Werewolves are an ancient idea, but the meaning and beliefs around the concept have changed over time. How were they viewed in the classical world and even earlier? Find out in this week's episode as we interview Dr. Tanika Koosmen. Dr. Koosmen's thesis at Newcastle online archive The werewolf story in Satyricon Some movies mentioned: Van Helsing (2004) Deep Rising (1998) Interesting terms: Versipellis - In Roman mythology and literature, a "versipellis" is literally a "skin changer" and...

We welcome back Dr. Justin Mullis to tell us about the interesting connection he found between Cryptozoology and the Godzilla franchise. He just appeared at G-Fest in Chicago where he spoke on this topic. Justin's profile at Academia.Edu Justin visiting with Cian at The Lost World Podcast talking Kong Skull Island Justin writes for AIPT in NYC The Impossible Archive podcast Justin discussing "little people" with Cian Gill Thanks to Stephen & William Smith for this week's episode...

We're joined by mosquito and disease expert Dr. Louisa Messenger of the Las Vegas PARAVEC lab. It turns out that gators and snakes aren't the big danger in a swamp. And this monster isn't constrained to swamps. In fact, it's probably in your own backyard. Mosquito problem in Las Vegas How to fight Mosquitos Dr. Messenger's Lab website Additional Reading: History of antimalarial drugs Modern use of Quinine The Color Mauve History of Malaria Lyle Blackburn's Sinister Swamps (affiliate...

Karen Stollznow and Matt Baxter recount their journey to solve the mystery of the ghost lights of Silver Cliff Cemetery, in Colorado. Silver Cliff Cemetery Prisoner's Cinema History Colorado Karen's book Haunting America (Amz affiliate link) Announcing the release of Karen's latest title:  bitch: The Journey of a Word Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We answer a listener question that takes us down some interesting rabbit holes and face to face with the apparently never-ending tendrils of the Satanic Panic. Photo of Tokoloshe statue courtesy Peter Aller. Lots of show notes for this one: South Africa’s Occult Crimes Unit: How Apartheid shaped South African attitudes toward Paganism and the Occult Dr. Kobus Jonker More on "Donker" Jonker What is a Sangoma? Wikipedia: Tokoloshe A sample of The Daily Sun coverage of Tokoloshe The SAPS Occult...

The US Library of Congress says the Cassowary is the world's "Most Dangerous Bird!?" But is it? We talked with biologist Steven Portugal to find out. Steven Portugal's search for the Cassowary trip Cassowary (Wiki) Darren Naish on the 2023 Cassowary Florida Relocation Event Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blake and Karen discuss some recent werewolf projects, and what to do with all this research material accrued since this project started in 2011.  Wolf-related MonsterTalk (previous episodes) Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 Jay Smith’s historical research on hyenas and French wolf attacks. (Behind a paywall, but you may be able to get free access at your local public or university libraries. Be sure and check with a librarian.) Scott Lilienfeld (et al) book on Psychology Myths mentioned...

Friend of the show Ray Garton, author of many horror books including In a Dark Place, passed away April 21, 2024 of lung cancer. This show is largely a rebroadcast of episode #039 from 2011. Ray was one of the first and most prominent people who worked with Ed and Lorraine Warren who then went on to call them out for their duplicity. He wouldn't be the only one either, as we covered in The Warren Omission a few years later. Content Warning: Many of the alleged events that Ray wrote about for...

We take a look at the 1992 BBC Halloween tv special, Ghostwatch. Ghostwatch (streaming Affiliate Link) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we take a look at some recent news stories that fall within our bailiwick. We've got big cats, big-not-really-cats, and some UFO data to discuss. (with Matt Baxter.) Note - check out the articles for images of the "Thylacine", especially the Reddit thread and Galante's video. Tasmanian Tiger: Forrest Galante's YT Video Coverage in Newsweek Reddit readers have a go at the photos Alien Big Cat in UK BBC says DNA confirms big cat in UK Local news coverage 2023 article with similar...

This week we're going to take a quick peek behind the curtains as to how THE SCIENCE OF MONSTERS came to be published by MonsterHouse, and what you can find inside. Sales of the book directly help the show, and all of that is explained during our MonsterTalking. The Science of Monsters - paperback & kindle The many lives of Joe Nickell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blake and Karen are joined by Matt Baxter to discuss the new horror film Late Night with the Devil (AMZ affiliate link), a fictional work that draws very heavily from "real" paranormal history to anchor its verisimilitude.  Trailer for LNwtD Don Lane vs Randi incident CSICOP Randi vs James Hydrick Randi vs Popov Randi and Don Lane incident Randi Michelle Remembers Anton LaVey Jim Jones Branch Davidians Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we talk with professor Jason Josephson-Storm about the concept of Disenchantment, why it's an important and influential concept, and why it is also a pervasive myth.  The Dialectic of Enlightenment by Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno Max Weber The Golden Bough by James Frazer  Deadly Words by by Jeanne Favret-Saada Our coverage of the homunculus - way back in episode 53! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Bigfoot making peculiar stacks of bones in the forests of Mt. St. Helens? Archaeologist Andy White joins us to discuss the hypothesis that was the topic of a research paper by a Bigfoot proponent Mitchell Townsend. Andy's website (and response to Townsend's claims) Andy also has a YOUTUBE CHANNEL. Taphonomy Bigfoot proponent Townsend has been on Coast-to-Coast-AM more than once, where he also promoted his ideas about hidden images in stones. Mitchell's ideas are VERY reminiscent of the...

Karen and Blake discuss three little mysteries they've run across while doing research that didn't quite warrant an individual episode, and which might benefit from some crowd-sourcing. Examples of "Bigfoot Tree Forts" Colorado Site discussing Tik-Tok Bigfoot Structures Fairy-Braids: This is a real phenomenon - example article with photos Loren Coleman discussing MK Davis discussing Bigfoot braids (Cryptomundo) Some examples of algorithmic analysis of biological behaviors (gScholar) Silver...

Matt and Karen report back from their trip to Devil's Tower, Wyoming. reuters debunk traced to Facebook Satirical Post Watch CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND via Amazon affiliate link Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[This episode contains some adult language.] This is the story of the search for Bigfoot as conducted by the NORTH AMERICAN WILDLIFE RESEARCH CENTER. (Which sounds a lot like the real Bigfoot research group North American Wildlife Research Team that famously setup the only permanent Bigfoot trap maintained by the national park service.) But while a lot of the stuff in this film sounds real - the whole thing is made up. The IMDB page gives you the details on the cast. A very good widescreen...

We're excited to have Professor Chris French back to introduce his brand new book, The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure The Paranormal (Affiliate Link). Links: Wilson & Barber and the "fantasy prone personality" Richard Wiseman appearances on MonsterTalk Susan Blackmore (wikipedia) Anomalistic Psychology Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We catch up with Richard Estep and Bil Bungay, co-authors of The Black Monk of Pontefract: The World's Most Violent and Relentless Poltergeist to talk about the history and strange happenings alleged to take place in the village of Pontefract in Yorkshire. Website of the house (for bookings and photos) You can rent Bil's movie When The Lights Went Out on Vimeo for a small fee. And here is Bil's Parapod movie on Apple's platform. Colin Wilson's book on the topic (Poltergeist) which has the...

This week Blake, Karen and Matt Baxter discuss celebrity UFO encounters. Why are they so popular? Why do we care? Some examples: John Lennon Olivia Newton John  Elvis Russell Crowe Mick Jagger David Bowie Kesha Demi Lovato Jimmy Carter (see The UFO Movie They Don't Want You To See) Heck - YouTube is just full of these stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blake and Karen discuss The Secret History of Bigfoot by John O'Connor.  The Secret History of Bigfoot (affiliate link) NYT Book Review Trey the Explainer on Bigfoot and Indigenous Culture (YouTube) Michael Barkun's Culture of Conspiracy (affiliate link) Spokane Washington Public Library reading by O'Connor (YouTube) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are lots of things to read about this on the Internet and you will not find a definitive answer, I'm afraid. My conclusions are based on parsimony not on explicit proof. Besides, we all know how hard it is to prove a negative. It's a complex topic with many black-box elements and those tend to lend themselves to conspiratorial thinking. If you have things to say on the topic, come comment on the episode on our Patreon. Some articles of interest: Test showing negative results...

A lighthearted discussion of the cryptids of Connecticut with the author and illustrator of  Connecticut Cryptids: A Field Guide to the Weird & Wonderful Creatures of the Nutmeg State, Patrick Scalisi and Valerie Ruby-Omen. Patrick's Amazon Author's Page (affiliate link) Valerie's facebook page Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We conclude our two-part look at Boleskine House, on the shores of Loch Ness. Matt Baxter joins Karen and Blake to wrap up this investigation. Links for Part 2: Article about sale of Boleskine Report of death of Major Grant (1960) A Dark Song (movie loosely based on Crowley/Abramelin working) (affiliate link) The Cadco Affair - or the great sausage scandal Pre-fire article (2015) about Boleskine after Page sale Current owners hope link to Outlander series will generate restoration funds The...

Part 1 of a 2-part look at Boleskine House, the little house on the shores of Loch Ness that allegedly once hosted an infamous ceremony attempt by Mr. Aleister Crowley. Matt Baxter joins Karen and Blake to discuss.  Thanks to previous guests Peter Bebergal, Jerry Drake and Al Ridenour for their assistance on preparing this episode. Related Links - Part 1 News article chock full of the legends we discuss What happened to the kids from that Led Zeppelin album cover? Who was Kenneth...