Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe Dark Art of Ventriloquism
Episode 129
While the dummies may be inherently creepy, they were not the source of ventriloquism’s dark reputation in earlier times. This originates with the u…
1 year, 9 months ago
The Mesmerist
Episode 128
Our understanding of hypnotism, once known as “mesmerism,” has radically evolved over the centuries. This episode looks at where it all began, exami…
1 year, 10 months ago
Banshees (Encore Presentation)
Episode 127
Banshees are spirits of Irish folklore, who warn of impending deaths. Originally considered fairies, their Irish name, bean sídhe, means “woman of t…
1 year, 11 months ago
Glass-Coffin Girls
Episode 126
The story of Snow White, as told by the Brothers Grimm, is only one of many narratives involving girls who have fallen into a deathlike state and are…
2 years ago
Announcement: Audio Fixed on Previous Show
A few listeners commented that Mrs. Karswell’s dialogue was muffled at points in “Sorcery Schools of Spain.” That episode is now updated with a cor…
2 years, 1 month ago
Sorcery Schools of Spain
Episode 125
For centuries, Spain was said to be the home of secret, underground sorcery schools, Toledo being the first city with this reputation and later Salam…
2 years, 1 month ago
A Christmas Ghost Story VI
Episode 124
Tonight we bring you our sixth annual Christmas ghost story, a tradition particularly beloved in Victorian and Edwardian Britain. First published in …
2 years, 2 months ago
Christmas Superstitions
Episode 123
The Christmas season is rich in superstitions. The whole period from the beginning of Advent, through the day itself, and especially throughout the t…
2 years, 2 months ago
The Monster of Glamis
Episode 122
The Monster of Glamis was a Victorian legend involving a Scottish castle, a secret chamber, and a monstrous aristocrat hidden from the world–a perfec…
2 years, 3 months ago
An Old-Fashioned Halloween Party
Episode 122
Tonight we recreate for you elements of an old-fashioned Halloween party as experienced in the 1920s or ’30s. Foods, games, spooky stories and poems …
2 years, 4 months ago