Cursed...ish

A warning for delicate ears: this episode contains explicit language. We hope you’ll pardon us; when the topic is cursed words, some of those words do insist on showing up and being heard. On the 13th episode of Cursed…ish , Daniel and Angela investigate curses of a more etymological persuasion: curse words . Why do certain sounds become dangerous, filthy, or forbidden? Why did ancient speakers st...

Why do theater people refuse to say Macbeth inside a theater? This week on Cursed...ish , we step into the blood-soaked, witchy world of Shakespeare’s most allegedly-cursed play: Macbeth , also known by the superstitious as “The Scottish Play.” Angela takes Daniel through the strange history behind the curse of Macbeth , from one king's weird, misplaced obsession with witchcraft and Shakespea...

Is the Poltergeist curse real, or is it just one of Hollywood’s darkest tabloid legends? In this episode of Cursed...ish , we dig into the alleged Poltergeist movie curse , from Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper’s creation of the 1982 horror classic to the tragic deaths of Dominique Dunne and Heather O’Rourke , the eerie stories surrounding Poltergeist 2 and Poltergeist 3 , and the infamous rumor t...

In this episode of Cursed...ish, Angela and Daniel dig into the Curse of Cassandra, the Greek myth of a woman who could literally predict disaster and still got treated like she was being dramatic. From Apollo’s extremely petty curse of a punishment to the Trojan Horse , the fall of Troy , and the brutal aftermath of war, they trace how Cassandra became mythology’s patron saint of I told you so ....

In Part II of Cursed...ish’s King Tutankhamun coverage, Daniel and Angela pick up where the tomb story turns ancient history to archaeology and legend. From Napoleon’s role in fueling Europe’s obsession with ancient Egypt to the Rosetta Stone, Howard Carter’s excavation, Lord Carnarvon’s mysterious death, and the media frenzy that helped create the so-called Pharaoh’s Curse, they trace how a burie...

Before Tutankhamun became the most famous mummy in the world, he was a teenage pharaoh buried in secrecy beneath the sands of ancient Egypt. In Part 1 of this story, the Cursed...ish hosts trace the origins of the Curse of King Tut by exploring the world that created him: the religious beliefs of ancient Egypt, mummification, tomb protection, funerary rituals, and the supernatural fear of disturbi...

In this episode of Cursed...ish , Angela Mattes and Daniel Stevens investigate one of America’s most infamous allegedly-hexed families: the Kennedys . From the death of Joseph Kennedy Jr. in World War II to the tragedies of Rosemary Kennedy, the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy , the scandal of Chappaquiddick , and the plane crash that killed JFK Jr. , the Kennedy family sto...

In this episode of Cursed...ish , Angela Mattes and Daniel Stevens head into one of the darkest corners of the Harry Potter universe: the Unforgivable Curses . From Avada Kedavra to the Cruciatus Curse and the Imperius Curse , they unpack how the wizarding world casually hands children the power to torture, control minds, and kill instantly, then somehow treats that as normal school-adjacent infor...

The Dybbuk Box may be the perfect cursed object for the internet age: part ghost story, part folklore confusion, part viral marketing miracle, and part “sir, please stop gifting this to relatives.” In this episode of Cursed...ish , we trace the story of the haunted eBay cabinet said to unleash nightmares, misfortune, illness, and general psychic bad vibes on anyone unlucky enough to own it. From H...

The Curse of the Billy Goat is one of the most famous sports curse legends in American history. In 1945, Chicago Cubs fan and Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis was kicked out of Wrigley Field after trying to bring his pet goat to the World Series, and according to legend, he cursed the Cubs on the spot. What followed was decades of heartbreak, near-misses, black-cat omens, failed curse-breaki...

Winning an Academy Award is supposed to be the greatest moment of an actor’s career.  So why do so many winners say it ruined their lives?  In this episode of Cursed...ish , Daniel and Angela investigate the long-rumored Oscar Curse : the idea that winning an Academy Award can derail careers, destroy relationships, or both.  The story begins in 1985 , when Sally Field won her second Oscar for Plac...

A diamond that promised invincibility … and left a trail of war, betrayal, and ruin across centuries of European history.  In this episode of Cursed...ish , Daniel and Angela investigate the legend of one of the world’s most famous cursed diamonds : the Sancy Diamond .  We begin in medieval Europe, where the stone, once known as the The Balle de Flandres , became associated with kings, warlords, a...

Why do so many buildings skip the 13th floor? Why do airlines avoid row 13? And why does a single number carry so much cultural dread?  In the first episode of Cursed...ish , Daniel and Angela dig into the long, strange history of the world’s most infamous number: 13 .  From Friday the 13th superstitions to the tongue-twisting fear known as triskaidekaphobia , we explore why the number 13 has been...