NORFOLK

Tolhouse Gaol in Great Yarmouth is steeped in history; one story is that of the witches tried here after infamous witch hunter Matthew Hopkins was invited to the town in 1645. Visit on Wednesday 25 October to meet Hopkins' associate John Stearne and learn all about Witch Hunts and Witch Trials.

The National Centre for Writing in Norwich has a feast of eerie treats this month. On Saturday 14 October you can craft your own spooky tale at their Writing Ghost Stories workshop with writer Adam Z. Robinson and on Thursday 19 October let HighTide Productions make you shudder with a candlelit evening of storytelling at Ghost Stories by Candlelight. On Hallowe'en itself, join novelists Margaret Meyer and Stacey Thomas for An Evening of Bewitching Fiction that will take you back to a dark era of witch-hunts and hold up a mirror to acts of misogyny, courage and resistance we still experience today.

The Garage in Norwich will also be hosting an evening of chills on Monday 30 October, with Haunted. Can you hold your nerve as The Storyteller recounts two classic ghost tales; The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs and The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford?

SUFFOLK

Enter if you dare The Hold in Ipswich this October. On Friday 13 October get swept away with stories of Supernatural Suffolk – from spectral sailors and a fire breathing dragon to headless horsemen – this illustrated talk takes you on a tour of the towns, villages, deserted beaches, and lonely heaths where these strange occurrences and hauntings have become local legend. If you're eager for more chills, return for their Halloween Late on Thursday 26 October. This adult only night of spooky Suffolk ghost stories includes a screening of the BBC's Whistle and I'll Come to You adapted from the story by legendary ghost writer M.R. James.

On Wednesday 1 November, HighTide will be taking their Ghost Stories by Candlelight to The Food Museum in Stowmarket. Gather close for a candlelit evening of chilling, contemporary tales and haunting new folk music from the 'Witch Counties' of East Anglia.

And if you want still more, then take a look at the haunting shows coming to the New Wolsey in Ipswich. On Friday 27 October join Danny Robins – creator of the smash hit paranormal podcasts Uncanny, The Battersea Poltergeist and The Witch Farm – for Uncanny: I Know What I Saw, the biggest investigation into the paranormal – ever. Be immersed in the sights, sounds and scares of brand new, real-life stories of the supernatural, from ghosts and poltergeists to UFO sightings and other strange encounters. Following this, are back-to-back productions inspired by arguably the two most famous horror stories of all time. Dracula: The Bloody Truth (31 October to 4 November) is a critically acclaimed, multi-five-star-awarded hilarious comedy surrounding the true events of Dracula and Tilted Wig's production of Frankenstein (7 to 11 November) is a new story inspired by the classic novel by Mary Shelley, set in Europe in 1943, that explores the very fabric of what makes us human and the ultimate cost of chasing “perfection”.