Bones and roots adorn the walls of their dimly lit home. A mjölnir necklace hangs around K.’s neck as he hand carves incense into a small cauldron burner and a breathy soundtrack begins to play. This is a couple that is in tune—with themselves, with the natural world, and, as we will soon see, the supernatural world, as well. 

Join us for a night of ghost stories!

“They talk about death being cold. It’s life that’s the cold thing.”

If it were possible to sum up Edith Nesbit’s horror fiction in a single line then this quote from one of her final tales would be as good an attempt as any. As Melissa Edmundson tells us in her introduction “[Nesbit’s] characters are always hiding something … whether it be a disappointment, a regret, a fear, a screen, or a crime.” The gaps these acts of hiding create become, inevitably, filled with the chill of ghosts but Nesbit’s unexpected statement that life, not death, is cold also indicates some of the contradictions at the heart of her own life.

Guillermo del Toro is no stranger to sending audiences back in time with his films. The Devil’s Backbone (2001) takes place during the Spanish Civil War, while both Hellboy (2004) and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) are set during World War II—not to mention the 60s-set The Shape of Water (2017) and post-depression era Nightmare Alley (2021)…

Vigilance Theater, the immersive theater group that recently brought Mac Beth to local theatergoers, is already back in time for the thinning veil of autumn—the perfect time for telling Campfire Stories. This time, Vigilance takes us to Camp Guyasuta, a Scouting America camp in Sharpsburg, PA, where the counselors at Camp Moonside are preparing for their annual Scary Story Competition.

Vigilance Theater Group presents Mac Beth, adapted by Erica Schmidt and directed by Ingrid Sonnichsen in a modern, immersive Shakespeare experience.

Presence follows the Payne family as they settle into their new suburban home, and almost immediately, cracks begin to show in the family dynamics. When Chloe senses the presence in her bedroom, Rebekah and Tyler dismiss her as attention-seeking and disruptive, but soon enough, they all witness the poltergeist-like activities firsthand.

Hauntings are a very well-known horror phenomenon. From Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and its many adaptations to the countless haunted houses that pop up every October, to haunted house movies like J. A. Bayona’s The Orphanage (2007) and The Conjuring (2013), directed by James Wan, horror audiences are no strangers to ghosts. But a horror story that is often unjustly left off of horror lists, though it features prominently on many Christmas ones, is Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.

Don't ever say his name! Our favorite undead character is back again. Destiny reviews Tim Burton's Beetlejuice Beetlejuice—the perfect beginning to spooky season.

Contributor Brandon Allison delves into the world of horror video games, where mirror neurons play a pivotal role, especially in those crafted to elicit spine-tingling thrills for our enjoyment.

Explore the dark side of politics this President's Day weekend with our bone-chilling movie list, featuring several commanders-in-chief facing terrifying aliens, zombies, the supernatural, and more.

As we find ourselves in the midst of the years’ most frigid days, we are also at our most reflective. Seasonal solitude coinciding with holiday festivities creates a space to contemplate relationships past and present. Do you traipse around your house in the shadows of early nightfall? Catch a glimpse of a specter of the previous you? Or maybe, someone you used to know? Film grants us the opportunity to explore these experiences of isolation, contemplation, and fear of someone near and dear not being exactly the same as you remember.

Renowned author of the novel Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia weaves occult, supernatural, and conspiracy in her latest novel Silver Nitrate.

In collaboration with Falk School, What Sleeps Beneath is proud to publish a scary story written by Mr. Kevin Goodwin’s first grade class. These youngsters tackle what makes something scary, and how teamwork can comfort even the most frightened.

Mike Flanagan’s lesser known film Oculus has the trappings of your average haunted house story, but with a twist up its sleeve.

Flanagan’s remarkable understanding of the ghost story subgenre pulls through in his 2011 film Absentia in which the ghost stands in for a character’s pain.

“The ghost story is a form of horror loved by those who don’t love horror.” Guest author Arran Crawley explores six themes in the making of the traditional British Ghost Story.

Great Britain has, of course, a strong pedigree when it comes to classic horror films, so it's nearly impossible to narrow down to the ten best, but we gave it a shot.

Kyle Edward Ball’s debut horror feature, Skinamarink, is an experimental nightmare that taps into our basest childhood fears of helplessness, loneliness, and the dark.

From Christmas traditions, to ghostly classics and horrific tales, something on this list is bound to make your winter season more terrifyingly wonderful. Check out this winter horror reading list!