I don’t believe in ghost stories, but I do love hearing them and one of my favorites involves an unassuming little townhouse in London located at 50 Berkeley Square.
According to legend, something evil resides on the second floor of the home, something so vile and dangerous that, in the 19th century, it was referred to as “The Nameless Horror.” According to witnesses, or in some cases, survivors… the thing on the second floor manifested itself in a variety of ways. It would appear as a shapeless mass, a tentacled thing, or a monster with glowing red eyes, fangs, and claws.
The stories say that it threw a sailor out of the window and onto the streets below, that it caused a maid to go mad with terror, and caused a perfectly healthy man to have a heart attack after it broke into his room and he fired several rounds into it with no effect.
I first read about The Nameless Horror when I was a kid in a book that was illustrated by the same artist that illustrated Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark which was a cornerstone of my childhood so, of course, the legend drew me in and, when I heard how close it was, I walked down to Berkeley Square to pay number 50 a visit.
I don’t believe the stories, but I wasn’t exactly anxious to go inside.
Jason Gaston 