Ghoul On Ghoul

Amanda and Sadie are back with a banger covering a true crime queen and vengeful percussionist. Amanda recounts the life and times of author Ann Rule, including her fateful friendship with would-be serial killer Ted Bundy. Sadie heads to 15th-century England for the Drummer of Tedworth, the earliest recorded poltergeist episode in the country. Other subjects covered include pants-hungry genitalia, a new hit show, and a little mouse guy. Recommendations: Amanda recommends the true crime book Bitter Blood.  Sources: Wikipedia/Drummer of Tedworth Encyclopedia.com (Drummer Of Tedworth) Burials and Beyond "New light on the ‘Drummer of Tedworth’: conflicting narratives of witchcraft in Restoration England" by Michael Hunter The Guardian (Best-selling true crime writer Ann Rule, author of 33 books, dies at age 83) Grunge (The Untold Truth of Ann Rule) The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule CNN (Jan. 12, 1999 interview transcript) Washington Post (The twisted friendship of crime writer Ann Rule and serial killer Ted Bu

Originally posted as Episode 11 on July 19, 2018.  It's all about spiritualism on this week's episode as Amanda and Sarah discuss two women associated with the movement. Sarah channels an unusual story about famed spiritualist medium Florence Cook and her "spirit control," Katie King, who was said to be the deceased daughter of a Welsh pirate. Amanda gives a creepy history lesson on the tragic life of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and her shifty spirit minister Charles J. Colchester. Other subjects covered include big ol' Instagram daddies, donkey facts, and the joy of pretending to be drunk. Sources: "Spirited Sexuality: Sex, Marriage, and Victorian Spiritualism" by Marlene Tromp for Victorian Literature and Culture "Victorian Women and the Theatre of Trance: Mediums, Spiritualists, and Mesmerists in Performance" by Amy Lehman MysteriousPeople.com (lol): Katie King Smithsonian Magazine ("The Spiritualist Who Warned Lincoln Was Also Booth’s Drinking Buddy") Wikipedia: Mary Todd Lincoln Recommendations: Sarah r

Look to the skies, ghouls, because Amanda and Sarah have an extraterrestrial-filled episode just for you. Sarah presents a very special alien version of Ass-trology, while Amanda delves into the phenomenon of people claiming to have sex with otherworldly beings. Other subjects covered include unimpressive octopi, parts of the boot, and dead social media.  Sources: Listverse (10 People Who Claimed To Have Sexual Encounters With Aliens) Vice (This Guy Paints the Sex He Allegedly Has with Aliens) The Harvard Gazette (Alien abduction claims examined: Signs of trauma found) Huffington Post (Meet the Chinese Lumberjack Who Slept With an Alien) For updates on future episodes and other fun stuff, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, or check out our Patreon. 

Amanda and Sarah get down and dirty with a series of OG ghost stories and one of the worst movies ever made. Sarah covers the Byland Abbey ghost stories, a set of tales collected by a curious monk. Amanda heads to Italy for the making of, and disastrous release of the 1979 period film Caligula. Other subjects covered include alien updates, bad passwords, and arsenic myths.  Recommendations: Amanda recommends the Giallo film Tenebrae and the new horror release Talk to Me.  Sources: Byland Abbey ghost stories: a guide to medieval ghosts Anselm Classics-Byland Abbey Ghost Stories Project “Repentant Soul or Walking Corpse? Debatable Apparitions in Medieval England” by Jacqueline Simpson. Folklore, Dec., 2003, Vol. 114, No. 3 Collider (The Infamous 'Caligula': Is It Really As Bad As They Say?) Penthouse, May 1980 The Guardian (Malcolm McDowell on Peter O'Toole: Caligula, catacombs and chicken gizzards) The Writer Who Disowned the Movie-Gore Vidal Leonardo DiCaprio channelled Caligula for Wolf of Wall

Originally posted as Episode 91 on Feb. 20, 2020.  Amanda and Sarah say screw it and try to scare the crap out of each other by tapping into their deepest fearscinations. Sarah gets into Amanda's frog/toad phobia with a look at the Loveland Frog and similar accounts from Ohio and other places. Amanda scoured Reddit and other sites for the creepiest, most disturbing, user-submitted doppelganger encounters. Other subjects covered include SWEET POTATO SKINS, horror daddies, and another ghoulish musical. Recommendations: Sarah recommends the latest season of the show Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and does not recommend the indie horror film, Pyewacket. Amanda adds her vote for watching the HBO show The Outsider. Sources: The Weiser Field Guide to Cryptozoology: Werewolves, Dragons, Skyfish, Lizard Men, and Other Fascinating Creatures Real and Mysterious Paperback by Deena West Budd The Singular Fortean Society (The Loveland Frogmen) Exemplore (The Loveland Frog: Monster, Alien, or Escaped Pet?) Wikipedia/Join

Amanda and Sarah get their heads in the summer vacation game with spooky travel stories and beer. Amanda vets a few tales about real people dealing with haunted Airbnbs, roadside killers, and more. Sarah goes deep into the possible lore surrounding Miller High Life's "Girl in the Moon" mascot and her possible connection with early women brewers. Other subjects include a tough furry polycule, a sleep interrupted, and a fratty Amanda.  Recommendations: Amanda recommends the Grady Hendrix book How to Sell a Haunted House and the new movie Evil Dead Rise. Sarah recommends the 1971 cult horror film Blood on Satan's Claw.  Sources:  Mashed (Who Inspired Miller High Life's Girl In The Moon Logo?) Beer and Beyond (Here's what we know about the Miller High Life lady) https://dannwoellertthefoodetymologist.wordpress.com/2023/04/02/decoding-the-miller-high-life-girl-in-the-moon/ Smithsonian Magazine (Why Did Women Stop Dominating the Beer Industry?) Forbes (No, That Halloween Witch (Probably) Does Not Represent A

Amanda and Sarah are joined by Ben, Gregg, and Lance of Neon Brainiacs for a special fifth-anniversary show! Hear a spooky house party story, followed by a rousing, time travel-inspired game. Other subjects covered include Amanda's illustrious film career, The Shining conspiracies, and Woodstock '99. For updates on future episodes and other fun stuff, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or check out our Patreon. 

Amanda and Sarah head to historic New England and back to California for two wild cases. Sarah covers Elizabeth Knapp, a 17th-century teen girl believed to be demonically possessed. Amanda reveals part two of the Clara Phillips fiasco. Other subjects covered include fighting in front of the cheese dip, classic Hollywood monologuing, and buying too much unreturnable Target merch.  Recommendations: Amanda recommends the 1951 sci-fi film 'The Thing from Another World.' Sources: “The Use of Transference in Seventeenth-Century Massachusetts,” by Michael Fass for American Studies, Vol. 36, No. 2 (Fall, 1995)  “The Terrifying Demonic Possession of 16 Year Old Elizabeth Knapp,” Hit the Lights Podcast, November 2020 Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England by John Demos Wikipedia/Clara Phillips LA Magazine (How Murderess Clara Phillips Became “Tiger Girl”) New York Times (' Clara Phillips' Tries Honduras Jail Break; 15 Students Whose Aid She Sought Are Seized) New York Post (Inside the der

Amanda and Sarah go goblin mode for this episode about another little fucker and a Hollywood true crime case. Sarah talks about the connection between the Ebu Gogo and the Homo floresiensis on the Indonesian island of Flores. Amanda heads back to the flapper era with the first of a two-part series about Clara Phillips, aka the Tiger Woman. Other subjects covered include quitting coffee, being nude under a trench coat, and roasting America's Next Top Model.  Recommendations: Amanda recommends (kind of) the graphic novel The Low, Low Woods and the 1978 medical thriller Coma.  Sources: The University of Alberta (Are hobbits real?) New Scientist (The Little Troublemaker - June 18, 2005) Wikipedia/Ebu Gogo Live Science (Human 'hobbit' ancestor may be hiding in Indonesia, new controversial book claims) FAR WEIRDER THAN HOBBITS by Marek Kohn “Images of the Wildman Inside and Outside Europe,” Gregory Forth. Folklore, Vol. 118, No. 3 (Dec., 2007). https://www.jstor.org/stable/30035439 New York Post (Inside the deran

Amanda and Sarah choose a neutral color palette for two stories about a folkloric crone and mysterious light. Sarah goes all witchy again with the legend of Black Annis, a cannibalistic witch-like figure from Leicester, England. Amanda heads to North Carolina for the history of the Brown Mountain Lights. Other subjects covered include a spooky survey, a fictional clothing line, and a new pet camera.  Recommendations: Amanda recommends the Dario Argento film Deep Red.  Sources: White Dragon (Black Annis - Leicester Legend or Widespread Myths?) Witches by T.C. Lethbridge “Four Doubled Figures in the Origins of English Folk Theatre.” Stephen D. Malin, Theatre Journal, Vol. 33  Wikipedia/Black Annis Charlotte Observer (Burke County's Mysterious Light Still Baffles Investigators) Blue Ridge County (Brown Mountain Lights: The Mystery Continues (and Maybe Even Deepens) WBTV (Mystery of the Brown Mountain Lights fueled by new pictures) PBS (Brown Mountain Lights) GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 646 (Origin of the Brown

Amanda and Sarah revisit an episode from back when they were still figuring out this whole podcasting thing and didn't have a decent mixer. It still slaps. Originally posted as Episode 39 on Feb. 14, 2019.  Amanda and Sarah look at the house hiders phenomenon, or, as they like to call it, Hinterkaifeck Syndrome™. Sarah covers the stalking case of Michelle Fredenburg-Onion and the delightful misadventures of Jeffrey Allen Manchester, AKA The Roofman. Amanda returns to Daniel LaPlante and keeps it local with a Pittsburgh tale before going into the super creepy story of the Spider Man of Denver. Other subjects covered include Buckcherry, bad Ghostbusters hygiene, and hard-partying squirrels.  Recommendations: Amanda recommends the arty, sexy, spooky Kristen Stewart vehicle Personal Shopper.  Sarah recommends the 1989 horror film Pet Sematary, the Accidental Room episode of 99% Invisible, and the Hinterkaifeck episode of Stuff You Missed In History Class.  Sources: Urbo.com (Creepy People Who Were Found Living I

Amanda and Sarah explore some unusual lore and a California cryptid. Sarah says no to drugs with a look at connections between cannabis-related superstitions/urban legends and the history of cautionary tales. Amanda takes listeners to the West Coast with a rundown of the Fresno Nightcrawler. Other subjects covered include taste-testing Peep-flavored Pepsi, thirsting for Steve Guttenberg, and cooking babies.  Recommendations: Sarah doubles down on Amanda's previous rec of the 2022 horror film Men.  Sources: SYFY Wire (THE DARK HISTORY BEHIND HANSEL AND GRETEL) Snopes (The Microwaved Baby) Snopes (Did Several Musicians Die with White BIC Lighters in Their Pockets?) Wikipedia/Molly Whuppie The Business Journal (MORE THAN FRESNO FAMOUS: HOW THE NIGHTCRAWLER CAPTURED THE WORLD’S IMAGINATION) Your Central Valley (Fresno Nightcrawler: Hoax or real? Mystery remains years later) Yosemite National Park (Yosemite: The Weird and the Wonderful) For updates on future episodes and other fun stuff, follow us on Faceboo

Amanda and Sarah sprinkle some spooky potpourri and film facts all over this episode. Sarah samples various Black Dog stories along with a Pittsburgh urban legend known as Slag Pile Annie. Amanda meets at the intersection of comedy and horror with a look at the history and legacy of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein. Other subjects covered include a weird email, a ghost encounter, and a terrifying orgasm.  Recommendations: Amanda doesn't recommend Scream VI but does recommend the 1976 mystery thriller Obsession. Sources: Arcadia Publishing (Slag Pile Annie: A Story from the Steel Mill)  Shuckland Neatorama (The Story of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein) Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein By Ron Palumbo Diabolique Magazine (LAUGHING, SCREAMING, HOWLING: REVISITING A MONSTER KID’S DELIGHT, ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN) Collider (Horror Comedy Movies Owe a Great Debt to Abbott and Costello) Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter and Billy The Kid vs. Dracula (1965) New Yor

Amanda and Sarah meet at the intersection of sex and crime with two very different stories. Amanda celebrates Women's History Month with the story of Jane Toppan, a nurse/serial killer believed to derive pleasure from drugging her patients to death. Sarah investigates the historical connections between execution by hanging, the mandrake root, and erotic asphyxiation. Other subjects covered include the masculine urge to send bad gifs, chore preferences, and bunny decor.  Recommendations: Amanda recommends the films Remember My Name and Cruising. Sarah recommends the book How to Keep House While Drowning. Sources: “Autoerotic Deaths,” Practical Forensic and Investigative Perspectives Wikipedia/Erotic asphyxiation Wikipedia/Death erection BBC News (The plant that can kill and cure) "Myths and mandrakes" by Anthony John Carter Botanical.com (Mandrake) Wikipedia/Jane Toppan New England Historical Society (JOLLY JANE TOPPAN, THE KILLER NURSE OBSESSED WITH DEATH) NY Daily News (Killer Boston nurse finally went to

Get out your charts, ghouls, cos Amanda and Sarah have an episode chock full of hot zodiac takes, including double the Ass-trology. Other subjects covered include sex rags, reality TV, sisterly tampon pressure, and a gruesome Mario Bros. character.  For updates on future episodes and other fun stuff, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or check out our Patreon. 

Amanda and Sarah explore a questionable haunting and even more questionable condition. Sarah provides updates on The Demon of Brownsville Road (originally covered in Episode 37), a Pittsburgh-area case of a family terrorized by a supernatural presence in their home. Amanda investigates penis-snatching, a phenomenon where men believe their genitalia was stolen through magic.  Recommendations: Amanda recommends the film Men and the third installment of Shudder's documentary series In Search of Darkness.  Sources:  CNN (7 killed in Ghana over 'penis-snatching' episodes) Vice (Witches Allegedly Stole Penises and Kept Them as Pets in the Middle Ages) Harper's Magazine (A Mind Dismembered) Pacific Standard (Africa’s genital-stealing crime wave hits the countryside) Reuters (Penis theft hits city) For updates on future episodes and other fun stuff, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or check out our Patreon. 

Amanda and Sarah take a dose of true crime with a case about a con artist and a locked-room mystery. Amanda goes to Arkansas for the story of how Norman Baker lured victims into the famous Crescent Hotel with fake cancer treatments. Sarah investigates the unsolved 1931 murder of Julia Wallace, who was found beaten to death in her Liverpool home. Other subjects covered include a creepy country ballad, an Alex Jones Chili-Gate explainer, and a Richard Attenborough love fest.  Recommendations: Amanda recommends the films Brighton Rock and 10 Rillington Place. Sarah recommends Skinamarink.  Sources:  Shedunnit Podcast (The Telephone Call) Echo (Unsolved 'locked room' murder that's puzzled detectives for 88 years) The Crime Wire (The Unsolved Murder of Julia Wallace) The Julia Wallace Murder Foundation Arkansas Times (Graphic nonfiction illuminates a dark story from Crescent Hotel’s past) Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Glass bottles found behind 'haunted' Arkansas hotel date to 1938 cancer elixir) Crescent Hotel Hist

Amanda and Sarah welcome guest Genevieve Barbee-Turner, a professional tarot illustrator with multiple custom decks to her name. Genevieve discusses her theories on tarot and its uses, and how her decks serve to tell stories with a social justice angle. She recently launched a Kickstarter for her next project HAUNTED: An Appalachian Tarot Deck, described as being inspired "by Appalachian folklore and urban legends from Southwestern PA, West Virginia, and Eastern Ohio." Find her work at Killerpancake Illustration: https://killerpancakeillustration.com/ And the HAUNTED Kickstarter at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/killerpancake/haunted-an-appalachian-tarot-deck Recommendations: Amanda recommends the movies M3GAN and Hellbender. Sarah recommends the Britcom Chewing Gum.  For updates on future episodes and other fun stuff, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or check out our Patreon. 

Sorry, ghouls, no new episode. We'll see you in two weeks. 

Amanda and Sarah revisit an episode from back when they were still figuring out this whole podcasting thing and didn't have a decent mixer. It still slaps. Originally posted as Episode 43 on March 14, 2019.  Just a warning: This episode contains references to sexual violence, bodily trauma, and some disturbing, gory details about pregnancy. Listener discretion advised.  Amanda and Sarah give birth to instances of pregnancy horror for this episode. Sarah goes way back to the 1700s for the harrowing story of Mary Toft, an English woman who became a sensation when she started giving birth to rabbits. Amanda heads back to present day for the case of Sanju Bhagat and the medical oddity known as fetus in fetu. Other subjects covered include a Bootleg Bart bully and a fun cyst story. Recommendations: Sarah recommends X-Files episode "Humbug" and the music video about the beloved late polar bear, Knut. Sarah and Amanda DO NOT RECOMMEND the Selkie-inspired book Sealskin by Su Bristow. Sources:  Wikipedia/Mary Toft Wha