General Witchfinders: The British Horror Podcast

Mar 21 2025 67 ep. 85 mins 61
General Witchfinders: The British Horror Podcast artwork

General Witchfinders: The British Horror Podcast 🕷️ Welcome to General Witchfinders, a podcast dedicated to the dark heart of British horror. If you’re passionate about Hammer Horror films, classic folk horror, Nigel Kneale’s Quatermass, and the chilling legacy of British supernatural cinema and television, this is the podcast for you. 🩸 Hosted by lifelong friends Ross, Jon, and James, General Witchfinders dives deep into the world of British gothic and folk horror. We explore everything from Hammer Horror’s blood-drenched vampire classics—starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing—to the eerie folk horror landscapes of The Wicker Man and Nigel Kneale’s The Road. Whether it’s cinematic icons like Dracula AD 1972 and The Curse of Frankenstein, or television classics like BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas, we unearth the films and series that shaped British horror. 🦇 We cover cult favourites including Quatermass and the Pit, The Quatermass Xperiment, and Quatermass II—examining how Nigel Kneale shaped British sci-fi horror. And we shine a spotlight on the terrifying tales of James Herbert, from The Rats to The Survivor. 👻 Our episodes explore folk horror, gothic horror, and supernatural thrillers, dissecting films like Twins of Evil, The Reptile, Night of the Demon, and The Legend of Hell House. We also revisit chilling television events such as Ghostwatch and Doctor Who’s The Dæmons and Horror of Fang Rock. ⚰️ Expect thoughtful commentary, dry wit, and nostalgic tangents about 1980s and 90s British culture. General Witchfinders is your go-to podcast for British folk horror, Hammer Horror, Quatermass, and everything that makes the UK’s horror tradition uniquely haunting. 🪦
🎙️ Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or at www.generalwitchfinders.com.
🩸 Listener Reviews 🕸️
“Really entertaining and insightful. About half a dozen episodes done so far, and all on horror/supernatural things I personally love and wanted to hear more about. Lots of new facts and just downright entertaining takedowns. Great work.” – 5 Stars *****
🦴 “If you’re looking for a fun chat about vintage British horror and sci-fi, then this is the podcast for you.” – 5 Stars ***** Get bonus content on Patreon
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  TV & Film
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55 - The Hands of the Ripper

Mar 21 2025 101 mins  
Join us for Hammer’s Hands of the Ripper, a 1971 British horror film released as the second half of a double feature with Twins of Evil. Directed by Peter Sasdy, produced by Aida Young, and written by L.W. Davidson from a story by Edward Spencer Shew. Making good use of the large Baker Street set at Pinewood Studios—left over from The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes—the produ

54 - The Lyndhurst Connection

Feb 20 2025 131 mins  
Bear with us this month, listeners, as we take a left turn down Duckett's Passage to talk about something a little different from our usual classic British horror. Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst, born April 1961, is an English actor who began his career as a child actor and is best known for his role as Rodney Trotter in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, which ran from 1981 to 2003.P

53 - The Gorgon

Jan 24 2025 95 mins  
It’s 17th February 1964 – You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ by The Righteous Brothers is at number one in the UK. Sir Alec Douglas-Home is Prime Minister, Beatlemania has erupted in the United States, Southampton has been granted city status (can you tell this script was running short?), and the Channel Tunnel Agreement was signed, with an estimated completion time of five

52b - BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas: Lost Hearts

Dec 30 2024 54 mins  
The original run of A Ghost Story for Christmas aired on the BBC from 1971 to 1978, bringing classic ghost stories to television and keeping alive the tradition of sharing supernatural tales during the Christmas season. In our journey through the series, we’ve covered A Warning to the Curious and The Signalman in Episode 21, Whistle and I’ll Come to You and Stigma in Episo

52a - BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas: The Ash Tree

Dec 23 2024 57 mins  
A Ghost Story for Christmas is a series of annual British short films first broadcast on BBC One from 1971 to 1978, and sporadically revived by the BBC since 2005. With one exception, the original films were directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark and shot on 16 mm color film. The series aimed to adapt classic ghost stories for television, echoing the tradition of telling supernatural ta

51 - Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter

Nov 22 2024 91 mins  
Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter is a 1974 British swashbuckling action horror film, written and directed by Brian Clemens in his directorial debut. Clemens was celebrated for his work as a screenwriter, particularly for his contributions to British television series. Prior to Captain Kronos, he wrote and produced Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde for Hammer. Other films he wrote that fa

50 - Doctor Who - The Dæmons

Oct 30 2024 110 mins  
The Dæmons is the final story in the eighth season of Doctor Who, with Jon Pertwee playing the eponymous hero (see episode 48 covering The House That Dripped Blood for some fantastic Pertrivia). It aired over five weeks on BBC1 from 22 May to 19 June 1971. In The Dæmons, the Master, played by Roger Delgado, awakens the ancient horned alien Azal, hoping to gain his immense power.

49 - Robert Aickman's - Ringing the Changes

Sep 24 2024 73 mins  
This time, we listened to and read Ringing the Changes by Robert Aickman. Robert Fordyce Aickman was an English conservationist and writer. As a conservationist, he played a key role in preserving and restoring England's inland canal system. As a writer, he is best known for his supernatural fiction, which he described as "strange stories."On his mother’s side, Aickman was the g

48 - The House that Dripped blood

Aug 19 2024 80 mins  
"The House That Dripped Blood" is a 1971 British anthology horror film directed by Peter Duffell and distributed by Amicus Productions. The film is a collection of four short stories, each concerning a series of inhabitants of the eponymous building.   Denholm Elliott appears in the segment "Method for Murder," playing Charles Hillyer. He is joined by Joanna Dunham,

47 - Inside Number 9 - The Devil of Christmas

Jul 05 2024 79 mins  
Inside No. 9 is a British black comedy anthology series that aired from February 5, 2014, to June 12, 2024. Written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith and produced by the BBC. The only recurring elements are a setting related to the number 9 and a hidden brass hare statue. The show blends comedy, horror, and plot twists. The episode we watched, "The Devil of Christmas," is a C