| "Number 13" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by M.R. James | |
 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror |
| Publication | |
| Publication date | 1904 |
"Number 13" is a ghost story by British writer M. R. James, included in his first collection Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904).
While researching church history in Viborg, Denmark, in particular the events of the reformation, the narrator's cousin stays in a local inn, opting to stay in room Number 12. Once in his room, he notices that the space seems to grow smaller and his furniture sometimes vanishes. He hears dancing in the room next door, which he notices from its door marking is Number 13, however upon discussing the matter with the innkeeper, he learns that there is no such room number in the building, as it is considered bad luck.
The narrator asks the innkeeper to visit his room at night. While talking, the protagonist and the innkeeper hear ominous singing in the room next door. They check Number 14, but learn that its occupant thought it was them. They then discover the door to Number 13 which the narrator had seen earlier. A clawed hand attacks them, and they attempt to break down the door but break through the plaster wall. The occupants of 12 and 14 spend the night in a double bedded room.
The narrator meets his cousin a few months later, and relates the tale to him. [1]
A dramatized narration of the story with Sir Christopher Lee as James was produced by BBC Scotland in 2000 as part of the series Christopher Lee's Ghost Stories For Christmas, adapted by Ronald Frame. [2]
In 2006, the story was adapted for television as part of the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas , starring Greg Wise, Paul Freeman, Tom Burke and his father David Burke. [3]
The Woman in Black is a 1983 gothic horror novel by English writer Susan Hill, about a mysterious spectre that haunts a small English town. A television film based on it, also called The Woman in Black, was produced in 1989, with a screenplay by Nigel Kneale. In 2012, another film adaption was released starring Daniel Radcliffe.
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The author and medievalist M. R. James (1862-1936) wrote over 30 ghost stories, which have been widely adapted for television, radio, and theatre. The first adaptation of one of his stories was of A School Story for the BBC Midlands Regional Programme in 1932, the only one produced in James' lifetime. The only notable film adaptation is Night of the Demon (1957), directed by Jacques Tourneur and based on Casting the Runes, which is considered one of the greatest horror films of all time. The most celebrated adaptations of his works are those produced for British television in the 1960s and 1970s, which have made him, according to critic Jon Dear, “the go-to folk horror writer for television.”
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