In 1928, Eric and Mabel Smith moved into Borley Rectory in Essex, where Mrs. Smith discovered a human skull in a cupboard, igniting a whirlwind of ghostly activity. Within a year, the Smiths fled, and the Rectory gained a reputation as the "most haunted house in England." Reverend Lionel Foyster's arrival only intensified the paranormal occurrences, with violent poltergeist activity targeting his young wife, Marianne. Isolated in a superstitious village, she faced accusations of faking the hauntings, as well as charges of adultery, bigamy, and even murder. The haunting captured national attention, sensationally reported in the tabloids, and drew the interest of Harry Price, a self-styled "psychic detective." His investigations, which included testimonies from 200 witnesses and over 2,000 supernatural incidents, aimed to validate the existence of ghosts and provide proof of life after death. Blending thriller-like tension with the eerie essence of a classic ghost story, Sean O’Connor vividly recounts the tale of Borley Rectory as an allegory for a society grappling with the anxieties of the post-Great War era and fears of impending doom.
