Spooky Isles

WELCOME TO SPOOKY ISLES

Superstitions

Vine Folklore: Myths and Magic in the UK and Ireland

Spooky Isles Team - 26 March 2025

Cemeteries and Burial Places

Buried Alive: The Chilling Tale of Margorie McCall

Spooky Isles Team - 24 March 2025

Paranormal Research

You Don’t Need Two Legs to Chase Ghosts, says Rick Hale

Spooky Isles Team - 22 March 2025

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LATEST ARTICLES >

Barbara Steele Curse of the Crimson Altar

Barbara Steele: 10 Things You Didn’t Know

21 March 2025

Images from Peterborough of Old Scarlett, the cathedral's famous gravedigger.

Old Scarlett, Peterborough’s Spookiest Gravedigger

19 March 2025

Nicholas Vince on Hellraiser, Nightbreed, and the Monsters Within

I Am Monsters! Nicholas Vince Interview

17 March 2025

The Ghost's Chance, Millionth Chance, aka Jay Hollis

Jay Hollis: Bringing Ghostly Tales to Life Through Music

15 March 2025

St Johns Bridge Kilkenny

Top 10 Ireland Haunted Bridges

14 March 2025

The well-preserved hand of the Old Croghan Man, one of Ireland's most famous bog bodies.

The Horrific Truth of Ireland’s Bog Bodies

14 March 2025

The Blood Worm Moon

The Blood Worm Moon, A Celestial Celebration

13 March 2025

Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Edinburgh Haunted Theatres and the Ghosts That Linger

12 March 2025

GHOST & HAUNTINGS >

Ghosts and Hauntings

Cooneen Poltergeist terrorises Fermanagh

Janet Quinlivan - 18 January 20163

JANET QUINLIVAN tells us about one of Northern Ireland's most famous poltergeists, The Cooneen Poltergeist

Old Bull And Bush: A Traditional London Pub Full of Ghosts!

6 October 2023

Dark Ghosts, Not All Human, At Haunted Athelhampton House

6 October 2023

The Brushmakers Arms

5 Haunted Southampton Pubs To Visit For Halloween

6 October 2023

Daniel Dunglas Home

Daniel Dunglas Home, The World-Famous Scottish Seer

4 August 2023

Haunted Castles

Haunted Pubs

Haunted Hotels

HORROR & FANTASY FILMS >

Magic 1978 Blu-ray REVIEW

20 July 2023

Jim Carrey as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol 2009.

A Christmas Carol 2009 REVIEW

10 November 2024

Peter Fuller Discusses Witchfinder General VIDEO

23 September 2023

Bloody Britain, at least we’ve got Hammer!

6 October 2023

TELEVISION >

Armchair Thriller (S2, originally untransmitted): The Chelsea Murders REVIEW

1 March 2025

Emily’s Room: Uncanny (S2, E4) TV REVIEW

1 March 2025

Most Haunted - Mary King's Close

Three Locations Most Haunted REVIEW

4 August 2023

Uncanny Case 1: Miss Howard

Uncanny Case 1: Miss Howard TV REVIEW

20 October 2023

Doctor Who British Gothic Horror Connections

16 July 2023

In Search of Dracula 2020 TV REVIEW

28 July 2023

GHOST HUNTING

PARANORMAL REALITY TV

ESOTERIC ARTS

FOLKLORE & SUPERSTITION >

Vine Folklore: Myths and Magic in the UK and Ireland

22 February 2025

The Blood Worm Moon

The Blood Worm Moon, A Celestial Celebration

14 March 2025

What is a Cockatrice? Deadly Chicken Lizard Of Hampshire

4 August 2023

The Undead Revenants of Britain and Romania

23 September 2023

St Endelienta Brought Cows Back To Life!

4 August 2023

Illustrated Tales of Wiltshire

Illustrated Tales of Wiltshire: Eddy Greenfield Author Interview

4 October 2023

DARK HISTORY >

The grave of Margorie McCall in Lurgan's Shankill Graveyard, County Armagh, in Northern Ireland.

Buried Alive: The Chilling Tale of Margorie McCall

8 February 2025

Images from Peterborough of Old Scarlett, the cathedral's famous gravedigger.

Old Scarlett, Peterborough’s Spookiest Gravedigger

2 February 2025

Edward Teach Blackbeard

Blackbeard: The Ghostly Legend of Bristol’s Most Infamous Pirate

11 November 2024

Jemmy Whitehat Witch Doctor of Heywood

Jemmy Whitehat: Witch Doctor of Heywood

1 November 2024

Chewing Gum Grave

The Warning of the ‘Chewing Gum’ Grave

29 October 2024

Hatchet Inn: Blackbeard and Ghosts in Bristol’s Oldest Pub

11 November 2024

LITERATURE >

The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham

The Magician: W. Somerset Maugham’s Lost Horror Classic

18 January 2025

7 Chilling Victorian Ghost Stories Perfect for Christmas

7 Chilling Victorian Ghost Stories Perfect for Christmas

24 December 2024

Addiction Horror

Dual Faces of Fear: Addiction in Horror Stories

4 November 2023

7 Irish Horror Authors You Must Read

23 July 2023

Edgar Allan Poe’s English Gothic Inspiration

8 December 2021

The Castle of Otranto, written by Horace Walpole in 1764, was the first "Gothic Novel", combining romance with horror to explore fear and mystery, writes WILLIAM BOVE

The Castle of Otranto: The Birth of Gothic Fiction

5 September 2024

Dracula

Frankenstein

Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

UFOS & ALIENS >

Paranormal The Village That Saw Aliens

Paranormal: The Village That Saw Aliens TV REVIEW

8 July 2024

The Bizarre Legend of St Catherine's Island

The Bizarre Legend of St Catherine’s Island

19 April 2024

A70-UFO-Incident

The Curious Tale Of The A70 UFO Incident

18 June 2023

Dargle Cottage UFO Investigation, A Cautionary Tale

16 October 2023

7 Strangest Ireland UFO Sightings

3 August 2023

Phantoms in the Night or ETs highlights Lorraine McAdam's significant UFOlogy career, praised by NEIL NIXON for its honest and straightforward storytelling

Phantoms In The Night Or ETs? BOOK REVIEW

17 November 2023

CRYPTOZOOLOGY >

Beast of Bodmin Moor

The Beast of Bodmin Moor: Myth or a Very Big Cat?

10 November 2024

Morgawr: Cornwall’s Legendary Sea Serpent

15 November 2024

‘I Saw A Black Demon Dog In Wallington’: Real Life Haunting

4 August 2023

Elliott O'Donnell Bigfoot

Did Elliott O’Donnell Meet Bigfoot?

8 August 2023

Black Shuck and Demon Dogs

14 August 2023

Adventures in Cryptozoology: Interview with Richard Freeman

4 August 2023

MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA >

The Shadow Man Who Stalks Us

The Shadow Man Who Stalks Us

9 March 2025

Curse of Alloa Tower: The Erskine Family’s Lament

5 January 2025

Lord Dufferin and his Moonlit Vision

19 February 2023

Richard Case and Gef The Talking Mongoose

Richard Case: How I’d Solve The Talking Mongoose Mystery

9 October 2023

The Night Reg Presley Told Me About Crop Circles And Alien...

23 September 2023

In Search of Gef The Talking Mongoose

In Search of Gef The Talking Mongoose

8 October 2023

EDITOR'S PICKS

Folklore

Lancashire Day, A Time To Celebrate

Chris Newton - 27 November 20170

Guest writer CHRIS NEWTON marks Lancashire Day by revealing the county's strangest folktales and mythic legends

The Hunger 1983 REVIEW

15 June 2012

Northumberland Fairies

Hidden Magic Of Northumberland Fairies

20 August 2023

Bath: 5 Haunted Places to Visit

30 September 2020

7 Haunted Liverpool Pubs To Visit

20 January 2023

7 Haunted Musical Experiments With Terror In The UK

18 May 2012

St Columba's Mental Hospital in County Sligo, one of the many haunted asylums in Ireland.

Top 10 Haunted Ireland Asylums

14 October 2024

Shadows (S3, E6): The Silver Apple

25 October 2023

Nigel Kneale: The Visionary Who Transformed TV Horror

30 October 2024

Who Do You Think You Are?: Ghosts BBC (S1, E1) REVIEW

Television

Who Do You Think You Are?: Ghosts BBC (S1, E1) REVIEW

Gemma Johnson - 1 April 2024 0

As Doctor Who celebrates its 60th anniversary today, DAVID TURNBULL looks at how the iconic sci-fi show has used monsters and other Whovarian horrors to terrify us in its classic episodes

Television

Whovian Horrors: Watching Doctor Who From Behind The Couch

David Turnbull - 23 November 2023 0

London has lots of ghost monks haunting its churches...

Ghosts and Hauntings

10 Ghost Monks Of London And Where To Find Them

Jay Hollis - 19 June 2024 1

Being Human Episode 2: Tully

Television

Tully: Being Human (S1,E2) REVIEW

Petula Mitchell - 21 September 2024 0

Black Swine, Feral Pigs in London Sewers

Dark History

Black Swine: Did Feral Pigs Live In London’s Sewers?

Richard Clements - 27 June 2024 0

The Crown at Wells, a historic inn in Somerset, offers a haunting experience for the paranormal curious, writes DAVID SAUNDERSON

Ghosts and Hauntings

Ghosts Spring Forth At The Crown At Wells

David Saunderson - 2 September 2024 0

Morfa Colliery

Dark History

Morfa Colliery: Mining Superstitions and Ghostly Forewarnings

Spooky Isles Team - 2 December 2023 0

T P Cooke O Smith Frankenstein

Literature

T.P. Cooke and O. Smith: Pioneers of Stage Monsters

David Barrett - 8 November 2024 0

Bad Ghost Hunting Event

Paranormal Research

How to Recognise a Bad Ghost Hunting Event

Spooky Isles Team - 10 August 2023 0

Duntrune Castle Ghost Piper

Ghosts and Hauntings

Duntrune Castle: Domain Of The Phantom Piper

Rick Hale - 13 January 2024 0

Welcome 17

Television

Uncanny Case 2: The Bearpark Poltergeist TV REVIEW

Gayle Fidler - 24 October 2023 2

A View From A Hill 2005

Television

A View From A Hill 2005 TV REVIEW

Richard Markworth - 26 August 2024 0

RAF Museum Colindale Hendon

Ghosts and Hauntings

Ghosts of RAF Air Museum, London

Spooky Isles Team - 17 October 2024 0

Trinity College Postcard

Ghosts and Hauntings

The Hauntings of Trinity College, Dublin

Guest Writer - 16 October 2023 0

Dunrobin Castle

Ghosts and Hauntings

Dunrobin Castle: Scotland’s Most Haunting Love Story

Spooky Isles Team - 9 December 2024 1

DISCOVER MORE FROM THE ARCHIVES

Spike Island

Visit Spike Island, Ireland’s most haunted place for chills and thrills

Ann Massey McElroy - 14 May 2018 0

ANN MASSEY visits Spike Island in Cobh, County Cork, to discover one of Ireland's most haunted and eeriest landmarks

Graeme Reynolds

Graeme Reynolds Horror Author Talks Werewolves

27 June 2013

Van Helsing 2004 REVIEW

20 February 2015

The Silent Pool’s Legacy of Medieval Surrey Murder

4 November 2014

Cromwell makes Devil pact to win Battle of Worcester

1 March 2017

Mary Jane Kelly

Mary Jane Kelly, Jack the Ripper’s Final Victim

9 November 2013

Historical image showing The Green at Atwick, the stone cross on the left of the image is said to be haunted by a strange white lady.

East Yorkshire: 5 Haunted Places to Visit

7 October 2022

Shadows and Dread Haunt Inverary Jail

25 February 2022

Dark Legends Of Betty’s Grave, Gloucestershire

12 April 2023

PARANORMAL

The Dalriada, Portobello

Ghosts and Hauntings

Ghostly Tales of Haunted Portobello

Guest Writer - 9 June 2024 1

DARK HISTORY

Madeleine Smith

True Crime

The Strange Case Of Glasgow’s Madeleine Smith

MJ Steel Collins - 11 March 2015 0

HORROR FILMS

Konga 1961

Film Reviews

Konga 1961 REVIEW

Simon Ball - 26 October 2013 2

FILM REVIEWS >

Welcome 21

The Haunted House of Horror 1969 REVIEW

Nia Jones - 7 October 2013 1

NIA JONES reviews the epitome of 1960s horror hipness, The Haunted House of Horror 1969

Red Room 2017 Review

12 October 2017

28 Days Later 2002 REVIEW

1 October 2024

The Darkness 2020 REVIEW

3 May 2021

Bride of Frankenstein 1935 REVIEW

27 June 2012

The Rizen 2017 REVIEW

30 October 2017

Creep 2004 REVIEW

6 March 2023

The Reeds 2010 REVIEW

13 October 2017

Hellbound – Hellraiser 2 (1988) REVIEW

11 September 2012

FOLKLORE

St Albans Execution

Folklore

St Alban’s Eye-Popping Execution: The Gory Death Of Britain’s First Saint

Jacob Milnestein - 21 June 2012 1

ESOTERIC ARTS

Sage

Esoteric Arts

How to Use Sage in Magic

Spooky Isles Team - 2 July 2022 0

HORROR FILMS

And soon the darkness 1970

Film Reviews

And Soon The Darkness 1970 REVIEW

Stephen Mosley - 29 May 2012 6

The Cutting Room 2015

The Cutting Room 2015 REVIEW

Two Ravens aka Twa Corbies

Two Ravens (Twa Corbies): A Medieval Death Song

I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle

I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle 1990 REVIEW

I Love Lucy Ghosts BBC

I Love Lucy: Ghosts BBC (S3, E4) REVIEW

Welcome 27

Who was Jack the Ripper?

Dead of Night

Dead of Night 1945: 10 Things You Didn’t Know

Welcome 28

Simon of Sudbury, a Canterbury Tale of Ghosts and Murder

Welcome 29

Angels and The Ghost of My Mother

The Hand of Glory in the Whitby Museum - the only one thought to exist.

What is a Hand of Glory?

Most Haunted - Mary King's Close

Mermaid Inn Most Haunted REVIEW

The Face At The Window 1939

The Face At The Window 1939 REVIEW

Welcome 30

Dog Soldiers 2002 BLU-RAY REVIEW

Most Haunted Leap Castle

Treasure Holt, Essex, Most Haunted REVIEW

Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace RETROSPECTIVE

Welcome 32

Ilam Hall, ‘One Of My Most Haunted Places’

Elizabeth in Frankenstein

Frankenstein’s Fillies: A Whole Bunch of Elizabeths

Croglin Grange Vampire

England’s 6 Most Terrifying Vampires in History

Welcome 33

Circus Of Horrors 1960 BLU-RAY REVIEW

Welcome 34

Canterbury: Haunted Places to Visit

Ghostly Debt Cavan

A Ghostly Debt Collection From County Cavan

10 Dracula 1958 Facts You Didn’t Know

Shepton Mallet Prison in Somerset

Paranormal Lockdown visits haunted Shepton Mallett Prison

One of the strange gateways to nowhere in Grange-over-Sands in Cumbria, England

Why Is Grange-over-Sands A Spooky Place To Visit?

Welcome 36

5 English Pubs With Skulls And Other Dark Objects

Skirrid Mountain

Skirrid Mountain Inn, A Must-Do For Ghost Hunters

A Short History of Ghost Hunting with Steve Parsons

Steve Parsons’ Short History of Ghost Hunting VIDEO

Brown Lady of Raynham Hall

Brown Lady of Raynham Hall: Hoax Or Haunting?

Dunrobin Castle

Dunrobin Castle: Scotland’s Most Haunting Love Story

Scene from Blacula 1972

Blacula 1972 REVIEW

Who Killed Cock Robin

Who Killed Cock Robin? British Folk Songs of Crime and Punishment...

Chewing Gum Grave

The Warning of the ‘Chewing Gum’ Grave

Child Possession

Shocking Child Demonic Possession Cases in Medieval England

10 Mum and Dad 2008 facts you didn’t know!

Smithills Hall

Ghosts Of Smithills Hall, Greater Manchester

Hammer House of Horror

Hammer House of Horror TV Series EPISODE GUIDE

Newstead Abbey

Haunted Newstead Abbey: Lord Byron’s Gothic Home

Calanais Stones, aka Callanish Stones, Isle of Lewis

Callanish Stones: Mysteries Older Than Stonehenge

Haunted Bodelwyddan Castle

Old School Victorian Ghost Hunting Reveals Mystery At Haunted Bodelwyddan Castle

Belfast’s Most Terrifying Ghosts and Hauntings

Apparitions BBC TV EPISODE GUIDE

Welcome 40

The Dark Eyes of London (1939) REVIEW

See St Oliver Plunkett’s Decapitated Head

Blythburgh Suffolk’s Supernatual Tales

Horrors of the Black Museum 1959 REVIEW

Christ's College, Cambridge University

Cambridge: Top 5 Haunted Places to Visit

Welcome 43

Bloodbath at the House of Death 1984 REVIEW

Gone Gone Ghosts BBC

Gone Gone: Ghosts BBC (S4, E4) REVIEW

MR James birthday

The Ghosts Of M.R. James: A Guide To Curious Phantoms

The Woman in Black 1989

The Woman In Black 1989 Blu-Ray REVIEW

Welcome 44

Growing Pains: Hammer House of Horror (Ep.4)

Hull: Top 5 Haunted Places to Visit

10 Scariest Banshee Hauntings in Ireland

Welcome 47

Derry/Londonderry: 5 Haunted Places to Visit

Patrick Stewart as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol 1999

A Christmas Carol 1999 REVIEW

Welcome 48

Armchair Thriller (S1, E6-10): A Dog’s Ransom REVIEW

Welcome 49

Dr Jekyll goes Looney Tunes! Jekyll and Hyde in cartoons

Haunted St Andrews, the home of ghosts … not just golf!

Welcome 51

The Demon Bride of County Monaghan

Pete the Cardiff Poltergeist Plays Havoc With Repair Shop

Black Dogs and Other Terrifying Warnings of Death

Night of the Big Heat

Night of the Big Heat 1967 REVIEW

Cockneys Vs Zombies, Cockneys versus Zombies

Cockneys vs Zombies 2012 REVIEW

Most Haunted The Stage Show

Most Haunted The Stage Show REVIEW

Owen Parfitt was from Shepton Mallet

The Disappearance of Owen Parfitt

Post Mortem Photography: My hobby is collecting photos of dead people

Grand Hotel Scarborough

Grand Hotel Scarborough: Elegance and the Paranormal

Martinmas Candles

Martinmas: Get Ready For Killing Time

St Valentine Relic

Saint Valentine, Heartbreak and Haunting in Ireland

Why Was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle A Spiritualist?

The Wolfman 2010

The Wolfman 2010 REVIEW

The Oblong Box 1967

The Oblong Box 1969 REVIEW

Welcome 55

Maidstone: 5 Haunted Places to Visit

Ouija Board Laptop

Ouija Boards Are ‘Laptops Plugged into Dark Web’

Helen Duncan, The Fate of Britain’s Last Jailed Witch

Welcome 56

The Dolocher, Dublin’s Night-Prowling Demonic Pig

Welcome 57

Stuart Dawson, Paranormal Investigator Q&A

Lakefield Priory Hotel Kent

Sobbing Ghost Disturbs Guests At Larkfield Priory Hotel, Maidstone

The Tragedy of Madam Piggott's Restless Spirit

liverpool childcare haunting

Do Liverpool Morgue Ghosts Haunt Children’s Minds?

Village of the Damned 1960

Village of the Damned 1960 REVIEW

Ally Reid is a chef by day and a paranormal investigator by night!

Cooking With Ghosts: Meet Ally Reid, Scotland’s Haunted Chef

Welcome 58

Thriller (S5, E4): The Crazy Kill REVIEW

Flitwick Manor Hotel

Guide to Haunted Flitwick Manor, over a century of ghostly scares

The Woodrose

The Woodwose: The Wild Man of the Woods

Welcome 59

Danny Robins talks Battersea Poltergeist & 2:22 A Ghost Story VIDEO

Famous Caul Bearers, born behind the veil

Born Behind The Veil: 5 Famous British Caul Bearers

Welcome 60

Rude Awakening: Hammer House of Horror (Ep.3)

Borley Rectory: Guide to England’s Most Haunted House

Two Doctors and the Human Candle: A Case of Spontaneous Human...

Sanford Orcas Manor

Spirits abound at haunted Sandford Orcas Manor, Dorset

Welcome 63

Beware The Bullbeggar of Creech Hill!

Old Calton Jail

Ghostly Sobbing from Old Calton Gaol, Edinburgh

The Island of Dr Moreau 1977

The Island of Doctor Moreau on Film and TV

Welcome 64

White Hart Hotel, Book A Haunted Room With One Of Its...

West Midlands-based Paranormal Investigator Andrew Homer

Andrew Homer, Paranormal Investigator Interview

Thornton Heath, London 1970s haunting terror, still puzzling to this day

The Appointment 1981

The Appointment 1981 REVIEW

Cadair Idris

Cadair Idris: Snowdonia’s Mountain of Mysteries

From Beltane to Halloween, ZOWIE SWAN explores the fiery legacy of Teanlay Night on Lancashire's Fylde Coast

Teanlay Night: A Fylde Coast Halloween

Welcome 66

Aberdeen: 5 Haunted Places To Visit

Spooky Isles is the UK and Ireland’s leading independent horror and paranormal online magazine. We're dedicated to exploring all the dark history, horror, folklore and mysterious phenomena our islands have to offer.