You know all about The Wicker Man… now hear from one of the Children of The Wicker Man. On Folklore Matters today, we talk to Dominic Hardy, son of Robin, to hear all about the film’s legacy and its impact on his family. Source it wherever you get your podcasts…

Wicker Man fans! Today's @nfsengland.bsky.social episode is us speaking with the lovely Dominic Hardy, son of Robin, about his own and his dad's work and all things CHILDREN OF THR WICKER MAN! Get it in your ears now! open.spotify.com/episode/748O...

Thank goodness @dianearodgers.bsky.social was able to hold the fort while Sophie was ill in bed with suspected norovirus! Thank you for joining us, @helenwheatley.bsky.social!

In my ongoing tests with lightboxes, a few weeks ago I made this for a good friend who has just moved house. He's also a huge fan of The Wicker Man so decided to make this for his hallway, to greet guests as they arrive. Seemed to go down well, as they've messaged saying "You did it beautifully" 🌞.

Some FOLK HORROR TELEVISION updates! (1/2) My monograph, WYRD TV: FOLKLORE, FOLK HORROR AND BRITISH TELEVISION, has a rough publication date from the BFI for the end of 2026/start of 2027 - further away than I'd liked, but there is good news about it I can't share yet (woo!) but it's exciting!

Recorded a podcast episode with the marvellous @helenwheatley.bsky.social today for @nfsengland.bsky.social - watch the FOLKLORE MATTERS feed wherever you get your podcasts every Thursday! #folklorematters

Second episode of our FOLKLORE MATTERS podcast out now! From the team at @nfsengland.bsky.social #folklore

Today we had the pleasure of speaking to a packed room at Weston Park Museum about the Survey: what it is, how it was conceived, and some early findings (Halloween, the unexplained and unexpected, and Christmas). Lots of great questions. Thanks for having us, @sheffieldmuseums.bsky.social

Today our @nfsengland.bsky.social team gave a talk at the wonderful @sheffieldmuseums.bsky.social Weston Park Museum, with a wonderful welcoming audience!

Just over a week to go!

One of my students is investigating 'Healing in Ink: Ritual, Pain, and Meaning in Tattoo Traditions' for their assignment on the Contemporary Rituals & Traditions module. If you have one or more tattoos & are up for answering some questions please head to this survey forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

ICYMI our project lead, David Clarke, was on BBC Radio Sheffield with Paulette Edwards on Friday talking about living heritage, encouraging Sheffielders to submit their folklore to the UK Living Heritage Inventory. You can listen again here, from 10 mins in: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Our brand new podcast, Folklore Matters, launches today. David Clarke, Sophie Parkes-Nield, and Diane Rodgers speak to people working with or researching folklore to find out more about their work, how they discovered folklore, and to get their thoughts on the findings of the Survey.

Our new podcast FOLKLORE MATTERS launches today! Have at it! #folklore

'If we shut ourselves off from recognising ourselves in others, we create a dearth of empathy and that is a very dangerous path to start walking down’ - folklorist @lilithepunk.bsky.social tells us about her new book, her varied career, and how folklore can help us in these uncertain times.

Next week!

@kjsoar.bsky.social @drdjohnston.bsky.social @dianearodgers.bsky.social @mattdenny.bsky.social @cooraysmith.bsky.social @purserhallard.com Hi all! I know there's a LOT of Doctor Who podcasts out there, but what's one more eh? 😉 Please do listen, like, follow and share if you fancy 🙂

On 4 Feb @nfsengland.bsky.social are giving a talk at Sheffield Weston Park Museum, giving an overview of the project so far, along with emerging findings. So come on down and see what folklore is potent in England! (You'll need to book in advance: www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk/whats-on/lun...)

This happened in October but @celluloidscreams.bsky.social have just released official festival photos, I was lucky enough to introduce Uber cool @kierlajanisse.bsky.social and her excellent ghost story film THE OCCUPANT OF THE ROOM - excited to see what this year brings! #folkhorror #festivals

Well, THAT was a delightful afternoon in Tromaville, watching Poultrygeist and meeting the very lovely @lloydkaufman.bsky.social !

Cosgrove Hall were a Fabulous animation company. Remember Dangermouse & Count Duckula? They also made Chorlton & The Wheelies. All of their archive is available to look at. It's in Sale Library, Manchester.

I'm hosting this Wednesday's Derby Dracula lunchtime bite - FREE ONLINE 30-min TALK, just sign up at the link below! This week's talk is by Gabi Garcia who will be examining 'Vampires under the Microscope: Medicine and Illness in Vampire Media'! www.ticketsource.co.uk/draculalunch...

FOLK HORROR ON TELEVISION - deadline for our call for papers for this edited collection is NEXT WEEK! See @drdjohnston.bsky.social 's post below for details :) #folkhorror #folklore #television

You're in for a treat! I'm doing a mini-series on teaching with the X-Files (with some fantastic scholars like @memorieschild.bsky.social and @dianearodgers.bsky.social), so you can check those out when you're done :D Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the series!

A reminder that @dianearodgers.bsky.social and I have a CFP out for an academic edited collection on Folk Horror on Television. Proposals of 500 words to [email protected] AND [email protected]. Closing date for proposals is 15 January 2026. Thread of prompts … #FolkHorror #academia

I saved the best #wyrdchristmas gift for last, I got a gorgeous Stylophone Theremin! I've been listing after one of these ever since a chum brought their existence to my attention. It's the MOST fun. I'll post a video in comments if I'm able.

Another one! I was gifted a copy of the beautiful map of #folkhorror, related to the brilliant Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched doc <3

mediaeval/60s themed pop group called The Mummers & The Paupers

Another #wyrd #folkhorror gift I was lucky enough to receive, my very own copy of the @weirdwalk.bsky.social book! I've only dipped in so far to pages about Thaxted (as I frequently visit family there) and Norfolk (where I'm familiar with & mentions EF Benson!) but it is a lovely thing indeed!

Another #wyrd #folkhorror adjacent gift: nothing says Christmas like a Central Office of Information 'Stranger Danger' jigsaw, and makes a nice pair with the sinister policeman!

Oh yes, this is rather wonderful, a great piece of the Kneale oeuvre for those who may not have already heard it!

First of several #wyrd #folklore #folkhorror related festive gifts I have been lucky to receive this year - on green vinyl, no less!

This year's musical Merry Christmas ridiculousness from Paul Dorrington and I x youtu.be/Uq8GE2m9oG4?... #christmas #sleighride #ronettes

Yes! X

Today is the day I got a Christmas card from Robert Wynne-Simmons (writer of legendary folk horror film Blood on Satan's Claw) that almost gave me a heart attack as it had one of those rubber band flappy things in it. Well played, sir. #folkhorror #christmas

The short days and long nights of winter provide us with the opportunity for reflection on dark topics such as the supernatural.

Christmas news from the National Folklore Survey for England team! www.shu.ac.uk/news/all-art... #folklore #Christmas @nfsengland.bsky.social

Here is my Christmas card for this year to the boy, sharing here for all to enjoy (using ye olde Photoshop, no AI!). Also, the tagline should perhaps read 'This time they're OUR cats'. #gremlins #Christmas #cats

Exciting news! Replica vintage Derby Dracula merch - lifesize playbill, Lugosi fans! derbydracula.bandcamp.com/merch/derby-... #dracula #horror #lugosi

This is a jolly pleasant thing

THE LAST SACRIFICE now to rent on Amazon Prime, if you fancy an atmospheric documentary about a mysterious, folkloric murder in the 1940s that helped inspire THE WICKER MAN, ROBIN REDBREAST + other folk horror classics! I also pop up in it here and there too :) www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/det...

Best thing he’s done since STROSZEK.

What @drdjohnston.bsky.social said!

Pleased to have a new co-authored research article ALGORITHMIC ALCHEMY: THE POWER OF THE WITCH ON YOUTUBE(with Zhang, Belinskaya + @monrodriguez.bsky.social) published in FOLKLORE, bridging research in folklore studies and algorithmic networks! #folklore doi.org/10.1080/0015...

Looking forward to this episode! @nfsengland.bsky.social

Went home from work via Sheffield Cathedral and serendipitously caught this gorgeous magical light show from my bus stop! @sheffieldcathedral.bsky.social

Welcome my newest PhD student to the academic fold, I'm proud to be Josiah's Director of Studies, in a dream supervisory team with @davidwclarke.bsky.social researching ghost stories on TV! www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/news/introdu... @nfsengland.bsky.social #folklore

Very soon we'll be releasing some results on Christmas traditions from our National Folklore Survey for England! @nfsengland.bsky.social Watching Christmasovies is one of my festive highlights - what's your favourite Christmas film?