The Ghoul Guides Association

In this review episode, Mary tells Lauren all about her recent theatre trip to see The Psychic, the new ghostly offering from Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson. Join us as we delve into the previous spooky works by the masters of macabre - including their previous horror play Ghost Stories - and explore the world of psychics, mediums and showmen featured in their latest collaboration. And don't worr...

Do you ever feel like you're made of glass? In this episode, Lauren uncovers the glass delusion and explores instances across history where people believe they are entirely made of glass (or in some instances that just one very specific body part is made of glass) and that they might therefore shatter into tiny pieces. Join us as we uncover the story of King Charles VI, who was very famously a...

In this review episode we dive into Lee Heejoo’s latest novel Holy Boy. Published in the UK in March 2026, this is the first of Lee’s works that was translated into English and it delivers bucket loads of suspense, Gothic thrills and unhinged acts of worship and devotion. Whether you’re a K-pop fan, or if you’re just here for the cult stuff, you won’t want to miss this book and its thrilling exami...

Ín the second instalment of our Gothic Lives of Saints mini-series, we uncover the mystical life of Saint Catherine of Siena. From Catherine’s visions to conversations with her divine spouse (God) and her many frequent battles with the ultimate adversary (Satan), join us as we delve into the difficult and sometimes gross stories that lead to Catherine’s sainthood. And of course, we’ll also be disc...

REUPLOAD! Thank you to Bethany for letting us know the tracks weren't synced - you are out Association Member of the Month, which we just made up. Do you really know what makes a Gothic heroine? In this episode, Lauren is exploring just that! Join us as Lauren leads Mary through all of the key the evolutions of the Gothic heroine - swoons and all - from her origins in early modern chivalric ro...

One horror fan, one scaredy cat, lots of scary movies! So You Don't Like Horror? is back and, as usual, Mary is reviewing some of her favourite new horror releases from the first months of 2026. Whether you're a scaredy cat like Lauren, who wants to vicariously enjoy a spoiler-filled discussion of horror films from the comfort of your own home (and find out whether it's safe to watch t...

In this review episode Mary discusses Strange Buildings - the latest book offering from cult horror author and YouTuber Uketsu. Who is Uketsu? What makes these books so addictive? Can the ordinary and mundane really be frightening and uncanny? And, can you solve the mystery of the Rebirth cult featured in Strange Buildings? If you’ve read any of Uketsu’s works or have any other book recommendation...

Was 536 CE really the worst year ever? Find out what made this year so horrible in our latest deep dive as Lauren takes Mary through the impacts of international and ecological crises, checks in with our old friends the Goths and explores how the events of 536CE created decades of Ecogothic stories.

In this review episode, Mary and Lauren are joined by special guest and Brontë expert Dr Hannah Moss to talk about the latest Wuthering Heights film. What do Hannah, Mary and Lauren make of Emerald Fennel’s adaptation? What do they make of Charlie XCX’s music? And would we recommend this film? Watch to find out. Have you seen Wuthering Heights? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! NOTE...

In this episode Mary and Lauren are joined by special guest Dr Rehman Abdulrehman to talk about all things related to Jinn and Zanzibar Gothic, and also his new book Jinn in the Family. Jinn in the Family is out now and you can get your copy here: https://leadwithdiversity.com/jinn/ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... Also check out Rehman’s other work and projects here: Books - https://leadw...

"Fear is the new faith. "Join us as we return to the apocalyptic world of infected that is the 28 Days Later franchise. In this episode we are again joined by Dr Kathleen Hudson to review the latest instalment in the British zombie series, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026). We get Kathleen's American perspective on the film, talk about what we think of the Jimmy Crystal’s bizarr...

Join us as we delve into the wicked world of treachery that is The Traitors! Or, as we like to call it at Ghoul Guides HQ: the very best playable Gothic murder mystery ever created. Since 2021, The Traitors has become an international phenomenon with over 30 versions produced in countries across the globe from the Netherlands to the UK, Hungary, Italy, Canada, India and so many more. What makes th...

In our second holiday bonus episode Mary shares her festival highlights from Sheffield's very own horror film festival: Celluloid Screams 2025. Join us for a review of some of Mary’s favourite horror films from the USA, Canada, Japan and South Korea that featured in this year’s Celluloid Screams festival. Watch our review of Mayhem 2025 here:    • So You Don't Like Horror? Bonus episode: M...

In this holiday bonus episode Mary shares her festival highlights from Nottingham's Mayhem Film Festival 2025. Join us for a review of some of Mary’s favourite horror, cult and sci-fi movies from South Korea, Japan, Poland, Iran and the US that featured in this year’s Mayhem festival. 00:00 Intro 02:17 Mayhem 05:46 Old Woman with a Knife, Dir. Min Kyu-dong, South Korea 09:16 Chess of the Wind,...

In this festive edition of the Ghoul Guides Association, we uncover the man, the myth the legend himself: Santa Claus. Or rather, we dive into some of the more Gothic aspects of the legend of the real Saint Nicholas of Myra. Join us to discover how this gift-giving bishop became the Father Christmas we all know, find out who exactly are the Pickle Boys, and why everyone wants a piece of the bones...

Join Mary and Lauren as we delve into the mysterious and underground depths of the Cult of Mithras. Who is this ancient Roman God? What’s the deal with the bull? And are the rumours true about a London Mithraeum? (Also...what's a Mithraeum?) Find out all this and more in this episode of the Ghoul Guides Association. If you get to 27 minutes and feel like we suddenly skipped a section: there was an...

In this episode of the Ghoul Guides Association Lauren introduces us to the Wild Hunt. Join us as we delve into the history of the supernatural hunt, talk about some of the mythical and historical leaders, and find out what makes the Wild Hunt Gothic. NOTE: Due to some technical nightmares that eventually led to a whole new laptop, we've had to use the single audio track from the video for this on...

So You Don't Like Horror is your guide to the movies you can't watch. This Ghoul Guides podcast brings together one horror fan (Mary) and one scaredy cat (Lauren) as we discuss recent horror releases. As well as reviewing some of the horror offerings from September, this episode also spotlights the siren horror of Robert Wiene, Lauren shares some of her own scaredy cat friendly podcasts and spooky...

Of course we had to review this one: Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Mary Shelley's Gothic classic, starring Oscar Issacs and Jacob Elordi, is now in cinemas and streaming on Netflix, so we share our thoughts and feelings about the film.

Ghouls, it's Halloween! And we've got some more spooky reading recommendations for you, this time all on the theme of cultishness and corruption.

Mary reviews The Long Walk, the latest and final instalment of The Conjuring franchise and streaming anthology V/H/S Halloween, as well as a horror comedy retrospective.

In this review episode Mary takes us through some of C. J. Cookes’ novels starting with her suitably spooky The Lighthouse Witches - and make sure you watch till the end to discover more witchy books to read this Halloween season. Let us know in the comments if you’ve read any of these books, or if you have your own witch books to recommend! SUPPORT THE GHOUL GUIDES! If you enjoyed this video then...

Two PhD students head to hell to bring back their supervisor? This had our name written all over it. In this episode Lauren reviews R.F Kuang's latest novel, Katabasis, discusses what makes dark academia dark, and if hell really is a university campus.

So You Don't Like Horror is your guide to the movies you can't watch - featuring one horror fan (Mary) and one scaredy cat (Lauren). Join us as we discuss recent horror releases from August 2025. This episode also features some nuclear nightmares in Mary's retrospectives, some picks from Lauren, and our Audience Recommends with film suggestions from you!.Want to send us a horror film recommendatio...

Mary unearths the vampire - exploring the vampire’s Eastern European origins, metaphorical and economic vampirism, and two essential Gothic vampire texts: Polidori’s The Vampyre and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.