Spooky Isles

WELCOME TO SPOOKY ISLES

Ghosts and Hauntings

When Ghost Mania Hit Maesteg, Bridgend

Spooky Isles Team - 24 January 2025

Cemeteries and Burial Places

Holy Trinity Church, The Bone Crypt of Rothwell

Guest Writer - 21 January 2025

Film Reviews

The Bride 1985 REVIEW

William Bove - 21 January 2025

LATEST ARTICLES >

The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham

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

18 January 2025

Beast of Bodmin Moor

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

17 January 2025

Leeds Crown Court

Haunted Leeds Crown Court: Spirits of Justice

16 January 2025

Kirkstall Abbey

Haunted Kirkstall Abbey: Leeds’ Ghostly Gem

15 January 2025

The Radleys 2004 REVIEW

14 January 2025

Grand Hotel Scarborough

Grand Hotel Scarborough: Elegance and the Paranormal

13 January 2025

Rochester Castle

Haunted Rochester Castle and Lady Blanche’s Ghost

10 January 2025

Beech Trees: 10 Fascinating Folklore Facts

9 January 2025

GHOST & HAUNTINGS >

Ghosts and Hauntings

Hermitage Castle, Scotland’s Fortress of Nightmares

Rick Hale - 27 March 20202

Hermitage Castle is one of Scotland's most disturbing haunted castles, RICK HALE finds out why...

15 Most Haunted London Underground Stations

31 October 2023

Meet UB-65, The Haunted Submarine Of World War 1

8 August 2023

Covent Garden: 5 Haunted Places to Visit

4 August 2023

Queen Victoria saw Green Lady ghost at Crathes Castle

27 July 2023

Haunted Castles

Haunted Pubs

Haunted Hotels

HORROR & FANTASY FILMS >

RICHARD PHILLIPS-JONES reveals how British horror films from the likes of Hammer and Amicus influenced Euro Horror fright flicks

A Cultural Exchange, Euro Horror Visits Britain

21 October 2023

A Study in Terror Poster

A Study In Terror 1965 REVIEW

28 December 2020

The Woman in Black 1989

The Woman in Black 1989 TV REVIEW

12 February 2022

Madhouse 1974 Facts: 13 Things You Didn’t Know

2 August 2023

TELEVISION >

Armchair Thriller (S2, E15-18): Fear Of God REVIEW

3 January 2025

Discover the enchanting tales and eerie legends of the British Isles with Jonathan Ross' Myths and Legends, a captivating Channel 4 series exploring regional folklore

Jonathan Ross’ Myths and Legends 2023 TV REVIEW

21 October 2024

100 Years of BBC Horrors: Auntie’s Dark Corners!

9 June 2024

Daemon 1985 TV REVIEW

17 December 2021

The Woodworm Men BBC Ghosts

The Woodworm Men: Ghosts BBC (S3, E3) REVIEW

8 September 2024

Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace RETROSPECTIVE

4 August 2023

GHOST HUNTING

PARANORMAL REALITY TV

ESOTERIC ARTS

FOLKLORE & SUPERSTITION >

Beech Trees: 10 Fascinating Folklore Facts

1 November 2024

The Green Man: A Verdant Deity of Pagan Lore

20 December 2024

6 Famous Caulbearers with Extraordinary Talents

15 January 2023

Sheila O'Keefe and her Sheela na Gig

The Mystery of Ireland’s Sheela Na Gig

6 February 2022

A Highland Funeral by Sir James Guthrie, 1883.

5 Scottish Death Customs You Never Knew Existed

16 January 2023

St Mechell Raises Giant from the Dead!

7 August 2023

DARK HISTORY >

Holy Trinity Church Bone Crypt

Holy Trinity Church, The Bone Crypt of Rothwell

21 January 2025

Henry Trigg's coffin.

Henry Trigg, the Grocer who Refused the Grave

3 January 2025

Image of Woodvale Cemetery in Brighton

Woodvale Cemetery: Victorian Beauty and Crowley’s Final Farewell

8 October 2024

Executioner Jack Ketch beheads James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, in 1685.

Jack Ketch: The Executioner Who Horrified London

6 October 2024

Campden Wonder: A Mystery of False Confessions and Injustice

20 September 2024

Epping Forest’s Haunting Suicide Pool

27 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

Frankenstein, Dracula Ahead of Their Time

15 July 2023

What made Bram Stoker write Dracula, by Dacre Stoker

15 July 2023

10 Bram Stoker Dublin Must-See Locations

31 July 2023

13 Things You Didn’t Know About M.R. James

21 March 2023

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

Dargle Cottage UFO Investigation, A Cautionary Tale

16 October 2023

A Beginner's Guide to UFOs in the UK with Neil Nixon

UK Beginners Guide to UFOs VIDEO

28 September 2023

Mike Ricksecker: Shadow People & Ancient Aliens VIDEO

25 February 2023

Paranormal The Village That Saw Aliens

Paranormal: The Village That Saw Aliens TV REVIEW

8 July 2024

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

The Pig-Man Roams Cannock Chase

4 August 2023

Do Real-Life Monsters Stalk Our Moors, Lakes And Mountains?

7 August 2023

Loch Ness Monster Mania – 1933-style

7 August 2023

Cornish Owlman: Everything you need to know

4 August 2023

MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA >

Chilling Messages: My Haunting Encounter with the Unseen

Chilling Messages: My Haunting Encounter with the Unseen

8 September 2024

Chasing Nightmares: The Horror of Sleep Paralysis

Chasing Nightmares: The Horror of Sleep Paralysis

26 March 2024

Haunted Clapham Wood

Clapham Wood: Haunted or Hoax?

30 September 2023

What were the Death Tokens of Wales?

3 August 2023

In Search of Gef The Talking Mongoose

In Search of Gef The Talking Mongoose

8 October 2023

Time Slips with Dr Ann Winsper INTERVIEW

5 November 2023

EDITOR'S PICKS

Film Reviews

The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1939 REVIEW

David Saunderson - 13 October 20240

The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1939, starring Charles Laughton, is a gothic horror classic of haunting performances and dark drama, writes DAVID SAUNDERSON

The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll 1960 REVIEW

2 August 2013

5 Shocking Caul Bearer Stories from Victorian Times

21 January 2018

Isle of Man’s 10 Scariest Haunted Places to Visit

6 October 2020

Most Haunted - Mary King's Close

Avebury Stones And The Red Lion: Most Haunted REVIEW

5 November 2014

Thriller (S6, E4): Dial A Deadly Number REVIEW

8 October 2021

Why Haunted Himley Hall is my favourite spooky place: Andrew Homer

6 March 2017

Haunted Sefton: Merseyside’s Most Creepy!

6 November 2013

The Duergar - The Dwarves of Simonside Hills

The Duergar, The Dwarves of Simonside Hills

30 July 2013

The Wicker Man 2006

Film Reviews

The Wicker Man 2006 REVIEW

Barry McCann - 6 October 2023 0

The Ghost and Mrs Muir 1947

Film Reviews

The Ghost and Mrs Muir 1947 REVIEW

William Bove - 17 August 2024 0

Charles Laughton Horror Films

Horror and Fantasy Films

Charles Laughton’s 7 Best Horror Films

Spooky Isles Team - 3 October 2024 0

I Know What I Saw: Witness Testimony in Paranormal Investigation

Paranormal Research

I Know What I Saw: Witness Testimony in Paranormal Investigation

Jaimie Lee-Barron - 10 July 2024 0

Paranormal Burton Upon Trent

Ghosts and Hauntings

Paranormal Burton Upon Trent, Richard O’Connor INTERVIEW

Spooky Isles Team - 24 September 2024 0

Welcome 20

Television

Uncanny Case 2: The Bearpark Poltergeist TV REVIEW

Gayle Fidler - 24 October 2023 2

The Face At The Window 1939

Film Reviews

The Face At The Window 1939 REVIEW

David Saunderson - 3 December 2023 0

Holy Trinity Church Bone Crypt

Cemeteries and Burial Places

Holy Trinity Church, The Bone Crypt of Rothwell

Guest Writer - 21 January 2025 0

Craiglockhart Hydrotherapy Hospital, Tales from the Crypts of Auld Reekie

Ghosts and Hauntings

Exploring the Haunting Echoes of Craiglockhart

Guest Writer - 9 May 2024 0

Welcome 21

Ghosts and Hauntings

Do You Believe in Ghosts? FULL VIDEO

Ann Massey McElroy - 21 March 2017 1

Michael Ripper, Taste the Blood of Dracula

Horror and Fantasy Films

Michael Ripper, A Hammer Horror Mainstay

Richard Phillips-Jones - 5 August 2017 2

Trinity College Postcard

Ghosts and Hauntings

The Hauntings of Trinity College, Dublin

Guest Writer - 16 October 2023 0

Rain at a funeral

Superstitions

What Does Rain At A Funeral Mean?

Spooky Isles Team - 2 February 2024 0

Ledston Hall

Dark History

Mary Pannell, The Witch Haunting Of Ledston Hall

Joanna Hague - 12 October 2023 0

Welcome 22

Film Reviews

28 Days Later 2002 REVIEW

William Bove - 1 October 2024 1

DISCOVER MORE FROM THE ARCHIVES

Harry Potter tour

The Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour REVIEW

Sarah Blair-Dickinson - 25 September 2012 0

SARAH BLAIR-DICKINSON takes on the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Watford, North London

Caroline McKendrick, Somerset Paranormal Investigators UK INTERVIEW VIDEO

23 December 2022

Phantom Monks Haunt St Dunstan’s Church, East Acton

28 June 2019

Bella Ramsey as The Worst Witch (2017-2020).

The Worst Witch (2017-2020) TV REVIEW

25 October 2024

Dudley: 5 Haunted Places to Visit

17 October 2015

Richard Cabell, Devon’s Most Notorious Squire

17 July 2015

Who Were The Golden Dawn, Britain’s Most Famous Occultists?

20 August 2014

Taryn Barker Demon Hunter director Zoe Kavanagh interview

24 November 2014

Karloff filming The Ghoul

When Boris Karloff Came Home: The Story Behind The Ghoul 1933

27 April 2013

PARANORMAL

A visit to the haunted Newton House is not for the faint hearted - there's lots of spirits that dwell within!

Ghosts and Hauntings

Newton House, Llandeilo, one of Wales’ most haunted houses

Rick Hale - 26 October 2018 0

DARK HISTORY

Burke and Hare

True Crime

Burke And Hare’s Life and Crimes: What you need to know!

MJ Steel Collins - 28 February 2015 2

HORROR FILMS

Victor Frankenstein 2015

Film Reviews

Victor Frankenstein 2015 REVIEW

Ann Massey McElroy - 23 February 2016 1

FILM REVIEWS >

Welcome 28

In Fear 2013 REVIEW

Richard Phillips-Jones - 4 October 2017 0

Exactly who is terrorising this couple on the road? RICHARD PHILLIPS-JONES looks at In Fear.

The Masque of the Red Death 1964 REVIEW

9 June 2013

Love At First Bite 1979

Love At First Bite 1979 REVIEW

2 November 2024

Frankenstein The True Story 1973 TV REVIEW

13 March 2014

Unearthly Stranger 1963 REVIEW

19 February 2015

Dracula has risen from the grave review

Dracula Has Risen From The Grave 1968 REVIEW

14 February 2014

Bloody New Year 1987 REVIEW

31 December 2022

Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires 1974 REVIEW

6 May 2015

I, Monster 1971 REVIEW

25 March 2015

FOLKLORE

London has long held connections with lycanthropes, writes DAVID TURNBULL, as he chronicles the Werewolves of London.

Horror and Fantasy Films

Ah-Hoo, Werewolves Of London! A Study In Lycanthropy

David Turnbull - 11 August 2023 1

ESOTERIC ARTS

Healing crystals

Esoteric Arts

Healing Power of Crystals: Beginner’s Guide 2024

Spooky Isles Team - 16 June 2023 0

HORROR FILMS

Welcome 34

Film Reviews

Dominique 1979 aka Dominique is Dead REVIEW

Andrew Garvey - 12 November 2014 0

Peeping Tom 1960

Peeping Tom 1960 Facts: 10 Shocking Things You Didn’t Know

The Exorcism of Michael Taylor

The Exorcism of Michael Taylor

Eggs Supersitions

British Egg Superstitions and Folklore

Legacy of Thorn 2014

Legacy of Thorn 2014 REVIEW

Dorset County Museum

Mysterious Slamming Door at Dorset County Museum

You’ve got to be Choking!

The Monster Club 1981

The Monster Club 1981 REVIEW

Most Haunted - Mary King's Close

Tutbury Castle Most Haunted REVIEW

The Haunted Silver Cross in Whitehall, a haunted central London pub

Ghostly prostitute haunts Silver Cross Tavern in London

Great British Ghosts

The New Inn and Chavenage House: Great British Ghosts (S1, E2)

Japanese-Irish folklore mix: Wayward Supernatual Comic REVIEW

Beast of Bodmin Moor

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

The Cutting Room 2015

The Cutting Room 2015 REVIEW

Who ‘Invented’ The Christmas Ghost Story?

The Morrigan

The Morrigan: Ireland’s Darkest Goddess

Welcome 37

The Ghosts Of Hinchingbrooke House

Welcome 38

Adventures in Cryptozoology: Interview with Richard Freeman

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) with Hedwig in Harry Potter and the Philiosopher's Stone 2001

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 2001 REVIEW

Lakefield Priory Hotel Kent

Sobbing Ghost Disturbs Guests At Larkfield Priory Hotel, Maidstone

The Wheatsheaf Pub

Psychic Uncovers Horror At The Wheatsheaf Pub

bee superstition

Bee superstition: A matter of life and death

Battle of Killiecrankie

Ghosts of the Battle of Killiecrankie

Song to Comus, John Milton’s Tale of Rape and Necromancy

Eilean Mor

Eilean Mor’s Empty Lighthouse Mystery

Curse of the Werewolf 1961 REVIEW

Welcome 40

The Mask of Fu Manchu 1932 REVIEW

Welcome 41

Victorian Ghost Hunting in 1869

9 Different Lives of Jekyll and Hyde

Dance of the Vampires, Fearless Vampire Killers

The Fearless Vampire Killers 1967 REVIEW

White Hart Bristol

Why Are There So Many Haunted Pubs Like The White Hart...

Welcome 43

10 Ways David Pinner’s Ritual May Have Inspired The Wicker Man...

Welcome 44

Burton Agnes Hall, England’s Most Horrifying Haunting

Welcome 45

County Wicklow: 5 Haunted Places to Visit

St Columba And the Loch Ness Monster

Scrooge Performances

Top 10 Scrooges Who Nailed the ‘Bah, Humbug!’

Vincent Price in Witchfinder General 1968

Witchfinder General 1968: 20 Shocking Facts You Never Knew!

Royal Hop Pole Hotel Tewkesbury

Tewkesbury’s Spookiest Ghosts and Hauntings

The Masque of the Red Death 1964 REVIEW

Pendle Hill Witches Guide Sign

Pendle Witches Guide: Where In The Hill To Find Them

Spike Island off Cobh

Cobh, Ireland: Top 5 Haunted Places to Visit

Welcome 48

Vampire of the Villas Victim Choked on Garlic

last hanging at Reading Gaol

Reading Goal’s Last Man Hanged: John Gould

Does St Mark’s Eve rival Halloween as the spookiest day of...

Was The Terrifying Bat Beast Of Kent Really An Alien UFO?

Welcome 50

‘Naming Jack the Ripper’ doesn’t prove Jack

Skaill House

Skaill House: Orkney’s Classic Haunted House

Welcome 51

Shadows of Pendle: Barry McCann author INTERVIEW

Bat Folklore UK and Ireland

Bats Folklore and Superstition: 10 Things You Didn’t Know

Murders in the Zoo

Murders In The Zoo 1933 REVIEW

Mum and Dad 2008 REVIEW

The Gaiety Theatre on the Isle of Man.

Gaiety Theatre, Isle of Man: Ghostly Phantoms upstage the performers

Aughrim Battlefield - Haunted Irish Battlefields

10 Haunted Irish Battlefields Echoing with Ghosts

Danny Robins is the host of BBC Podcast series, Uncanny

Uncanny Series One: BBC Podcast Episode Guide

The Volunteer, Haunted London Pub

Volunteer Baker Street: Profile of a haunted London pub

Biddy Early

Ireland’s Biddy Early, Wise Woman or Witch?

Brummy Vampire

Is The Brummy Vampire Monster Or Myth?

Welcome 53

Thriller (S5, E7): Murder Motel REVIEW

Paranormal Tips

Quick Paranormal Tips for the Impatient Ghosthunter

Wilton Castle, Haunted and Cloaked in Creepiness

Haunted Sheffield

Sheffield: 5 Haunted Places to Visit

Peeping Tom 1960

Peeping Tom 1960 REVIEW

Amberley Castle Hotel

Amberley Castle Hotel, Haunted By Emily And Other Spectres

Welcome 54

Berry Pomeroy Castle: A Scary Ghost Guide

What is a Fetch?

My Experience With A Fetch

Ghost Army Still Haunts Culloden Moor

Welcome 56

England’s 5 Most Haunted Battlefields

Turnberry Hotel

Ayrshire’s 7 Most Haunted Places to Visit

Rose and Crown Feltham

Feltham’s Most Haunted Places To Visit

Berwick Vampire

The Bloody Berwick Vampire Attacks

Mr Nightingale, Supernatural

Mr Nightingale, Supernatural 1977 (Ep4)

The Concealment of the Fugitive by Alice Lisle (after the Battle of Sedgemoor in the Reign of James II)

The Many Hauntings Of Dame Alice Lisle

The Last King To Die On English Soil

MR James birthday

Happy Birthday M.R. James!

The Grenadier Pub London

Grenadier Pub London and its Ghostly Gambler

Christmas Carole 2022

Christmas Carole 2022 TV REVIEW

Welcome 58

Who was Susan Willis Fletcher, Convicted Spiritualist Fraud?

With a reputation for the supernatural, Kinnitty Castle Hotel has featured on TV’s Most Haunted.

Kinnitty Castle Hotel: Ireland’s Druids, Demise and Hauntings

Welcome 59

Bath: 5 Haunted Places to Visit

Crawford Priory

Crawford Priory: In Search Of Lady Crawford’s Ghost

Old Sarum from the sky

Old Sarum, The Rise And Fall Of An Ancient Settlement

Royal Tunbridge Wells

Royal Tunbridge Wells: 5 Haunted Places to Visit

Welcome 60

Stan Laurel goes wild in Dr Pyckle and Mr Pride 1925...

The Royal Oak pub in Swanage, Dorset

Paranormal Lockdown Calls Time At The Royal Oak Pub

Welcome 61

Peter Cushing’s Top 10 Scariest Film Moments

Murder by Decree

Murder by Decree 1979 REVIEW

Inside The Athenaeum Enniscorthy, Ireland’s Most Haunted Theatre

Italian poster for Hammer's 1957 Curse of Frankenstein

20 Things You Never Knew About The Curse Of Frankenstein (1957)

Welcome 63

Bishop’s Stortford: 5 Haunted Places to Visit

Most Haunted - Mary King's Close

The Ostrich Inn Most Haunted REVIEW

Wayland's Smithy

Wayland’s Smithy, A Guide to the Mysterious Tomb

Welcome 64

The Pig-Man Roams Cannock Chase

Geoff Holder

Geoff Holder Paranormal Author Interview

Jonathon Scott, Gwent Paranormal Group, Interview

The Terror of the Tongs 1961

The Terror of the Tongs 1961 REVIEW

Ralph Noyes

Ralph Noyes: An Authentic MoD Voice Amid UFO Controversies

Welcome 66

Brigid Goode, Irish Ghosts and Gettysburg VIDEO

Borley Rectory Writer-Director Ashley Thorpe INTERVIEW

Mummy’s Curse, Howard Carter and one scared Norfolk copper

Addiction Horror

Dual Faces of Fear: Addiction in Horror Stories

George C Scott as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol 1984

A Christmas Carol 1984 TV Review: Being a Ghost Story of...

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.