Malta’s ancient underground world has once again found itself on The Why Files, the hugely popular American YouTube series hosted by former MTV presenter AJ Gentile and his sidekick, the wise-cracking goldfish Hecklefish.
In a series titled ‘The Mystery of Malta’s Giants’, the show dives into some of the islands’ most unsettling legends, including rumours of missing schoolchildren and the eerie experience of a woman named Lois Jessop.
One of Malta’s most persistent urban legends claims that a group of 30 schoolchildren vanished without a trace after venturing into hidden tunnels connected to the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum.
The tale has circulated for decades, even appearing in local newspapers, and remains fiercely debated. Some dismiss it as pure fiction, while others believe the story was quietly buried to avoid panic or unwanted attention.
The episode also revisits the bizarre account of Lois Jessop, who claimed to have explored the Hypogeum in the 1930s with a group of friends and a guide named Joe. According to Jessop, the group entered several underground chambers carved with stone sleeping niches.
Curious, she wandered deeper into an uncharted tunnel – and that’s where the tale takes a chilling turn.
Jessop later wrote that she encountered around 20 giant humanoid figures, each an astonishing 20 to 25 feet tall. She claimed they motioned for her to come closer just moments before a sudden gust extinguished her candle.
When she rushed back to her group, the guide had vanished. And when she eventually returned to the site, the tunnel had been boarded up and the guides insisted that ‘Joe’ had never existed at all.
Intrigued? Read about the Hypogeum’s mysteries in more detail here.
Ever visited the Hypogeum?