Forget the Hollywood horror films this Halloween – Cumbria’s own spooky legends are to come to life in a new book.
Author Tony Walker has recently published his latest book, Cumbrian Ghost Stories: New Tales from an Old Land.
He draws on local legends of ghosts, vampires and fairies to craft his eerie tales.
Tony said: “I enjoyed re-writing the legends best. I must admit I took liberties with some of them.
“The Croglin Vampire is a dramatised and expanded version of Eliot O’Donnell’s version of the tale, while the Bewcastle Fairies is drawn from a local legend from just after the English Civil War.
“The Mallerstang Boggle is based on the tale of a huge black hen that guards King Arthur’s treasure there.”
He first released a Cumbrian horror-inspired book 20 years ago called The Ghostly Guide to the Lake District.
The latest Cumbrian horror anthology is somewhat a continuation of this and is set across the county in Siddick, Garrigil, Bewcastle, Troutbeck, Mallerstang and Cartmel.
Tony was inspired by a variety of horror stories from popular culture to pick up where left off on his Cumbrian storytelling.
He said: “I guess my influences are the classic English and American ghost story, such as those by M R James, and I was introduced to those by the BBC’s Christmas ghost story series.
“Then there’s H P Lovecraft’s strange stories and weird tales, and finally, I’m very much interested in the new Folk Horror Revival movement.”
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