Available from https://virgilkaylock.uk/

Keen to build a relationship with Illustrated London News journalist Dorothy Bell, Virgil Kaylock reluctantly agrees to attend a séance with her…

Virgil Kaylock’s adventures continue in this third story (which I can confirm works perfectly well as a jumping on point if you’ve not heard the first two), with his hoped-for beloved (a relationship that’s rather one-sided at present) taking him along to a séance, which she intends to use to expose the fraud of spiritualism and mediums. Of course, things don’t quite go according to plan. I won’t spoil the outcome, but suffice it to say that there’s a damn good reason why people are advised to avoid dabbling with spiritualism – and events prove that to be the case in Kaylock’s tale.

There’s more than a touch of MR James about John Ramm’s script, and the sound design by Martin Malone and Neil Brand’s spooky score combine to put a shiver up your spine, even if you’re listening in the heat of the day. There’s a renaissance currently in stories set in this period that lean into horror and the cast that’s been gathered for this play it with exactly the right level of loss and innocence that haunted many in the 1920s.

If you enjoyed the Bafflegab modern MR James stories, or Neil Brand’s adaptations from a few years back, you are likely to find a friend in Virgil Kaylock.

Verdict: A sharp horror tale that is well worth discovering. 9/10

Paul Simpson