Idiopathic

Last week we started in on the story of Gene Otto and Robert the Doll with our #1 fan-- Sarah's Mom. Some theories were thrown out there for the reasons why this doll generally eeks the heck out of people, and possibly why it might also appear to move and cause mischief at times. Today, we continue our discussion and see if we change our minds at all. So let's jump back into the nonsense on this e...

Gene Otto was born in 1900 in the Florida Keys, he passed away in the 1970's after a life spent making art. What he's probably best known for though, isn't his art but his childhood and lifelong companion: Robert. See, Robert was a nearly 4 foot tall stuffed doll and like many toys of this era, he's creepy as they come. Oh.. he's also cursed? Or a demon? I don't know, but w...

Today, we're getting into a chilling tale that inspired the 2005 film "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." In 1976, a young German woman named Anneliese Michel faced a harrowing ordeal marked by visions, voices, and seizures. Convinced she was possessed, her family turned to the Catholic Church for an exorcism. What followed were 67 intense sessions, ultimately leading to Anneliese's tr...

Last week we covered the story of Roland Doe, the account that inspired a movie that still scares the hell out of me-- the Exorcist. The exorcist movie is based on a book by the same name written by William Peter Blatty. According to him, the novel was based on the accounts recorded by a catholic priest present at the exorcisms. We once again have two questions to tackle here-- (1) what could be b...

William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist was released in 1973. Audiences all over were shocked, some even had visceral responses to it. Reports of people fleeing mid-film, fainting, or vomiting in the theaters were shared widely. The Exorcist book and subsequent film aren't just the products of a creative imagination though. They're based on the case of Roland Doe, which has become one of t...

Last week, we heard about the sagas occurring in Amityville NY between 1974 and 1976-- a murder so horrible that it's almost preferable to believe it's the work of demonic posession and a haunting so off the walls that it's been turned into books, movies, documentaries, and goodness only knows what else-- maybe even a musical? So we're here once more to ask ourselves, just what went on at the hous...

November 13th, 1974. A quiet suburban street in Amityville, Long Island. Inside the DeFeo home, six members of the DeFeo family lay lifeless, victims of a brutal massacre. The prodigal son of the DeFeos, Ronnie, is the only one left standing. This was just the beginning though as a chilling tale of familial horror unfolded before the eyes of a shocked nation. Soon after, a new family moves in – th...

The Salem witch trials of 1692 were a series of events in colonial Massachusetts during which a wave of fear and paranoia led to the accusation, trial, and execution of 20 people (mostly women) for charges of witchcraft. The trials began when a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by witches, and the local authorities initiated a witch hunt. The accused were subjected to unfair trials that...

Last week we learned of the Enfield Poltergeist case, wherein two preteen sisters, along with their family were tormented by an unwelcome and rather destructive entity. They were investigated, reported on, and plenty of evidence was offered up for proof of the paranormal. Skeptics, however, weren't so quick to buy it. So could the Enfield happenings have been merely schoolgirl antics? Or was there...

Keeping in theme with the SPR investigations tie, this week we're going to cover another of their cases. Today's adventure takes place in 1970's Enfield London. Unlike the last few stories where the characters actively called upon spirits-- these folks were tormented by them unwillingly. Between 1977 and 1979, sisters Janet and Margaret Hodgson seemed to be the epicenter of phantom knocking, flyin...

In part one of the story of Helen Duncan, we learned about her life and the events that possibly lead up to her being considered one of the last women to be imprisoned under the Witchcrafts Act of 1735. Quite a feat, considering she lived nearly two hundred years after it was enacted! So did Helen have the gift of clairvoyance or was she just another pretender? And how exactly did she die? Some sa...

When we last met, we reported on the Philip the Ghost Experiment. In that story, we mentioned the Toronto Society for Psychical Research. They were the folks who were responsible for heading up the experiment. What we didn't mention was that there are Societies for Psychical Research (SPR) all over the world. The original SPR though, was formed in the UK in 1882. Today, we're going to talk about H...

We're Baaaaaack! We took some time away, but don't worry, we haven't left for good.

In part one we learned about Philip Aylesford and the Ghost Experiment, a study that was done in the 1970’s not to prove the existence of the paranormal, but to disprove that paranormal experiences were anything but our own human minds interacting with… something? Well, the experiment’s results have certainly been debated– everything from the researchers pulling the wool over our eyes to their cre...

Philip Aylesford’s life story is a tragic one taking place in 17th-century England. The English Civil War was raging at that time and consisted of a conflict that saw the Royalists fighting to preserve the monarchy under King Charles I against the Parliamentarians. The war ended in disaster for the Royalists, with the execution of King Charles I in 1649—a cataclysmic event for those who believed i...

Last week, we learned how celestial beings visited Chicago Illinois through the words of a man who was sleep talking. And from his nocturnal ramblings, the Urantia Book was created. Though the authorship of this book is still debated today, the text itself is not really widely known– which seems bananas considering these beings tell us all of the answers for how god, evolution, the universe, and s...

Somewhere between 1924 and 1955, celestial beings visited Chicago Illinois through the words of a man who was sleep talking. From his nocturnal ramblings, the Urantia Book was compiled. Though the authorship of this book is still debated today, the text itself is not really widely known– which seems bananas considering these beings tell us all of the answers for how god, evolution, the universe, a...

In part one of our exploration into the Bloody Mary ritual we talked about Queen Mary I of England’s tragic life and bloody reign. See, Queen Mary is one of the more likely (at least in my opinion) figures that would’ve inspired this urban legend– but slumber parties have been terrified by her alluring specter for decades. So what’s going on when we go into that darkened bathroom to chant her name...

You’ve heard the stories. Stand in front of a mirror, lights dimmed, and chant her name: "Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary." If you dare complete the ritual, she’ll appear—a vengeful spirit, bloodied and terrifying, reaching out from the glass to haunt your waking days. For decades, the legend of Bloody Mary has sent shivers down our spines. But where does this dark ritual come from? The ghos...

For years, we’ve struggled to connect paranormal reports with a scientific explanation. And honestly, we’ve mostly failed at it. Here at Idiopathic, we like to explore the more human side of things– the medical explanations for the strange and paranormal events recorded throughout our history. A lot of study has gone on looking outside ourselves – is there something more than just us out there in...

In part 1 of today’s show, we visited Houska Castle in the Czech countryside. This imposing structure, rumored to have been built in the 1200’s is no ordinary castle– for starters, it seems to have been built not to keep invaders out, but to lock something.. In. Rumors also have it that the reason for this imposing structure’s unique architecture is because it’s situated over a gateway to hell. Th...

Perched on a lonely hilltop, near Lake Máchovo, nestled deep within the forests north of Prague, lies Houska Castle. Is it the largest castle? No. Is it the most beautiful castle? Also, No. So what gives? Houska is different. It’s an early gothic castle that had been rebuilt sometime during the Renaissance. Now, I know what you're thinking—castles in Europe? I mean, that’s like finding a Wal-M...

Peanut Butter and Jelly, Bert and Ernie, Cults and Conspiracies– some things in this world are just natural pairings. We’ve talked about both cults and conspiracies on this show many times, but we haven’t ever really given them their day in the spotlight. Well, today is that day. And yes, cults and conspiracies could each be their own shows, if not podcasts entirely– so consider this your brief ta...

In the shadows of one of history's darkest cults, Linda Kasabian stood at the edge of a nightmare. She was drawn into the twisted web of the Manson Family, a group whose name is forever stained with blood. But when the time came to cross the final threshold, something inside Linda resisted. She was the Manson Family member who broke ranks, the unlikely key witness who helped bring down one of...

Linda Kasabian, was born and raised in 1950’s New England. Like many of her generation, she went on to become part of the counterculture hippie movement of the later half of the 1960s. By the summer of 1969, she was 20 years old and a young mother, with a husband who had practically abandoned them to sail around the world. Linda was adaptable though, and open to new experiences. So when a friend o...