M R James was the master of the brand of horror that emerges from the everyday. Subtle in its initial intensity, by the end of the story you cannot help feeling scared in a way that remains with you long afterwards. In James's world, it is what you cannot see that terrifies; the unseen horrors whose face is only revealed when all the comforts of reality have been stripped away and it is far too late to run. This is fear that drives the victim to insanity...or worse.

The master of horrors unseen and those barely glimpsed, MR James's influence can be found in the works of many modern horror writers.