Mysteries and Monsters

On this episode, we dive in to the mysterious cases from around the world of allegedly fatal attacks by Cryptids. From infamous Sea Serpent attacks, the mystery of the Lusca, Brain eating bears in Africa and probably the most famous cryptid serial killer ever from France. Returning to share these stories with us is our good friend Richard Freeman. Richard's books can be found here: The CFZ can be...

It's a warm welcome back to the show for the wonderful Dr Kate Cherrell. We catch up with her to discuss the success of her recent gothic fiction novel "Begotten", her continued adventures in graveyards around the UK, celebrity seances and the preservation of a county's heritage and accents along with ghosts and ghouls. The book can be found here: Dr Kate's website is here: Thank you to Dr Cherrel...

It's a warm welcome back to Ruth Roper Wylde as we dive in to a selection of new experiences that feature in the upcoming sixth volume of These Haunted Times. We've a collection of witness accounts from a trio of haunted hospitals from around the UK along with an intriguing animal ghost encounter as well. Ruth also tells us about a few recent ghost hunts along with some unusual haunts as well. Rut...

As long as there has been a movement in the corner of your eye, a strange noise in the dark, or a chilling feeling in your stomach, there have been ghost stories. In her latest book, Ghostlore, Icy Sedwick collects 50 of the worlds most unusual hauntings to chill our blood at any time of the year. We cover a few from international borders, from Australia to South Africa and an unusual collection o...

Travel puts us all in liminal spaces. But despite many practitioners' affinity for spaces betwixt and between, these areas have many practical and magickal dilemmas. A Traveler's Guide to Making Magic provides templates and examples for practicing in a broad range of locations and circumstances. Lisa McSherry provides an experienced and insightful guide for modern practitioners seeking to incorpor...

On this episode, I welcome best selling author and award winning podcast host Mike Browne to the show. His podcast, Dark Poutine has consistently set the bar for True Crime podcasts over the best part of the last decade and we discuss some of Canada and beyonds most notorious serial killers, personal experiences, UFO's and the strange case of Granger Taylor! Dark Poutine can be found here: Mike's...

Richard and Tobias document first-hand witness accounts and conduct investigations of sightings, hoping to encounter the famous flying cryptid themselves. Their discoveries include large concentrations of sightings in the Chicago and Lake Michigan area, suggesting where the mysterious Mothman may reside and travel. We also dive in to the ethics of the fortean, the trouble with catch all explanatio...

My guest this week had a childhood punctuated by a strange encounter but it was only when he enrolled in the British Army that he found himself experiencing some high strangeness. In his YouTube channel, Shadows and Sightings, Andy discusses his experiences and shares some with us including a perplexing series of events whilst based on Dartmoor, a barren yet powerful moor in the south of England....

Why are some of us terrified by the thought of harmless doll becoming haunted? Why is this fear so palpable for some of us and why do some people actively seek them out and even collect them? In her new book, author and paranormal enthusiast Fiona Dodwell joins me to discuss some of the more notable haunted dolls around the world, her personal collection and experience of owning more than few and...

It's a warm welcome back for author John Olsen as the latest book in his Stranger Bridgerland series hits the shelves. This time, John takes us to the gem state, Idaho, for another collection of first person encounters with all manner of high strangeness. From haunted apartments to stranger creatures in the woods that don't fit the normal woodland cryptid templates, to missing time, haunted battle...

The history of the old west is littered with tales of bloodthirsty outlaws, renegade cattle barons, gunfights, lost treasure and ghost towns, but in his latest book, author and researcher John Lemay takes us on a tour of its most notorious and some would say frightening ghostly legends.  From the spirit of Billy the Kid and the legends surrounding his supposed survival, to the ever wandering spiri...

The use of dolls in human civilisation goes back to some of the earliest graves and shrines we've discovered around the world regardless of the cultures we are finally uncovering. In her brand new book, Dollcraft, Patti Negri dives into all aspects of dolls, from how to make your own magickal poppets and how to identify and care for haunted dolls and shares some of the craft with us along with a c...

I'm delighted to welcome the director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, Jonathan Downes to the show. A lifelong love of strange animals and a chance meeting with Doc Shiels at the Fortean Times Unconvention saw the CFZ born and sent Jon on a lifetime of high strangeness, international exhibitions and speaking with thousands of people who have experienced and seen creatures that allegedly do not e...

Jason Offutt returns to the field of cryptozoology with his latest book, a follow up to 2019's brilliant Chasing American Monsters which is an essential book for anyone who loves cryptids. In this latest book, Jason takes us from Greenland to Guatemala and all points in between as we discover some overlooked creatures to some of the more famous members of the cryptid fraternity. Jason's books can...

Kevin J Guhl returns with a brand new collection of American Strangeness as he collates another bumper crop of the strange gleaned from the articles of American newspaper history covering all manner of weirdness. From outbreaks of Dragons in the old west, the emergence of haunted automobile in to the paranormal world, the notorious women in black all manner of terrorised towns! Kevin's website is...

In his latest book, Maxim Furek, a former psychologist and rock journalist, delves into the intriguing world of Bigfoot synchronicity, embracing interdimensional theories, mass hallucinations, and Jung's collective unconscious. Furek's dedication to the subject is evident in the hundreds of accounts from researchers who strive to answer the question, "If it's not flesh and blood, then what is it?"...

An alleged haunted road that proved to be a disappointment somehow led Trey Hudson and his team of investigators to stumble across an area of land that perplexed and intrigued them. This location, known as "The Meadow" quickly began to reveal some of its secrets and over the best part of the last decade, the team have recorded, reported and experiences numerous incidents of high strangeness, commu...

Lake Superior has always had a magnetic power through the history of life in North America, drawing people to its shores and on its waves for millennia and this continue more so in the modern age. It would seem that it seems that the Lake even holds sway over those of a Fortean nature too, with strange creatures seen in its depths, mysterious disappearances, UFO sightings by the bucket load and ha...

John Russell returns to share more of the stories from his latest book, The Can Sack Ghost as he delves into some of the experiences he has been a part of throughout his life. Another bumper crop of paranormal stories take us from lost friends, to an unusual insect becoming more than a pest, haunted candy bowls and much more. John's books can be found here: His website is here: Thank you as always...

This episode we catch up with the Fortean Times television reviewers Stu Neville and Ruth Morris to find out what they've been binging for their column and what shows they can't stop watching and which shows it is best to avoid! From Hauntings to High Strangeness, Celebrity fronted Folklore to UFOlogy failures, we look at some of the best new shows out there for the lovers of weird. You can catch...

On this episode, i welcome podcast co-host and author Tiffany Doran to the show. A lifelong passion for the strange and unusual has enabled Tiffany to be in a unique position of dealing with her partner's Bigfoot encounter along with a ghost that likes to make it's presence known by a variety of aroma's! We dive in to her love of cryptids, along with missing people, Dogman and much more. Tiffany's...

We return to New Zealand to head to the southern island on the hunt for its haunted history. From haunted department stores, ghostly figures on bridges, ghost towns and pubs with an owner who still stays on, Mark Wallbank covers some of the locations in his latest book, Haunted South Island. The book can be found here: Mark and the team's website is here: Thanks to Mark for joining me Our Patreon...

The early days of modern ufology seem to be a procession of characters, wild tales and messages from the stars most forgotten than the notable exceptions. Yet one man found his calling after reading the headlines about the Flatwoods Monster in his home town. Gray Barker found himself front and centre in the late 50s and 60s as his involvement in the UFO field spanned publishing, investigating, hoa...

In his latest book, cryptozoologist Ken Gerhard looks in to a whole series of encounters with strange creatures who seem to be able to defy gravity against all common sense.  From the legendary encounters with Mothman back in the mid 1960's, the fearsome Owlman lurking in Cornwall and Spring Heeled Jack terrorising Victorian London, these strange visitors seem to appear from nowhere and leave the...

Since the dawn of time, the question of what happens when we pass away has been a cornerstone of cultural development around the world and how we view ourselves and our place in the world.  In his series of books, Chris Carter argues that the case for the afterlife is not some wishy washy dream or unsubstantiated belief but a tangible and very real reality that doesn't conform to religious or para...