Capital One Bank Guy (5:50)

Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capital1.com Bank Capital One NA Member.

Erin Menke (6:18)

FDIC this show is sponsored by American Public University. American Public University is the number one provider of education to our military and veterans in the country. They offer something truly unique, special rates and grants for the entire family, making education affordable not just for those who serve, but also for their loved ones. If you have a military or veteran family member and are looking for affordable, high quality education, APU is the place for you. Visit APU Apus Edu Military to learn more. That's APU Apus Edu Military it began on a frozen evening in early 1969. A middle aged accountant by the name of Thornton was walking home when he decided to cut through the graveyard, a shortcut that quickly became a detour into the uncanny. Once a grand Victorian graveyard, Highgate had long ago fallen into disrepair. Its crumbling mausoleums and tombstones were now covered in ivy and graffiti and the paths were severely overgrown. As Thornton wandered between the crypts and weeping angel statues, he realized that he had gotten lost. A bell clanged in the distance and he started toward the sound, hoping that it might lead him to the gate. But he had barely made it a few steps before the temperature suddenly dropped. A towering figure loomed ahead, human shaped but draped in shadows and watching him with unblinking intensity. Thornton tried to run, but he was rooted in place and growing rapidly weaker, as if the specter was sapping the life from him. And then, as suddenly as it appeared, the figure vanished. When Thornton realized that he could move again, he ran and he didn't stop until he stumbled out through the cemetery gates. A few weeks later, an elderly woman reported a near identical experience. Both accounts were reported to the British Psychic and Occult Society, a little known organization run almost entirely by a 24 year old psychic investigator named David Farrant. Intrigued but skeptical he visited Highgate himself one night and allegedly glimpsed the same phantom, which he described as a tall gray figure with pinpricks of red light for eyes. Convinced that something supernatural was afoot, Ferent wrote to the local newspaper asking if anyone else had seen anything strange in Highgate. The responses poured in, detailing one account after another of bizarre paranormal phenomena. The local press picked up the story and then the BBC. Pretty soon, Highgate was the hottest destination in London for ghost hunters, goth teens and aspiring occultists. One of the newcomers was a guy named Sean Manchester, a self proclaimed bishop and exorcist. He claimed the figure in Highgate was not just a ghost, but a vampire, possibly a medieval Romanian nobleman who had been brought to London in a coffin full of native soil. According to Manchester, recent satanic rituals had reawakened this ancient bloodsucker, and only he had the skills to and the stakes to deal with it. David Farrant went on record saying that he thought this theory was ridiculous. He was a firm believer in ghosts, but he drew the line at vampires. Manchester took the criticism personally, and pretty soon their difference of paranormal opinion spiraled into a bitter feud. Farrant accused Manchester of fabricating his credentials and sensationalizing the story. Manchester accused Farrant of of consorting with black magic and desecrating graves. Both gave increasingly bombastic interviews, each casting himself as the real hero of the Highgate tale and the other as the deluded or dangerous fraud. And as you'd imagine, their rivalry only fueled the media frenzy, which reached a fever pitch on March 13th of 1970. Friday the 13th, of course, Manchester went on TV to announce that he would track and destroy the vampire that night. As the sun set, hundreds of thrill seekers stormed into the cemetery, climbing over locked gates and wandering the tombs in search of the undead. Unfortunately, Sean Manchester failed to kill the vampire that night, so the cemetery remained haunted. And over the next few months, the story grew even stranger. In August, a headless, charred corpse was found near the graveyard. Police suspected the body belonged to someone already buried there, exhumed for some kind of occult ritual. Just a few weeks later, David Farrant was caught climbing over the cemetery walls with a crucifix and a wooden stake and arrested for trespassing. The charges were eventually dropped, but Manchester used the arrest to connect Farrant with the burnt body, accusing him of black magic and grave robbery. By 1973, their feud had grown so absurd that the two men agreed to a public duel on Parliament Hill, complete with magical weapons. Fans eagerly awaited a showdown between their two favorite occult celebrities. But the duel was called off at the last minute. No real explanation was given, leaving everyone feeling disappointed. After that, the vampire began to recede into urban legend, but Farrant and Manchester kept themselves in the spotlight, prolonging the story through their personal war. For decades, they have denounced one another in interviews, rival books and blog posts, and kept the Highgate saga alive long after the cemetery had emptied out. David Farrant passed away in 2019, and when he did, Sean Manchester posted a surprisingly respectful tribute and then returned to his blog to reaffirm that Farrant had always been dangerously wrong. Like the creature they had once hunted, their feud refused to stay buried.

Aaron Mahnke (12:08)

I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts or learn more about the show by visiting curiositiespodcast.com the show was created by me, Aaron Manke, in partnership with How Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series and television show and you can learn all about it over@theworldoflore.com and until next time, stay curious.

Erin Menke (12:41)

This show is sponsored by American Public University. American Public University is the number one provider of education to our military and veterans in the country. They offer something truly unique special rates and grants for the entire family, making education affordable not just for those who serve, but also for their loved ones. If you have a military or veteran family member and are looking for affordable, high quality education, a APU is the place for you. Visit APU APUS EDU Military to learn more. That's APU APUS EDU Military.

Capital One Bank Guy (13:15)

This is an iHeart podcast.