The Tales We Tell

We're still celebrating our birth-aversary (happy 4 years to us!) so, of course, Hannah had to bring the mood down with a truly awful story. This week, the girls dive into part one of a two-parter exploring the infamous Lindbergh kidnapping. From the problems with Charles Lindbergh himself, to the disappearance of "Little Lindy", and all the ransom notes, strange clues, and horrific...

Happy birth-aversary to us!! To celebrate FOUR years of telling spooky stories, unsolved mysteries, and local lore, we've decided to go back to what we do best: WTF stories. This week, Hannah tells Katy the story of Alexander Pearce, a man unfairly imprisoned in Tasmania who broke out prison, and did what he had to do to survive in the Australian bush. This one is wild, and the girls had to u...

Deep in the heart of Appalachia, there's a legend of a pale race of cave-dwelling people, who only come out at night, and who may or may not have been driven to extinction. This week, Hannah tells Katy about the Moon-Eyed People of Appalachia (thank you Amanda, for the suggestion!). The girls talk problematic white history, blind Pelicans, gay whales, genetics, Welsh pronunciations, and wheth...

What's the most exotic meat you've ever tried? Gator sausage and scorpion have nothing on this episode. This week, Hannah tells Katy the legend of the Demon Butcher of Palos Park, and the horrifying (and stomach-turning) truths in it. The girls revisit a few cannibals from Ep. 24, find a great movie recommendation, and dive headfirst into how the sausage was made back when our great gran...

Do you ever hear weird noises in your house, or get woken up by sexy demons getting their vagina goo all over you? This week, Hannah tells Katy the story of the Smurl family, and their weird-ass haunting that involved both of the aforementioned activities, as well as some bath tub flirting, small fires, and one bushy-moustached demon trying to get laid. The girls devolve into chaos while they disc...

Remember when everyone in America was digging up giant human skeletons (see episode 199)? Well it turns out, some people were digging up and identifying actual dinosaur bones as well; two of those people were Cope and Marsh. This week, Katy takes the reins and tells Hannah about the Bone Wars! The girls talk not so friendly rivalries, future TV series casting, dinosaurs (duh), explosions, and plen...

It's our 200th episode!!! And we are throwing it back to where it all began, but with better audio, and more thorough research. This week, Hannah re-tells Katy the story of the Lost Cosmonaut, and all the deep, dark, terrible things that happened within the Soviet (and US) Space Program. The girls talk about the ethics of putting dogs in space (spoiler: it's not ethical and should never...

In the mid 1800’s, giant human bones seemed to be turning up all across America, at the same time that many scholars and preachers were teaching that the Americas had once been inhabited by a race of prehistoric white giants. This week, Hannah tells Katy about this “fun” time in American history, and some of the skeletons that were unearthed. The mushy teenage girl brains do not go away (they’re t...

It’s the episode Hannah’s been waiting for! This week, Hannah finally tells Katy the tragic story of inmate, Sam Shockley, and how he was failed by the system at every stage of his life. From the time he was a teenager, until he was caught up in the Battle of Alcatraz as an adult and unfairly executed by the state, Sam is the prime example of why mental health advocacy matters, why prison reform m...

We’re almost through our mugshot profiles, and in Alcatraz, pt. 5 (no one’s sick of this, right?) Hannah tells Katy about smirking James Boarman, and Dermot Mulroney/Marvin Hubbard. The girls talk mushy teenage boy brains, mushy teenage girl brains, botched escape attempts, and so much more. It’s an unintentionally chaotic episode, but worth it! So pour the drinks, bear with us, and join us for ou...

Surprise, it’s another Alcatraz episode! This time, in preparation for the one inmate profile Hannah really wants to do (Sam Shockley), she decided to preface by giving Katy the rundown on the four mugshots we have hanging in the studio, starting with the infamous Ted Cole and Ralph Roe. The girls talk about what led to the first ever successful escape from the rock, what makes a good FBI descript...

If you suddenly find yourself in a dark tunnel experiencing an overwhelming feeling of love and peace, and being drawn towards a bright light, you might be dead. Or you might be one of the 9 million Americans who have had a Near Death Experience (and you're about to be brought back to life by medical science.) This week, Hannah tells Katy about the crazy phenomenon that is Near Death Experien...

Is it a strange breed of hairless, underground coyote? A reptilian alien with fur? The Jersey Devil far from home? Or is it the infamous chupacabra? This week, the girls are back from their holiday break, and Katy tells Hannah about the southern goat-sucker that’s been terrorizing livestock for (surprisingly) not that long. They talk about the various sightings, as well as its various forms, what...

If you thought we were done with time travel, you were dead wrong! This week, Hannah tells Katy about John Titor, the alleged time traveler from 2036 who chatted with various people online in 2000 and 2001, and told us some *fascinating* things about the future. The girls talk black holes, computer programing disasters, whether Katy's child is actually a time traveler, pangolins, and more. If...

Have you ever been walking through the English countryside (or the gardens of Versailles) and suddenly felt the world slow down, like time has somehow stopped or...shifted? You may have experienced a time slip! This week, Hannah tells Katy all about this phenomenon of accidentally finding yourself in another time with two classic examples. The girls talk thatched roofs, sombrero'd men, lesbia...

We're back for Part Two! This week, Hannah tells Katy the rest of the story from last week: three murders, a baffled police department, and a 17 year-old college kid that gets mixed up in the whole thing. The girls talk about epidurals, AFIS, police brutality, why so many cops suck, and so much more. This one is sure to get your blood boiling, so make sure you've got a nice calming activ...

1945 was a busy year for Chicago police; a year before Richard Speck would murder eight nurses in the middle of the night (see Episode 188), three other horrific murders would take place. This week, Hannah tells Katy Part One, of the story of William Heirens: a teenager with an unfortunate case of kleptomania, who was somehow involved in the increasingly grizzly murders of two women and one child...

Happy Thanksgiving! This week, Hannah brings us the unsolved story of Joshua Maddux, and tells Katy about how this goofy, free-spirited young man went out for a walk in the Colorado wilderness one day, and never returned home. The girls talk Forrest Gump, body positions (Katy generously gets on the floor and does some contortion work for Hannah's "needs-a-visual" mind), gynecologist...

In 1966, eight young nurses were murdered in one of Chicago's first, and most horrific mass killings. 25 year-old Richard Speck was arrested, but claimed no memory of the crime. This week, Hannah tells Katy the story of what followed: the trial, the various psychiatric sessions, and the verdict. And the girls talk mental health, head injuries, ethics, and more. This is truly one right up our...

In July or 2008, the hairless, bloated body of a mysterious animal washed up on the shores of East Hampton, Long Island. Was it a shell-less turtle, an escaped mutated creature from Plum Island, or something entirely new and unknown? This week, Hannah tells Katy about the Mantauk Monster, and the mystery behind the unidentifiable carcass. The girls talk animal skulls, Viking funerals, conspiracy t...

Is your house full of flies, gross smells, and has doors that open and close on their own? You may be living with a demon (or a cat... or both!) Happy Halloween! It's the final installment of our true stories behind the scary movies series, and this week, Hannah tells Katy the very true story behind The Conjuring! In her very best effort to consolidate 1500 pages of narrative, Hannah tells Ka...

Did you ever have a special toy that meant more to you than all the others? Maybe one you took with you everywhere and talked to? Maybe one that talked back? This week, Hannah continues her series on true stories behind your favorite scary movies, with a slasher classic: Child's Play. The girls talk Cabbage Patch kids, what level of toy attachment is normal, playful spirits vs. playful humans...

If you hear a mournful keen in your ear tonight, it might be a Banshee, or it might just be this week's episode: a Tell We Tale! This week, Katy takes the lead and gives Hannah all the details on the Banshee, where she's from, her various forms, what she's here for, and why you should NEVER touch her comb. The girls discuss animal sounds, whether metal armor should be washed in wate...

Happy Halloween! Since it's OFFICIALLY the start of the Halloween season (even though we've been celebrating since September 1st), we've decided to go back to our roots. This week, Hannah tells Katy the "true" story behind the classic scary movie, The Hills Have Eyes, in what we hope to become a month-long series! The girls quickly dissolve into chaos and giggles while dri...

Was Alcatraz really the impenetrable fortress it claimed to be? This week, Hannah finally gets to the promised episode, and tells Kay about the infamous escape of Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin. The girls discuss high IQ's, why Katy would be an excellent addition to the escape team, smut/romance plots, disorganized FBI files, scary horses, and so much more. It's an epic e...