The Castle Spectre was first performed at Drury Lane Theatre in London in 1797 and quickly became a dramatic standard during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Lewis' Gothic play was one of the first to combine the action on stage with both music and special effects in order to evoke an emotional overload from theatre-goers. It was quite common, according to contemporary accounts, for members of the audience to pass out from fright during performances of The Castle Spectre. The Playwright, Matthew Lewis, was one of the originators of early Literary Gothic with his novel, The Monk. This edition includes the text of the original five-act play, a condensed three-act version, biographies of the original performers, newspaper adverts, contemporary reviews and critiques, the original musical score, and a critical introduction.

F. PHIL. Nonsense! nonsense!--Why, pr'ythee, Alice, do you think that your Lady's ghost would get up at night only to sing Lullaby for your amusement?--Besides, how should a spirit, which is nothing but air, play upon an instrument of material wood and cat gut?