Friday the 13th of March, 1970. Within two hours of a single television broadcast, hundreds of people climbed the gates and walls of Highgate Cemetery in North London, armed with homemade stakes, crucifixes, and garlic. Forty police officers tried to hold them back. They failed. This was not the 1600s. This was the heart of…
In 1370, a cleric in Moscow recorded the case of a merchant who had died during a famine. Villagers had seen him walking at night. When they dug him up, his corpse was the colour of a man still alive. They staked him through the chest and burned what remained. This was not folklore being…
In 2004, in the Romanian village of Marotinu de Sus, a family dug up their recently buried uncle. They cut out his heart. They burned it. Then they mixed the ashes with water, and drank. This was not the distant past. This was the twenty-first century. And to the family who did it, it was…
September 23rd, 1954. Glasgow’s Southern Necropolis. The steelworks are burning at the far end of the cemetery, throwing tongues of flame into the fog. Somewhere among the headstones, hundreds of children (some barely old enough to walk) are searching for a monster. The Creature in the Dark It had iron teeth. That was the detail…
Long before vampires stalked the pages of Gothic novels and before werewolves haunted European forests, the ancient Greeks feared a terrifying supernatural predator known as the Empusa. A creature of darkness, deception, and bloodshed, the Empusa was said to roam lonely roads after sunset, hunting travellers foolish enough to wander alone. Unlike many monsters of…
Throughout history, few figures have become as closely associated with blood, darkness, and supernatural legends as Elizabeth Bathory. Known as the Blood Countess, Bathory’s story has inspired countless vampire tales, horror films, novels, and ghost stories. Accused of torturing and murdering hundreds of young women, she has become one of history’s most infamous figures. Yet…
Few names in history evoke as much fear and fascination as Vlad the Impaler. To some, he was a ruthless ruler who defended his homeland against impossible odds. To others, he was a sadistic tyrant whose cruelty knew no limits. Yet beyond the history books lies a darker question that has persisted for more than…
The Baobhan Sith (pronounced baa-van shee) is one of the most fascinating and terrifying creatures in Scottish folklore. Often described as Scotland’s answer to the vampire, this supernatural being combines beauty, seduction, and deadly intent into a creature that has haunted Highland legends for centuries. Unlike the pale, aristocratic vampires popularised by modern fiction, the…
