Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows is an important early work in weird fiction and cosmic horror and went on to have a notable influence on horror writers who followed him.
What Is It?
Two friends, the narrator and his companion, embark on a vacation to a remote area of Central Europe. They travel to a secluded wilderness near the Danube River, and they set up camp by a desolate, eerie stretch of land surrounded by strange, unnerving willows. As they explore the wilderness, they begin to experience increasingly unsettling phenomena, including an oppressive sense of being watched, strange sounds, and visions of malevolent forces. The narrator’s companion becomes increasingly disturbed, while the narrator struggles to understand what is happening. As the atmosphere grows more surreal and terrifying, the two men are confronted by a chilling encounter with the unknown, which leaves the narrator profoundly shaken and forever changed.
Author: Algernon Blackwood
Originally Published: 1907
Legacy:
The Willows is an important early work in weird fiction that delivers a creepy and unnerving tale relying less on supernatural entities or monsters and more on psychological horror. It went on to have a notable influence on many horror writers over the years.
A Closer Look:
Algernon Blackwood’s novella The Willows was published in 1907 as part of the collection titled The Listener and Other Stories, and it would prove to be a pioneering work in the subgenre of “weird fiction,” which focuses on the supernatural, the incomprehensible, and the terrifyingly unknown. This was a departure from the works of 19th-century horror fiction, which featured more well-known supernatural entities and monsters like ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and the undead. Blackwood’s tale, along with several of his other stories, focus on nature’s power and its ability to inspire terror and a sense of the supernatural. His work leans more toward psychological horror, with characters experiencing a gradual erosion of their mental state due to the eerie, unknown, or otherworldly forces they encounter. It also contains elements of cosmic horror, which would become more prevalent in the early 20th century.
The Willows is often regarded as one of Blackwood’s finest works of horror, as it creates a slow-building sense of dread by establishing an unsettling environment and atmosphere of unease and mystery, contributing to the psychological and emotional deterioration of the protagonists. The isolated setting itself becomes a character in the story, as the ambiguous nature of the supernatural forces at play heightens the sense of fear, playing on the unknown and the uncontrollable. The story’s reliance on suggestion rather than explicit horror is definitely a strength, as Blackwood allows the readers’ imaginations to run wild, leaving much of the terror open to interpretation.
The Willows was certainly an important work for its time, even if that was not recognized as such when it first came out. It is also a tale that still holds up today, delivering a timeless sense of dread and terror of the unknown. While it has not received as much attention as more famous works of horror like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or the works of H.P. Lovecraft that followed, it is an important developmental piece of horror fiction and certainly worth a read for fans of the genre.
The Story Continues:
Blackwood did not write a continuation of The Willows, but he did publish several more tales in the weird fiction subgenre that could be considered part of the same universe. Probably the best-known of these is the novella The Wendigo, which came out in 1910 and also takes place in a desolate setting while dealing with terrifying unknown forces of nature. Other similar works include “The Man Whom the Trees Loved” (1912), “The Touch of Pan” (1916), “The Golden Fly” (1911), “The Transfer” (1912), and “A Descent into Egypt” (1913). These stories focus on nature’s power and its ability to evoke awe, fear, and a sense of the supernatural while also using settings of isolation to explore the effects on human consciousness.
Influence:
Like Arthur Machen (The Great God Pan), Ambrose Bierce (An Inhabitant of Carcosa), and Lord Dunsany (The Gods of Pegāna), Blackwood is considered one of the progenitors of weird fiction and cosmic horror. H.P. Lovecraft was heavily influenced by Blackwood’s works and considered The Willows to be one of the greatest supernatural stories ever written. Other horror authors who have cited him as an influence include M.R. James, Thomas Ligotti, Robert Aickman, and Stephen King.
Should It Be Adapted?
Surprisingly, even though The Willows is considered a classic of horror fiction, it has never been adapted into movies or television. Perhaps because the story is known more for its influence than the actual tale itself, it has not garnered much attention from the entertainment industry. However, it certainly should be considered for an adaptation, especially considering the fact that it could be produced on an affordable budget. It would only require a limited cast and a single setting, and the right creative team could do quite a lot with the source material. The story has plenty of visual elements, especially the willows themselves, and could be turned into an effective and gripping horror film. Plus, a good adaptation could potentially jumpstart a cosmic horror trend on the big screen.
Interesting Fact:
Algernon Blackwood was an avid nature lover, spiritualist, and explorer, and his fascination with the natural world often influenced his writing. He was also deeply interested in the occult and was a member of the Theosophical Society.
Where Can You Read It?
The Listener and Other Stories, which contains The Willows, is still widely available and you can purchase it print, eBook, and audiobook formats. Algernon Blackwood’s works are in the public domain, and you can find free eBook versions at Project Gutenberg. There are also quite a number of free audio adaptations of The Willows out there including at Librovox and YouTube. There is also a graphic novel version published by Floating World Comics.
