of Benchurch to study for exams in isolation. Locals warn him the house has a bad reputation, but he ignores them and moves in.

The house once belonged to a notoriously cruel hanging judge. As Malcolmson settles in, he notices strange things: a persistent rat that keeps drawing his eye to an old alarm bell rope, and an oppressive sense of being watched. Eventually he realizes there’s a chair in the room that seems to move on its own toward the fireplace whenever his attention lapses.

The story builds toward a chilling climax involving the judge’s portrait, the bell rope, and Malcolmson’s fate. It’s a classic “isolated scholar in a cursed house” setup that plays well for a horror reading, with Stoker’s knack for slow dread. And now, The Judge’s House.