Episode Information

Halloween. A time on the threshold of winter when all things scary and supernatural draw near. The season’s icons and customs, like jack o’lanterns, witches, ghosts, dressing up and trick or treating, have long been hugely popular in America. Now, Halloween is going global, with ever more people celebrating it throughout Europe, Asia and Australia. Today, many of us think Halloween began in America, but it actually it descends from an ancient Irish celebration: Samhain. This 2 x 1 hour documentary series uses science, archaeology, folklore and mythology to reveal how Halloween originated in Ireland.

Many modern Halloween practices derive from the idea that the Otherworld is close by at this time. As the series reveals, people originally carved jack o’lanterns to confuse an otherworldly character who’s said to wander in limbo. They wore masks and costumes to hide themselves from supernatural entities. And they played divination games with apples, using the power of the Otherworld to predict the future.

The series also explores an even more intriguing question – what the Otherworld is, and in what sense it might exist. In western Ireland there lies an eerie limestone cave: Oweynagat, the Cave of Cats. According to medieval legend, the cave is a portal to the Otherworld. Psychologists and other experts interpret the myths, concluding that the Otherworld could be a proxy for the unconscious mind. Meanwhile, archaeologist Daniel Curley and scientist Frank McDermott use ground-breaking uranium-thorium analysis to date the manmade cave entrance, and discover it’s much older than previously thought. This could be the birthplace of Halloween.

This documentary series moves from the familiar colour and carnival of modern Halloween to uncover its origins. Vivid location footage and drone aerials reveal the ancient places at their most dramatic and impressive, while atmospheric drama re-enactments and expert commentary underscore the compelling narrative.