June 21, 2026

S05E36 – The Chinnery Backseat Ghost

🚗 The Chinnery Backseat Ghost A skeptical look at one of the most famous ghost photographs ever taken – the 1959 “backseat ghost” snapped by Mrs. Mabel Chinnery in Ipswich, England. This episode is distilled from a recent MonsterTalk Live stream with Blake, Karen Stollznow, and special guest Matt Baxter, who brought fresh research (and one neat new idea) to […]

Regular Episode 45 min read
June 14, 2026

S05E35 The Newby Church Specter

Blake, Karen and Matt discover that this famous ghost photo isn’t as old as they expected, and perhaps not as mysterious either. Do we get it right? Do you have a different explanation? Let us know what you think. The picture was taken by the Reverend Kenneth F. Lord inside the Church of Christ the Consoler, a Victorian Gothic Revival […]

Regular Episode 41 min read
June 7, 2026

S05E34 – Rakshasas

Most Americans meet the Rakshasa in exactly two places: a 1974 episode of a beloved horror TV series and the pages of the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. Both versions give you a debonair, tiger-faced shape-changer with a taste for human flesh – but neither prepares you for how deep, how old, and how genuinely alive these creatures are. To […]

Regular Episode 42 min read
May 31, 2026

S05E33 – The Devil Went Down to Devon

Hosts: Blake Smith, Karen StollznowSpecial Co-Host: Matt Baxter On the morning of February 9, 1855, residents across south Devon, England, discovered strange hoof-shaped tracks in the snow. The prints – about 4 inches long, 3 inches wide, and spaced roughly 8 inches apart in single file – appeared to have been left by a biped with a donkey-like hoof. Reports came in […]

Regular Episode 52 min read
May 24, 2026

S05E32 – Monsters of the Deep with Dr. Darren Naish

Guest: Dr. Darren NaishHosts: Blake Smith & Dr. Karen Stollznow 📝 Episode Summary Darren joins Blake and Karen to discuss his new article in Geology Today, which grew out of his work on the Monsters of the Deep museum exhibition. The exhibition originally opened at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, Cornwall in 2020, traveled to two additional venues, and […]

Regular Episode 40 min read
May 10, 2026

S05E30 – From Loup Garou to Rougarou (pt 1) with Louisiana Dread’s Kyle Crosby

🎙️ Episode Introduction This is part one of a two-part conversation. Blake and Karen are joined by Kyle Crosby, filmmaker, historian, and founder of Louisiana Dread, a multimedia project dedicated to documenting the dark history, folklore, and culture of the Pelican State. Kyle is a native of Larose, Louisiana, who grew up in Lafourche Parish and on Grand Isle. He […]

Regular Episode 30 min read
May 3, 2026

S05E29 – Science of the Supernatural with Melissa MaffeoS05E29

🎙️ Episode Summary Neuroscientist Dr. Melissa Maffeo joins Blake and Karen to discuss her new book Science of the Supernatural: Critical Thinking for the Mind and Brain (Cambridge University Press, 2026). Melissa is an associate teaching professor of psychology at Wake Forest University, where she also serves as Associate Director of the Neuroscience Program. In this episode, Melissa talks about […]

Regular Episode 36 min read
April 26, 2026

S05E28 The Cottingley Fairies

Hosts: Karen Stollznow, Blake SmithGuest: Matt Baxter In this episode, the MonsterTalk crew tackles one of the most famous photographic hoaxes in history – the Cottingley Fairies. In 1917, two young cousins in West Yorkshire produced five photographs that appeared to show real fairies dancing in the garden behind their home. What began as a bit of childhood mischief spiraled into a […]

Regular Episode 58 min read