Spooky Isles

WELCOME TO SPOOKY ISLES

Ghosts and Hauntings

Haunted Oxford Castle and Prison: Ghosts of 1000 Years

Spooky Isles Team - 28 March 2025

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

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LATEST ARTICLES >

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

22 March 2025

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

GHOST & HAUNTINGS >

Folklore

Mystery of the Rufus Stone, New Forest

Christine Miller - 8 May 20210

CHRISTINE MILLER looks at the Rufus Stone New Forest and tries to unravel the mystery of the death, and possible murder of King William II, whose spirit is still said to be unable to rest.

Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire: 13 Haunted Places To Visit

6 October 2023

Ghosts and Hauntings of Gisborough Hall Hotel

6 October 2023

Bolsover Castle

Bolsover Castle: Most Haunted Place in England?

2 April 2023

Newington Cemetery Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s Dark October: Newington Cemetery Ghost

15 October 2023

Haunted Castles

Haunted Pubs

Haunted Hotels

HORROR & FANTASY FILMS >

Barbara Steele Curse of the Crimson Altar

Barbara Steele: 10 Things You Didn’t Know

2 February 2025

7 Famous Van Helsing Actors (Who Weren’t Peter Cushing)

14 August 2023

Castle Sinister 1932: Story Behind Lost British Horror Film

25 August 2023

Bela Lugosi Haunted By Dark Past In Hungary

4 August 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

Marion Goodfellow: Northern Ireland’s Greatest Haunts, Most Haunted VIDEO

22 July 2023

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

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

1 April 2024

Armchair Thriller (S1, E1-4): Rachel In Danger 1978 REVIEW

11 May 2024

Shadows (S1, E1): The Future Ghost REVIEW

2 March 2025

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

Otta Swire, Otta F Swire

Otta F Swire, Scotland’s Forgotten Folklorist

7 August 2023

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

Teanlay Night: A Fylde Coast Halloween

1 November 2023

23 Mysterious British Holy Wells

30 August 2023

Discover Dark Truth Behind St Valentine, Patron Saint of Lovers!

4 August 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

What Inspired Charles Dickens, The Man Who Invented Christmas?

14 August 2023

Dracula by Bram Stoker: Thoughts on Chapter 8

31 July 2023

Dracula at the New Vic REVIEW

15 July 2023

James Turner’s St Christopher Medallion and Borley Rectory

13 January 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

5 Unexplained UFO Sightings in London

9 March 2023

Weirdest England UFO Encounters from History

14 January 2023

Winston Churchill WW2 UFO coverup exposed!

1 November 2022

Attacked by a UFO: The Robert Taylor Incident

1 November 2022

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

Cryptid Worms: Legend and Lore

4 August 2023

Loch Ness They Created A Monster

Loch Ness They Created a Monster TV REVIEW

1 January 2024

Loch Ness Monster

10 Loch Ness Monster Facts You Didn’t Know

1 September 2023

Trewint Tor: A Tale Of Scaredy Cats On Bodmin Moor

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

Precognition: I Saw House Fire Before It Happened

8 October 2023

Is Spontaneous Human Combustion Real?

29 November 2021

Stonehenge Crow

The Supernatural Side of Stonehenge

24 October 2023

Are Time Slips Caused by Paranormal Memory Tampering?

22 October 2023

EDITOR'S PICKS

Ghosts and Hauntings

Brentford: 6 Haunted Places To Visit

Patsy Sorenti - 7 October 20171

PATSY SORENTI tells us about the creepiest and most haunted places to visit in Brentford, west London

What is Will o’ the Wisp?

3 October 2020

John S Tantalon at the Star Inn

Godalming’s Star Inn Ghostly Secrets Revealed

7 July 2023

6 Welsh Ghosts Newspaper Reports From Victorian Times

27 July 2014

Glossary of British and Irish Folklore Creatures

Glossary of British and Irish Folklore Creatures

20 October 2024

Phantasm Collective

Phantasm Collective Blends Mystical With Science

16 August 2024

Demons of the Mind 1972

Demons of the Mind 1972 REVIEW

29 May 2023

Edward Pritchard

Edward Pritchard, the Poisoning Philanderer

25 October 2014

Bram Stoker Festival: Dublin’s Alive with the Dead

29 October 2013

Welcome 17

Film Reviews

Scrooge 1951 REVIEW & VIDEO

Barry McCann - 11 December 2022 3

Derek Acorah Remembered

Paranormal Reality TV

Our Evening with Derek Acorah Remembered

Gemma Johnson - 6 January 2024 0

Penny Lane

Ghosts and Hauntings

The Witch Of Penny Lane

Rick Hale - 10 August 2023 1

The Burning Girls TV series

Television

The Burning Girls TV REVIEW

Gemma Johnson - 21 November 2024 0

Cyfarthfa Castle, Merthyr Tydfil

Ghosts and Hauntings

Haunted Cyfarthfa Castle: Bogeymen in Merthyr Tydfil

Spooky Isles Team - 30 December 2023 0

Welcome 18

Television

Armchair Thriller (S2, E23-28): The Circe Complex REVIEW

Richard Phillips-Jones - 7 February 2025 0

Most Haunted

Paranormal Reality TV

Chatham Dockyards, Most Haunted (S4, E9) REVIEW

Joanna Hague - 15 January 2024 0

Ghost Hunting Equipment

Paranormal Research

10 Ghost Hunting Equipment You’ll Want To Check Out

Joanna Hague - 6 January 2024 2

London Bridge

Dark History

Keeper of the Heads: London Bridge’s Grim Custodian

Richard Clements - 21 May 2024 2

The Cottage 2008

Film Reviews

The Cottage 2008 REVIEW

Gemma Johnson - 4 October 2023 0

Ouija Board Laptop

Esoteric Arts

Ouija Boards Are ‘Laptops Plugged into Dark Web’

Jaimie Lee-Barron - 31 July 2024 1

Most Haunted

Paranormal Reality TV

The Chough Hotel, Most Haunted (S5, E1) REVIEW

Joanna Hague - 26 December 2023 0

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein 1994

Film Reviews

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein 1994 REVIEW

David Saunderson - 21 November 2024 0

Beaumaris Gaol

Ghosts and Hauntings

Haunted Beaumaris Gaol: Ghosts Behind the Bars

Spooky Isles Team - 6 December 2024 0

The Woodworm Men BBC Ghosts

Television

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

Gemma Johnson - 25 September 2024 0

DISCOVER MORE FROM THE ARCHIVES

Welcome 19

10 Ireland Horror Film Connections You Didn’t Know

Ann Massey McElroy - 22 May 2017 0

ANN MASSEY tells us 10 Ireland horror film connections that had a huge impact on the genre

Curse of the Robert the Doll 2016

The Curse Of Robert The Doll 2016 REVIEW

16 October 2023

Nell Racker: Wisewoman or Witch?

19 June 2024

6 Welsh Places with Gates to Annwn, ‘The Otherworld’

9 November 2019

Canterbury: Haunted Places to Visit

19 October 2020

Phantom London Bus

The Phantom London Bus: Unravelling An Urban Legend

15 February 2025

Adventures in Cryptozoology: Interview with Richard Freeman

24 September 2019

Haunting the Haunters: Real Life Scares at Theme Parks

29 October 2022

Most Haunted - Mary King's Close

Queen Mary Part 1, Most Haunted REVIEW

11 October 2015

PARANORMAL

The Rufus Stone, a memorial to King William II, in New Forest

Folklore

Mystery of the Rufus Stone, New Forest

Christine Miller - 8 May 2021 0

DARK HISTORY

Jemmy Whitehat Witch Doctor of Heywood

Dark History

Jemmy Whitehat: Witch Doctor of Heywood

Gemma Johnson - 31 October 2024 0

HORROR FILMS

Welcome 24

Film Reviews

The Tell-Tale Heart 1953 REVIEW

Richard Phillips-Jones - 27 October 2018 0

FILM REVIEWS >

Welcome 25

Cross-Roads 1955 REVIEW

Richard Phillips-Jones - 27 May 2022 0

To celebrate Christopher Lee's 100th birthday, RICHARD PHILLIPS-JONES looks back on his first foray into horror, Cross-Roads from 1955

The Masque of the Red Death 1964 REVIEW

9 June 2013

Elizbabeth Shue and friend in Link 1986

Link 1986 REVIEW

24 October 2014

Fear in the Night 1972

Fear in the Night 1972 REVIEW

9 August 2013

The Witches 1966

The Witches 1966 REVIEW

17 January 2013

Love At First Bite 1979

Love At First Bite 1979 REVIEW

2 November 2024

28 Days Later 2002 REVIEW

1 October 2024

Konga 1961 REVIEW

26 October 2013

Double Vision 1992 REVIEW

11 August 2024

FOLKLORE

Black Shuck

Cryptozoology

Where to Visit Black Shuck Sightings in East Anglia

Guest Writer - 17 May 2018 5

ESOTERIC ARTS

Shield from negative energy

Esoteric Arts

How to Shield Yourself During Paranormal Investigations

Kerry Greenaway - 16 August 2017 0

HORROR FILMS

Welcome 28

Film Reviews

Frenzy 1972 REVIEW

Richard Phillips-Jones - 5 October 2018 4

St Edmundsbury Cathedral

10 Haunted England Cathedrals to Give You Chills

Tarot Card Facts

Tarot Cards: 10 Things You Need To Know

Time Slips: What Is It and How Does It Happen?

Glasnevin Cemetery Dublin

Dublin: 30 Most Haunted Places to Visit

Paranormal Tips

Quick Paranormal Tips for the Impatient Ghosthunter

The Night Whispered

Nicholas Vince’s ‘The Night Whispered’ gives us the shivers

Bedford: 5 Haunted Places To Visit

Donnington Castle near Newbury in Berkshire

Donnington Castle’s Spooky Echoes of the Past

Welcome 31

Berry Pomeroy Castle: A Scary Ghost Guide

Cromwell makes Devil pact to win Battle of Worcester

Madeleine Smith

The Strange Case Of Glasgow’s Madeleine Smith

ALICE with the term England on the screen.

Spirit conversations with ALICE

Hollinwell

All Fall Down: What was the Hollinwell Mystery?

Welcome 33

The Exorcism of Bobby Bawn of County Westmeath

Rick Hale

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

The A-Z of Curious London

The A-Z of Curious London BOOK REVIEW

The Monster Club 1981

The Monster Club 1981 REVIEW

Wayland's Smithy

Wayland’s Smithy, A Guide to the Mysterious Tomb

Daniel Radcliffe in The Woman in Black 2012

The Woman in Black 2012 REVIEW

Welcome 34

13 Creepy Facts about Sawney Bean, the Scottish Cannibal

Island of Terror

Island of Terror 1966 REVIEW

Welcome 35

Jasper: Unleashing the Power of Grounding and Emotional Balance

Welcome 36

Dr Terror’s House of Horrors 1965 REVIEW

Ghosts of Glastonbury

Glastonbury: Haunted Places to Visit

Wookey Hole Caves

England’s Most Haunted Caves

Haunted Exeter Is Alive With Paranormal Activity

Did The Scole Experiment Prove The Paranormal?

Did The Scole Experiment Prove The Paranormal?

Welcome 38

Thriller (S5, E6): The Next Voice You See REVIEW

Welcome 39

Roald Dahl and his Legacy of Horror

Maple Tree

10 Maple Tree Superstitions from UK and Irish Folklore

Welcome 40

The Magic of Drake’s Drum Still Beating Strong

John Barrymore as Mr Hyde in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 1920

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 1920 REVIEW

The Last Voyage Of The Demeter 2023 REVIEW

The Last Voyage Of The Demeter 2023 REVIEW

Edinburgh facts

13 Creepy Edinburgh Facts You Didn’t Know

Ireland's Púca Festival: A Different Kind of Halloween

Ireland’s Púca Festival: A Different Kind of Halloween

Scene from The Lost Will of Dr Rant

The Lost Will of Dr Rant (NBC, 1951) marks early MR...

Barbara Lowe, Interview with a Psychic Medium

photograph an orb

Never Trust ‘Orbs’ Taken On Your Smartphone: Experiments You Can Ttry...

The Woodrose

The Woodwose: The Wild Man of the Woods

Welcome 42

King Arthur’s Adventures In The Underworld

Leprechaun

Leprechauns: Everything you need to know

Headless Horseman

Headless Horsemen and Halloween: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Mary Jane Kelly

Mary Jane Kelly, Jack the Ripper’s Final Victim

Borley Rectory: Guide to England’s Most Haunted House

Most Haunted Leap Castle

Which UK Paranormal Reality Show Is The Best?

Haunted Dutch Doll Finedon

Finedon’s Demonic Dutch Doll Haunting: Full Creepiness Revealed

Peter Cushing fan

Why I love Peter Cushing, by Marcus Brooks

Welcome 44

Who was Jack the Ripper?

Emma Heard Grovely Wood

Visit Grovely Woods And Its Haunting Terrors

A Good House for Children by Kate Collins BOOK REVIEW

A Good House for Children by Kate Collins BOOK REVIEW

The Wicked Lady

The Ghost Of The Wicked Lady Haunts Nomansland Common

Millennial Killer 2020

Millennial Killer 2020 REVIEW

Welcome 45

Caroline McKendrick, Somerset Paranormal Investigators UK INTERVIEW VIDEO

Uncanny Case 1: Miss Howard

Uncanny Case 1: Miss Howard TV REVIEW

Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell 1974

Hammer Frankenstein films, ranked from best to worst

Paranormal Investigator Objectivity

Why Must We Be Objective During Paranormal Investigations?

End Of Term 2023 REVIEW

Poltergeist bunny

Poltergeist Easter Bunny Terrifies Ouija Board Group

Danny Robins is the host of BBC Podcast series, Uncanny

Uncanny Series Two: BBC Podcast Episode Guide

Derek Acorah

Derek Acorah’s 5 Most Outrageous Television Moments

Robin Redbreast 1970

Robin Redbreast 1970 TV REVIEW

Welcome 47

The Hole in the Ground 2019 REVIEW

Welcome 48

The Brides of Fu Manchu 1966 REVIEW

An English Ghost Sstory Kim Newman

An English Ghost Story by Kim Newman REVIEW

Jacqueline Pearce in her iconic title role as The Reptile (1966), one of many cult roles that made her a legend of fim and television.

Jacqueline Pearce Tribute: The Reptile on Film, an Angel in Life

Isle of Sheppey

Isle of Sheppey: 7 Haunted Places to Visit

Princes in the Tower

What Happened to the Princes in The Tower?

Somerset Haunted Places to Visit

Somerset: 13 Haunted Places To Visit

Haunted Ipswich

Ipswich: 5 Haunted Places To Visit

Alone in a centuries-old pub in Gloucestershire, I came face to face with a shadowy figure that chased me through the darkness, writes SCOTT MERRETT

How I Escaped The Shadow Man of Almondsbury’s Clutches

Cheltenham Poltergeist

Was The Cheltenham Poltergeist The Real ‘Woman In Black’?

Animal Horror Literature

Britain’s Furry Foes: Animal Horror Literature

Welcome 49

Sherlock Holmes And The Spirit World

Welcome 50

10 Most Haunted Lancashire Pubs

The Bizarre Legend of St Catherine's Island

The Bizarre Legend of St Catherine’s Island

Outpost 2008 REVIEW

Milton Keynes

There’s Something Mysterious About Milton Keynes

Haunted Fernie Castle, Fife Scotland

Sherlock Holmes for the Uninitiated

Pearlin Jean, Pearlin' Jean

Pearlin’ Jean: A Ghost Story Of Umpteen Variations

Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter 1974

Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter 1974 REVIEW

Young Dracula

Young Dracula: Something To Get Your Fangs Into

Welcome 52

Travelling In Jonathan Harker’s Footsteps through Romania

West Bow Edinburgh

Thomas Weir and the Ghost of West Bow, Edinburgh

Duncannon Fort - a place of scenic beauty and tales of hauntings

Duncannon Fort: Where History and Hauntings Meet

Glasgow’s Bubonic Plague of 1900

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

The Cat and the Canary 1978

The Cat and The Canary 1978 REVIEW

The Ghost Hunter Chronicles by Yvette Fielding

Yvette Fielding Raises Spirits With Ghost Hunter Chronicles Books

Welcome 55

Dudley Station Hotel Spooked By George’s Ghost

Durham: Top 5 Haunted Places To Visit

Pengersick Castle

Pengersick Castle, check it out for a haunted experience!

Barrhead: 5 Haunted Places to Visit

Scene from Omen IV The Awakening 1991

Omen IV The Awakening 1991 REVIEW

17 Most Haunted Northern Ireland Castles

Rising Sun - one of London's haunted pubs - has a history of body snatchers and murder!

Rising Sun, the haunted London pub that rose from the dead

Berberian Sound Studio 2012 REVIEW

The Blood Worm Moon

The Blood Worm Moon, A Celestial Celebration

Tracey Everett, Paranormal Investigator Q&A

Protection

The Unseen Shield: A Closer Look at Psychic Protection

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.