AUTHOR
Deborah Hyde
30 Articles
Deborah Hyde is former editor of The Skeptic and is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. She writes and lectures about belief in the malign supernatural, with special regard to the folklore, psychology and sociology behind belief.
The Battersea Poltergeist, and the role of the paranormal investigator
The Battersea Poltergeist demonstrates how supposedly supernatural phenomena need attention and validation to thrive
‘Startling Stories’, illustrating ‘Strangers on the Heights’ by Manly Wade Wellman
This cover of pulp magazine 'Startling Stories' from 1944 features a reanimated cadaver - a zombie, traceable to Haitian folklore
Monkey Business: humans aren’t alone in recognising a good bargain
Macaques have been observed trading tourists' possessions for food - showing humans aren't the only ones to understand good value
Have we seen the last of the vanishing phantom hitchhiker?
Familiarity and caution may have killed off the story of the phantom hitchhiker, but our draw towards creepy tales will always find an outlet.
‘Fisherman and Djinn’: Illustration by A Stieren in ‘Tausend und eine Nacht’
The latest image from the Hilary Evans Paranormal Library is for all of us who are frustrated at being unable to go to a pantomime this year and shout 'BEHIND YOU' at the tops of our voices.
Plagues and plots: throughout history, epidemics and conspiracy theories have gone hand-in-hand
From the anti-Semitic Flagellants of the Black Death to modern day 5G-hating COVID deniers, epidemics have always driven conspiracy theories.
Donald Rooum (1928 – 2019): Cartoonist, Campaigner and Skeptic
Deborah Hyde remembers the cartoonist, campaigner, skeptic and humanist Donald Rooum, creator of the long-running Sprite strip for The Skeptic.
Hilary Evans Paranormal Picture Library: Fairies Dancing in a Ring
This image of fairies dancing in a ring comes dates from around 1600 and was in its original form a woodcut, before appearing in an issue of The Strand magazine in 1892.
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