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March 28, 2024, 08:51:25 AM

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Will Storr vs. The Supernatural

Started by BlodwynPig, February 20, 2018, 07:18:25 AM

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BlodwynPig

I think it was Biggy who mentioned it on a ghost thread, so I got this book and read half on the way to Canada back in July and just finished the other half on my flight to the UK now. Probably glad I didn't read the last part alone in Canada. It's a great book even though the style flits between sub-Louis Theroux and red top journalist. But that's doing him an injustice, I think he pitches it just right and has some thought provoking sections in among the humour (intended and unintended).

I think CaB solved Ghosts in that ghost thread, but reading this once more sowed the seeds of doubt. Either Will has spun a yarn to sell a book or what he experienced...well I've experienced similar, but when I was pre-teen (this is touched upon as well and I'm happy at the explanation).

Might dig around to see if some of the names and places mentioned are real. The Enfield haunting certainly is real and even though everyone here agreed it was kids pranking - the story told in Will Storr's book still raises questions and I expect I should read Biggy investigates on the subject.

However, the David Vee in Britain's most haunted house (left unnamed to avoid trouble from the new owner - I suspect also so we cannot verify the chilling story), is an immense bit of ghost storytelling from first person perspective. Similarly the final story in Kentucky really is a well told story and you can suspend your disbelief and get a lot out of it, even though its pretty much left as a cliff-hanger with both doubters and believers in limbo.

The Cornish pub is more likely to at least be written about online as the phenomenon was witnessed by many and reported numerous times. However, I never heard about it and surely in this day and age you could debunk it quite easily.

Highly recommended for cheap thrills.

Jack Shaftoe

Dammit, this has reminded me that I lost my copy and need to get a new one. It's a great read. What was the name of the Cornish pub again?

Anyone listening to the Haunted podcast? It's great, despite/because of the ridiculously long dramatic pauses and general campness, whether intended or not.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Jack Shaftoe on February 20, 2018, 11:19:35 AM
Dammit, this has reminded me that I lost my copy and need to get a new one. It's a great read. What was the name of the Cornish pub again?

Anyone listening to the Haunted podcast? It's great, despite/because of the ridiculously long dramatic pauses and general campness, whether intended or not.

the first and the last. they have a website that kind of dumbs down the haunting, sadly

c

It is written a bit 'young' but there have been a couple of more grown-up books as he's grown up - The Heretics (similar ground, but much more sceptical and sciencey) and, more recently, Selfie, which is a history of the western self and has had good reviews.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: c on March 28, 2018, 07:37:56 AM
It is written a bit 'young' but there have been a couple of more grown-up books as he's grown up - The Heretics (similar ground, but much more sceptical and sciencey) and, more recently, Selfie, which is a history of the western self and has had good reviews.

cheers. I agree it was slightly immature, but engrossing nevertheless.

non capisco

#5
The creepiest story in the Storr book is that one where the bloke talks about him and his brother when they were kids seeing two happy looking women in old timey clothes suddenly materialise in the bathroom. It sounds a bit prosaic from my description but there was something in the verisimilitude of the telling that gave me the wiggins a bit, little details like the kid not knowing what to do so just asking the ghosts "Shall we get our mummy and daddy?" and also the fact that the brother is still unwilling to talk about it beyond acknowledging that it happened. Nothing in the book convinced me that ghosts aren't a load of bollocks though.

BritishHobo

The name of this book just popped into my head about ten minutes ago and I decided to buy it on Kindle. Now it's too thread in this sub forum. Spooky, that, innit. GHOSTS?!?

BlodwynPig

Quote from: non capisco on April 02, 2018, 04:50:18 PM
The creepiest story in the Storr book is that one where the bloke talks about him and his brother when they were kids seeing two happy looking women in old timey clothes suddenly materialise in the bathroom. It sounds a bit prosaic from my description but there was something in the verisimilitude of the telling that gave me the wiggins a bit, little details like the kid not knowing what to do so just asking the ghosts "Shall we get our mummy and daddy?" and also the fact that the brother is still unwilling to talk about it beyond acknowledging that it happened. Nothing in the book convinced me that ghosts aren't a load of bollocks though.

Was about 5th in my list of creepy bits in the book. Although I guess the ambience of that tale is pretty similar to my childhood visions and unnerving 70s into 80s nostalgia.

Dyl Spinks

#8
Read this one a good few years ago, but lost it to an ex-girlfriend if memory serves.

The chapter on "Britain's most haunted house" was indeed a good one; it's unnamed in the book, but it's well-established that it was Chingle Hall:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/content/articles/2006/03/29/spooky_chingle_stories_feature.shtml

Phil_A

Quote from: Jack Shaftoe on February 20, 2018, 11:19:35 AM
Anyone listening to the Haunted podcast? It's great, despite/because of the ridiculously long dramatic pauses and general campness, whether intended or not.

I listened to the whole lot over a couple of days. Very enjoyable, although some of the explanations offered are a little bit unsatisfying, particularly in the case of the hospital ward "haunting" - such a large number of inexplicable events occurring in such short space of time probably shouldn't just be handwaved away with "Oh, it was probably infrasound."

The only one I thought there wasn't really much mystery to it was the old fella who kept experiencing a strange presence in his bed, especially given that he was taking medication that includes hallucinations as a possible side-effect.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Dyl Spinks on April 07, 2018, 05:00:37 PM
Read this one a good few years ago, but lost it to an ex-girlfriend if memory serves.

The chapter on "Britain's most haunted house" was indeed a good one; it's unnamed in the book, but it's well-established that it was Chingle Hall:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/content/articles/2006/03/29/spooky_chingle_stories_feature.shtml

Much appreciated. CaB meet?

Drygate

Quote from: c on March 28, 2018, 07:37:56 AM
It is written a bit 'young' but there have been a couple of more grown-up books as he's grown up - The Heretics (similar ground, but much more sceptical and sciencey) and, more recently, Selfie, which is a history of the western self and has had good reviews.

The Heretics and Selfie were really good.

Twit 2

I bought this off the back of this thread. Read the first coupla chapters. It's very good. All these gonzo things are written in the same style aren't, they? If Ronson's name was on it I would totally believe it was him. Not a criticism, though as it's a good formula.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Twit 2 on April 14, 2018, 11:08:16 AM
I bought this off the back of this thread. Read the first coupla chapters. It's very good. All these gonzo things are written in the same style aren't, they? If Ronson's name was on it I would totally believe it was him. Not a criticism, though as it's a good formula.

report back when you've finished.