We talk with journalist Lana Hall about her piece The Dead Mall Society, which details her journey to decaying malls in the Toronto area in search of Liminal Spaces. Liminality (Wikipedia) Victor Turner: Liminality and Communitas (PDF) The Liminality Project (blog) Liminal Space (Wikipedia) The Backrooms CreepyPasta (Wikipedia)
Friend of the show Dr. Joe Laycock returns to talk about LIZARD PEOPLE with us. He also has a new book: The Penguin Book of Cults Joe’s Books:Penguin Book of Cults (publisher) (amazon affiliate link)The Exorcist Effect: Horror, Religion, and Demonic Belief (affiliate link) Other topics of discussion:Shadow KingdomBrotherhood of the White TempleShaver MysteriesKullDark Shadows (Soap Opera) “Leviathan” storylineThe Naga who wanted to […]
It took a minute but I finally managed to read one of these “live” to my own family for the holidays. This is such an evocative story that I wanted to add a little art to the mix. I really want to put together a slow but detailed “animated gif” that goes through the cycles of the print as described […]
Blake and Karen visit again with Colorado author of paranormal and true crime, Richard Estep. Richard’s Books discussed in this episode: Ghostly Encounters The Horrors of Fox Hollow Farm Mothman: Sightings and Investigations of the Iconic Flying Cryptid Help is on the Way (pre-order for Feb 2026 Richard’s memoir of being a paramedic) Monsters: Myths, Legends and Real Encounters(pre-order March […]
Episode Summary: In this episode, hosts Blake Smith and Dr. Karen Stollznow catch up on recent headlines and new literature. First, Blake discusses a “ripped from the headlines” update regarding the 2014 Slender Man stabbing case. We revisit the tragic story of Morgan Geyser, her recent escape from a halfway house, and the media’s handling of the mental health and transgender […]
We’re joined by Sydney Davidson – student of Dr. Jeb Card (IRO) – to discuss her research into Frogmen Festivals, and to discuss monster festivals and some of the reasons people report they attend. (And it’s not all about the plushies and t-shirts.) Darren Naish on The Loveland Frog The Myth of Disenchantment Frogman Festival 2026 Close Encounters at Kelly […]
We’re joined by Matt Baxter to watch and discuss another vintage BBC look at the paranormal – this time in the form of an allegedly haunted chest of drawers. Check the links and watch it yourself if you’ve got 12 mins to spare. What do you think of our takes? Additional Links: BBC Archive Clip – A Haunted Chest of […]
We’re joined by host of the Conspiracy Skeptic Podcast, Karl Mamer. Karl’s working on a new book in his series of skeptically themed books of lists (The Skeptic’s Book of Lists, The Conspiracy Skeptic’s Book of Lists) and has been looking into the origins of demons & devils in Dungeons & Dragons. Further Reading: Deities & DemigodsBBC: The Great 1980s […]
In this episode, I talk about why I don’t believe in Bigfoot and the core of my basis of doubt. This is part of a new intermittent series wherein we’ll be looking at why a lot of monster stories fall apart when you attack them with Occam’s Razor and other similarly sharp tools. The clip in the intro is from […]
This week on MonsterTalk, Blake and Karen are joined by Matthew Baxter to revisit Karen’s classic investigation book Haunting America — newly re-released in paperback just in time for Halloween 🎃. Together they discuss how the book began as a project for the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF), the fieldwork behind its famous cases, and the updated edition’s new conclusion and color photos.👻 Topics discussed: […]