It’s spook month so all of the Horror Masterposts are making the rounds, so I wanted to put one together that included a load of my favourite YouTube horror finds. A good chunk of this is obscure British TV serials from the 70s because there was a ton of horror/supernatural stuff made around then and it’s usually what I go looking for if I want something new to watch.
Episodes/Specials
Beasts: A 6 episode anthology series by Nigel Kneale (all are available on YouTube).
Notable Episodes:
Baby (x): A pregnant woman becomes fearful for her child’s health after finding the mummified corpse of an unidentifiable creature hidden in the wall of her new home
Buddy Boy (x): Ghost dolphin, that’s all I can say.
A Child’s Voice (x): A late night radio host receives strange and unnerving phone calls regarding his latest horror story.
Tales of Mystery and Imagination: The Open Door (x) A man seeks the source of the ghostly wails that are keeping his son awake at night. (One of only 6 surviving episodes of the series.)
Dramarama: Spooky A children’s anthology series from the 1980s consisting of 7 episodes (all available on YouTube).
Notable Episodes:
The Danny Roberts Show (x): An egotistical radio host experiences strange and frightening phenomena on his late night show.
The Keeper (x): Two friends camp out in an allegedly haunted house in the country, only to experience more than they bargained for (written by Alan Garner)
The Exorcism of Amy (x): A young girl is terrorised by her imaginary friend.
In a Dark, Dark Box (x): A boy staying at his grandmother’s house remarks upon the similarities between his situation and the poem he has been reading at school
West Country Tales: BBC anthology series based on allegedly true stories sent in by viewers. (Until recently there were only 3 episodes available on YouTube, but someone has just uploaded 6 more).
The Beast (x): A man remembers a harrowing and unexplained experience from his childhood in the countryside, as he is called out to the country by his cousin.
The Poacher (x): A former poacher entertains a crowd of pub-goers with an unusual encounter from his past.
Haunted: The Ferryman (x) A writer finds himself staying at an inn which bears striking similarities to the one in his book,
The Signalman (x) (on dailymotion): An episode of A Ghost Story for Christmas, based on the short story by Charles Dickens. A railway signalman tells a curious traveller how he is being troubled by a ghostly spectre that seems to predict calamity.
Hammer House of Horror: Anthology series from the famed Horror studio. It was also followed later by the less successful Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, of which there are also many episodes available on YouTube.
Notable Episodes
Charlie Boy (x): An ancient African idol possessed by the spirit of an evil sorcerer seems to take on a life of its own.
Mark of Satan (x): A worker in a hospital mortuary becomes convinced that a conspiracy of evil has chosen him as the Devil’s disciple. Those around him remain sceptical, believing that his rantings are a sign of insanity rather than a desperate cry for help from an innocent soul marked for Satan.
Rude Awakening (x): An estate agent who has recurrent dreams about his seductive secretary, a mysterious house and an even more mysterious encouragement to murder his wife.
Guardian of the Abyss (x): Human sacrifice as part of an ancient rite is the unexpected consequence when an antiques dealer unwittingly buys a mirror with mysterious evil power.
Growing Pains (x): After the death of their young son, a scientist and his wife adopt a new son, but it coincides with a series of odd events and disasters for the father’s research.
Shadows (x) A children’s anthology series about the supernatural. All 20 episodes are available on YouTube. A lot of them have really interesting concepts even if not all of them are spooky.
M.R. James: Adaptations stories by famous ghost story writer M.R. James. Most of these were produced for A Ghost Story for Christmas, and most of them are on YouTube
Notable Episodes:
Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You (x): An academic man unearths an old whistle while on holiday at the coast, and must face the consequences of blowing it.
Lost Hearts (x): An orphaned boy goes to live with his older cousin, but is haunted by visions of two spectral children.
A Warning to the Curious (x): An amateur archaeologist travels to a remote seaside town in Norfolk to search for the lost crown of Anglia, but after unearthing it he is haunted by a mysterious figure.
Number 13 (x): An academic researcher repudiates local superstitions surrounding a devilish house in a cathedral city. However, repeated visions and noises during the night suggest he may be proved wrong
The Tractate Middoth (x): A young librarian receives a request for an obscure Hebrew book from a sinister gentleman, unaware of its contents.
Crooked House: A 3 episode miniseries by Mark Gatiss inspired by M.R James and Amicus horror anthologies. Each episode concerns the ghostly secrets of fictional Geap Manor, a recently demolished Tudor mansion, tied together by a framing device. Feature Length Compilation, Episode by Episode Playlist
Feature Length
The Stone Tape (x): A research team for an electronics company move into a Victorian mansion that has been refurbished for their use. They soon begin experiencing ghostly phenomena and use their knowledge in electronics to investigate. (also by Nigel Kneale)
Deathdream (x): A family receive news that their son has been killed in Vietnam, only for him to return home soon afterwards. Inspired by “The Monkeys Paw”, a short story by W.W. Jacobs.
Night of the Devils (x): The patriarch of a wealthy family fears that he will show up one day in vampire form. Should this happen, he warns his family not to let him back in his house, no matter how much he begs them. (A Spanish/Italian film, I could only find this dubbed into English, but it’s still watchable)
Don’t Go To Sleep (x): A seemingly straightforward TV movie about a ghostly child that steadily devolves into a bleak, nightmarish experience. You’ll never look at pizza cutters the same way again.
Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (x): Yes, this is absolutely a real film, and it is amazing and bizarre and a singularly unique experience. Please watch it.
A Cold Night’s Death (x): Two scientists travel to a remote research facility to investigate the mysterious death of their colleague.
The Haunting of Julia (x): A woman looking to escape her marriage and the death of her daughter is haunted by the ghost of a little girl.
Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (x): A surreal film about a psychologically frail woman moving into an old farmhouse in Connecticut. (I’m not sure I could call this obscure given it’s cult status but it’s good so here it stays)
