Discover how folk horror explores haunted landscapes, hidden histories, and why the past still unsettles us today. Followed by Q&A.

We are running two talks this evening, for tickets to 'The Gut-Brain Connection: Nourish your mind, body & microbiome', please click here.

Why do specific locations and landscapes remain associated with fear and Gothic storytelling? When we talk about folk horror, we’re really talking about places and stories that don’t just sit quietly in the background; they press on the imagination. They make the past feel close, and sometimes uncomfortably alive.

Join Prof Robert Edgar as he traces how the term folk horror became popular, exploring its first wave in the 1970s through to today, before looking back to its roots in the 18th and 19th centuries. From Thomas Hardy to The Wicker Man and beyond, we will consider how writers and filmmakers return again and again to the idea that the past is never truly past. Together, we’ll explore how these stories show that the past continues to influence the present, and that early experiences, including those from childhood, can still affect us today.

Doors open at 5:30pm, talk starts at 5:45pm - come down early to grab a good seat!

Follow us on IG @seedtalks

Speaker Bio:

Prof Robert Edgar is Professor of Writing and Popular Culture in the York Centre for Writing at York St John University, UK. He is one of the series editors of Bloomsbury Academic, Spectres, Hauntings and Horrors. He has published on Thomas Hardy and the Folk Horror Tradition (Bloomsbury 2023), The Routledge Companion to Folk Horror (Routledge 2023), Haunted Writing (Bloomsbury 2026), and many more, including numerous works on folk horror, adaptation, music culture, and hauntology.

His work has been published in books and journals including P.O.V. and the Journal of Writing in Popular Culture. He is co-convener of the Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group and regularly runs creative and critical workshops and presentations, including organising the annual folk horror events for the York Literature Festival.

This talk is 16+

Testimonials from our guests

⭐ Truly riveting talks, always enjoy these - a great way to spend an evening with some pals. Already looking forward to the next one. - Alexander P

⭐ Expertly run, talks are always super informative and a lot of fun! Couldn’t recommend these enough! 5 star. - Owen S

⭐ Been to a few talks and all have been super interesting. An enjoyable evening to go to either alone or with friends. The talks make for stimulating conversation. Highly recommend! - Daisy J

Will this event be livestreamed/recorded?

This event won’t be recorded, however, we do record our London events and most of our online events. You can check our our on-demand content at www.seedtalks.co.uk

Description supplied by the event organiser.