Vince and Jane Font revitalize the quarter century old ghostly website Castle of Spirits with a new design and weekly podcast.

By Austin Buckius

News

“Reader beware…you’re in for a scare!” Like many, Goosebumps was my first introduction to the horror genre but thankfully it would not be my last. Now coming from Ogden, there's a new way to experience the spooky this Halloween and beyond. 

Castle of Spirits, a 25-year-old website with one of the largest collections of true reader-submitted ghost stories in the world, has been resurrected like Frankenstein's monster by Ogdenites Vince and Jane Font—now with a companion podcast. 

You may recognize the Fonts from their many artistic and literary offerings; collectively they run the independent book publishing service Glass Spider Publishing, a popular YouTube channel “Painting with Jane,” and have released two award-winning books: ”Shadows on the Page” and “More Shadows on the Page.”

Unlike so many ghost stories, this archive documents true stories of hauntings and things that go bump in the night. More so, it has created a community of those interested in the supernatural, and those who stick around after their tickets have been punched. 

Castle of Spirits was first launched in 1997 as a collection of true reader-submitted ghost stories. Twenty-five years later, the catalog claims more than 4,600 real encounters of the paranormal variety. Now with a revamped website the fright continues with the “Castle of Spirits” podcast. 

When you tune into the weekly episodes you’ll hear both Jane and Vince Font read stories from the archives to you just like when we tried to spook our friends around the campfire or flashlight, followed by discussions on all kinds of paranormal phenomena. Not only do you get a scary story to tell your friends, but some interesting insights and discussion points as well.

“We’re taking the responsibility with great reverence, but we’re also having fun with it,” says Jane Font in a press release. “Years ago, we used to stay up late and read each other stories from the website to freak ourselves out. This is pretty much the same thing, only now we have microphones.”

Now I know you’re thinking, “Who came up with this wonderful online haunted library?” Well, unfortunately it’s not a mad scientist. Rowena Gilbert founded the site in Melbourne, Australia as a place to share stories and engage in serious discussion of the paranormal. Though starting small the site soon gained popularity and grew into one of the busiest places to talk about the supernatural and catch a good ghost story. 

When Gilbert passed away in 2008, loyal friend Don Wilmshurst sustained the site for fourteen years before passing it on to the Fonts. 

Vince Font, a longtime fan of Castle of Spirits, describes how their new calling fell into place: “Literally ten seconds before Don asked me if I wanted to take over the website, I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be awesome if Don asked me if I wanted to take over the website?’ It was eerie. As if Rowena herself were directing the whole thing.”

Now in its new home and with a fresh coat of paint, the Fonts are not only maintaining the Castle but expanding it with the podcast and growing the story archive. After a three year pause, they’ve reopened the site for new story submissions. 

“Castle of Spirits is much more than a repository for true scary stories,” Vince Font says. “It’s about discovering common ground with others. We’ve received a lot of messages from people thanking us for keeping the website alive. Many of these people grew up with the Castle of Spirits in their lives. That kind of connection is rare, and we want to keep it going for even more generations.”

If you’re interested in ghost stories this Halloween or want to keep the spirit of the holiday all year round, read and submit stories or tune in to the podcast at www.castleofspirits.com.