Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole (1884-1941) was a New Zealand-born English novelist famous for his skill at scene setting and vivid plots. He was a best-selling author in the 1920s and 1930s and remains popular to this day.

"Seashore Macabre" tells the story of a curious boy who inexplicably follows a sinister-looking man at a seaside resort. The old man goes to a remote cottage on the edge of the sand dunes. The boy follows and enters the cottage, where he sees something so terrifying that the memory stays with him for the rest of his life.