The Spider by Hanns Heinz Ewers

“The Spider” by Hanns Heinz Ewers, published in 1915, is a chilling short story set in Paris that explores themes of psychological horror, obsession, and the supernatural. Known for his mastery in horror and darkly surreal tales, Ewers dives into the disturbing and inexplicable suicides that occur in Room #7 of the Hotel Stevens, where Richard Bracquemont, a medical student, resides in the hope of uncovering the mystery. The story weaves eerie supernatural elements with psychological suspense, drawing readers into the depths of human vulnerability and the occult.

Plot Summary

When Richard Bracquemont, a medical student, arrived at the small Hotel Stevens in Paris, three men had already taken their lives in the exact same manner in Room #7. Each had been discovered hanging from the window’s crossbar at precisely six o’clock on a Friday, using the room’s thick red curtain cord as a noose. Though all three had shown no signs of despair or madness prior, the deaths were identical in detail. They seemed as unlikely candidates for suicide as Bracquemont himself, yet each succumbed as though driven by an invisible force. Intrigued by the mystery, Bracquemont was granted permission to take up residence in Room #7, his interest as much a matter of youthful ambition as of academic curiosity. Armed with a pistol, police whistle, and a direct line to the inspector, Bracquemont prepared to investigate the inexplicable—unaware that his fascination would prove far more dangerous than he anticipated.

As Bracquemont settled in, the hotel’s landlady, Madame Dubonnet, grew nervous, visiting him with stories of the deceased and urging him to be cautious. Each day passed without event, yet Bracquemont noted the strange hours at which the previous suicides had occurred, lending a morbid significance to the ritual of Fridays at six. The room itself felt no different from any other, he reassured himself, and though he kept watch with care, nothing seemed amiss. That was until he noticed, from his window, a young woman across the street—a striking figure with dark hair, seated at her own window as though in perfect view of his.

Drawn to her pale features and piercing gaze, Bracquemont found himself oddly enchanted. She did not seem startled by his interest. In fact, she watched him with an intensity that unsettled him. Soon, they established a silent exchange: he would raise a hand, and she would follow suit; he would touch his hair, and she would mirror his action. As days passed, their unspoken game grew in complexity, as though they communicated through a language of gestures. Mesmerized, Bracquemont felt an urge to observe her endlessly. She became his focus, his entire sense of purpose, eclipsing any academic intentions he might have had for the room.

Her presence began to fill his waking thoughts. She would sit at her window, spinning delicate threads on a spindle, her hands moving with inhuman grace. Her dark eyes seemed to call him, filling him with both longing and dread. He wanted to approach her, to cross the street and knock on her door, but each time he imagined it, he was gripped by a sense of futility, as though he would find only emptiness within her walls. The hotel room’s normal comforts seemed to fade, and he grew careless about his studies, absorbed instead by her gaze. Soon, even the occasional visits from Madame Dubonnet and the inspector seemed an intrusion into the reality he now shared with this silent, distant woman.

As Friday neared, Bracquemont felt a mounting tension, an inexplicable awareness that something was approaching. At five o’clock, the hour grew heavy with anticipation, and his gaze was locked on hers, his pulse rising. She lifted her hand, and he followed, as though drawn into a trance. At last, she nodded, beckoning him to approach the window. A thrill of dread ran through him, and he recoiled. He wanted nothing more than to reach for her, yet every fiber of his being warned him to stay where he was. When the telephone rang with the inspector’s voice, Bracquemont was jolted back to himself, breaking the spell and forcing himself to turn away. The woman was nowhere to be seen, as though she had melted back into the shadows.

The following morning, he resumed their strange ritual. The woman offered a slight smile, and he returned it, though uneasily. She led, and he followed, through gestures that had become more elaborate, demanding his undivided attention. As he mimicked her actions, he began to feel her influence more palpably. His gestures no longer felt voluntary; rather, he moved as if in response to her will, with a gentleness that seemed to consume his sense of self. She possessed him wholly, and his moments of hesitation dwindled until they were gone entirely. His every action at the window felt inevitable, as though he existed solely to please her and complete their silent exchange.

Each day, he grew less inclined to fight, savoring the intoxication of surrender. Yet at the back of his mind lurked a sense of terror, a feeling that what awaited him would be something far more consuming than he could comprehend. On Friday, as six o’clock approached, his calm slipped into unease. In the quiet minutes before the hour, she rose from her chair and walked into the darkness beyond her window. Moments later, she reappeared, holding a red curtain cord identical to his own, a noose tied at its end. Bracquemont felt a deep fear settle within him, but he remained motionless, watching her with fascination. She held his gaze, smiling as she hung the cord from her window crossbar, and waited.

The inspector’s last words to him echoed in his mind, reminding him of the promise of protection, yet he found no comfort in them now. Unable to resist, he walked slowly toward his own window, taking up the cord that hung there, an eerie mirror of hers. He slipped the noose around his neck, glancing at her for the final time. As he gazed into her eyes, a sense of terror mixed with resignation filled him, and he yielded, his hands lowering to his sides as though enchanted, bound to her with an unbreakable thread of his own making.

When the inspector arrived at the Hotel Stevens minutes past six, he found Bracquemont hanging as the others had—his expression fixed in a mask of horror, lips drawn back and eyes wide with terror. A crushed spider lay near his mouth, its purple-marked body torn nearly in two. Though Bracquemont’s journal detailed his descent into madness, the events across the street remained untouched by explanation, and as the inspector investigated, he found the second-floor flat devoid of life, the windows empty and dark. The mystery of Room #7 remained intact, and the quiet street of Rue Alfred Stevens returned to silence, disturbed only by the echoes of a tale no one could explain.

Main Characters

1. Richard Bracquemont – A curious and somewhat cocky medical student, Bracquemont volunteers to stay in the infamous Room #7 to investigate the strange suicides. Initially skeptical, his courage and self-assuredness gradually crumble as he becomes entangled in a mysterious force, ultimately surrendering to a dark allure that draws him to his tragic end.

2. Clarimonda – The enigmatic woman across the street, Clarimonda becomes the object of Bracquemont’s fascination. Appearing behind her window, she engages Bracquemont in a telepathic game of imitation and control, luring him with her silent yet compelling presence. Her influence over him intensifies as the story progresses, ultimately leading to his demise.

3. Madame Dubonnet – The owner of the Hotel Stevens, Madame Dubonnet is a practical woman deeply troubled by the deaths in her establishment. She shows concern for Bracquemont and remains skeptical about the supernatural causes of the suicides, attempting to explain them away through logical, albeit flawed, reasoning.

4. Inspector of the Ninth Precinct – The inspector represents the voice of authority and rationality, aiding Bracquemont by providing him with tools for protection and arranging for him to investigate the suicides. However, his rational explanations fail against the inexplicable events that unfold, underscoring the story’s theme of the futility of human intervention in the face of the supernatural.

Theme

1. Obsession and the Loss of Autonomy – Bracquemont’s gradual loss of control over his actions and thoughts as he becomes increasingly obsessed with Clarimonda reveals the theme of obsession. This loss of autonomy is underscored by the telepathic influence Clarimonda exerts over him, symbolizing how one can be drawn to self-destructive behavior when possessed by overwhelming fixation.

2. The Supernatural and the Unknown – The story invokes a sense of dread surrounding the supernatural through the inexplicable deaths and Bracquemont’s eerie compulsion to imitate Clarimonda. The suggestion of dark forces at play questions the limits of rationality and highlights humanity’s vulnerability to the unknown.

3. The Seductive Power of Death – Ewers explores the seductive allure of death, depicting how Bracquemont’s fascination with Clarimonda turns into a subconscious death drive. As he continues his interaction with her, he becomes hypnotized by a force that pulls him toward suicide, representing death as both terrifying and strangely alluring.

4. Isolation and Alienation – Bracquemont’s descent is paralleled by his isolation; though he maintains contact with the inspector and Madame Dubonnet, he withdraws from others, engrossed in his growing obsession. His alienation symbolizes the dangers of separating oneself from reality, rendering him defenseless against dark, unknown forces.

Writing Style and Tone

Hanns Heinz Ewers employs a stark, suspenseful tone that subtly evokes dread and psychological tension. His use of a first-person journal format immerses the reader in Bracquemont’s thoughts, fostering intimacy while hinting at his spiraling psyche. The gradual unraveling of Bracquemont’s mind is depicted through concise, observational language that shifts subtly, reflecting his loss of control. Ewers builds suspense through precise descriptions and an incremental revelation of the supernatural, combining Bracquemont’s observations with chilling, understated clues to emphasize the unseen terror.

The style is also notable for its almost clinical approach to horror, evoking a psychological realism that gives weight to Bracquemont’s fears and to the “games” with Clarimonda. By juxtaposing rational explanations with irrational, supernatural happenings, Ewers constructs a tense atmosphere that pulls the reader into Bracquemont’s inexplicable experience. The story’s pacing and detailed psychological depiction make for a compelling narrative that moves steadily from curiosity to horror, culminating in an unforgettable climax.