Three phones mysteriously stop working on a deserted road. A young woman laughs during Qur'an recitation, repeatedly insisting she wants to fly. And somewhere in rural Bangladesh, a nine-year-old girl looks out into the darkness and sees something she still can't explain.
Welcome to The Side Room's Halloween special. And this time, things are getting a little uncomfortable.
Saf and Zoheb are joined by Zoheb's wife for an evening of jinn stories, unexplained encounters, alleged possessions, South Asian folklore and some genuinely terrifying childhood memories.
And these aren't just stories they've found on the internet. Some of them happened to us.
Zoheb recalls two unsettling encounters involving women believed by those around them to be affected by jinn. From uncontrollable laughter during the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha to a ruqyah session that left everyone shaken, he describes what he witnessed and how difficult those experiences were to make sense of.
Saf brings his own collection of strange experiences, including a late-night walk through a pitch-black alley where he heard what sounded like a little girl laughing. Needless to say, he didn't stick around to investigate.
Then there's Bluebell Hill in Kent, a location surrounded by ghost stories and the legend of a phantom bride.
What started as a late-night adventure amongst friends turned into an increasingly bizarre experience. A car drives off, friends are stranded in complete darkness, three mobile phones reportedly stop working simultaneously, and a mysterious hat appears in the road. Years later, some of what happened that night still doesn't quite add up.
Meanwhile, Zoheb's wife recalls growing up with the supernatural stories so familiar to many British Bangladeshi households. Amongst them is a childhood memory of glowing, white-clothed figures gathered beneath a tree in rural Bangladesh, and another account involving a seemingly abandoned mosque where the sound of children reciting could be heard.
The conversation takes plenty of unexpected turns, from centuries-old Islamic accounts attributed to Ibn Taymiyyah and their strange resemblance to modern technology, to haunted schools, moving objects, the mysteries of East Grinstead and the stories families pass down through generations.
But there's an interesting question underneath all the fear and laughter.
Why are jinn stories so deeply embedded in South Asian and Muslim family culture?
In Islam, jinn are part of belief in the unseen. But does every unexplained event have a supernatural explanation? Could some experiences be coincidences, misremembered details, fear or simply our minds trying to make sense of something unusual?
And if you've ever heard a noise in an empty house, misplaced something that mysteriously reappeared, or felt that you weren't quite alone, you'll probably recognise some of these conversations.
Expect terrifying recollections, questionable decisions, plenty of laughter and three people who have very different thresholds for being frightened.
A note on the stories: This episode brings together personal recollections, second-hand accounts, religious beliefs and folklore. The supernatural explanations discussed are not presented as independently verified facts.
Now we want to hear from you.
Have you ever experienced something you genuinely couldn't explain? Heard a jinn story that has stayed with you for years? Or grown up in a household where everyone seemed to have their own terrifying encounter?
Share your experiences in our YouTube comments or through our social channels. We might feature some of your stories in a future episode.
Listen with the lights on. Just in case.
The Side Room | Honest conversations, unexpected tangents and absolutely no promises that you'll sleep tonight.
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