Ghosts are suddenly in vogue. Perhaps we believe in them more than we care to admit | Elfy Scott

Given the state of the world, it's no surprise so many of us are turning to spooky stories as a form of escape

Everybody seems to be talking about ghosts right now. I turn up to dinners with friends, we're talking about ghosts. I sit in the office, the conversation is dominated by ghosts again. I'm scrolling through Facebook groups and reading ghost stories that I then try to tell my boyfriend about (he ignores me). It feels as if ghosts are suddenly having a moment, a strange little resurgence into the mainstream. I think ghosts may be in vogue.

As for how and why ghosts have started to creep into polite conversation, there is a clear culprit. A few months ago the Amazon-owned podcast network Wondery published Ghost Story, a seven-part series hosted by the journalist Tristan Redman. Ghost Story focuses on a murder that occurred two generations ago in Redman's wife's family and, by absolute coincidence, took place in the house next door to where Redman grew up.