MonsterTalk

Champ Across the Border: Blake and Karen welcome back historian Dr. Joseph Gagné, a specialist in New France and the French colonial period of North America, to talk about Champ - the famous monster of Lake Champlain. Most of the lake sits between New York and Vermont, but about 7% of it lies in Quebec, and Joseph's upcoming paper in the ethnology journal Rabaska asks a question almost nobody else...

Note: This episode deals with murder and goes into some detail, so we're putting the "explicit tag" for the mature content, perhaps not suitable for all audiences. MonsterTalk steps outside its usual territory for a true-crime case with a paranormal afterlife. Blake and Karen welcome Hallie, host of  The Morbid Curiosity Podcast , to revisit one of the most notorious unsolved crimes in American hi...

A skeptical look at one of the most famous ghost photographs ever taken - the 1959 "backseat ghost" snapped by Mrs. Mabel Chinnery in Ipswich, England. This episode is distilled from a recent MonsterTalk Live stream with Blake, Karen Stollznow, and special guest Matt Baxter, who brought fresh research (and one neat new idea) to a very old mystery. It's also a companion piece to our Newby Church Gh...

Blake, Karen and Matt discover that this famous ghost photo isn't as old as they expected, and perhaps not as mysterious either. Do we get it right? Do you have a different explanation? Let us know in the comments. 👻 The Spectre of Newby ChurchIn one black-and-white photograph of a church altar, a tall, hooded figure stands where the photographer swore no one was standing. The "Newby Monk" has ha...

Most Americans meet the Rakshasa in exactly two places: a 1974 episode of a beloved horror TV series and the pages of the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. Both versions give you a debonair, tiger-faced shape-changer with a taste for human flesh - but neither prepares you for how deep, how old, and how genuinely alive these creatures are. To dig us out of that pop-culture foxhole, we sat down...

On the morning of February 9, 1855, residents across south Devon, England, discovered strange hoof-shaped tracks in the snow. The prints - about 4 inches long, 3 inches wide, and spaced roughly 8 inches apart in single file - appeared to have been left by a biped with a donkey-like hoof. Reports came in from more than 30 locations across the county. Within days, the Illustrated London News publish...

Darren joins Blake and Karen to discuss his new article in Geology Today, which grew out of his work on the Monsters of the Deep museum exhibition. That exhibition originally opened at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, Cornwall in 2020, traveled to two additional venues, and most recently ran at the Aberdeen Art Gallery in Scotland. Darren describes how each venue's unique architecture req...

This is part two of our conversation with Kyle Crosby, creator and host of Louisiana Dread . In Part 1, we covered the history of the Acadians and how they carried the loup-garou legend from France to the bayous of Louisiana. Now, in Part 2, Kyle walks us through the transformation of the loup-garou into the Rougarou - from strict werewolf to all-purpose shapeshifting boogeyman - and takes us on a...

This is part one of a two-part conversation. Blake and Karen are joined by Kyle Crosby, filmmaker, historian, and founder of Louisiana Dread , a multimedia project dedicated to documenting the dark history, folklore, and culture of the Pelican State. Kyle is a native of Larose, Louisiana, who grew up in Lafourche Parish and on Grand Isle . He spent years working in the film industry before returni...

Neuroscientist Dr. Melissa Maffeo joins Blake and Karen to discuss her new book Science of the Supernatural: Critical Thinking for the Mind and Brain (Cambridge University Press, 2026). Melissa is an associate teaching professor of psychology at Wake Forest University, where she also serves as Associate Director of the Neuroscience Program. In this episode, Melissa talks about using paranormal top...

To announce (and celebrate) the Spanish language release of Chet Van Duzer's beautiful and informative book on map monsters, I'm re-releasing episode S01E69! Grab your copy in Spanish here: SPANISH LANGUAGE : Monstruos marinos en mapas medievales y renacentistas by Chet Van Duzer Or snag it in English here: Sea Monsters on Medeival and Renaissance Maps Extensive show notes here! Become a supporter...

Blake and Karen are joined by Matt Baxter to discuss the strange case of the Cottingley Fairies.   https://www.monstertalk.org/?p=2706 Hosts: Karen Stollznow, Blake Smith Guest: Matt Baxter In this episode, the MonsterTalk crew tackles one of the most famous photographic hoaxes in history - the Cottingley Fairies. In 1917, two young cousins in West Yorkshire produced five photographs that appeared...

🎙️ Blake and Karen welcome back author and paranormal investigator Richard Estep to discuss his new book from Visible Ink Press, Monsters: Myths, Legends, and Real Encounters . Richard is a paramedic, clinical educator, and the author of more than 30 books on the paranormal, true crime, and history. Karen wrote the foreword for this one - and donated her fee to Doctors Without Borders . 👏 Extende...

In Part 2 of our chat with folklorist Chris Woodyard we talk about the lore of haunted cemeteries. Find Chris on BlueSky , FaceBook , and our back catalog! Chris also partners with Dr. Simon Young on the Boggart & Banshee podcast! Extended notes at https://monstertalk.org Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support . Some product links may...

In part 1 of our chat with folklorist Chris Woodyard , we discuss haunted roads and headless motorcycle ghosts. Find Chris on BlueSky , FaceBook , and our back catalog! Chris also partners with Dr. Simon Young on the Boggart & Banshee podcast! Extended notes at https://monstertalk.org  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support . Some prod...

We talk with Karen's friend, author and Ex-Mormon, Steve Cuno about paranormal ideas in the Mormon religion.  Steve Cuno:  Behind the Mormon Curtain: Selling Sex in America’s Holy City “It’s Not About the Sex” My Ass : Confessions of an Ex-Mormon, Ex-Polygamist, Ex-Wife   David W. Patten and Mormon Bigfoot: Reddit Thread Between Pulpit and Pew: The Supernatural World in Mormon History and Folklore...

Part two of our discussion of the interesting made-for-TV film The Stately Ghosts of England (1965). Blake and Karen are joined by Matt Baxter and this is a continuation of part 1 . The film stars Margaret Rutherford , her husband Stringer Davis , and celebrity clairvoyant Tom Corbett . Extended notes at http://monstertalk.org Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mo...

Blake and Karen are joined by Matt Baxter to discuss the 1965 made-for-TV film The Stately Ghosts of England . The film stars Margaret Rutherford , her husband Stringer Davis , and celebrity clairvoyant Tom Corbett . Extended show notes available at MonsterTalk.org Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support . Some product links may be affiliat...

I'm excited to be posting this BONUS content - an interview with film historian Gary D. Rhodes. Gary is joining me to talk about his newest book Weirdumentary: Ancient Aliens, Fallacious Prophecies, and Mysterious Monsters from 1970s Documentaries . I can't overstate how enjoyable this book was and how likely listeners to MonsterTalk and In ReSearch Of... are to be equally thrilled with it. extend...

We are delighted to talk with Dr. Christopher Beatty about his research into Dragonflies. From ancient times these insects have been the subject of wonder, fear and misinformation. Let's keep the wonder but get rid of some of the other stuff as we dive in on a creature whose lifecycle, morphology, and effectiveness as a hunter elevate its place in the lore of humanity. Why this title for the episo...

We're joined by Christina Ward of Feral House publishing to talk about the intersection of food, culture, belief, control, and the weird as she tells us about two of her recent projects: American Advertising Cookbooks and Holy Food . Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support . Some product links may be affiliated with Amazon revenue sharing.

Host of Bone & Sickle, Al Ridenour joins us to talk about the traditions of European Carnival season. It's the subject of his latest book, A Season of Madness . Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support . Some product links may be affiliated with Amazon revenue sharing.

In part two of our two-part interview with Owen Davies, we continue the discussion of witches and witch prosecutions with thoughtful considerations of the meaning of witch and how it can be an identity or an accusation.  Be sure and catch both parts of this fascinating chat.  Some related viewing/reading: A curious case of Black Magic in Norfolk Blake's article about the "PA Hex Hollow" murders (S...

In part one of our two-part interview with Owen Davies, we discuss the history of witch trials, accusations, murder, and other troubles bubbling up from post-Salem accusations in America. In part two, next week, we will continue the discussion with thoughtful considerations of the meaning of witch and how it can be an identity or an accusation.  Be sure and catch both parts of this fascinating cha...

We are joined by author and researcher Greg Skomal to talk about the mysterious and long-lived Greenland Shark.  Books by Greg: Chasing Shadows: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Great White Shark - Greg's book about Great Whites  The Shark Handbook 3rd Edition: The Essential Guide for Understanding the Sharks of the World by Greg Skomal The Great White Shark Handbook Additional online reading: Gree...