Gathering Breadcrumbs

Folk lore/horror/games all start with FOLK. Support some good folk by donating and/or sharing, because our community is worth taking care of.

Encouragement to enjoy harmless things like pumpkin spice and ignore the folks who try to give you grief over it with so much else going on in the world. The recipe for your emergency carry pumpkin spice is 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

An important part of #FolkloreFall is being able to enjoy the simple things that celebrate the season. Here's a recipe for a vital everyday carry during autumn: pumpkin spice.

Carry a bottle with you at all times, because when grumps try to hate on you for enjoying something small, ENJOY IT HARDER.

New Blog Post announcement image featuring a purple background, illustrated website window with a screenshot of "Occult - Synchronicity Lending Authenticity to Found Footage", and a green goblin with purple hair on top of all of this

smalltowncreepy.com/occult-synch...

a man in a suit and tie is holding a cherry on a stick in his hand Alt: a man in a suit and tie is eating a cherry off a fork

Folklore and fairytales matter because they're the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of the world and convey deep, complicated truths in an easily digestible bundle.

September's birthstone is said to be the sapphire, a stone of wisdom, truth, and protection. Some old almanacs claimed that wearing sapphires would protect travelers from snakes, and that placing one of the stones in a container would a snake would outright kill it.

Post your favorite go-to horror/creepy/scary/disturbing film.

Wood carving style image depicting a land ritual from the movie In the Earth

In the Earth

Sandra Oh in the Korean American folk horror movie Umma

Umma

a man talking to a woman with the words " the people deserve " below him ALT: a man talking to a woman with the words " the people deserve " below him

I think too often we see British folk horror taking center stage and that can give us the false belief that the genre has to be "old timey" or somehow Pagan or Eurocentric. But it's a pretty diverse genre!

a welcome to camp crystal lake sign hangs in the woods ALT: a welcome to camp crystal lake sign hangs in the woods

Friday the Thirteenth

a close up of a person 's face with red eyes in the dark Alt: a close up of a person 's face with red eyes in the dark

The Mothman Prophecies

a black and white photo of a man with the words bemy victim Alt: a black and white photo of a man with the words be my victim

Candyman

a silhouette of a person holding a pair of scissors in their hand Alt: a silhouette of a person with a bladed hand

A Nightmare on Elm Street

a man with a beard is wearing a blue shirt with a tigger on it and making a funny face . Alt: a man with a beard is wearing a blue shirt with a tigger on it and making a funny face as he dances

A thread of movies that you might not associate with folkhorror, but which absolutely fit if you consider it meets the following chain as outlined by Adam Scovell:

1. An isolated location
2. Unusual beliefs
3. A violent or supernatural occurrence

We're starting off with Willy's Wonderland!

YouTube video by YouTube Movies Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror

Welcome to the beginning of Spooky Season!

We're watching Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror for free on YouTube to get us into the spirit of things!

You can watch it here: youtu.be/wnoGzlMz8cA?...

A dark purple bell-shaped flower dangles from a cluster of bright green leaves. Another spent flower pokes out from the same plant.

Spot of plant lore, anyone? Atropa belladonna is also known as deadly nightshade, banewort, deadly dwale, Devil’s cherries, or death’s herb. It was also the plant of the Devil in Bohemia, and he guarded it.

YouTube video by Marble Hornets Rosswood: Part 1

We did not have "Marble Hornets returns" on our 2025 bingo card (felt sure we'd see blood raining from the sky again before this), but here we are! #Slenderman #InternetFolklore #folklore

Rare Black Moon coming August 22-23!

You've heard of a Blue Moon, but what about a black one? Brush up on your knowledge before the next one arrives August 22-23rd. We won't see another seasonal one until August 20, 2028!

Eerie local tales come to life in pages of 'Spooky Pacific Northwest' For accomplished folklorist and author S.E. Schlosser, ghost stories aren’t just reserved for Halloween.

I have not read these books, but I like the detail of how the author researches folklore: www.spokesman.com/stories/2025... #folklore #pacificnorthwest #spooky #spokane #spookyseries #oregon

It was our early experiences with shadow people that got us interested in folklore and the occult, so we're super excited to see this!

fireflies are flying over a river at night Alt: fireflies are flying over a river at night

Folks in the Ozarks will tell you that the flickering of fireflies contains coded messages from woodland spirits. Slow, long flashes mean peace and prosperity, while frequent, short flashes signal rapid changes are coming.

Coming Nov 2025 - our new ✨ 'Writing Folklore' ✨ group! A space for creative and academic #Folklore writing led by Ella Ruby Self @local-sea-wytch.bsky.social, Abbi Flint @draflint.bsky.social and @cathbannister1.bsky.social. Join us on TUOS campus for community and creativity. More details soon! ✒️👨‍💻

a colorful image of a person dancing in front of a building that says polygon Alt: a colorful image of a person being struck by lights emanating from the arcade game Polybius

Is there a bit of folklore (urban, Internet, fairytale, etc) that really resonates with you? Lately, we're really into Tailypo and Polybius.

Heyyy, things have been rough, so if you find yourself needing a sapphic and autistic folk horror novel, consider The Binding of Bloom Mountain!!

An autistic lesbian climbs a cursed mountain to save a town from destruction (and to get a hot bi goth gf).

bobm.carrd.co

Thank you for this! We're new to our pursuit of folklore (though not the love of it), and seeing what other people have researched/loved/run screaming from has been amazing!

Hey, babes -- it's okay if that idea you have never gets published. It's okay if you never learn to draw well enough to sell your art. It's okay if you just play the piano for fun.

The word "amateur" means "one who loves the task" And humans desperately need to re-learn doing things for joy.

Some think you can't include the internet in folklore studies because "to do fieldwork you need a field." This is silly, of course, as the internet is as real as any liminal space can be.

What do you take "into the field" when you go online? A favorite tea? Your pet cat? Seamless socks?

saintbutch: if I saw a ring of mushrooms I would simply hop in it and chug the first beverage I see saintbutch: rip to people who don't want to be wed to the fairy queen but I'm different buddhistmamaduck: all you bitches have the self confidence of gods to assume you're gonna wed the queen and not be hunted for sport

Remember to be a considerate tourist, mind your manners, and respect hospitality no matter which country (fantastical or otherwise) you find yourself in. Human royalty aren't known for being better, after all.

Folkhorror images of the wicker man, crows, and a hare with the caption "Feed your oppressors to the land."

It's what the ancestors would have wanted!

When the moon hits your eye and there's fur on your thighs you're a werewolf. When you burst out your jeans and then eat human beings you're a werewolf.

This is stuck in our heads, now!