Arthur Machen's The Great God Pan (1894) is a landmark of supernatural horror. Dr. Raymond performs a radical brain experiment on a young woman named Mary, opening her mind's eye to glimpse the god Pan. What she sees drives her insane, and she later dies giving birth to a daughter. Years afterward, the mysterious Helen Vaughan spreads strange corruption and death through London society. As investigators trace her origins, they confront an otherworldly horror beyond human comprehension. Blending Victorian decadence with cosmic dread, the novella scandalized contemporary readers and profoundly influenced later horror writers, including H. P. Lovecraft.
