Show Notes
Summer is the season of the spin-off at General Witchfinders. We have a few episodes beyond our usual format to share, starting with James’s exploration of parapsychology in the 1970s. Why did that decade see such a dramatic rise in the cultural obsession with ESP, telekinesis, and psychic premonitions? James has been digging into the archives and thinks he has the answer. Join James and Ross for an intriguing journey into the seventies counterculture in our new spin-off: ‘General Witchfinders – Department X: Mysterious Powers & Strange Forces’.
For people who struggle with background music behind speech, here is a voice-only version – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1am2tJWJtB_wIqxax3E11S-7eZQVLzyAw/view?usp=sharing
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from General Witchfinders: The British Horror Podcast
In this episode, we conclude our deep dive into screen adaptations of Nigel Kneale’s legendary sci-fi creation, Professor Bernard Quatermass. We take a look at the 1979 Euston Films/Thames Television serial The Quatermass Conclusion (also known as Quatermass IV or Quatermass), starring Oscar-winner John Mills as the titular professor. Plus, stick around after the end credits for an exclusive clip preview from Room 5064 and B7 Media’s full-cast audio adaptation of Ramsey Campbell’s iconic folk horror novel, The Hungry Moon – starring Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Louise Jameson, Mina Anwar, and Jemma Moore.
Last time, the files of General Witchfinders Department X revealed how psychic powers and parapsychology grew to be one of the leading frights of 70s horror culture. Now, we look closer at one of the key texts from the 60s counter-culture milieu that drove the psychic boom: Pauwels and Bergier’s ‘The Morning of the Magicians’. Join James and Ross as they take a white-knuckle ride through a book that’s a who’s who of the occult: Charles Fort, H. P. Lovecraft, Arthur Machen and the Golden Dawn, generous amounts of alchemy, ancient aliens – and Nazis! This version of the episode includes background music. If you prefer a voice-only experience without music, listen to the alternative version here. So turn on, tune in and freak out to the second part of the Department X triptych… Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to the second episode of the General Witchfinders Book Club – a spin-off from our regular British horror podcast, run in partnership with Teasel & Skylark, an independent bookshop in Dorchester.
Alternative 3 (1977) – Conspiracies, Secret Mars Bases, Brian Eno and 1970s TV Hoaxes
The 16th episode of the fourth season of the BBC anthology series Play for Today, Penda’s Fen – originally broadcast on 21 March 1974 – is widely celebrated as a visionary masterpiece of British folk horror and 1970s television drama. Written by David Rudkin and directed by Alan Clarke, Time Out London named it one of the 100 best British films.