Scary Study Break: Home

In this series, Tony Robinson delves back through 2,000 years of history to investigate the beliefs of our ancestors. From the brutal human sacrifices of Iron Age Britain, through the stomach-churning supernatural medicine of the Middle Ages, to the horrifying witch hunts and exorcisms of the 16th and 17th centuries (and beyond), Tony’s remarkable journey takes him to some of the darkest moments in our past.

Frankenstein: was the famed character conceived solely in the mind of novelist Mary Shelley, or was Frankenstein based in reality, as some argue? This episode of Ancient Mysteries explores Shelley’s possible influences. Had she learned of the 18th-century German doctor who experimented on dead as well as live bodies, or was her inspiration the Britisher Andrew Crosse, who claimed to use electricity to create life?

At a Halloween screaming competition, Jill Drake discovered she had the loudest scream in the world, at 129 decibels. Prof. David Howard studies the human voice and how the larynx creates sounds. The rapid volume changes in a loud scream create a sensation of fear in other people’s brains. A BBC Production.

ABC's Nick Watt braved the ScareHouse, a Halloween attraction in Pittsburgh, for a series of stress tests. An ABC News Production.