Content warning: cannibalism; death; incest. 

Some of you might be a bit disappointed to learn that in the UK we don’t take Halloween quite so seriously as in the USA. Nonetheless, Scotland’s history is full of macabre legends, far more terrifying than your average Hollywood blockbuster. By now most of you may have realised that the Scottish diet is pretty poor, but compared to Sawney Bean and his cannibal clan, the modern Scot’s culinary choices might not seem so bad. Although his life is surrounded in mystery, Alexander ‘Sawney’ Bean is believed to have been born in the Lothians in the 16th century. The young Sawney eschewed the honest life of a ditch-digger, and eloped with ‘Black’ Agnes Douglas, a woman of ill-repute and a supposed witch. Unable to find work, Sawney took to robbing and cannibalising weary travellers from a cave at Bennane Head, about 10 miles from Girvan. The Bean family eventually grew to eight sons, six daughters, 18 grandsons and 14 granddaughters, many of which were the product of incest. With such a large family to feed, legend has it that the Beans' killed more than 1,000 people before finally being captured. King James VI, who was incidentally an expert on witchcraft, was made aware of Sawney’s murderous brood, and dispatched 400 men with bloodhounds to put an end to the sordid affair. When the party found Sawney’s cave they discovered human remains pickled in large barrels alongside the belongings of their victims. Surprisingly the Beans surrendered without resistance, but were considered unworthy of a trial and summarily executed. Sawney was brutally mutilated and left to bleed to death, but not before making the chilling claim  "It isn't over, it will never be over." Agnes and her daughters. meanwhile, were burned at the stake as witches, thus ending the Beans’ reign of terror. To this day many towns and villages in Ayrshire have their own tales of the Bean clan, and who knows with a family so large maybe there are still a few descendants out there!

Although Sawney Bean is long dead, hopefully, there are still plenty of spooky happenings in Scotland this Halloween. Here are a few of our favorites: 

Mary Shelley’s Monster at the Edinburgh Dungeon. Dates: 11 October - 2 November; Price: Included in Ticket Price. 

Welcome to Edinburgh… where storm clouds gather, and the dead don’t always stay in their graves. A city of gothic spires and echoing closes, of anatomy theatres and whispered experiments. A city that gave Mary Shelley the spark to create a nightmare that still haunts us today.

Glasgow- Glasglow, Glasgow Botanic Gardens, Dates: 24th Oct 2025 to 9th Nov 2025 Price: £24.

This Halloween season, step through the portal and discover nine incredible worlds. Enjoy an impressive light show, as well as a street food village and cosy bar.

Stirling Ghost Walk. Dates: 3rd Jan 2025 to 27th Dec 2025, 8.30pm Tuesday - 8pm Friday and Saturday; Price: £8/£6 concessions.

The Stirling GhostWalk is a guided tour of Stirling’s historic Old Town, running at 8.30pm from Tuesday - Saturdays in July and August, and on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm for the rest of the year. Starting at gates of the Old Town Jail on John Street (across from the Tolbooth music venue) the tour is led by actors in the guise of the spooks themselves, mixing drama, comedy and storytelling.

St Andrews Student Union Fright Night 2025. Dates: 31 October - 01 November, Price: £13.50. 

Join us for our annual whole building Halloween extravaganza. There will be frights, there will be tunes and there will be spooctacular surprises throughout the whole building!

Happy Halloween!