Campfire: Tales of the Strange and Unsettling

This week, we had the honor of sitting down with the West Coast Regional Director for the Warren Legacy Foundation for Paranormal Research, Kenneth Torres. In addition to the work he does there, he is a priest of the Solomonic Order of Saint Michael and the host of Paranormal King Radio. We got deep into the incredible amount of paranormal activity that he has experienced throughout his life, incl...

This week, we’re headed into the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey to discuss a legend as American as apple pie. The Jersey Devil, a chimera that has filled the eastern seaboard with terror since before the founding of our nation. We begin with a terrifying tale from the perspective of one of the many 1909 experiencers before discussing it’s varied origins, modern sightings, and the important pl...

Welcome to this week’s Fireside Chat! This time, we had the pleasure of catching up with our local village tarot witch and co-host of The Haunted Housewives Podcast, Karly Latham. We start at the beginning of her paranormal journey and discuss hauntings, the pros and cons of paratourism, and even touch on the possible existence of ultraterrestrials. This was an incredible talk. Support this person...

This week, we find ourselves in a beautiful beach-side Los Angeles suburb. These beautiful sand-swept coastal streets are juxtaposed by one of the gnarliest paranormal incidents in California history. Join us as we dive headfirst into the incredible tale of the San Pedro Poltergeist. For three years in the late 80s, single mother of two Jackie Hernandez, endured one of the most perilous paranormal...

Welcome to our inaugural Fireside Chat! This week, we’re sitting down together to discuss the incredible history of paranormal encounters endured by our very own co-host, Ryan. From unexplainable footsteps and bumps in the night to disembodied voices, full-body apparitions, and shadow people. This is just the first of many episodes to come dissecting the set of experiences that formed the true bel...

In the early morning of December 1, 1987, Phillip Spencer was on a leisurely stroll through the moors between his home and that of his father-in-law. An amateur photographer in his early retirement, Phillip was determined to make the most of the frosty one-hour journey. It was a perfect opportunity to snap some shots of the famously beautiful sunrise over the fog-blanketed bog. He had no idea that...

Happy New Year! 2021 has been an incredible year for us, so we decided to take a little time to look back on the ups and downs, the experience of making the show, and the progress we’ve made throughout. Thanks so much for your love and support. Here’s to another fantastic year!  Campfire: Tales of the Strange and Unsettling is created for adult audiences only. The content and discussion in this sh...

This week, we find ourselves once again in the beautiful state of Iowa. In the autumn of 1903, a series of close encounters with a bizarre flying humanoid would forever change the lives of a few of the most prominent figures in the town of Van Meter. Unclassified giant subterranean bat? Antediluvian pterosaur? Ultraterrestrial visitor? Did this nocturnal nuisance fly up from the inner earth? We’re...

In the early morning hours of June 10, 1912, Josiah and Sarah Moore, along with their four children and two house guests  were brutally murdered in their beds in the small mid-western town of Villisca, Iowa. During the weeks that followed, life in this small town saw a dramatic change. Residents of this sleepy hamlet reinforced locks, openly carried weapons and huddled together while sleeping. New...

In November of 1980, local eccentric and mechanical genius Granger Taylor vanished during the most intense storm in the history of Vancouver Island. This is not the typical missing persons case. After a long and storied history of increasingly impressive engineering projects and historical restorations, Granger became obsessed with the idea of traveling the universe with extraterrestrials. Get rea...

This week, we’re exploring the frigid depths of one of the most popular tourist destinations in Northern California: Lake Tahoe. This favored vacation spot for the rich and famous, including The Rat Pack, JFK, and Marilyn Monroe is surrounded by a shocking amount of mystery. Dubbed Tessie by the locals over 50 years ago, the Lake Tahoe monster is seen half a dozen times a year by tourists and loca...

This week, we’re diving headfirst into the liminal spaces connecting our towns and cities. We’re discussing the full range of strange encounters, close calls, and brushes with the bizarre reported on the roadways of America. The prevalence of myths, urban legends, and campfire stories that take place in this setting is undeniable. The question is why. Why is the act of transit such a magnet for Fo...

This week, we’re headed into the heart of the Lonestar State where, in April of 1897, the small rural town of Aurora, TX was set upon by an extraterrestrial interloper in crisis. After a harrowing attempt at an emergency landing ended in absolute catastrophe, the death of at least one of the craft’s occupants left the modest midtown reeling. But the outstanding part of this tale is the handling of...

Nestled deep in the heart of Canada’s Northwest Territories and the McKenzie mountain range, Nahanni Valley has some of the most remarkable landscapes on earth. Mountain peaks so sheer that they protected the valley from the last ice age, raging rivers thousands of feet deep, thousands of miles of ice caves, acres of hot springs, and waterfalls double the height of Niagara. Pair with that a vast h...

This week, we’re venturing into the rolling emerald hills of central Ireland. A land once ruled by Druidic tribes saw the takeover of western forces in the 13th century and with it the construction of some of the most enduring and iconic structures in European history. Sitting easily among the most recognizable of them is Leap Castle. The 700 year history of Leap Castle reads like a how-to manual...

Just east of the sun-drenched beaches of Rio de Janeiro, in the city of Niterói, sits the windswept bank of Vintém Hill. It is here on this hillside that Brazilian authorities would discover the bodies of two tv technicians at the center of one of the most enigmatic and enduring mysteries in South American history. Were these two paranormal-obsessed engineers duped into an overdose and robbery, or...

Halloween! Samhain! All-Hallows Eve! No matter what you call it, it’s our absolute favorite time of year and this year, we’ve decided to begin a new tradition. Every year on Halloween, we’re going to sit down and read a few of our favorite stories that have come across our desk. And that’s what this is! Relaxed, fun, loose, and spooky. Maybe you spent the day trick or treating. Maybe a cool party....

In this week’s addition to the Campfire Classic Collection, the father of Science-Fiction takes a turn toward the terrifying. H.G. Wells tries his adept hand at the world of Gothic Horror with fantastic results. Originally published in 1896 in Idler Magazine, this story centers around a scientifically but open minded man who is attempting to confirm or debunk the presence of paranormal entities in...

The fourth and final installment in our Halloween Monsters series ends with a bang: Vampires. We dive into the terrifying tale of a family living in the North-West England village of Croglin Grange. After renting a single story home, they soon came to find that the owners had more than good reason to vacate. The woman of the house soon found herself face to face with a vampiric villain with a tast...

Campfire Classics Collection Volume 3: Pickman’s Model In the third installment of the Campfire Classics Collection, in honor of the Halloween season, today we’re reading “Pickman’s Model” (1927) by H.P. Lovecraft. In this terrifying tale of one man’s struggle to find the uppermost reaches of horror, we explore themes of passion, moderation, and exclusion. This true master of horror uses the story...

In week three of our super special spooky season series on Halloween monsters, we discuss the fascinating and wild world of witches! Was Julia Brown a Creole Healer, Seer, Voodoo Priestess, or a Green Witch, or was she simply the closest thing to a doctor readily available to the isolated logging town of Frenier? Is this another tale of the demonization of a woman too powerful for the social const...

In the second installment of the Campfire Classics Collection we have the conclusion of “The Story of William Wilson” (1839). In this odd tale of one man’s encounter with his own doppelgänger, we explore what it is to confront the best and worst of ourselves; how it is that we can move past these epiphanies of introspection in ways that leave us invigorated rather than hopeless. Enjoy this reading...

In the second installment of our Super Special Spooky Season Series on Iconic Halloween Creatures, we sit down to discuss all things Zombies. This week’s eerie epic follows a young journalist through a harrowing encounter with the source of a zombie infection. We then discuss the origins of zombies in Afro-Caribbean culture, the blending of those roots into American folklore, and the writers and d...

In the first installment of the Campfire Classics Collection, in honor of the Halloween season, today we’re reading “The Story of William Wilson” (1839). In this odd tale of one man’s encounter with his own doppelgänger, we explore what it is to confront the best and worst of ourselves; how it is that we can move past these epiphanies of introspection in ways that leave us invigorated rather than...

In the first of our special spooky season episodes, we dive headfirst into the world of werewolves. This week’s terrifying tale concerns a possibly lycanthropic beast from 18th Century France. Reportedly responsible for the deaths of over 300 men, women, and children; the Beast of Gevaudan has a body count like no creature that we have ever covered. We then discuss the origins of werewolves, mytho...