Ghosthropology

If you have spent much time on the web looking into paranormal lore, you likely have heard of the Curse of the Crying Boy Painting. In this episode, Matt discusses how the story developed and what we can learn about both folklore and our own beliefs from studying the tale. Full sources and show notes at kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podcast Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/ghosthropology...

In this episode, James Tyner returns to speak with Matt about his time as a monk and, more specifically, about an exorcism that he witnessed, group sleep paralysis at the monastery, and a few other strange things worth talking about. Full sources and show notes at kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podcast Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/ghosthropology Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/ghost...

Women driving on the back roads of Madera County, near the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California, have reported seeing a strange specter - a man who appears on the roads and who requires that drivers take care to avoid hitting him, but then he vanishes. In this episode, Matt discusses the uncertain origin and possible meaning of this particular ghost story. Full sources and show notes at km...

One of the most frightening modern ghost stories, the Slender Man is a known work of fiction…except to those who believe in him… which may be nobody…or not. In this episode, Matt discusses the line between fiction vs folklore and the difficulty in telling people’s real beliefs from stories told for fun. Full sources and show notes at kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podcast/ Support us on Pat...

In another special supplemental episode, recorded near the beginning of the year, Matt returns to Monterey in search of the ghost of the Chinese Fisherman featured in Episode 15. Along the way, he talks about how our views of history can be both reflected and distorted by the landscape as we walk through it. Full sources and show notes at kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podcast/ Support us o...

In this episode, Matt has the opportunity to speak with Dr. Irving Finkel, curator in the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum, and author of The First Ghosts. Dr. Finkel was kind enough to discuss ghost/demon beliefs in ancient Mesopotamia and how those beliefs reflect a lineage of such beliefs that continues through to the present day. Full sources and show notes at kmmamedia.com/...

In a very special supplemental episode, The Ghosthropologist takes us along as he hikes into the Monterey hills in search of Episode 16's Dark Watchers. Full sources and show notes at kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podcast/ Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/ghosthropology Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ghosthropology KMMA_Media on Facebook: www.facebook.com/kmmamedia KMMA_Media...

The USS Hornet is one of several Naval vessels permanently moored and used as a museum. Like most of these vessels, the Hornet has a reputation for being haunted. In this episode, Matt has an opportunity to speak with Laura Fies, the Executive Officer of the USS Hornet Museum, about the ghosts and the role that ghost stories play in the educational mission of the museum.  Full sources and show not...

Throughout the British Isles, people claim to see the specters of Roman soldiers, but there may be more to these stories than initially meets the eye. In this episode, Matt constrains himself to sightings of Roman ghosts, specifically in England, to discuss what these stories may be telling us about English/British identity and their attitudes towards history. Full sources and show notes at https:...

The story of the Winchester Mystery House is well known and often retold - the frightened widow who continued to build on to her already massive and sprawling home out of a fear that if she stopped, evil spirits would kill her. The truth of Sarah Winchester is, however, very different. In this episode, Matt discusses what is known about the origins of the Winchester Mystery House and why it is oft...

Matt interviews Dr. Alena Pirok, author of The Spirit of Colonial Williamsburg about the very special relationship Virginians have with their ghosts and how these stories and first-person interpretations serve to link modern Williamsburg to historic Williamsburg. Full sources and show notes at https://kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podcast/ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gho...

The story of the Lalaurie mansion in New Orleans is part true atrocity tale and part urban legend, so naturally, it ended up as a ghost story. In this episode, Matt discusses how these legends form, how they can misinform us about the past, and how ghost stories can sometimes soothe us into a false sense of security about who we are and what values we hold. Full sources and show notes at https://k...

The Island of Poveglia, in the Venice Lagoon, is said to be haunted by plague victims, Roman soldiers, and possibly an evil mad scientist. Regardless of whether or not the stories are true, that they persist tells us something about how we perceive the past and how we view people in the present. Full sources and show notes at https://kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podcast/ Support us on Pat...

In this episode, Matt speaks with fellow archaeologist and podcaster Sara Head about her show, Paranormal Archaeology, and the ways in which belief in the supernatural influences how people interact with physical objects and spaces. Full sources and show notes at https://kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podcast/ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ghosthropology Find us on Facebook...

In this episode, Matt returns to the Mojave Desert to tell the stories of two bodies of water said to play host to the supernatural. One lake is said to be the final resting place of a murderer and his victims, and the other is said to be the site of a showdown between the toughest immigrant ever to arrive in California and a literal Demon from hell…but don’t worry, the tough guy wins. Note: In th...

Return to Babylon is a film said to have been altered by supernatural forces. In this episode, Matt talks about the story, its possible origins, and how it relates to “The Dark Side of Oz,” legend tripping on your couch, and the very real very disturbing truth behind what happened on the set of Poltergeist. Show notes, sources, and other episodes found at https://kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropol...

The wonderfully creepy story of Robert the Doll, a haunted toy in Key West, Florida, contains more layers than it appears to when you first hear it. Matt discusses how this disturbing doll invokes ideas from psychology, modern gender politics, and the history of race relations in the United States. Show notes, sources, and other episodes found at https://kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podca...

In this episode, Matt is again joined by Albie Robles to discuss one of Mexico’s better known, and creepier, ghost stories: the tale of a haunted mannequin that is also rumored to be a well-preserved corpse… La Pasculaita. Show notes, sources, and other episodes found at https://kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podcast/ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ghosthropology Find us on...

Matt is joined by voice actor and host of the Scare Me Podcast, Albie Robles. Albie relates his own personal story about a ghost encounter in a mining town in Mexico and shares some of the tales he heard from his family’s experiences in that town. Show notes, sources, and other episodes found at https://kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podcast/ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/g...

Freetown State Forest in Massachusetts is said to be a center for high weirdness. There are many different locations within this forest that are haunted, and UFO and Bigfoot sightings are also common. This episode provides an overview of the location and discusses some of the most prominent stories. Show notes, sources, and other episodes found at https://kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podc...

Ghost towns dot the American Southwest, and many are said to be haunted. But Calico is the only one that is haunted by the ghost of a dog that delivers mail. In this episode, Matt considers how our often self-contradicting views of the Old West tell us something about how we view ourselves in the modern world. Show notes and sources: www.kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podcast/ Patreon: www....

In this very special Crossover Halloween Episode, Matt and Kaylia talk about the folklore that became the book, the book that became the movie: the Mothman Prophecies! We talk about what works and what doesn’t, what the book/movie can tell us about US society in the 70s and early 2000s, and attempt to determine if the Mothman, the UFOs, the Men In Black, and the very scary Chapstick are worth our...

In a very special supplemental episode, The Ghosthropologist answers listener questions and shares a fascinating story about a very famous (CENSORED) that, for obvious reasons, was not included in an earlier episode. For show notes please visit the show’s website at https://kmmamedia.com/podcasts/ghosthropology-podcast/ Ghosthropology is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ghosthropology Ghost...

For the 25th episode of Ghosthropology, Matt does something a bit different. Rather than focusing on a specific ghost story, this long episode is dedicated to an interview with Dr. Michele Hanks, an anthropologist who studies ghost tourism and paranormal investigators. Dr. Hanks provides some thought-provoking comments on the search for evidence, what belief in ghosts means, and how this all ties...

There are many creepy stories associated with the British Museum, but in this episode, Matt focuses on two - one involving a fake artifact and the other involving a rather weird interpretation of a real artifact with a heaping helping of 19th century colonialist exoticism. Both are interesting in what they tell us about the people who first began circulating the stories. Show notes and sources at...