Crouch End (short story)

"Crouch End" is a short horror story by Stephen King, first published in 1980 in New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos and later collected in his 1993 collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes. The story is presented as a police statement given by Detective and Mrs. Farnham, recounting their experiences on a honeymoon trip to London.

The Farnhams, attempting to locate friends at an address in the Crouch End neighborhood, become increasingly lost and disoriented. The area is depicted as a warped and unstable place, susceptible to intrusions from other dimensions and realms, particularly those associated with the Cthulhu Mythos. Familiar locations morph into alien landscapes, and the sounds of unseen horrors fill the air.

As they navigate the nightmarish streets, the Farnhams encounter increasingly bizarre and frightening phenomena, including strange rituals, inexplicable disappearances, and glimpses of monstrous entities. The story explores themes of reality fracturing, the fragility of perception, and the terrifying potential of the unknown, drawing heavily on the cosmic horror traditions of H.P. Lovecraft. Ultimately, the Farnhams are left irrevocably changed by their experience in Crouch End.