MonsterTalk

In this episode we talk with Dr. Alice Vernon about her fascinating look at the history of ghost hunting and psychical research, from the late 19th century to today. Ghosted: A History of Ghost Hunting, and Why We Keep Looking (Affiliate Link) Night Terrors: Troubled Sleep and the Stories we Tell About It Ghostwatch (wikipedia) - (our previous coverage) The Society for Psychical Research (UK) Most...

Blake and Karen discuss the legendary photo said to capture 19th century cowboys or soldiers with a giant bird or pterosaur. SHOW NOTE LINKS: The original Tombstone Epitaph article about the winged creature Karl Shuker's blogged several times on the Thunderbird Photo and wrote a eulogy for Mark Chovinsky , author of a thorough Strange Magazine article about the Thunderbird photo. Ivan T. Sanderson...

We talk with journalist Lana Hall about her piece The Dead Mall Society , which details her journey to decaying malls in the Toronto area in search of Liminal Spaces. Liminality (Wikipedia) Victor Turner: Liminality and Communitas (PDF) The Liminality Project (blog) Liminal Space (Wikipedia) The Backrooms CreepyPasta (Wikipedia) Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/...

Friend of the show Dr. Joe Laycock returns to talk about LIZARD PEOPLE with us. He also has a new book:  The Penguin Book of Cults Joe's Books: Penguin Book of Cults  (publisher) ( amazon affiliate link ) The Exorcist Effect: Horror, Religion, and Demonic Belief  (affiliate link) Other topics of discussion: Shadow Kingdom Brotherhood of the White Temple Shaver Mysteries Kull Dark Shadows (Soap Ope...

It took a minute but I finally managed to read one of these "live" to my own family for the holidays. This is such an evocative story that I wanted to add a little art to the mix. I really want to put together a slow but detailed "animated gif" that goes through the cycles of the print as described in the tale - and maybe I'll get around to that at some point. But for now here is some really nice...

Blake and Karen visit again with Colorado author of paranormal and true crime, Richard Estep. Richard's Books discussed in this episode: Ghostly Encounters The Horrors of Fox Hollow Farm Mothman: Sightings and Investigations of the Iconic Flying Cryptid Help is on the Way (pre-order for Feb 2026 Richard's memoir of being a paramedic) Monsters: Myths, Legends and Real Encounters (pre-order March 20...

Episode Summary:  In this episode, hosts Blake Smith and Dr. Karen Stollznow catch up on recent headlines and new literature. First, Blake discusses a "ripped from the headlines" update regarding the 2014 Slender Man stabbing case. We revisit the tragic story of Morgan Geyser, her recent escape from a halfway house, and the media’s handling of the mental health and transgender aspects of the story...

FLASHBACKWe're looking back at October 5, 2011 this week and an interview with Valerius Geist (February 2, 1938 – July 6, 2021) about the myths and reality of wolves.  How dangerous are they? There's complexity and nuance here.  Some people fiercely believe wolves are just peaceful misunderstood beautiful animals that would not hurt a person.  Others believe they're fierce and dangerous predators....

We're joined by Sydney Davidson - student of Dr. Jeb Card ( IRO ) - to discuss her research into Frogmen Festivals, and to discuss monster festivals and some of the reasons people report they attend. (And it's not all about the plushies and t-shirts.) Darren Naish on The Loveland Frog The Myth of Disenchantment Frogman Festival 2026 Close Encounters at Kelly And Others of 1955 (affiliate link) Bec...

We're joined by Matt Baxter to watch and discuss another vintage BBC look at the paranormal - this time in the form of an allegedly haunted chest of drawers. Check the links and watch it yourself if you've got 12 mins to spare. What do you think of our takes? Additional Links: BBC Archive Clip - A Haunted Chest of Drawers AGT: Special Head (levitation trick) The Indian Rope Trick - Penn & Tell...

We're joined by host of the Conspiracy Skeptic Podcast , Karl Mamer. Karl's working on a new book in his series of skeptically themed books of lists ( The Skeptic's Book of Lists , The Conspiracy Skeptic's Book of Lists ) and has been looking into the origins of demons & devils in Dungeons & Dragons. Further Reading: Deities & Demigods BBC: The Great 1980s D&D Panic Michael Stackpo...

In this episode, I talk about why I don't believe in Bigfoot and the core of my basis of doubt. This is part of a new intermittent series wherein we'll be looking at why a lot of monster stories fall apart when you attack them with Occam's Razor and other similarly sharp tools. The clip in the intro is from In Search Of... Season 1, Episode 5. If you want to hear A LOT more about that episode, che...

This week on MonsterTalk, Blake and Karen are joined by Matthew Baxter to revisit Karen’s classic investigation book  Haunting America   — newly re-released in paperback just in time for Halloween 🎃. Together they discuss how the book began as a project for the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF), the fieldwork behind its famous cases, and the updated edition’s new conclusion and color phot...

UAPs, “Disclosure,” and the Influence Machine 🔦🛰️ This episode looks at the latest UAP theater around Rep. Eric Burlison’s congressional presentation of the “Hellfire vs. orb” video, how it intersects with long-running media and funding networks (Skinwalker Ranch/NIDS/Las Vegas circle), and why skepticism and provenance still matter. We discuss the hearing, witness line-up, and the ecosystem that...

This week Blake Smith and Karen Stollznow are joined by clinical psychologist Dr. Brian A. Sharpless, author of Monsters on the Couch , to discuss cannibalism—what it is, why humans have done it, and how the taboo shows up in archaeology, medicine, psychology, and horror cinema. They cover definitions (endocannibalism vs. survival cannibalism), prion diseases such as Kuru, criminal and paraphilic...

🎙 MonsterTalk — The Cult of Moloch Show Notes · Hosts: Blake Smith & Karen Stollznow In this episode, Blake Smith and Karen Stollznow explore the history, mythology, and propaganda surrounding the idea of the Cult of Moloch—a figure long associated with child sacrifice and moral panic. They trace Moloch’s biblical origins in Leviticus and Kings, the contested archaeological claims from Carthag...

We finish up Season 4 of MonsterTalk, not with a bang - but a chuckle, as we welcome Science Comedian Brian Malow to talk about using humor and science to entertain.  https://sciencecomedian.com/ Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support . Some product links may be affiliated with Amazon revenue sharing.

We discuss the sketchy "science by press release" of Colossal Biosciences and the controversies lurking in the history of its lead scientist. Have they resurrected dire wolves? No. Definitely not. If only overblown celebrity endorsed hype was the only problem… Did they make a Dire Wolf? (Spoiler: NOT EVEN REMOTELY CLOSE) George Church's explanation of Epstein ties James Arthur Ray - Guru of Death?...

We take a look at a fascinating slice of paranormal history in the form of a 1975 BBC documentary The Ghost Hunters. How much has changed in paranormal research since 1975? Not much, after a fashion…  Anybody know something about these plastic pub barrels from the 1970s? Show Notes: Benson Herbert - ghost hunter Andrew Green - the Spectre Inspector John Cutten (SPR, Inventor) Watch this masterpiec...

Blake catches Karen up on his current research projects: The four-wall tour dates of the PGF, and a contextual look at the Van Meter Visitor. Neither of these projects are finished but he is excited to share what he's been working on. Dolemite is mentioned favorably. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support . Some product links may be affili...

Blake is joined by regular contributor Matt Baxter, and special guest Kara Van Hoose from the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife to discuss the (not that mysterious) outbreak of "tentacle bunnies" in Colorado this summer.   News reports of "rabbits with tentacles" Deer wasting disease (zombie deer) "Colorado Cannibal" Alfred Packer Colorado Parks & Wildlife  Colorado Parks & Wildlif...

Karen and Matt are back from their book tour in the UK and they got to have some real MonsterTalk moments! Loch Ness, Boleskine House and more plus Blake wrestles with gremlins! More photos will be available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/137274189?pr=true&cr=true  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support . Some product links...

It's Hollow Earth, UFOs, the birth of Sci-Fi, and more wierdshit than you can believe as we present a super-cut of our 2-part interview with Jerry Drake and Jeb Card about one of the foundational stories of "weirdshitology" in a new ginormous single episode.  And there's a little bit of reading if you want to follow us down the rabbit hole...  EXTENSIVE show notes freely viewable at Patreon. Becom...

Karen and Matt check in from the UK! Karen is on tour promoting her new book Bitch: The Journey of a Word.  (affiliate link) Islands are engines of language diversity Borley Rectory Mentioned for future coverage (but touched on before): The Black Monk of Pontefract Episodes covering Enfield and Poltergeists Boleskine House Some Nessie & Scotland coverage Become a supporter of this podcast: htt...

A fascinating chat about Australian Magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen) with Dr. Grainne Cleary in which we talk about the role of stories in creating monsters, the role of citizen science, and lots of cool biology facts about these birds. Not everything about Magpies is black and white, it turns out. Why do birds do that? (affiliate link) Your Backyard Birds (booktopia - Australian bookshop) And remembe...