S04E10 – The Wollaton Gnomes with Chris Woodyard

We welcome back Chris Woodyard to discuss the very odd story of the Wollaton Gnomes – a 1979 reported sighting of little men in little cars by a group of children in a British park.  Chris & Simon’s podcast Boggarts & Banshees(Apple Podcasts) Transcript of the gnome witness children’s Interview (courtesy Simon Young) Wollaton Hall (wiki) Blog by Frank Earp, who […]

S04E09 – THEM! and The Monster From Newark

We’re delighted to celebrate Thanksgiving with the return of Dr. Brian Regal. He’s here to talk about a favorite monster film, and announce the release of his autobiography, The Monster from Newark. Links: Brian’s autobiography – The Monster From Newark (affiliate link) Karen’s anthology of skeptics having weird experiences:Would You Believe It? (affiliate link) Lucky Dragon No 5 (wiki) Castle […]

S04E08 – CryptidCon 2024

Thanks to your generous support I was able to make it to CryptidCon 2024 and this is a chat with Karen and me, reporting on day one. I’ll be heading out later today for the five and a half hour drive back home but this has been delightful and you’re sure to hear more from the connections I made and […]

S04E07 – Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose

Blake and Karen are joined by Matt Baxter to discuss the 2023 film Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose, based on the story of Gef, the talking mongoose at the heart of the story. Visit our original coverage of Gef in episode #67 Watch the film (Amazon affiliate link) A list of the clever things a mongoose might say… The […]

S04E06 – Griffinology

We’re joined by author and professor Anne McClannan to discuss her new book Griffinology.  These monsters are visually easily recognized – but how much do you know about their history? Links: Griffinology is available directly from University of Chicago Press.Coupon code UCPNEW is good through Dec 2024 for 30% off – which brings the price down to $28 off its […]

S04E05 – Real Vampires with Joe Laycock

We managed to catch up with Joe Laycock for ONE MORE VAMPIRE EPISODE! This time we’re having a look at the world of people who believe they are really vampires. Some drink blood, some drink energy, most embrace vampire gaming. Joe wrote Vampires Today: The Truth About Modern Vampirism  Joe has written a lot of books that will be of interest […]

S04E03 – Jiangshi “Hopping Vampires?”

We’re joined by researcher Katarzyna “Kasia” Ancuta to learn more about the Chinese creature known as the Jiangshi – but more famous in the West as “Hopping Vampires.” It turns out that their history is being complicated by their appearances in pop-culture! Jiangshi Movies: (affiliate links) Encounters of the Spooky Kind Mr. Vampire Rigor Mortis The Legend of the 7 […]

S04E01 – Vampires: Dead Paole

We kick off our Vampire October with the story of Arnold Paole and we’re joined by Matt Baxter. This story appeared in the 1979 edition of Usborne’s Haunted Houses, Ghosts, and Spectors.  Arnold Paole  Lee Illis 1964 – Porphyria and Werewolves 1985 – David Dolphin – NYT article on Porphyria and Vampires Penanggal  Manananggal