Her research interests focus on the role of supernatural folklore, and how it impacts our experience and understanding of place and cultural heritage. Rachael is currently involved in national and international storytelling projects that involve the collection, interpretation and digitisation of local cultural heritage. She is part of the Digital Cities and Society research centre at

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Discovering strange events in empty spaces: the role of multimodal practice and the interpretation of paranormal events. 2017 IRONSIDE, R. 2017. Discovering strange events in empty spaces: the role of multimodal practice and the interpretation of paranormal events.

This article examines the construction of the uncanny place in reality paranormal television. Two introductory sequences from the British programme Most Haunted (2002–present) are analysed that investigate ‘ordinary homes’ to consider the way that place is framed. Using textual analysis, the content of these sequences, including visual, auditory and discursive signifiers, is considered to identify themes where the inversion of the ordinary and the de-stabilizing of homeliness emerged. The use of binary oppositions and representations of liminality are identified as frequent tropes in the production of reality paranormal television. It is argued that these elements frame places as potentially uncanny and invite the viewers to participate in the paranormal possibility of the home. The uncanny, it is concluded, forms an integral part of the narratives that construct reality paranormal programmes and their success at sustaining an engaged and exploratory audience.

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