Count Stenbock: Decadent master of the macabre – a Zoom talk by James Machin

An introductory Zoom talk by James Machin on the decadent writer of strange tales, Count Stenbock – 'scholar, connoisseur, drunkard, poet, pervert, most charming of men'

Marvelous Births in Old Norse Myth and Saga – Bernt Ø. Thorvaldsen

In Old Norse culture, there is a number of stories about peculiar conceptions and births

Ghost stories/weird fiction - Past Digital Events

A Short Course in Old Norse Cursing – Prof Bernt Thorvaldsen

This lecture delves into the more shadowy side of Norse magic.

Hulders, Witches and Bitches – the view on women and feminists through the centuries – Lena Heide-Brennand

An enthralling journey through time, as we unravel the captivating narrative of women's roles and the ever-evolving views on the female gender.

Alice in Wonderland – Lena Heide-Brennand

This is a must-attend lecture for all you mad Alice in Wonderland fans out there

Kryptadia Stories – Part one – Lena Heide-Brennand

In this lecture series Lena will tell the once so controversial stories from the secret journal known as “Kryptadia” published and distributed in Europe in the 1800’s.

Visual Aesthetics of Folk Horror – Tanya Krzywinska

I will focus therefore on Folk Horror’s concern with the otherness of the landscape, nature, failed/misguided agency, and rural culture

The most terrifying creatures of Slavic Mythology- part 1 of 3 – Lena Heide-Brennand

Tonight we will open up that portal to a creepy and chilling world filled with demon-like characters and ghosts and spirits

Sámi ghost stories – Lena Heide-Brennand

Brace yourself, for you're about to embark on a chilling journey through the ancient realm of Sámi ghost stories

Bedtime Stories: Mexican Folk Tales – a Matter of Life and Death – Mike Payton

Unsurprisingly, the folk tales of Mexico often reflect this embrace of the other world

Tales and Legends of the east with True Thomas the Storyteller

Today, we embark on a captivating journey into the world of storytelling, where we will delve into the enchanting tales of Hodja Basruddin

TV Adaptations of Dracula – a Zoom talk with Jon Dear

Join Jon Dear and learn about the history of Dracula and vampires on the small screen. Enter freely and of your own free will!

Killer Clowns -The Evil Behind The Mask – Lena Heide-Brennand

Step into the eerie realm of our lecture, where we'll unravel the unsettling phenomenon of Killer Clowns

Hunting the Unicorn: Dark fantasies from antiquity to the gothic – Dr Juliette Wood

Today the chief source of medieval alicorn, the narwhal, is an endangered species that engages our concern for the environment

Chilling ghost stories of the Scandinavian countries- Christmas edition – Lena Heide-Brennand

Tonight, we delve into the mysterious depths of the Scandinavian folklore

Looking East: From Folk Horror to Horror of the Folk in Thai Cinema – Katarzyna Ancuta

This lecture aims to demonstrate how folk horror operates as a mode in Thai cinema with a view to finding alternative definitions.

Chilling ghost stories of the Scandinavian countries – Lena Heide-Brennand

Welcome to an evening where we get to know the different ghost stories from the countries in the north

The World of Flemish Folklore – Zoom talk with Signe Maene

Join Belgian writer Signe Maene for this dark Zoom exploration of the shapeshifters, spirits, gnomes and witches that haunt Flemish folklore.

Sunny Landscapes, Dark Visions: Folk Horror and the Weird Imagination of E. F. Benson – Ruth Heholt

What is ‘Folk Horror’? Who bothered to define it and why and how useful is it to see it as a sub-genre?

Celtic Myths – The Spanking Goddess and Other Discarded Tales – Clare Murphy

Stellar storyteller Clare Murphy exhumes the Celtic canon to bring the wild women who never made the cut, back into the light.

It Was Upon a Lammas Night: Summerisle and The Wicker Man – Zoom talk with Edward Parnell

An illustrated Zoom lecture on the real Scottish locations used in 'The Wicker Man' to create the geography of the fictional Summerisle.

The Green Children of Woolpit: fairies or lost children? – Zoom talk with John Clark

This Zoom lecture investigates the story of the two ‘Green Children’ who appeared ‘as if out of the ground’ in a C12th Suffolk village.

North London Hauntings – a Zoom talk with Dr Robert Radakovic

The remnants of an ancient forest and Tudor hunting grounds between Barnet and Enfield is the setting for a host of supernatural sightings including medieval knights and boggarts.

Gef the Talking Mongoose – a Zoom talk with Christopher Josiffe

"I am a ghost in the form of a mongoose, and I shall haunt you with weird noises..." Find out about the Isle of Man's most-famous spook in this Zoom talk with Christopher Josiffe.

Fairies & The Witches Who Loved Them – Professor Diane Purkiss

In this talk, I will tell you the truth about fairies in the British Isles. It's a truth known to some of our ancestors

Introducing the Ghost Club (1882–1936) – a Zoom talk with Roger Luckhurst

Professor Roger Luckhurst explores the history of London's famous 1882 Ghost Club.

Quatermass at 70 and humanity’s future – a Zoom talk with Jon Dear

Jon Dear leads us through the work of Nigel Kneale, one of Britain’s most significant screenwriters of the 20th century – the creator of Professor Bernard Quatermass

Beowulf – performed at bedtime by Hugh Lupton

Beowulf is the oldest story in the English language – and it still has the power to raise the hairs on the back of the neck.

Early Paranormal Theories of the Late Nineteenth Century – a Zoom talk by Dr Robert Radakovic

This talk explores the complex culture and history of the late nineteenth century and how the earliest theories of the paranormal were developed.

Borley Rectory: The Most Haunted House in England – a Zoom talk by Sean O’Connor

Sean O'Connor's book 'The Haunting of Borley Rectory' (Simon & Schuster, Oct 2022) details the strange history of this infamous house...

Suffolk Ghost Tales – Kirsty Hartsiotis

So, it’s time to tell these winter tales, these stories of ‘spirits and ghosts that glide by night,’

Zombies: The New Dead – a Zoom talk with Roger Luckhurst

Professor Roger Luckhurst explores advances in medical science, the modern zombie story and its role in horror fiction and film.

In the Fort Archive: Charles Fort and the Making of the Twentieth Century

A Zoom talk by Colin Dickey on the father of all things Fortean: Charles Fort

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life – a Zoom lecture by Ruth Franklin

An online Zoom lecture about one of the greatest American women writers of unsettling fiction, Shirley Jackson (1916–1965).

Folklore, the Gothic and Urban Myth in Scooby-Doo – a Zoom talk by Mark Norman

Folklorist Mark Norman takes us through the real world folklore, urban myth and legend that populates the cartoon universe of Scooby-Doo.

J. Sheridan Le Fanu: Irish Master of Mystery – a Zoom talk by Jim Rockhill

Jim Rockhill gives an illustrated talk on the Irish ghost story writer and novelist Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, who was born this day (28 Aug) in 1814.

The Recognition of H. P. Lovecraft – a Zoom lecture by S. T. Joshi

An illustrated Zoom lecture on H. P. Lovecraft, the New England writer of weird, science-fiction and horror fiction, by S. T. Joshi.

Dark Folklore – an illustrated Zoom talk by Mark Norman

In this illustrated Zoom talk, Mark will discuss some of the themes which he explores in his most-recent book, 'Dark Folklore'.

An introduction to Arthur Machen – a Zoom talk by James Machin

James Machin gives an introduction to Welsh writer Arthur Machen, ‘The Flower-Tunicked Priest of Nightmare’

Robert Aickman – Master of the ‘strange story’: a Zoom talk by R. B. Russell & Rosalie Parker

R. B. Russell and Rosalie Parker talk about the master of 'strange stories', Robert Aickman (1914–1981).

Matthew Holness and Edward Parnell’s Darkplaces – Zoom lecture

Join Matthew Holness and Edward Parnell as they talk about their favourite ghost stories and tales of the weird and eerie.