Two Girls One Ghost

Episode 339: The Black Monk of Pontefract: a Poltergeist Haunting
Hosted by Corinne Vien and Sabrina Deana-Roga
Released: September 14, 2025

Episode Overview

In this spooky and heavily researched episode, Corinne and Sabrina dive into the infamous Black Monk of Pontefract—the poltergeist haunting at 30 East Drive, often called Britain’s most haunted house. They break down the history, poltergeist activity that plagued the Pritchard family in the late 1960s, and the ongoing legacy of the haunting. Melding humor and horror in their signature style, the hosts debate theories and recount both comical and terrifying moments that defined this case. Listeners are warned: this is one of those stories that is rumored to bring hauntings to those who hear it!

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Updates and Spooky Icebreakers (01:21–11:20)

• The hosts share show updates and live event news, including an upcoming spooky live show in Boston/Somerville.
• Corinne tells a “real-life horror” story about finding a spider infestation and a mouse nest in her car—detailing the disgusting chain of events and how common this is in wooded areas. The story puts Sabrina on edge:
  • Quote [06:27]:
    Sabrina: “I’ve already been terrified of dying in a car, and now I’m adding this.”
• They transition to paranormal updates, including Sabrina recounting her haunted Marblehead house, her psychic friend Chris’ impressions, and her dad’s psychic sensitivity. Sabrina tells a mini haunting story involving her mom hearing a mysterious “hey” in a Two Girls One Ghost episode—possibly their recurring EVP, “Sven.”
  • Quote [10:26]:
    Corinne: “Did you play the EVPs of the voice saying, ‘hey’?”
    Sabrina: “No, I didn’t.”

2. Introduction to The Black Monk of Pontefract (11:24–15:39)

• Sabrina lays out that this tale involves Britain’s most haunted house at 30 East Drive, Pontefract, Yorkshire. She hints at the violent poltergeist activity, its cinematic inspiration, and notes personal tech issues she experienced while researching—suggesting a cursed topic.
  • Quote [12:35]:
    Sabrina: “[...] when I was trying to download the episode, it kept like short circuiting and not allowing me... Similar to how your mom’s podcast would pause [...] I tried to listen to a podcast episode about this topic—same thing.”

3. Setting the Stage: The Pritchard Family Moves In (15:43–19:31)

• August 1966: The Pritchards—Jean (mom), Joe (dad), Philip (15), and Diane (12)—move into their semi-detached council house, full of optimism, near family.
  • Quote [18:40]:
    Sabrina: “Joe walks to the front door, keys in hand, and he unlocks the home knowingly stepping into and welcoming his family into what they think is their dream home, but turns into their very own prison of nightmares.”
• Corinne speculates about hauntings as “dark spirit guides” scaring families away for a hidden purpose.

4. The First Outbreak: Poltergeist Manifestations (23:18–34:36)

Immediate Oddities (23:18–27:16)

• Shortly after moving in, the Pritchard family, especially while mom/dad/sister are away, experience unexplained cold, rattling, and most vividly, a rain of dust over Grandma Sarah.
• Aunt Marie comes to help clean up mysterious puddles and green foam appearing from nowhere; repeated attempts to mop fail, and the local water board is stumped.

Escalating Activity (27:16–35:02)

• Kitchen items are thrown; an uprooted plant is found across the hall, cutlery and plates crash with no evident cause.
• Police are called, but find nothing; Aunt Marie suggests it’s a “poltergeist” and brings in a paranormal investigator, Mr. O’Donnell.
• O’Donnell suspects it’s rooted in teenage Philip’s energy (“noisy ghost” tradition). As soon as he leaves, significant phenomena recur, including a wedding photo violently slashed—the activity clearly targeting the family.
• Upon Jean, Joe, and Diane’s return, the house delivers a “demo” of its sounds:
  • Quote [34:05]:
    Sabrina: “Not two seconds later...they hear three very loud bangs that shake the house, that every single window rattles.”

Two Years of Silence (34:36–36:16)

• After these initial hauntings, the house falls inexplicably quiet for two years.

5. The Haunting Returns: 1968 and “Fred” (36:16–43:15)

Activity Resumes with Diane (36:16–41:46)

• 1968: With Diane now 15, the poltergeist returns—and escalates. Walls shake, lights flicker, and objects animate.
• Researchers suspect this round is linked to Diane’s adolescence. Sabrina references Colin Wilson’s book Poltergeist, which theorizes poltergeists stem from the emotional tumult of pubescent girls.

Escalation and Attempts at Playfulness (41:46–43:15)

• The family try to befriend the poltergeist, naming it “Fred.” Hauntings seem playful at first (playful tossing of items), but soon entire rooms are trashed, Fred defies all attempts to set boundaries, and the phenomena become community lore.

Comic Relief: Poltergeist Party Tricks (43:15–55:53)

• Visiting friends, family, even the mayoress witness antic poltergeist behaviors:
  • A grandfather clock is hurled after the mayoress notes it’s untouched [44:41].
  • The coat teleporting mystery—vanishes, turns up immaculate months later under coal.
  • Food is bitten and thrown; eggs float through solid doors and explode with floral scents.
    • Quote [50:14]:
      Sabrina: “She [Jean] takes her hand off, opens it. Every single egg is gone. Like, this is a magician, right?”
  • Maud Pierce (staunchly religious relative) is showered with milk, and her gloves become animated, “dancing” and “conducting” church hymns.
    • Quote [55:47]:
      Sabrina: “The gloves dance along to the song. And then they start conducting her singing.”

6. From Playful to Dangerous: Targeting Diane (64:01–69:58)

• While much is playful, attacks against Diane become more severe:
  • A sewing machine pins her to the stairs, she is yanked out of bed multiple times, and most terrifying, an invisible hand strangles her and drags her up the stairs as her family tries to pull her back.
    • Quote [67:53]:
      Sabrina: “She is being dragged by an invisible hand holding her, hauling her up the steps by her throat...It is two humans against a presence they couldn't even see.”
• After the attack, the entity manifests as a faceless, black-robed figure—a monk—witnessed by various family members and neighbors.

7. The Black Monk Legend: Origins & Mysteries (69:58–75:49)

• Research reveals Pontefract’s history as the site of a priory and “war monks”—with legends about an executed (maybe wrongly) monk who raped and murdered a girl, possibly explaining the haunting.
• Theorizing abounds: Is the poltergeist the monk, the victim, or a manifestation of pent-up family energy?
  • Quote [74:43]:
    Sabrina: “...if this is true...is this 15 year old girl, her energy being reactivated by another 15 year old girl living here...all this activity is just like an explosion of energy?”

8. Legacy: Movie, Investigations, and Ongoing Phenomena (75:49–83:53)

• A dramatized film, When the Lights Go Out (2012), was written and directed by Pat Holden—nephew of the Pritchards.
• Paranormal events stymied distribution of the movie (two power failures at distributor screenings 20 minutes in—[79:46–80:04]).
• The house at 30 East Drive is now an attraction for paranormal investigators, with hundreds of reported phenomena (photos, unexplained occurrences), documented at 30eastdrive.com.
  • Quote [81:24]:
    Sabrina: “There are 288 recent happenings on this page.”

9. Theories and Skepticism (83:53–84:44)

• Sabrina and Corinne debate likely causes—teenage angst, psychic projection, or real supernatural malevolence?
• Acknowledgement that skeptics question the family’s stories, but the numerous eyewitness accounts and unexplained phenomena make outright dismissal difficult.

10. Listener Story: The Car Monk (84:44–88:42)

• Corinne shares a listener email (from Laila) about a teacher in what seems to be the UK, who encountered a horrifying medieval monk apparition in her car. The presence, supposedly seen by crash survivors on a notorious road, is linked to deadly accidents.
  • Quote [86:25]:
    Laila: “There was a frickin’ monk. A medieval monk...smiling the most horrific smile. His teeth rotten. Ew. This time she got out and she ran.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “I’ve already been terrified of dying in a car, and now I’m adding this.”
  — Sabrina [06:27]
• “Not two seconds later...they hear three very loud bangs that shake the house, that every single window rattles.”
  — Sabrina [34:05]
• “The gloves dance along to the song. And then they start conducting her singing.”
  — Sabrina [55:47]
• “She is being dragged by an invisible hand holding her, hauling her up the steps by her throat...It is two humans against a presence they couldn't even see.”
  — Sabrina [67:53]
• “There are 288 recent happenings on this page.”
  — Sabrina [81:24]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Description | Timestamp | |---------|-------------|-----------| | Show news & spooky real-life story | Spiders & mice in Corinne’s car | 01:21–07:41 | | Haunted house anecdotes | Marblehead & recurring EVP “Sven” | 07:41–11:20 | | Intro to Black Monk & research mishaps | Sabrina’s tech glitches | 11:24–15:39 | | The Pritchards move in | Family & first days | 15:43–19:31 | | First outbreak of hauntings | Dust, puddles, poltergeist | 23:18–34:36 | | Two years of silence | Activity mysteriously stops | 34:36–36:16 | | Hauntings resume with Diane | Poltergeist named “Fred,” playful chaos | 36:16–43:15 | | Comic relief—animated gloves, food tricks | Levity amid strangeness | 43:15–55:53 | | Violence against Diane | Dragged up stairs | 64:01–69:58 | | The Black Monk legend & possible explanations | History, monk, and ongoing questions | 69:58–75:49 | | The movie, 30 East Drive today | Film hauntings, public investigations | 75:49–83:53 | | Listener story: Car monk | UK road apparition | 84:44–88:42 |

Synopsis & Takeaways

This episode is a rollercoaster through one of the most substantiated and perplexing cases of poltergeist activity: the Black Monk of Pontefract. Corinne and Sabrina balance horror and hilarity, from egg explosions and animated gloves to a harrowing attack on a teen girl. Theories span from teen psychic angst to spectral monks, but the case remains unsolved—and seemingly, ongoing. The episode ends with a chilling contemporary account of a road-haunting monk, tying the legend back to the present and inviting listeners to share their own ghostly encounters.

Listener Warning: As with other haunted cases on Two Girls One Ghost, listeners report increased paranormal activity after tuning in. Listen at your risk!