Review of “The Dreams in the Witch House” by H. P. Lovecraft: Halloween Countdown

Walter Gilman, a student at (fictional) Miskatonic University in (fictional) Arkham, Massachusetts, deliberately rented the tower room in the old house where accused witch Keziah Mason disappeared in 1692. His fields of study include “non-Euclidean calculus and quantum physics.” He also has an interest in folklore, all of which leads him to trace multidimensional space.

The room is oddly portioned; the ceiling slants to meet a wall that tilts inward. There may be an attic above his room, but the landlord says it’s been sealed off for ages and won’t hear talk of exploring what might or might not be there. The locals talk of an indescribable creature that darts rat-like around town. They’ve named it Brown Jenkin.

When Keziah Mason disappeared from the same room where Gilman sleeps and studies, “the jailer had gone mad and babbled of a small white-fanged furry thing which scuttled out of Keziah’s cell, and not even Cotton Mather could explain the curves and angles smeared on the grey stone walls with some red, sticky fluid.”

Gilman dreams. He sees shadows, which eventually resolve into a bent old woman and a rat-like creature with a human face and beard. He begins to sleepwalk, even discovering mud on his feet in the morning. Are his dreams really dreams? Or is he going somewhere?

A child goes missing from one of the poor families in town. Her mother says she’s not surprised; Brown Jenkin has been spotted, and everyone knows Walpurgisnacht, the night of the witches’ Sabbat, is approaching.

Thoughts:

I have to warn any potential readers that this story is gory and deals with the deaths of children.

Perhaps because it mentions the Elder Things, Nyarlathotep, The Necronomicon, The Book of Eibon, and Unaussprechlichen Kulten*, the story is associated with the Cthulhu Mythos.

Poor Gilman sees a connection between modern knowledge of mathematics and science and the knowledge of the old wise women. Somehow, Keziah learned to travel in extra-dimensional space that modern science is just now finding out about.

At one point, the reader is told, “Possibly, Gilman ought not to have studied so hard.” He found the records of Keziah’s trial fascinating. She admitted to the judge at the Court of Oyer and Terminer that one could use lines and curves to point out directions leading through the walls of space to other spaces beyond and implied that such lines and curves “were frequently used at certain midnight meetings.”

This was Judge John Hathorne, a historical person and an ancestor of the writer Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Much of the action is in dreams that say more than the words. Why doesn’t Gilman leave? When he starts sleepwalking, why doesn’t he take measures against it? The dreams terrify and confuse him. But they’re only dreams, right? Gilman isn’t evil. He’s merely curious. The things that happen to him do so because he dares to look in places others are too afraid (or too wise) to do so.

This tale is sad and gory. It poses an intriguing question; those with the wits and the will to ask questions suffer for their efforts.




Bio: H.P. (Howard Phillips) Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. He is best known as the creator of the Cthulhu myths, which involve “cosmic horror,” that is, a horror that arises from the dangers that surround us mortals, but remain so far from our everyday lives that we don’t and can’t see them. Those who seek knowledge of it are often driven insane or die.

Lovecraft originally wanted to be a professional astronomer. He maintained a voluminous correspondence, particularly with other writers. Though his work is now revered as seminal in horror and dark fantasy, he died in poverty at the age of 46 of cancer of the small intestine at his birthplace, Providence, Rhode Island.

Lovecraft was an early contributor to Weird Tales magazine in the 1920s. Among his best-known works are “The Dunwich Horror,” “Dagon,” and “The Call of Cthulhu.”


This story can be read here:


This story can be listened to here: (1:37:50)


*The Elder Things are fictional aliens. Nyarlathotep is a vicious deity, often seen as the messenger of Azathoth, the ruler of the Outer Gods. The Necronomicon is the fictional grimoire of Lovecraft. The Book of Eibon is a fictional book of Clark Ashton Smith’s, having to do with a wizard’s journeys and magic. Unaussprechlichen Kulten (Unspoken Cults) is a fictional book by Robert E. Howard. These are all part of the Cthulhu Mythos.


Title: “The Dreams in the Witch House”
Author: H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937)
First published: Weird Tales, July 1933
Length: novelette
Series: Cthulhu Mythos (Lovecraft originals)