The Magnus Archives – Episode 18: "The Man Upstairs"

Date: May 11, 2016
Written and Performed by: Jonathan Sims
Episode Description:
Archivist Jonathan Sims presents the chilling statement of Christoph Rudenko, who recounts a series of increasingly disturbing encounters with his mysterious upstairs neighbour at Welbeck House. As the story unfolds, a blend of the mundane and the supernatural paints a tale of isolation, dread, and the uncanny lurking just above.

Main Theme

This episode explores the horrors that can live right next door—a haunting descent into unease as the boundaries between the everyday and the grotesque blur. The interplay between Rudenko's rational explanations and inexplicable events highlights The Magnus Archives' trademark blend of horror and ambiguity.

Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. Moving In & First Encounter (05:43–10:34)

• Setting the Scene: Christoph Rudenko buys a ground floor flat at Welbeck House, London. He details the drawbacks of ground floor living, especially the presence of upstairs neighbours.
• First Sighting: On move-in day in late 2002, Rudenko sees a hooded man in the window above, exuding an inexplicable, rancid smell—“halfway between the smell of pavement after rain on a hot day and chicken that's starting to turn.” (07:25)
• Lasting Impression: The hooded man’s silent watching leaves Rudenko unsettled though nothing overtly threatening occurs.

2. Life with the Unknown Neighbour (08:45–12:08)

• Neighbours: Rudenko introduces other residents—families and regular tenants—but never sees the man upstairs after the first day.
• Unpleasant Details: Occasionally, he catches whiffs of the same rot, usually near his ceiling, hinting at its source upstairs.
• Avoidance: Prefers not to confront the upstairs neighbour, merely tolerating the oddities.

3. The Start of the Hammering (10:34–12:56)

• Noisy Disturbances: On July 5, 2004, loud banging sounds begin overhead, coinciding with Rudenko’s birthday party preparations.
• Pattern Emerges: The banging recurs every two weeks for about an hour, moving from walls to floor.
• Growing Frustration: Despite annoyance, Rudenko avoids confrontation due to unease about the neighbour.

4. Forced Contact: Delivering a Package (12:30–15:17)

• Pretext to Confront: Rudenko receives a misdelivered package addressed to “Mr. Toby Carlisle”—his upstairs neighbour.
• Dread-Filled Approach: The hallway outside Carlisle’s flat reeks, the door is stained and unnumbered.
• Unnerving Encounter: The door opens a crack, darkness inside. Rudenko encounters “a cracked, ragged voice” (14:02), a disgustingly filthy hand grabs the package, leaving a noxious smear on his jacket.
• Memorable Quote:

  "The hand was thin and pale, with long filthy yellow fingernails. On the back I saw a single dark red mark that might have been a cut or a lesion, but it was gone before I had a chance to see it in more detail." – Christoph Rudenko (14:16)

5. Two Years of Dread & The Stain (15:17–17:31)

• Status Quo: Rudenko explains how the oddities became background noise—until he tries to sell the flat in 2007.
• Escalation: Prospective buyers notice a strange stain on Rudenko's ceiling and a persistent bad smell throughout the flat.
• Unsolved Problem: A plumber is called, but delays and failed showings increase Rudenko’s anxiety.

6. The Plumber & The Uncovering (17:31–19:01)

• Breakthrough: Plumber inspects ceiling and finds the stain isn’t from pipes. Upon cutting it open, “a sickly yellow fluid with viscous white lumps” oozes out.
• Immediate Horror: The plumber flees, barely holding back vomit; Rudenko is overcome and physically sick.
• Confrontation: Pushed by anger and disgust, Rudenko storms to the upstairs flat for answers.

7. The Horrors Within (19:01–22:09)

• Breaking In: The neighbour’s door, now unlocked, yields reluctantly, blocked by something behind.
• Disgusting Scene:
  • The flat’s interior is dark, reeking, and the walls, furniture, and especially the light fixtures are all covered in rotting meat, stacked and nailed in multiple layers.
  • “Looking around, I saw that every surface, the walls, the floor, the tables, everything except the curtained windows was covered in meat...layers of it, the newest additions simply stuck on top of the old, and a putrid yellow white rot could be seen where the oldest pieces had long since turned to liquid." (19:40)
• The Body:
  • In the hallway lies Toby Carlisle, dead, face “puckered with septic lesions and holes.”
  • In the kitchen is a towering heap of meat and bone, “stacked almost as high as a person...it opened its eyes. It opened all its eyes.” (21:36–21:44)
• Memorable Quotes:

  “There in the center of the floor was a pile of discarded meat and bone, stacked almost as high as a person. … When I looked at that heaped pile of meat, it moved. I don’t know how. … It opened its eyes. It opened all its eyes.” – Christoph Rudenko (21:02–21:44)
  “There is little in my life that I regret quite as much as going inside.” (19:01)

8. Aftermath, Police, and Lingering Mysteries (22:09–24:09)

• Police Response:
  • Authorities arrive, the visceral scene is witnessed minus the animate pile of meat (now vanished).
  • Cause of death for Toby Carlisle: gangrene. Hazmat teams involved.
• Lingering Effects:
  • Rudenko moves out, becomes a vegetarian, pursues counseling.
  • “Counting how many showers it took before I felt clean again.” (22:09)

Archival Meta & Case Review (22:33–24:09)

• Jonathan Sims’ Commentary:
  • Police, hospital, and fire department reports are wildly inconsistent about the events.
  • October 22, 2007, confirmed incident: hazardous biological material, body of Toby Carlisle.
  • Research into Carlisle’s finances—no apparent means to buy such copious meat, raising the question: Where was he getting the meat?
  • Sims muses:

    “As Martin is still off sick at the end of all this, we've still been unable to answer one question. Where was he getting the meat? I don't know why, but it bothers me.” (24:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rudenko's Opening Reflection:

  “Never buy a ground floor flat. ...And then there is the matter of upstairs neighbours.” (06:05)

• Describing the Smell:

  “It's hard to describe, halfway between the smell of a pavement after rain on a hot day and chicken that's starting to turn.” (07:25)

• The Rotting Hand:

  “The hand was thin and pale, with long filthy yellow fingernails.” (14:16)

• The Apartment of Meat:

  “I looked around and saw that every surface...was covered in meat.” (19:40)

• Final Mystery:

  "Where was he getting the meat? I don't know why, but it bothers me." – Jonathan Sims (24:09)

Key Timestamps

• 05:43 – Statement introduction by Jonathan Sims
• 07:25 – First encounter with the neighbour and ‘the smell’
• 10:34 – Initial hammering starts
• 12:30 – Rudenko receives Toby Carlisle’s package
• 14:02 – Direct encounter at the neighbour’s door, the “cracked, ragged voice”
• 16:38 – The ceiling stain appears
• 17:31 – Plumber investigates, ceiling collapses
• 19:01 – Rudenko enters Carlisle’s apartment
• 19:40 – Discovery of the meat-covered flat
• 21:36–21:44 – The pile of meat opens its eyes
• 22:09 – Aftermath and mental toll
• 22:33 – Sims reviews the case, raises the question about the source of the meat
• 24:09 – Sims concludes with lingering unease

Tone and Style

• Narrative Voice: Largely calm, measured, and rational—Rudenko tells his story with control, which gradually gives way to mounting dread.
• Archivist Commentary: Jonathan Sims' analytical, pragmatic tone contrasts the horror in the statement, heightening the ambiguity.
• Signature Ambiguity: The truth remains elusive; the horror is in the details not explained.

Summary

“The Man Upstairs” is one of The Magnus Archives’ most viscerally disturbing early episodes, expertly mixing Lovecraftian body horror with the banality of urban living. The unexplained phenomena—noxious smells, inhuman hammering, rooms carpeted with festering meat, and a neighbor whose existence defies investigation—are all left unresolved, with one simple, unanswered question echoing at the end: Where was he getting the meat?