Since March of 2020 the whole world suddenly changed overnight and a great many of us all of a sudden found we had a lot more spare time than we ever had before. Podcasts have really filled that void for me and I’m sure for a lot of others too. Think of a subject and there is one out there (too many if you are into serial killers!) and Folk Horror is no different. It’s easy to get lost so we have decided to help all our loyal followers out by putting a spotlight on some we find ourselves and sharing them with you all.
In our first installment we have The Modern Fairy Sightings Podcast hosted by Jo Hickey Hall. Jo is a folklorist, researcher and social historian who is fascinated with the paranormal, the landscape and the oral tradition. She has a masters in History, is a member of the Folklore Society and runs a research project called Modern Fairy Sightings. Her podcast is an extension of this project where she interviews people who have had encounters with possible fairies. In the first episode we hear from a man who bumped into something while walking home one evening in Scotland.
As a storm closes in on the seaside village where I live in Ireland I wish I had waited to listen to this now. Even though it is quite a direct account and analysis of an incident it still cant help but have that atmosphere of strangeness to it due to the subject matter. It might just have a little to do with the eerie but pleasant soundtrack too. Both the guest and Jo keep the discussion grounded (well, as much as you can when the subject is the unknown) and I appreciated it all the more for that. No wild theories, questionable descriptions and leading questions. If this is a hint at the content and layout of future episodes then it is definitely worth subscribing too and I look forward to hearing more.
https://themodernfairysightingspodcast.buzzsprout.com/
Folk Horror Revival & Urban Wyrd Project ⨘ 