Audiobooks have never appealed to me before but as part of my Whovian conversion, I started listening to the Doctor Who audiobooks which BBC puts out. BBC by the way has the most tasteful memorabilia strategy unlike Lucas who cheapens the Star Wars name by allowing the silliest things to be branded.

Anyway, in my audiobook travels I came across a 13-minute audio recording of a short horror story called The Horla. It’s a story written by Guy de Maupassant and read with great enthusiasm by David “Ten” Tennant (as part of BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime programme in 2010). The idea is deceivingly simple: a series of dated journal entries recording… what? That’s where it gets interesting. The unnamed author writes about his encounters with an invisible supernatural force that feeds on his soul while he’s asleep. At times you wonder if you’re witnessing a man’s descent into madness or the inevitable possession of his soul by this supernatural being. If he indeed became possessed, who is the true author of the journal? Even though none of these questions are answered, the story ends in a terrifying but satisfying way. 

Tennant’s performance is entertaining, slowly building the suspense by nailing each and every emotional beat in the story.

Rating: I dare you to turn off the lights because this is one scary story.