The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

By: H. P. Lovecraft

Narrated by: H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society

Length: 2 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

An escaped madman. Unspeakable research into the blackest depths of the occult. Shadowy figures ruthlessly pursuing unholy secrets. Will a young man’s thirst for knowledge push him over the brink to madness, or will it lead him to a fate far, far worse?

Download the accompanying reference guide.

Public Domain (P)2012 HPLHS, Inc.

My favorite Lovecraft story brought to vivid life

I tried out Charles Dexter Ward after enjoying a couple other dark radio theater productions. This one blew me away. All the essentials of the original story are included with more drama to keep your interest and the brilliant use of sound effects to create atmosphere. When the narrator descends into the catacombs, I felt like I was right there with him. Using a credit might seem a little expensive for a two hour audiobook, but really it's a steal. I'm already sure that I'll listen to this one again several times. If you like supernatural horror at all, you owe it to yourself to try this.

great story. poor ending.

the story and acting were fantastic. my only issue is the ending. it was poorly crafted and not well suited for the story. almost as if they threw it in last minute or just wanted to try their hand at a twist ending(clearly failing at it).

Amazing, the reading adds life to the story

I honestly was disappointed before listening to it that it was a radio show style read, but was I wrong!

Amazing production! Hope they finish all Lovecraft's stories, I'm downloading them all.

The ending is the only shortcoming

The original story has always been a love-hate piece for me, because the concept is so good and quite the Lovecraftian narrative set piece, but the writing style is just so unnecessarily long and winding, that I find myself falling asleep listening to unabridged audiobooks of the story. Luckily, we have HPLHS to bring us just the right amount of action and dramatic tension, without the long grind through antiquarian details!

To be honest, I have some huge gripes about the ending bit HPLHS decided to put in. It's cheesy in old pulp radio play fashion, I know, but it kinda ruined the melancholic air they have so elegantly woven together near the end. Other than that, great, great performance.

Rad retro radio!

The conceit here by HPLHS and DART that Lovecraft’s works have been brought to 1930s airwaves is genius. The cast does it’s usual killer job, and the adaptation is handled with both care and confidence. Highly recommend.

Another great addition to a great series!

Great narration and production. All of the effects made this story so much more enthralling. I would love to see this story made into a movie or tv series.

A Double Helping

This is a fully developed dramatic presentation of one of Lovecraft’s foundational pieces. Well done.


I just finished listening to it a second time. It stands up to listening to again. A second listen add A to my appreciation of the dramatization and the original.

Great work by the HPLHS

A great story by HP Lovecraft and a great radio drama adaptation by the HPLHS .

Fun listen

Very well done! They did great capturing that one time radio show feel. It's a fun listen.

Lovely little pulp story

Probably my favorite HPLHS production yet but I have only listened to Innsmouth and Mountains so far. This had good performances and immersion that I could really enjoy while I exercise. Also great for a road trip at night through stormy weather.