269 – Fun Ruiners

In a departure from our normal format, Blake and Karen discuss how science ruins all the fun of some very popular Sci-Fi/Horror tropes.  Alternate Realities and the Multiverse Some thoughts about multiverses from SciAm Body Swapping Gilligan’s Island Body Swapping Russian Dog Head Experiment (journal) More on the Dog Head (wikipedia) Aliens in our Solar System SciAm on Aliens Looking […]

267 – What the Dickens?

You may know Charles Dickens used ghosts in A Christmas Carol – but did you know his work also included many other weird and quasi-paranormal elements? We discuss this lesser known aspect of the famous English author with Dr. Liz Savage. Seven Ghost Stories by Dickens that aren’t A Christmas Carol. Spontaneous Human Combustion (Wikipedia) A fiery death: Murder or […]

266 – Fisher’s Ghost (Part 2)

We continue our look at the Australian legend of Fisher’s Ghost, and how the community has responded to the story over the next two centuries. Official legend of Fisher’s Ghost – from Campbelltown Government Site, Australia Indigenous Trackers (Australia) (Wikipedia) Ghost Riots (British Newspaper Archive) The Greenbrier Ghost (wiki) The Red Barn Murder (wiki) Indigenous Trackers in Australia Additional: Karen’s […]

262 – Tarot (Part 1)

MonsterTalk begins its second season and its weekly release schedule with a look at the surprisingly mundane origin of the Tarot deck and how the practice of divination emerged in the late 1700s steeped in pseudo-antiquity.

260 – Giant Turtles & Protofestivals

We’re joined by folklorist and anthropologist Dr. John Gutowski, a professor at Saint Xavier, to discuss the Beast of Busco and the festivals such creatures often inspire. Paper on giant turtle of Charbusco. Author of The Beast of Busco (currently out of print) Additional:The White River Monster – episode #204 (Joe Nickell) Our coverage of Mothman (several episodes) Arkansas policy […]