So you’ve caught the ghost hunting bug. Maybe it was a TV show, a visit to a haunted location, or just a lifelong fascination with what might be lurking in the dark. Whatever got you here, hello and welcome, this is one of the most rewarding hobbies you can get into, and the gear has never been better.

The problem? Walk into the world of paranormal investigation equipment for the first time and it’s overwhelming. Ghost boxes, EMF meters, EVP recorders, thermal cameras… where do you even start?

So to help you out I’ve put together this guide to cut through the noise. These are the pieces of equipment I’d recommend to anyone just starting out, nothing unnecessary, nothing overpriced for what it does. Just solid, simple and reliable gear that will serve you well on your first investigations and beyond.

The hands-free design is genuinely very useful when you're navigating in a dark location. The last thing you want is to be juggling devices when something starts happening.

Ghost Box / Spirit Box, Communication

A ghost box (sometimes called a spirit box) rapidly scans through radio frequencies, creating a wash of white noise and audio fragments. Many investigators believe that spirits can manipulate this audio to communicate by forming words or phrases. Whether you're a sceptic or a believer, it's one of the most interactive and compelling tools in any kit.

For beginners, the SBox Ghost Box + Recorder is the ideal entry point. At under $80 it's affordable, it has a built-in recorder (so you can review sessions afterwards), and it's one of Ghost Stop's most popular products, over 100 reviews and trusted by investigators at all levels.

Price: $79 (on sale from $99)

If you want to go deeper, the Ovilus 5 is a more advanced communication device that converts environmental readings (EMF, temperature, etc.) into words from an onboard dictionary. It's a lot pricier at $579, but it's become a staple on popular TV investigation shows for good reason. For most beginners though, the SBox is plenty to start with.

The Beginner's Shortcut, A Ghost Hunting Kit

If you'd rather let someone else do the picking, Ghost Stop's pre-built kits take the guesswork out of it entirely. The Spirit Box Ghost Hunting Kit bundles an SBox Ghost Box, a Rook EMF Meter, and an EVP Wrist Band Recorder together, essentially everything covered in this guide, at a bundled price.

Price: $219 (on sale from $262)

For a beginner who wants to walk into their first investigation properly equipped without spending hours researching individual items, this kit box is genuinely hard to beat.

Bonus: The BooBuddy, Surprisingly Effective

This one surprises a lot of people. The BooBuddy 2 Interactive Bear looks like a kids' toy, but it's a legitimate investigation tool. It's packed with EMF, temperature and motion sensors, and it asks questions during sessions, responding to environmental changes with coloured lights and verbal reactions.

The theory is that spirits (particularly child spirits) may be more likely to interact with a familiar, non-threatening object. Whether you buy into that or not, BooBuddy is one of Ghost Stop's most talked-about products and it's been used extensively on television investigations.

Price: $259 (on sale from $359)

Its not essential for a beginner kit, but worth knowing about, especially if you’re planning investigations at locations known for child-related hauntings.

Building Your Kit: A Suggested Order

If budget is a consideration (and it usually is), here’s the order I’d build your kit:

Priority item and approximate cost

1st SBox Ghost Box + Recorder: $79

2nd Rook 2 EMF Data Logger: $149

3rd EVP Wrist Recorder 3: $65

Or… Spirit Box Ghost Hunting Kit (all three bundled): $219

That’s a complete functional beginner’s kit for under $220 if you go via a bundle route, and you’ll have everything you need to conduct a proper investigation and to carry on doing more in the future.

I have a visit to Avebury planned in the near future. Before going, I did what I tend to do with places like this. A bit of reading here and there, a few notes, nothing too organised. Just trying to get a feel for it in advance, though that only goes so far.

It did not take long to realise that Avebury refuses to settle into anything straightforward.

Some places come across clearly on paper. You understand their layout, their story, even something of their atmosphere. Avebury does not quite allow for that. The more you look into it, the more it seems to shift between things. Monument, village, landscape, gathering place. It sits across all of them without fully committing to any single one.

That may be where its reputation begins.

An Unusual Setting

Avebury is often compared with Stonehenge, though the similarity is mostly superficial. At Stonehenge, everything feels deliberate. The stones are shaped, positioned, and arranged so you can take them in as a whole.

At Avebury, it is different. You do not stand back and see it. You find yourself in the middle of it without quite noticing when that happened.

The stones themselves are uneven, weathered, and spread out across a wide area. Some stand upright, others lean, a few seem almost out of place. There is no obvious point where it all comes together.

A road cuts through the site. Houses sit quietly among the stones. People pass through as part of their day. It is not separated off or presented in a controlled way. Life continues inside it.

A Landscape That Doesn't Sit Still

The main circle is usually dated to around 2500 BC, but that only tells part of the story. Silbury Hill sits nearby, rising out of the ground in a way that feels oddly separate from everything else. West Kennet Long Barrow lies along the ridge, and the remains of old avenues hint at connections that are no longer immediately visible.

On paper, it reads as a coherent prehistoric complex. Standing within it, the impression is less tidy. It feels spread out, as though the pieces belong together but no longer explain themselves clearly.

You are not looking at a single monument. You are moving through something that was once part of a larger design, now only partly understood.

Reports That Don't Quite Fit

What stands out with Avebury is not a single famous ghost story. There is no widely agreed figure or repeated apparition tied to one location.

Instead, there is a pattern of smaller things.

People describe small things rather than anything dramatic. A shift in the air that is hard to explain. A sense, briefly, that someone is there when no one is. It tends to pass quickly.

On their own, these moments do not amount to much. It is the way similar accounts keep turning up that makes them harder to ignore entirely.

Even those who would not usually entertain the idea sometimes comment on it, almost in passing.

Folklore and Belief

The stones themselves have drawn attention for centuries.

There are references, scattered and inconsistent, to attempts to damage or move the stones, and to the belief that doing so led to bad outcomes. Whether those stories were shaped later or have some older basis is not entirely clear, but they point to a long-standing reluctance to interfere with the site.

More recently, different ideas have settled over the landscape. Ley lines, earth energies, and the suggestion that something lingers in the ground itself. Not everyone takes this seriously, but it has become part of how Avebury is approached.

On certain days, you will find small groups among the stones, using the space in their own way rather than simply observing it.

When the Light Fades

From what I have gathered, the character of Avebury shifts again once the crowds thin out.

During the day, there is movement. Conversation. A sense that you are sharing the space. Later on, that falls away.

The openness is still there, but without people it feels slightly exposed rather than welcoming.

The stones do not change, of course. It is your sense of them that shifts.

Sounds carry further. Shapes are less certain. Distances feel slightly altered.

After Dark Impressions

It is usually at these quieter times that people mention feeling unsettled. Nothing obvious. Just the same kind of impressions, but with less to distract from them.

Not sightings in any clear sense. More the feeling that something is just out of reach of explanation.

Whether that comes from the setting, expectation, or something else is left open.

A Place That Leaves Space

At this stage, before actually visiting, the impression is not of a "haunted site" in the traditional sense.

It is something quieter than that.

Avebury sits somewhere between things. Part history, part suggestion, part personal experience, depending on how you come to it. The accounts linked to it rarely lead anywhere definite, but they do not disappear either.

That may be the point. It leaves enough space for people to decide for themselves what, if anything, is going on.

I suspect the real answer, if there is one, comes from standing there rather than reading about it.

There is a brand new paranormal drama heading to our screens, and it's one that fans of real-life hauntings won't want to miss. The Witch Farm, created by Danny Robins, is being adapted into a gripping BBC television series, bringing the terrifying true story into the spotlight once again.

Set in 1989, the series follows a young couple, Bill and Liz Rich, who leave London behind in search of a quieter life in rural South Wales. Their new home, a remote farmhouse known as Heol Fanog in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons, initially feels like a peaceful escape. But that sense of calm doesn't last long!

During a traumatic home birth, Liz becomes convinced she has seen a ghostly figure lurking in the room. From that moment on, the couple's dream quickly spirals into a waking nightmare. Strange disturbances begin to plague the house, and an overwhelming feeling grows that they are not alone.

As the strange events intensify, Bill and Liz begin investigating the history of their home and what they uncover is very unnerving . The land itself appears to hold secrets to the past that refuses to remain hidden.

The haunting doesn't just affect the house, it also begins to tear at the couple's relationship. Trust, belief, and sanity are pushed to their limits as they struggle to understand what is happening to them.

The real-life case behind The Witch Farm has long fascinated paranormal researchers, with reports claiming years of disturbing activity and the property becoming one of the most investigated, and even exorcised homes in Britain.

The story first gained widespread attention through Danny Robins' podcast The Witch Farm, where eyewitness testimonies and historical research painted a deeply eerie picture of events.

Now, the tale is being transformed into a four-part TV drama for BBC One and iPlayer, blending supernatural horror with emotional storytelling.

Robins, known for his work on Uncanny and other chilling projects, has described the show as more than just a ghost story. Expect a mix of psychological tension, mystery, and spine-tingling moments, crafted to leave viewers questioning what they believe about the paranormal.

What makes The Witch Farm particularly unsettling is its grounding in real accounts. While some elements will undoubtably be adapted for television, the core story will be rooted in first hand experiences, making it all the more chilling.

Filming is currently underway in Wales the a strong cast bringing the story to life. This might shape up to be one of the BBC's best supernatural dramas in years.

If you have never listened to The Witch Farm podcast, you can find links below:

BBC Radio 4

Spotify

Amazon Music

Apple Podcasts

Did I just photograph a ghost? That’s the question.

So just recently I visited York, UK, to see Danny Robins Uncanny Fear of the Dark stage show. I had parked the car at Castle carpark which is right next to Clifford’s Tower.

On the way home from leaving the theatre, before getting into the car, I noticed Clifford’s Tower was all lit up, it was dark, it was around 10:30pm. So because I had never seen it all lit up in the dark before I decided to go have a look.

I decided to walk up all the stairs to the top to have a look around, you can’t really go anywhere at the top other than through the doors but it was obviously closed with it being so late at night and there was no-one around.

Once I had walked back down all the steps I decided to take photo of the stairs that were all lit up leading up to the tower. It wasn’t until the next day that I looked at the photo on my phone that I spotted something odd near the top of the stairs.

A misty looking figure, where you can sort of make out a head and torso. What is also odd about it is that it seems to cover the top two or three steps, as if it is standing on the stairs.

While this may be classified by some as a mythical creature, what little information I have come across regarding the Krepid has been on obscure sites dealing with cryptids. So going with what I could find on this obscure creature it seemed by many people in the modern era to be classed as a cryptid.

The Krepid is an ancient race of shape shifters that supposedly pre-date mankind. They were described as very tall thin creatures with long skinny limbs, no facial features and fed off of the energy of other creatures. It was said that when they were created that they were made not from flesh and bone but from the deepest shades of dread and despair. They are believed to be able to exist just beyond the human's perception of reality and that they are reason why we fear the dark and the unknown.

They loved to feed on human energy, the myths say they have the ability to know the deepest fears of man and were so vicious and warlike that they tried to destroy mankind. The god Baktiotha who created them was forced to annihilate nearly all of the Krepid after they hunted and attacked humanity to near extinction. Baktiotha however took pity on those creatures that were left and allowed them to exist but as with all good myths there was a twist. The Krepid could only feed on humans who knew of their existence, these unfortunate humans would not just need general knowledge of them but would need to know their specific names.

While this may seem like a modern myth crafted by some Cyber-Skald at his keyboard, the myth of these creatures was originally discovered written on tablets that were found at an archaeological dig site in Syria. The site was Ain Dara, an Iron-Age temple that was in use from 1300 BCE to 740 BCE. The temple was a Syro-Hittite or Neo-Hittite/Aramaean sanctuary. It has been noted that there is a marked resemblance between the temple at Ain Dara and that of descriptions of the great temple of Solomon as given in the Bible. When it was discovered in 1955 it had an unusual feature, that of a set of one metre foot prints carved at its entrance. The temple site was nearly destroyed in 2018 by an air strike.

Evidence of this story, as with all good stories, was discovered by accident. The tablets were located in an obscure part of the temple and were only seen because they were made of gold. While this may seem a little like an embellishment, there have been other examples of golden tablets inscribed with cuneiform found in the same geographical area.

The obscurity of this myth seems rather strange in the modern age where we tend to have a view that there is nothing new to discover. What adds to the strangeness of the obscurity is that Baktiotha, sometimes referred to as the "Lord over the forty and nine kinds of serpents", seems to be quite well known and references of him certainly date back to the same time period as the earliest use of the temple. His influence and existence would appear quite wide spread. Baktiotha is featured in the Handbook of Ritual Power, also Known as The Coptic Spellbook. This deity has also been associated with Gnosticism and the Sethians and is quite often associated with later magical practices which often call on him in protection spells.

Given the time frame of references to the Krepid this would make it one of the earliest records of a cryptid, if we to assume that these were real creatures. However here is where the issue with this creature comes in, so much of the information on the Krepid seems to have become ingrained with modern folklore and conspiracy theories. Leaving a confusing mix of the new and of the original myth about them making it tricky to decipher their true place in folklore.

While myths of creatures that can change form are known to go back as long as human myths have been recorded. The lessons normally taught in the traditional myths of shape-shifters, is most often based around the fear of us not knowing who is among us, in other words beware of strangers in the tribe. Alternatively they can be seen as an allegory for the darkness and beastliness that is within us all. Even Gilgamesh encountered shape-shifters in his journeys, he encountered the Humbaba that haunted the cedar forests, a creature that does bear a striking resemblance to the Krepid.

Is this because they were a real creature? Or the author of the epic of Gilgamesh had heard the tale of Baktiotha and his Krepids? Well it would seem more likely the author had resurrected an old myth, as opposed to having encountered a Krepid. With these creatures however there seems to have been a sense of deeper horror and even one of paranoia attributed to them. Is this because they seem to have been designed to drag out the fears we had as early man about predators that stalked the night or is it that they became the template for all our latter dark and dire mythical creatures and cryptids. It could be that we still have need of a bogeyman today, to explain away the fear and terror of our modern world.

The modern interpretation of this myth would suggest that these creatures are keeping themselves in the very makeup of human DNA, allowing them to feed off of our life-force. They are also attributed closely to the original ideas of Vampires and Were-Creatures, even some elements of the Skin-Walker myths would appear to match the Krepid, which given the description of their abilities and behaviours is very understandable. The really fascinating aspect to this myth and how people have reinterpreted it for the modern world is that it still seems to ring true.

When you look at the description of a modern mythical creature, that of the Slender Man, the physical resemblance is quite striking with its long thin limbs and body, featureless face. There is even a similarity in behaviour between the two creatures it appears to be around people but not be noticed. It seems to lurk in the shadows, stalk its victims, attacks people to drain their life. In almost every aspect you could be describing the Krepid.

Is this just a coincidence or the Krepid weaving itself into our consciousness, sowing fear and despair among us once more? Well it is more likely that the Krepid was created to represent our primal fears, much as the Slender man or any other number of creatures from myths and folklore have been designed to do for centuries. Perhaps the Krepid should be considered the archetype of the creatures of darkness, the antithesis if you will of Joseph Campbell's Hero archetype.

Whether the Krepid was ever a real creature or not we will probably never know for certain. Personally I am hoping for not real. The Krepid however from a cultural stand point is really interesting in that a three and a half thousand-year-old myth can still resonate with us in a basic primal manner, even in our modern Hi-Tech world of mobile phones and space exploration. Perhaps the internet with its Cyber-Skalds churning out our modern myths, legends and folklore are replacing the traditional campfire tales and epic stories of heroes that we once told to keep our culture and history alive.

Who Knows we may be reading tales of the Krepid again stalking people in lonely cabins in the woods. The Krepid becoming once again the ultimate boogeyman.

*This article was written by Doctor Spook

Last weekend I went to Leeds Playhouse to see 'It Walks Around The House At Night'. It wasn't something I had initially planned to see. I was planning on going to see Uncanny but due to unforeseen circumstances I had to cancel my tickets and reuse the returned funds to see something else, so I chose to see It Walks Around The House At Night to keep with the creepy theme.

I am still going to see Uncanny later this month, in York this time, managed to grab some tickets, so I am looking forward to that.

Anyway back to last weekend. The show was pretty good. I didn't know what to expect really. Well I did have some sort of an idea in my mind of what I though the story would be about but it turned out not what I was expecting, still scary, but the story was different to what I had imagined it was going to be about. I had stayed away from reviews in case of spoilers.

The story is about a struggling actor, Joe who works as a bartender and during one of his shifts, a stranger offers him a strange but well paid gig at an old countryside manor, and joe grabs the chance to do it. The Job is to dress up as a ghost to scare the strangers nieces.

For his gig Joe is given a lodge in the manors grounds to live in for five days, and in those five days things get very scary for Joe. Each day becoming more scarier.

It was my fist time at Leeds Playhouse and I recommend visiting if you get a chance. Its a great venue.

Upon entering the theatre for the play, you were greeted by a dark gloomy stage with soft eerie music echoing around the room, it was quite a creepy feeling to be honest.

The play started with Joe introducing himself and the whole play is told from Joe's point of view.

The play is only 90 minutes long so there is no interval but there is a lot packed in those 90 minutes.

Lots of jump scares, the first one got me but from then on I was anticipating more so the rest were sort of expected but some of the audience screamed and jump at almost every one.

The ghost is a dancing character dressed in black rags who has no spoken words but is a big part of the jump scares.

It Walks Around The House At Night is rather good. It is written by Tim Foley with actors George Naylor (Joe) and Oliver Baines (Ghost) who were both great actors.

The set, the eerie music, the jump scares and the story made it a very enjoyable experience and I am glad I chose to go see it.

I would recommend anyone to go and see if it comes to a theatre near you, if are looking for a spooky night at the theatre.

We opened Appalachian Oddities on May 14, 2021, in downtown Weston, West Virginia, just down the road from the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. It started as a small retail shop filled with books, crystals, artwork, and unusual objects we had collected or sourced from artists, antique stores, and independent makers.

From the beginning, the shop was meant to be something people could explore. Most of what we carry is one-of-a-kind or made in small quantities, so the space is always changing depending on what we find and bring in. People come to browse, to talk, and to spend time in an environment that feels different from a typical store.

Later on in our journey we began to offer tarot and energy clearing as a service. Tarot has become a steady part of what we do, giving people a more personal way to engage with the space. Some visitors come specifically for a reading, while others discover it after spending time in the shop.

In 2021, we built an escape room called Gabriel’s Feast in the middle section of the building. It operated through 2023, but rising insurance costs and the need to restructure made it impossible to continue running it safely. Rather than abandon the space, we made the decision to rebuild it into something new.

During the summer of 2025, our family worked together to transform that section of the shop into The Odd Lands.

We built everything ourselves. We designed the environments, installed the lighting and sound, and created the characters and moving elements by hand. We worked within the structure that was already there and reshaped it into something people could physically walk through and experience.

The Odd Lands is an immersive walk-through environment made up of connected spaces. Visitors move through at their own pace, noticing details, objects, and figures that suggest a larger story.

They’ll meet Dr. E. Gadds, whose experiments tend to raise questions about the good doctor’s sanity. Or Braxxie Sutton, a very out-of-town waitress who spends her nights serving spirits to the creatures who frequent the Cryptid Club. Eartha is an Appalachian mountain witch with a penchant for mischievous magic, and Lilly is a tormented young girl whose condition leaves visitors wondering whether it’s mental illness, possession, or something else entirely.

We don’t explain everything. People notice what they notice, and the story reveals itself differently each time someone walks through.

We opened The Odd Lands on October 1, 2025, and it has quickly become the center of Appalachian Oddities. Some people visit specifically to see it. Others find it unexpectedly while browsing the shop. Almost all of them leave talking about when they’ll come back.

As we approach our five-year anniversary this May, Appalachian Oddities continues to operate as a retail shop, tarot reading space, and immersive experience. Everything exists together under one roof, built by our family and shaped over time.

The Odd Lands continues to grow alongside Appalachian Oddities. We add to it, adjust it, and let it evolve over time, so no two visits are exactly alike. Most people don’t see everything the first time. The story continues to unfold for us and anyone willing to step inside.

*This article was written by Katy Perrine, Owner of Appalachian Oddities.

Visit Appalachian Oddities and The Odd Lands

I read about this on my local news website, so I just had to share the story and write a little article about it to help with the promotion as it’s a great project.

Paranormal writer and podcaster Michele Marie Liddle is leading an exciting new project to create the Northumberland Haunted Museum in the seaside town of Amble, UK.

This isn’t going to be your typical “jump-out-at-you” scare attraction. Instead, Michele wants the museum to celebrate the eerie history, ghost stories and folklore that make Northumberland so fascinating.

While the museum will naturally explore paranormal phenomena, its focus is broader than just the supernatural. Michele’s vision is to blend Northumberland’s culture, folklore and history along with its haunting tales, creating a welcoming space where people can learn about the county’s past as well as its hauntings.

Northumberland has a deep well of history, from ancient castles to historic inns, and with it comes a wealth of spooky tales.

Rather than letting those stories fade with time, the museum aims to preserve them for locals and visitors alike. It will offer a home for folklore, artefacts, and personal accounts of the unexplained, honouring both history and heritage.

Though Michele does not have a location for the museum as yet, when open, the Northumberland Haunted Museum is planned to be over two floors and will likely include heritage displays showcasing local legends and supernatural tales, guided storytelling tours and folklore talks, interactive events that celebrate Northumberland’s history with a spooky twist and the second floor will be dedicated to paranormal research and investigations.

Michele has already purchased a number of artefacts to go on display, and some other artifacts have been donated to her. These include haunted dolls and also a mirror from the Amble Masonic Hall that people have reported feeling sick around.

There has been a crowd funding page set up with a target of £25,000 and the hope is for the museum to be open by early summer this year. All donations will go to towards purchasing the premises, decorating, fit out and buying artifacts.

If you want to find out more, or to donate, then visit Northumberland Haunted Museum crowdfund page here or click the button below.

You can also follow the progress on Facebook,

Good luck to Michele. I do hope the targets are met and the museum becomes a reality soon.