Left of Skeptic

Happy Spooky Wednesday, everyone! We went a bit off the rails this week with some serious stories and some not-so-serious side tangents. To start, Kala talks about the Governor Sprague Mansion in Rhode Island. The political intrigue is high, but not necessarily the reason for the haunting. Nope, you can blame that on a spurned butler and some people that decided it would be a good idea to make a h...

Happy Spooky Wednesday, dear listeners! We've got a special treat for you this week with the return of Adam Herman! And he's not just here to comment this week... he's got stories of his own to tell! First up, Kala talks about Devil's Gulch in Garretson, SD. Legend says that long ago,this is where legendary Old West outlaw Jesse James made the leap of his life! And while we know that old western t...

Happy Spooky Wednesday, folks! This week we’ve got a roller coaster of feelings for you! First up, Kala talks about Grey Gardens in East Hampton, NY. A 1970s documentary brought this home into the spotlight when Big and Little Edie Beale lived there. Ghosts have roamed the building for decades including a woman who loved gardening on the grounds and an ex-lover who used to access the building ladd...

Happy Spooky Wednesday, Friends! We're keeping it classic this week with two haunted locations. First up Kala talks about Bannack, MT and it's most haunted building, Hotel Meade. This little town boomed during the gold rush, but became a ghost town in the 1940s when the mining dried up. Spirits of those who have lived there are still seen throughout the town, but no where seems quite as haunted as...

Wow! TWO WHOLE YEARS OF SPOOKY WEDNESDAYS!   For our anniversary this week, we’ve got mysteries galore! First up Kala talks about The Alaska Triangle. Alaska is huge, and often considered one of the last great unknowns. Harsh elements and vast wilderness are bound to lead to some disasters, but nowhere more frequent than in this giant, obtuse triangle. Is it UFOs? Vortexes? Cryptids? Cas...

Happy Spooky Wednesday! This is the last week of 2023's True Crime January and we are finishing off with a bang! Or a chop... We're talking about the infamous Boise Murder House, better known to residents of Boise, Idaho as the Chop-Chop House. ***CONTENT WARNING*** This week's true crime is a bit more graphic than we've covered in the past. There is descriptions of the murder that might make some...

Happy Spooky Wednesday! We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you a solo Brittany episode! This week Brittany talks about the Greenbrier Ghost from Greenbrier County, West Virginia. In a perfect combination of crime and paranormal, you'll learn all about how our leading lady Zona SOLVED HER OWN MURDER.  Where do you think this falls on the Skeptic Scale? Para or Normal?

Happy Spooky Wednesday, everyone! For the second week of 2023’s True Crime January, we’re talking about Typhoid Mary. Mary Mallon was a dirty, dirty girl. Literally. She didn’t wash her hands. She is largely regarded as the first asymptotic person with typhoid in the USA. And as a result, people got sick. And when she was told she was making people sick, her response was to dip. After being chased...

Happy Spooky Wednesday and a Happy New Year everyone! It's the first episode of the first month of the year, and you know what that means: TRUE CRIME JANUARY! That's right! Brittany's favorite month has come around again, and we're starting it out right.  Lavinia Fisher is considered by many to be the first female serial killer in the United States. In the early 1800s, with the help of her hu...

Happy Spooky Wednesday, y’all! And thank you so, so much for helping us get to 100 episodes of the Left of Skeptic podcast! We are joined by Kara and Steph of The Prophecy Girls: A Buffy Rewatch Podcast to celebrate this momentous occasion. And we’re talking about Vampires, because this is the most perfect subject, obviously. Are these creatures real cryptids? An old folk tale? An excuse for seria...

Happy Spooky Wednesday and Happy Holidays, dear listeners! We hope you’re staying warm and aren’t snowed in. Time to cuddle up and listen to some spooky tales to keep you cozy this holiday season. First, we’ve got the tale of Krampus. This anti-Santa has gotten more and more popular over the years, offering a creepy option for your Christmas celebrations. A goat head, a forked tongue, and a bundle...

Happy Spooky Wednesday, y’all! This week Kala talks about the KiMo Theater in Albuquerque, NM. This gorgeous old building has experienced a few disasters in its lifetime. The result? A haunting, of course! The ghost of a boy named Bobby is sure to cause mischief on stage unless he is appeased with donuts and sweets. And Brittany talks about The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC, bringing us our...

Happy Spooky Wednesday! This week we’ve got creepy tunnels and spooky gravesites for you! First Kala talks about the Gold Camp Rail Tunnels near Colorado Springs, CO. These nine tunnels have not stood the test of time, as three of them have collapsed, and the treacherous roads they lie on have resulted in multiple accidents. If you dare venture through them you may find yourself dealing with creep...

Happy Spooky Wednesday! We’ve got a Minnesota ghost and an Egyptian past life for you this week, so basically our stories do not relate to each other at all. First up Kala talks about the Landmark Center in St. Paul, MN. This building is said to be haunted by a man named Jack who got caught up in gangster activity and suffered the consequences. Are the phantom activities that occur in the building...

Happy Spooky Wednesday! We’re starting this week out with a mystery! Kala talks about the ghost ship Mary Celeste. In the 1870s she was found adrift at sea. Her cargo of alcohol was mostly intact, and the captain's and crew's belongings were in place, but no one was there. None of those who had been on board were ever seen or heard from again. What happened? People have their theories, both realis...

Happy Spooky Wednesday! This week Kala talks about Bobby Mackey’s Music World in Wilder, Kentucky. This country music club sits on the land that once held a slaughterhouse, possible cult activity, a dumping ground after a murder, illegal drinking and gambling, mob activity, and just general shady behavior. All of that changed when it was purchased by Bobby Mackey in the 70s, but the years of darkn...

Happy Spooky Wednesday! This week's episode feels very classic left of skeptic. Just some good ol' haunted buildings, but with a surprising amount of similarities. First up, Kala discusses The Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre in Clearwater, Florida. This historic building has a fancy mezzanine, tons of seating, great acoustics, and ghosts.  A captain, a little girl, and a former mana...

Happy Spooky Wednesday! This week we have a creepy New Jersey week, but not creepy for the reasons you might associate either the state. Nothing to do with Pauly D or Snooki. First Kala talks about haunted NJ roads: Annie’s Road, Clinton Road, and Shade of Death Road. Each stretch of pavement has their own back stories that result in haunted tales including a woman in white, a coin-retrieving ghos...

Happy Spooky Wednesday! Happy Halloween! This week we recorded our episode live on Facebook and ended our October with a bang! First Kala started out with tales of babysitting gone wrong, sharing stories of ‘the call is coming from inside the house’ and ‘the clown statue in the corner.’ These tales have been told for years, but did you know there is a real-life unsolved murder as their source mate...

Happy Spooky Wednesday! We’ve got some overseas urban legends for you this week. We’re focusing our episode on tales from Germany! Kala starts out with the legends of The Morbach Monster and The Alp. The Morbach Monster is considered one of the last “real” werewolf stories, with documented sightings as late as the 1980s. And The Alp is a creepy vampiric, demonic, hat-wearing incubus type creature...

Happy Spooky Wednesday! We’re serving up some more of that hot Ringu Pasta Sauce with an episode made of Creepypasta for Urban Legends October. Brittany starts us off with stories of The Backrooms. This creepy dimension describes an endless maze of randomly generated office rooms characterized by the smell of moist carpet, walls with monochromatic tones of yellow, and buzzing fluorescent lights. A...

Happy Spooky Wednesday and Happy Spooky Season! We’re back with the beginning of our second annual Urban Legends October. We’re excited to welcome back our special guest, Adam Herman of The Podcostner, The Oddville Revue, and The Slamming Doors. We’re discussing the urban legend of The Elevator Game. This game is meant to lead its players into another dimension! You can find yourself in another wo...

 Happy Spooky Wednesday, dear listeners! We’re going hard this week with a haunted cemetery, a Canadian poltergeist, and creepy-looking headlights. We start out with Kala talking about Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, AL, and its weird little offshoot, Dead Children’s Playground. DCP features orbs, mists, creepy looming shadows, and swings that move on their own. Is it the spirits of childr...

Happy Spooky Wednesday! Kala is back with another creepy transportation-related story this week, though this time it’s more mysterious than spectral. In the early 20th century, the Charfield Railway Disaster resulted in many deaths and injuries, but the “Two Unknowns” are two victims still discussed to this day. Who were they? Members of the royal family? Homeless children in the wrong place at th...

Happy Spooky Wednesday! We're embracing the beginning of this gorgeous fall spooky season with a classic subject matter: haunted houses. This week Kala talks about The 1889 McInteer Villa in Atchison, Kansas. This home has 10 confirmed deaths in its history, and has the hauntings to prove it! From strange voices, slamming doors, and weird rocking chairs with Raggedy Ann dolls that move on their ow...