'I am about to let loose on the world a plague which could destroy all mankind'

Casting the Runes originally appeared in M.R. James’ second published collection of ghost stories (1911) and has significantly influenced the horror genre, inspiring later writers and filmmakers with its emphasis on atmosphere and psychological tension.

When academic Edward Dunning dismisses a manuscript by the sinister Mr. Karswell, he unwittingly becomes the target of a deadly curse. Almost immediately, he starts to experience strange and inexplicable phenomena, and as these eerie events escalate, Dunning must unravel the mystery of the runes before time runs out.

Casting the Runes is a chilling tale of occult revenge that highlights the author’s masterful ability to build tension through a distinctive blend of scholarly realism and creeping dread.

Montague Rhodes James (1862–1936) was a distinguished English medievalist scholar and academic, serving as Provost of King's College, Cambridge, and later Eton College. His ghost stories, widely regarded as the finest in the English language, have been widely influential on modern horror and many - including Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come For You, My Lad, The Tractate Middoth, A View from a Hill and Casting the Runes (aka Night of the Demon) - have been adapted for the screen