The Tales We Tell

We're back for a very chaotic Part 2 (and thankfully no Part 3)! Everyone is healthy again, and the girls are ready to power through the rest of this grisly story about Russia's worst serial killer: Andrei Chikatilo (aka: The Butcher of Rostov). It's a lot of bodies being found, some confusing confessions, sloppy police work, and one incredible psychologist who saves the day and win...

Surprise! We interrupt this two-part serial killer series with a Tell We Tale because Hannah went out and lost her stupid voice and needed Katy to step in and save the day. So this week, Katy tells Hannah about how the West was built by miners and prostitutes, and how many of those prostitutes are still around.... because they died in traumatic ways. The girls discuss more potential stops on their...

We had a good run of fun, light-hearted topics, didn't we? That means we're overdue for an episode about something pretty awful. This week, Hannah tells Katy the first part of the story of Andrei Chikatilo, AKA: The Butcher of Rostov. And if the name didn't give it away, he wasn't a nice guy. The girls talk puberty, stinky feet, and a Charlie Bucket-esque childhood, and also to...

Happy Anniversary to us!!! It's been THREE fabulous years of making this podcast for your guys, and to celebrate, Hannah and Katy are talking about their new favorite topic: Bigfoot and her boobies. J/k (sort of).  This week, Hannah tells Katy all about Sasquatch, from their history in North American indigenous culture, to alleged captures (spoiler alert: Sasquatch has never been captured), t...

From underground bunkers and lizard people, to gargoyles and demonic horses! This week, Hannah is telling Katy about the many  conspiracy theories surrounding the Denver International Airport (thanks for the suggestion, Josh!) The girls discuss whether or not the Freemasons are really just stoking the conspiracy flames, what kinds of notes they'd like to leave the gargoyles, and what's r...

Pack your prunes and pancake mix, and get ready for a camping trip! This week Hannah tells Katy the wild tale of Albert Ostman and his misadventures in the Canadian wilderness in 1924. The girls discuss porcupines, the patriarchy, and prospecting. Plus, they come up with not one, but TWO new t-shirt designs (already in the works!)  This one was easily one of our favorites to record, and we hope yo...

If you weren't worried about a serial killer with unsettling eyes who draws instructional pornographic graffiti, and has never been caught, then you're about to be! This week, Hannah tells Katy about the Dull-Eyed Killer, who terrorized the women of Cheropovets, Russia in the mid to late aughts. Hannah will struggle with both Russian and English words, and Katy will teach her a new mnemo...

What are you afraid of? After listening to this episode, you might have a few things to add to the list. This week, Hannah and Katy take on listeners' irrational fears and find out why they're not so irrational after all. From a sticky, toothy grinned devil-child breaking into your room at night, to every day contraptions that are just waiting to kill you in the most horrific ways, and w...

Are you scared of caves? YOU SHOULD BE! This week, Hannah kicks off the Irrational Fears series by telling Katy about a new fear she recently discovered: caves. Specifically, get trapped in a cave and dying alone. The girls spend their time talking about the infamous story of Floyd Collins, his hot brother Homer, sweet, brave little Skeets Miller, and the terrifying reality of cave crickets. They...

What lives under a bridge, has a hypnotizing voice, and is NOT here to teach you about train safety? It's the Pope Lick Monster! This week, Hannah is joined by special fill-in co-host, Jarek, to talk about Kentucky's very own cryptid, the Pope Lick Monster, and why this goat/sheep man is more dangerous than you might think! From fun facts about trains, to talking marine life, and more, y...

What's in that suitcase that the small, sketchy-looking guy just hid in some bushes in the park in Paris late at night? Do yourself a favor,  and just skip straight to calling the police. This week, Hannah tells Katy the story of Issei Sagawa, the man who made the girls break their rule about shaming people's sexual kinks (when they involve killing other people, you get all the shame). W...

Car trouble, a pesky neighborhood rooster, and wiping out on the sidewalk… Have Hannah and Katy been cursed by a witch? Was Hannah a petty witch in a past life, handing out curses over pie? This week, the girls talk about the legend of Hannah Cranna, the Wicked Witch of Monroe! Find out why this mysterious, resourceful, and robust lady was villainized by her peers, and what became of her after her...

Happy Re-New Year! That's right, we're starting the year over, and trying again. And it just so happens that we're starting off with a really dark episode: cue all the content warnings. This week, Hannah tells Katy about Gary Heidnik, the serial kidnapper/rapist  who inspired one of Hollywood's most infamous villains. This is a story full of red flags, heroic women, and a subpa...

Happy New Year! We’re back with a paranormal story about the demonic possession of a woman that went a bit awry. Was it the spirits-turned-demons of her deceased abusive father and witch/aunt that hexed her with spices during their lives? Was it the infamous apostle, Judas Iscariot? Was it Beelzebub? Or was Anna Ecklund simply a woman suffering from mental illnesses who was failed by the countless...

On June 26, 1986, a truck carrying 20,000 liters of sulfuric acid crashed head on with another vehicle and toppled off the road along the Somosierra Mountain Pass in Spain. Two passengers were killed immediately. One vanished. This week, Hannah tells Katy the story of Juan Pedro Martinez, the nine year that disappeared from the wreckage of his parents' mangled truck and was never seen again....

If your child comes you and tells you that Spirit Airlines is telling them stuff that only they can hear, call a doctor or licensed psychologist. If they tell you Spirit Halloween is telling them stuff, ask where the next location will be! But in all seriousness, this week Hannah is telling Katy the absolutely WILD story of the Children of Thunder, aka: Taylor Helzer and his two devoted followers...

In 12th century England, two green-skinned children mysteriously appeared appeared one day, speaking a strange language, and eating only beans. Were they fairies? Flemish orphans? Or something other worldly?  This week, Hannah tells Katy about the green children of Woolpit. The girls discuss whether the story is fact or fiction, various theories to explain the green skin, and whether the Earth is...

In the early days of surgery, learning about anatomy was kind of a big deal. So having relatively fresh corpses to dissect was also a pretty big deal, which naturally led to *some* crime. This week, Hannah tells Katy about William Burke and William Hare, two men who figured out that they could make decent money by selling bodies to a doctor, and regular money by causing the bodies to be dead in th...

Do you need a horrible story to break the tension with family this holiday season? How about a reason to break out the good whiskey (or coffee?) This might just be the episode for you! This week, Hannah tells Katy the story of the Snowtown murders, the infamous and horrific tale of John Bunting and his twisted, sadistic worldview that led to the deaths of at least 11 people. The girls talk about t...

Do you have a sweet tooth? It might be curbed after listening to this episode! This week, Hannah tells Katy the wild story of the Glico Morinaga exploitation case, when an anonymous criminal blackmailed, kidnapped, and poisoned Japan's biggest candy companies... and got away with it! From foxy-eyed men, to poor-planning ransom pick ups, and well-labeled poison, this case just gets weirder and...

Happy (belated) Halloween! This week, Hannah and Katy break out the hard liquor to talk about one of history's more gruesome spree killers: The Blackout Ripper. During the London blackouts of 1942, a killer hid in plain sight and viciously attacked five women in six days. Gordon Cummins killed at least three women (although he is suspected of two more), and used the cover of the darkness to h...

It's Wednesday evening and you need to grab like two things from the store (and maybe a coffee or a cute candle) and you really don't want to deal with the Walmart crowd, so where do you go? Around here, it's a no brainer: Target. BUT before you head out the door, think twice about the relative safety of that glowing red oasis; or more specifically, of the parking lot. This week, Ha...

In the early morning hours of September 11, 1979, Micki Jo West left her mom's house for work, and never came home. Over 40 years later, and several mysterious letters have shown up throughout Missouri and Kansas, claiming to know what happened. But Micki's family is no closer to closure now than they were in 1979. This week, Hannah tells Katy the story of the disappearance of Micki Jo W...

Who's that tall, blond, pale girl between the ages of 12 and 30, standing in the corner of the dance hall acting kind of gloomy and not talking to anyone? It could be Katy (although she'd likely be talking to you about any number of her current hyperfixations and/or her kid or dogs), or, if you're in Justice, IL, it could be the infamous specter, Resurrection Mary!  This week, Hanna...

It wouldn't be Spooky Season without a classic horror movie like Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or Silence of the Lambs . But what do all of these macabre movies have in common? This week, Hannah tells Katy about the man that inspired the villains from some of the best known movies in horror history: Eddie Gein.  From living under the thumb of a violently religious mother, to a life of crip...