Beasts, Banshees and Bogeymen

Beasts, Banshees and Bogeymen gathers Tom Slemen’s accounts of reported supernatural encounters, folklore and sinister local legends from Liverpool and its surroundings. The stories range from named apparitions and uncanny beings to tales rooted in recognisable streets, districts and landmarks.

Among the subjects are the Red Fiend of Bold Street, the Black Elves of Bloody Acre and alleged strange creatures from the Bootle Caverns. Slemen also examines the dark story attached to the Devil’s Bridge in Mossley Hill, including a claim that John Lennon exchanged his soul for fame and fortune. These tales sit alongside reports of bogeymen, banshees and other unsettling figures, blurring the boundary between urban legend, hearsay and contemporary ghost lore.