Do you have a favourite spooky story/film/series/book?

[WhoWants2Know]

I love the type of scary story that's based around atmosphere or surprising twists on reality, as opposed to chainsaw-wielding maniacs chasing a bunch of teenagers.

My overall favourite series is probably The Haunting of Hill House, but I'm always on the lookout for more. Book wise, Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt and Nancy Forest-Flier is the one that gripped me most over the past year.

Anyone have any favourites that they want to share?

The film Borderlands is excellent.

As are Thin Air and Dark Matter by Michelle Paver.

Second this. You may like Nurse Ratchett

That was fab.

Series - The Haunting of Bly Manor (same director as Hill House).

Story - The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

Film - Too mange to name. But I do love the SAW films.

Book - American Psycho

@tropicalsound

I really enjoyed Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver and A Narrow Door by Joanne Harris, both are very atmospheric.

Also the audiobook of Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand is free on audible if you've got a subscription, it's in the form of interviews about a folk band in the 70s. It's only about 4 hours long but it's great.

I did like Wakenhurst, and I think I read The Silent Companions at around the same time. They were both easy to sink into

Another M R James fan here.

I've just added quite a few titles to my reading and watch lists 😊

The book Dark Matters. I could hardly sleep with the light off

Love the Others, Woman in Black and a film with Kevin Bacon called Stir of Echoes. Also the Frighteners with Michael J Fox which is a bit of a comedy ghost story but has some jumpy bits

And the conjuring one that is set in Enfield

I just saw this and had a bit of a giggle

As a bit of a change, theres an amazing documentary on You Tube( was originally BBC or CH4 i think) called Ghosts of the underground. They talk to real life London underground/tube workers who have seen ghosts during their working shifts. No special effects or jump scares, but lots of shots of pitch black tunnels and empty platforms, plus these honest, hardworking people who have worked in the dark all their lives yet are now clearly scared, gives it a spookyness that really stays with you.

Sorry its Ghosts on the underground. Link attached

Wylding Hall as mentioned by someone else really got under my skin, so unnerving!
Haunting of Hill House is one of my all time favourites.
Uncanny is also a brilliant podcast, I’ve been loving the stories there!
Archive 81 is just weird 😅 I had to sleep with with a light on last night and only two episodes in!
Has anyone read House of Leaves? That unnerved me too but is very very hard going.
Loving this thread and making notes of the suggestions, thanks OP!

Oooh, House of Leaves is on my list too. I think because someone mentioned that it would be great if the person who adapted Hill House were to adapt it too.

I'm now knee deep in Archive 81. It really does ramp up the tension as it goes on, and I think I'm going to have to watch it more than once to pick up things I missed.

Sixth Sense.

@Ionlydomassiveones

The Merrily Watkins series by Phil Rickman - and his other stand alone books. About a female vicar who lives a chocolate box village on the Welsh borders and is given the job of ‘deliverance ministry’ - it’s usually tied in with murder-mystery but a hint of spookiness and ancient borderland ‘other’ worldly stuff.

Also really enjoy Phil Rickman’s books. Really good character building and very atmospheric. Plus fantastically interesting with details of ancient traditions/folklore/archeology/creepy local shit.

The book the haunting of hill house is fantastic and entirely different to the series.
On channel 4 roughly 5 years ago there was a TV show where they told a different ghost story every week as if it was a documentary interviewing the people involved. That really spooked me despite watching it in the day time!

I third The Uncanny and The Battersea Poltergeist. I've heard all of The Uncanny, apart from the season closer coming up on Tuesday, and oddly enough I started on TBP this evening.

@Redannie118 Thanks for that link to the Underground hauntings documentary - that sounds like just my sort of thing!

... that hauntings on the London Underground documentary ... I've just watched it. It's beautifully filmed, and very, very spooky. Well worth seeing.

I agree Dark Matters. I listened to it in audio was brilliant narration.

Haunting of Hill House though scary at times was very sad I cried quite a few times but it’s about grief more than anything

Another for the Michelle Paver books Dark Matter and Thin Air.

DC read Dark Matter and had to cover the mirror in their bedrooom, they were terrified!

That underground programme is really creepy- I enjoyed that one.

I watched The Living and the Dead on Britbox the other day, remember watching it when it was on bbc a few years ago and really enjoyed that. Very chilling and creepy- gutted they didn't do a second series!