"Yes, you did well to awake," he said. "That warning came from your subconscious self, which never wholly slumbers, and cried out to you of deadly danger. For two reasons, then, you must help me: one to save others, the second to save yourself."

While M.R. James may lay claim to being the most influential of the classic ghost story writers, E.F. Benson is by far the most prolific. He penned more than 50 of what he called 'spook stories', and like James, his gothic tales also tend to centre on bachelors, who have the time to indulge their interests, usually to their detriment. Unlike James, however, his creepy tales can take place in society rather than in isolated churches or libraries. And he tends to place his tongue firmly in cheek.

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Tags: Classic ghost stories, ghost stories, traditional ghost stories, English gothic, UK gothic, UK horror, classic horror, old-fashioned horror, paranormal, spooky stories, spook stories.