The Visitor at Anningley Hall (a prequel to M. R. James's 'The...

“The door,” Elisa mumbled. “He was trying to open the front door.” “What on earth for? Was he sleepwalking?” “Oh, God!” said Elisa, her arms squeezing Roland tight to her chest. “He was trying to let it in!” In 1904, M. R. James published The Mezzotint; a macabre short story about a picture that has a chilling tale of its own. This novella explores the horrifying events told within that picture. Anningley Hall – a large country house in Essex – is home to Arthur Francis and his wife Elisa. Arthur is obsessed with his new printing press and so consumed by his desire to make a name for himself as a mezzotint artist that he is oblivious to his wife’s increasing desperation and loneliness. Elisa is convinced that something sinister is coming for their infant son and will stop at nothing to protect him. When she discovers a disturbing secret pertaining to her husband’s past, she begins to question the safety of their home as a refuge from evil. And their three-year-old son is in contact with a dark presence that seems intent on entering Anningley Hall…

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