Creeptastic

Creeptastic is taking a break this week so we can all get through these pesky holidays and start fresh with the new year! Join me next Monday 1/2 for a brand new episode on the ever-horrifying topic of: sleep paralysis! Have some Happy Holidays if that's the kind of thing you're into, or have a fabulous and Creeptastic week if not, and join me in the new year for some new creepy content! Advertise on Creeptastic! Support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

In today's episode, I am going to make you never want to go to a live concert or sports game again by telling you all about the numerous instances in human history when a crowd has killed – not because they were an angry mob or had any desire to hurt someone, but simply because there were just too many people in too small a space, and that led to what is typically known as a crowd crush. What exactly is a crowd crush, and what conditions are needed for one to happen? What are some of the more horrific examples from our history of crowd crushes, and what can we learn from them? How can you try to effectively manage a crowd so it doesn't get into a crushing situation…and if it does, what can you as the individual do to try and protect yourself so you make it back out? I will provide some answers to all these questions, talk super briefly about crowd crushes in horror entertainment because spoilers, it doesn't show up often if at all for some reason, and bring you a delightful little bedtime story about a crowd who doesn't necessarily crush, but is menacing and murderous all the same. Why talk about happy, festive events which turn into horrific tragedies in which dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people can die? Because at some point in all our lives, we are going to be caught in a pretty thick crowd, and the very idea that it could end up crushing us to death (given the right conditions) is beyond horrifying, and terribly Creeptastic! Advertise on Creeptastic! Support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

In this episode I revisit the Murder and a Movie format with an examination of Alfred Hitchcock's underrated 1948 film Rope, and the so-called "crime of the century" which inspired it. The murder in question was that of 14-year-old Bobby Franks in 1924, by two affluent young men with genius-level IQs and an entirely dispassionate motive: the two young men simply wanted to prove that they were above traditional morality, and therefore, above everyone else. The murder of a child by a pair of wealthy, well-to-do white students, who claimed philosophical motives shocked the nation. The horror of the crime juxtaposed with the image of the criminals being anything but stereotypical made it all the more macabre and fascinating, inspiring works of film, theatre, and fiction, including the 1929 play Rope by Patrick Hamilton, which was performed on BBC television in 1939, and a film by the same name which was produced by none other than the master of the macabre himself, Alfred Hitchcock, in 1948. Why examine the history of this particular case and this particular movie? Because to many, this case is responsible for the trope of the “perfect crime,” one committed by self-professed geniuses just to prove that they could; a murder that was utterly dispassionate, cold, and calculated, and therefore Creeptastic! Advertise on Creeptastic! Support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

In this episode (in honor of her passing) I decided to talk about Dame Angela Lansbury, and what I consider to be her contribution to the wide world of horror that we all know and love: Murder, She Wrote. Why do I consider a family-oriented mystery show to be part of the larger world of horror entertainment, and even an important one? Is the tiny town where Jessica Fletcher lives, Cabot Cove, the true murder capital of the fictional world? And the truly critical question: was Jessica Fletcher the murderer all along?! I am getting a little silly this week and answering all those questions, and I even found some crossover fan fiction for your bedtime story which pits our hero Jessica against none other than The Thing from John Carpenter's 1982 film. Why take an episode to talk about the mildest, most inoffensive murders ever to be portrayed on television? Because Angela Lansbury has more than earned it, and this is my way of thanking her for the hours and hours of entertainment she's provided me with. She is the Mistress of Mild Murder, and as such, also Creeptastic! Advertise on Creeptastic! Support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

What's your favorite "B movie"? I know you have one. Today's episode is all about that low-budget, highly genre-specific, and often dismissed film that has been intrical to shaping the world of horror as we know it today: the "B movie." What precisely is a “B movie,” and what types of films have been referred to as “B movies” over the decades? Why did the ”B movie” come to exist in the first place, and how has its very existence been impacted and sustained by the shifting economics of the movie industry? What are some of the more well-known and celebrated horror “B movies” out there, and just how ridiculous are their titles and plotlines? (Short answer: very.) I will answer each and every one of these questions for you, and I even managed to find a short story written in the style of a B movie for story time which brings together the big three "B movie" genres: western, sci-fi, horror, and oh yes, horror. Why review the history of movies that many have called shitty at best? Because as much as some of them might sound shitty, many "B movies" can and do bring their own kind of horrific beauty to the screen, and that makes them so very Creeptastic! Advertise on Creeptastic! Support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

When (if ever) is it okay to end a human life? Today I am getting a little dark and a lot philosophical by tackling the very controversial topic of mercy killing, or euthanasia as its typically known. What do we mean when we call something a “mercy killing”? What is euthanasia as we understand it today, and how have we felt about it throughout history? Is it ever okay to kill another person, and if it is, under what circumstances? What do proponents of euthanasia have to say about why it's a good thing, and what do its opponents have to say about why it's a very, VERY bad thing? I will offer up answers to each of these questions (though some are really for you answer for yourself), discuss the grand tradition of mercy killing in horror entertainment, and tell you a Russian fairy tale about a soldier for whom there is no mercy, not even from God or the Devil. Why talk about the often-avoided subject of intentionally killing someone to end their suffering? Because mercy killing, whether you call it euthanasia or a coup de grâce, is something worth considering your feelings about - and very Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Something good, I hope. Today I am going through the looking glass and pondering that ubiquitous everyday household tool: the mirror! What exactly are mirrors, and how do they work? How long have mirrors been a part of human history, and just how culturally significant have they been over the centuries? What is it about mirrors, and what they reflect, that we humans can find so damn creepy sometimes, and why? I am going to answer all those questions for you, talk about the various ways mirrors can be used in horror entertainment to delightfully devastating effect, and lull you to sleep with a sweet little bedtime story about a feral girl (raised among wolves) who moves in with a werewolf and starts to discover her humanity in a mirror. Why spend an hour or two pondering something as everyday and painfully normal as mirrors? Because whether we're worried they'll steal our souls, or that something monstrous might come out of them, or that ghosts and demons might try to talk to us through them, there is plenty about mirrors that is very Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

Every so often I like to zoom in on certain creepy topics and characters in history so we can appreciate the horror of humanity on a micro as well as macro scale, and today I decided to share with you the tale of one of the only Nazi women to be convicted of war crimes in the wake of World War II: Ilse Koch, the so-called Butcher Widow and Bitch of Buchenwald (one of the more brutal concentration camps in Nazi Germany). The case of Ilse Koch is interesting for a few reasons, the primary one being she was the wife of a concentration camp commandant, not the commandant herself – but her husband had already died by the time Allied forces liberated Buchenwald. Was Ilse truly the monster that ordered the flayings of tattooed prisoners so she could keep their inked skins as sick souvenirs? Or was she really just the wife of a Nazi who was prosecuted because her husband could not be? Let's dip our toes in the last few years of World War II, and learn more about Ilse, her husband Karl-Otto, and the camp that they would run together which would see the torturous deaths of tens of thousands of prisoners – Buchenwald. Why examine the history of this particular concentration camp and this particular Nazi? Because Ilse Koch has rightly or wrongly gone down in history as one of the most cruel women to have existed, one with a penchant for creating lamp shades from the skins of prisoners, and regardless of whether or not she really did even half the things she's accused of, her story is still at least a bit Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

Tell me truthfully - are you afraid of clowns? In honor of Halloween, I decided to tackle one of the requested topics I've been hanging on to for a special day –clowns! The creepy, evil kind, to be specific. How did the clown archetype as we know it today evolve over the centuries, and at what point did things take a more sinister turn? What is it about a creepy clown that we love to hate so much? Why is clown fear so prevalent that you are guaranteed to see at least one (if not a dozen) in every haunted house or corn maze? Where do evil clowns show up in the wide world of horror we all know and love, and where do they show up in real life? I am going to answer these questions for you, and tell a nice spooky Halloween bedtime story which is about – you guessed it – a deeply creepy clown with murder on his mind. It's obvious why today, of all days, I would want to celebrate the creepy clown, right? Because creepy, evil, demented maniacs with smiles painted on their faces are terrifying, horrifying, and totally Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

In honor of the spooky season, today I decided to examine the haunted castle, and on in particular: Chillingham Castle, the most haunted castle in England (so sayeth the current owners).  What do we know about Chillingham's history as a border fortress between the warring nations of England and Scotland, and just how dark and bloody does that history get?  I'll say it now – pretty damn dark and pretty damn bloody.  Who are the various ghosts people have claimed to see at Chillingham, whether it's in a bedroom, the chapel, or out in the courtyard, and how dangerous might those ghosts be?  In what ways does Chillingham truly epitomize everything we love to be scared of in a haunted castle?  I will be answering these questions, mentioning a few notable haunted castle horror films of note, and have a sweet little bedtime story for you about a fancy married couple who have an old torture chamber in their basement, and not the sexy kind.  Why ponder the haunting of a medieval castle when I for one don't believe in ghosts?  Because the legend and history of Chillingham, complete with a sadistic master torturer and a lake full of bones, is very Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

'Tis the season of spook, and therefore the season of spooky movies, so for this week's episode I decided to dig not into a creepy topic so much as a classically creepy movie – Poltergeist, from 1982. This movie might be a ridiculous-sounding forty years old this Halloween, but frankly, that makes it no less Creeptastic to this very day, and I rewatched it just to be sure. In honor of the spooky season and this truly iconic addition to the wide world of horror that we all know and love, today I am going to depart from our typical episode format and walk you through the background and production of Poltergeist (including some talk of controversies and curses), give you a quick little spoiling of it from start to finish (just in case it's actually been forty years since you watched it), and tell you about the real-life supposed haunting of the Herrmann family which occurred back in the fifties in Seaford, Long Island - a haunting which planted the seed that grew into the film we know today. I'll be honest, the real-life poltergeist doesn't hold a candle to the movie in terms of solid bumps and scares, but I find it endlessly fascinating to see how film producers can take a grain of truth and turn it into a wildly fictitious and entertaining version of what it once was, and that is exactly what happened with Poltergeist. The "why" this week is pretty obvious – because 'tis the season to celebrate the ghostly and ghastly, and in addition to epitomizing both of those things, obviously Poltergeist (1982) is quite simply Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

How long do you really want to live? In this episode I am pondering the history of humanity's quest for ever-longer lifespans, and specifically, humanity's quest for the so-called "elixir of life" – a concoction which will grant immortality (or at the very least, good health) to anyone who drinks it. What exactly is the elixir of life, as we've come to understand and view it throughout history? How have human beings attempted to produce the elixir over the centuries? What efforts are we still making today to find easy cure-alls and extend our lives as much as possible? And critically, do we really want to live forever, or do we just think that we do? I provide some answers to these questions, look at some portrayals of the elixir of life in horror entertainment, and bring you a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale about brothers questing for a life-giving elixir. Why discuss humanity's so-far futile efforts to make a miracle potion that cures all disease and grants life everlasting? Because our obsession with fending off death, and all the things we've tried to accomplish that, are odd, fascinating, and definitely Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

In this episode I am digging into the controversial and rare psychological condition most commonly known as folie à deux, or sometimes shared psychosis, or sometimes shared delusional disorder. What exactly is shared psychosis (if it even exists), and what can it look like? What are the trends among people said to have this disorder which might give us clues about how shared psychosis can occur? What are the legal implications of using shared psychosis as a defense when people commit brutal crimes? I take a stab at these questions for you, talk about folie à deux in the fictional horror landscape, and bring you an unsettling bedtime story about two boys who conduct a shameful experiment involving an old dog, a raft, and the sea. Why indulge in a discussion about yet another rare psychological condition that may or may not be a real thing? Because whether you want to recognize it as a formal disorder or not, there is no denying that the idea that one person's delusions can be contagious to another in a folie à deux is totally Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

In this episode I'm shining a spotlight on one of my favorite subgenres of horror: found footage! What exactly is found footage horror, and how has it developed and evolved over the decades to be what it is today? What are the critical elements to making an effective found footage horror film (one that manages to achieve its goal of absolutely horrifying us with its unrelenting realism)? What are some of the more notable found footage horror films out there that any proper fan should know about? And of course, why oh why is the found footage style so damn effective, especially when it comes to the genre of horror? I will offer some answers to these questions, ponder the influence of culture and technology on the continuing evolution of found footage horror, and even bring you a little bedtime story about some idiots who decide to stage their own “found footage” horror movie and pay a bloody price. There's no reason to ask why I would cover this topic this week, but I'll answer that question anyway: because from Cannibal Holocaust to the Blair Witch Project to Paranormal Activity and beyond, found footage horror films have been (and as far as I'm concerned, will always be) completely and utterly Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Get bonus content and support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

What do you think might be waiting for you out there in the mist, just beyond your ability to see it? In today's episode I will be de-mystifying fog (pun intended)! What exactly is fog, in reality? How does it form, and impact the world around us?  On the flip side, what purpose(s) does fog serve in the wide and wonderful world of horror fiction? I'll answer these questions, take you through a brief history of fake fog in the entertainment industry, and talk about some notable uses of fog in horror films (and I had plenty to choose from). I also have a quick and creepy bedtime story for you about a perpetual fog from which no one ever returns. Why spend a whole episode on what is, in the end, just a fairly standard weather event?Because fog (and mist, and smoke, and haze) is one of the more versatile and visually striking effects we just love to use in the horror genre, and whether it's real or fake, the tension and and mystery which fog creates is quite simply Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Get bonus content and support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

They are called annihilators for a reason – their destruction is utter and complete. In this episode, we are going to be taking a deep dive into one of the most shocking, but mercifully rare, types of mass murderers we've seen: the family annihilator. What exactly do we mean when we say “family annihilator”? What are the trends we tend to see among known family annihilators, and what, if anything, are those trends saying to us? Are there any risk factors we could possibly identify in possible future family annihilators around us? And honestly, how often do true family annihilations actually happen? I will answer these questions for you, talk a bit about how toxic masculinity has strongly influenced the profile of the family annihilator, and then (because we're going super dark in reality) I have a little Russian fairy tale for you about a girl who uses a flaming skull to kill her evil stepmother and sisters (quite the departure from Disney).  Why discuss how someone can go from loving and protecting their family to murdering them all, sometimes without a single warning sign? Because family annihilators and what they do is beyond horrific, but trying to understand them is important, useful, and in its own special way, also Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Get bonus content and support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

In this episode a give you a free preview of some of the bonus Creeptastic content waiting for you at Patreon.com/Creeptastic! Today's featured creep is Amelia Dyer, who was executed after being convicted of three counts of murder - and her victims were all under the age of two.  She was not just a killer, but a baby-killer; a predator of the worst kind who preyed on the most vulnerable possible victims she could find.  And unfortunately for countless mothers and their children, she lived in a time and place that allowed her sadism and greed to run rampant for over thirty years, with some historians and investigators estimating that her true death toll might be as high as 400.  How in hell could that be possible?  Because she happened to live in Victorian England, when the perfect storm of social conditions combined to enable women like Amelia Dyer to not only murder children, but to profit from it. Journey with me into the dark side of an age marked by high morals and hypocrisy in this episode of Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Get bonus content and support Creeptastic on Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

What's the best way to appease an angry god? An offering, of course! And it better be a damn good one. What could be better than life itself? In today's episode I am digging into a practice which is almost universally recognized today as being totally “barbaric”: ritual human sacrifice. What exactly is ritual human sacrifice, and how have we managed to distinguish it from outright murder? When and where has human sacrifice been a prevalent practice?  What are the plethora of reasons we humans have come up with to justify and rationalize the ritual sacrifice of another human being, especially a purely innocent one like a baby? Does ritual human sacrifice still happen in the modern world? I tackle all these questions, talk about trends in the use of human sacrifices in horror, and bring you a little bedtime story about a man who sacrifices everything for the sake of the harvest. Why explore yet another method we humans have come up with for killing each other? Because ritual human sacrifice is one of the more fascinating and messed up things we humans have come up with, so naturally, it's super Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Become a patron of the show at Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

Bloody Mary...Bloody Mary...Bloody Mary...ever played? I sure have, and the experience left me with a few questions. Let's dig into the legend of that ghost, or maybe apparition, or maybe evil spirit, or maybe yummy cocktail: Bloody Mary!  Where does the practice of turning off all the lights in your bathroom and saying Bloody Mary repeatedly into the mirror actually come from? Does it have anything to do with Mary Tudor, or any other Mary in history for that matter? If we assume it's all just ritual and folklore, then how can we explain what people who are convinced they saw something actually experienced? And finally, why has the idea of Bloody Mary managed to seep into our collective consciousness so deeply that even today, kids nationwide feel compelled to test their courage by flipping off the lights and saying her name? I will attempt to answer these questions for you as best I can, give you a little more info about possible inspirations for the legend, and of course you're going to get a bloody little bedtime story featuring that lady in the mirror we all hope we never actually see. Why try and tease apart a spooky legend that no one really seems to know the origin of? Because spooky legends and the rituals we devise around them are fun, fascinating, and very Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on Instagram! Become a patron of the show at Patreon! Contact me and find links to social media at Creeptastic.com!

This episode is all about those cute, cuddly, organ-transplant-giving greedy eaters: pigs! Just how dangerous are these pigs we've been domesticating for centuries? How and why have people of all ages and from all over the world been attacked or even killed and eaten by wild and domesticated hogs alike? How have we viewed and represented the pig over the centuries in the real and fictional worlds, especially in the wide world of horror we all know and love? I will answer these questions, tell you about how so-called murderous pigs were brought to justice in medieval France, and bring you a nice little Romanian fairy tale in which a princess gets married to a literal pig. Why dig into our porky past for an episode? Because it is a very well-documented fact that pigs not only can but WILL devour human beings, from babies and toddlers to their caretakers, and the idea that some sweet little Wilbur is perfectly capable of eating you alive is horrific, brutal, and so very Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

On March 8, 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport and began flying in the direction of Beijing Capital International Airport in China. Less than an hour after the flight had taken off without incident, the captain confirmed his position with Malaysian air traffic control and wished them a goodnight as the plane crossed over into Vietnamese airspace. Those goodnight wishes would be the last radio communication anyone ever received from the plane. Only two minutes after those goodnight wishes, flight 370 disappeared from air traffic control radar screens, and neither the plane nor any of the 239 people on board have been seen or heard from since. In this episode, I've decided to share a very creepy and infuriating mystery with you. What exactly was the plan flight MH370 was supposed to follow that day back in 2014, and just how drastically did it deviate from those plans? What are the various theories (other than my personal one of alien abduction) that have been put forward to explain the little we actually know about this incident? Is it possible that this was truly some kind of bizarre accident…or was it simply the willful and malicious intent of someone on board, maybe even one of the pilots? And of course, the question I had when I first heard about this case: How in the hell is it possible for an entire Boeing 777 jet with 239 people on board to just…disappear? I'll provide some responses to these questions, but not necessarily answers, because the answers in this case are really hard to find amidst all the damn questions.  I'll also talk a little about mysterious plane disappearances in the landscape of the fictional horror world, and I've even found a little bedtime story which presents a rather sci-fi theory on the whereabouts of MH370 for you to entertain. Why provide you with more questions than answers for once? Because everyone loves an unsettling mystery, and though the actual disappearance of 239 human beings is tragic, the idea of one of the biggest jets flying the skies literally disappearing into thin air is pretty Creeptastic. See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

What's the lesser of two evils: a life without feeling, or one filled with torment? In this episode of Creeptastic I am digging deep into your skull, specifically your prefrontal cortex, and examining the procedure used for decades to sever its connections: the lobotomy.  What exactly is a lobotomy, and what does it do to the people who get one? How did the practice of hammering ice picks into people's skulls as a medical treatment even get developed, let alone become popular enough to be done to thousands of people? How has the trope of the lobotomized patient been used to great effect in the wide world of horror that we all know and love? I answer these questions, tell you about some actual lobotomy cases that will probably horrify you as much as Howard's did, and bring you a little short story about the latest fad in high school: lobotomizing yourself with a defibrillator.  Why spend an episode making you twitch as you imagine the connections in your brain being physically scraped away until you have the personality of a plant? Seems obvious this week. Because literally everything having to do with lobotomies is very, very Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

In honor of these summer days which are getting ever hotter, at least where I am, I decided to investigate that blazing disk in the sky that we love when the temperature outside is just right, and hate when it isn't: the sun. How exactly does the sun work, and just how big and hot is it What have we learned about the sun since the days of sacrificing people to it as a god, and what are we still trying to figure out? How does the sun help us, and how does it hurt us?  And even worse, how can and does it kill us? I tackle these questions, talk a bit about the sun in horror movies, and tell you a delightful little bedtime story about a boy who learns a brutal lesson about how the Incans worshipped the sun. Why get all scientific and talk about something as everyday and painfully normal as the sun? Because the reality is that the sun which gives us life is also constantly working to take it away, and I think that is Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

Whatever DID happen to Baby Jane? Today we will be exploring the celebrated (and sometimes derided) horror trope and subgenre: the psycho biddy.  This extremely specific subgenre of horror nearly took over the 1960s, and has managed to be fairly unreproducible since.  What exactly is psycho biddy horror, or maybe hag horror, or maybe hagsploitation, or if you're feeling fancy, Grand Dame Guignol? How did this particular genre come to exist, and what does it tell us about the evolution of attitudes toward gender in Hollywood? Who were the "grande dames" of psycho biddy horror, and why do we love them so, so much? I will offer answers to all these questions, acquaint you with a few real-life geriatric murderers, and run through the main films that make up Grande Dame Guinol cinema. I also close you out with a bedtime story about a very unsettling landlady. It's time to celebrate the psycho biddy on Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

From 1885-1908, Leopold II (constitutional monarch of Belgium) was also the autocratic ruler of over 2 million square kilometers of what is today the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the two decades they spent under his ruthless forced labor policies, the population of the Congo was reduced by 50% - the equivalent of up to 15 million people. Who was this absolute creep known as Leopold II of Belgium? How did he manage to gain absolute control over the Congo, with the blessing of all the other major powers in the world at the time? What exactly was the Congo Free State...and how "free" was it, really? What actually happened there under Leopold's rule that would lead George Washington Williams to coin the term "crimes against humanity" in attempting to describe the horror? Allow me to take a break from our regular episode format and introduce you to a man you've probably never heard of, but with his ruthless "red rubber" policies, was directly responsible for the deaths of millions in a country he would never even bother to visit. Join me to learn about This Creep in History, a special presentation of Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

Is every part of your body truly your own? Most would say yes, but those suffering from Body Integrity Identity Disorder would say no, adamantly. Today I am digging into this rare and remarkable disorder which you've probably never heard of. What exactly is Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID)?  Is it a physiological disorder, a neurological disorder, or simply a psychological disorder, if it is a true disorder at all?  If someone has BIID, how ethical or unethical is it for a surgeon to amputate a perfectly healthy part of their body, at their request and with their profuse thanks? Does “do no harm” in such a case mean preserving the integrity of the person's physical body, or does it mean soothing the person's mind by altering their physical body in what most would say is a completely unnecessary way?  I take a stab at these questions, some of which are far easier to answer than others, and throw in a quick walk-through of the amputation process just for perspective. I'm also bringing back a proper fairy tale straight from the Brothers Grimm for story time.  Take a listen, and find out why there are some people out there desperately hoping to find a relatively safe way of removing one (or more) of their perfectly healthy, functioning limbs. See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

What does a serial killer look like? Bet you don't have an answer. In this episode I will be forcing us to face a terrible truth: that there are serial killers out there among us, hiding in plain sight, and doing it so well that you might even know one of them and have no idea.  After all, that was the case for the hundreds if not thousands of people who knew the likes of Bundy and Gacy, including (in Gacy's case at least) their own long-term spouse.  So what is a serial killer, and why are we so drawn to and fascinated by them?  How do we understand serial killing in the context of human history and culture?  Why is it that numbers are showing us that serial killing is on the decline, and has been for decades?  And in spite of those numbers, how many serial killers are just roaming around out there today?  You know it's at least a few.  I will tackle these questions and update you on some of the potential serial killers at large out there this very minute, talk about the hidden serial killer in horror entertainment, and bring you a little bedtime story that should definitely help you get in the right mindset just before you drift off to dreamland. You know you're fascinated by serial killers, we all are, so take a listen and join me in our collective madness! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

Where do all the old bones go when it's time to retire? It's not as ridiculous a question as you might think. Today I will be talking about where old human bones go when there's just no more room at the inn: ossuaries and charnel houses, where the unburied dead go to be buried again.  What exactly is an ossuary or charnel house?  How are they different from (or similar to) other tombs, such as crypts and catacombs?  Why do they exist at all, and what functions do they serve?  What are some of the more famous ossuaries around the world (and I'll say it right now, there are a lot) and where are they typically found?  I am going to dig into the fascinating practice of second burial and talk a bit about the complicated relationship we humans have with death. I will also be bringing you a classic bedtime story about a man who suffers entombment alive. Join me in the bone house this week on Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

Got all your teeth? Today I am going to be making myself and probably a lot of you incredibly uncomfortable, because I am going to be talking about the skin-crawling, shudder-inducing process of human teeth extraction. What exactly is the process of tooth extraction? Why do we do it (because I'll tell you right now the answer isn't always “my tooth hurts)? What does the process of removing someone's tooth entail, both today and back in the time before antibiotics and anesthetics? What are the various instruments used to extract teeth, and how much or how little have they changed over the centuries? I am going to go into some excruciating detail about just how and why someone might want to pop those teeth right out of your skull, as well as looking at the fiction and reality of tooth extraction being used as a method of torture.  And I won't stop there, you're also going to get a little bedtime story about a dental appointment gone horribly, horribly wrong. It's time to get the pliers out this week on Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

Is there something else living inside you? If your immediate thought is no...think again. Today I am going to be creeping all of us out with some genuinely horrific and factual information about the terrifying and expansive world of parasites. What exactly is parasitism, what does it look like? What kinds of parasites actually exist out there in the world, and how much do they resemble the parasites we love to be scared of in the wide world of fictional sci-fi horror?  What are all the different awful ways that parasites can exploit their hosts, sometimes to the death?  How much does the average human on this planet really have to worry about a parasite invading their body...and maybe even their mind?  I am tackling all these questions, touching on just a few of the major parasitic horror films out there, and will lull you sleep with a little tale about a woman who suddenly develops a tumor (or maybe not a tumor at all) - one that somehow starts speaking to her, saying devilish things about how it will enslave and devour her. Let's have some fun learning about all there is to love and hate about parasites this week on Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

Hello lovely listeners, this week I had to unexpectedly have a tooth yanked out of my jaw (don't worry, I'll tell you more later), so for this week's episode I am giving you a free listen of the bonus monthly episode series I am calling This Creep in History, which is a perk that usually only my $10+ patrons receive! Let's face it, there are plenty of creeps in the history books to talk about, not the least of which is the first subject I tackled: Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova, or the Saltychikha. Back in the 18th century, this member of the highest echelons of Russian society would be convicted of murdering by torture 38 of her female serfs (which as we'll see were really just outright slaves). What did she do? How did she do it? Why did she do it? Let's learn a little about the history of Russian serfdom and as much as possible about one of its most sadistic creeps, the Saltychikha. See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

How long can you hold your breath underwater? What about under waterboarding? If you don't know the answer to the latter, don't worry - that's a good thing. It's been a while since we talked torture, so today is water torture day. What are the various ways we sick, sick humans have used our precious resource of water to inflict horrific abuse on each other?  What actually happens to you when you drown, or are made to keep gulping water continuously until you literally can't take another drop?  Does dripping water on someone's head over and over again cause them to go insane?  I tackle these questions and go over the history of the various forms of water torture and bring you a few more harrowing descriptions of torment, and then I've got a Chinese folktale about a great flood for story time. Why do research on the ways our beloved water has been used to torture and kill and tell you about it? Because there is something about water torture (the fictionalized version of it, anyway) that is pretty Creeptastic. See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

Is the number thirteen lucky to you, unlucky, or...just a number? For the 13th episode of Creeptastic it made entirely too much sense to me to look at one of the most well-known and widespread superstitions out there – that the number thirteen is unlucky, maybe even cursed.  Why is this number (and it is just a number) apparently not like any other; and not just in America, but several countries around the world?  Why do some people claim it's actually a lucky number, while others consider it so unlucky they won't stay in room 13 or on the 13th floor?  How has this irrational superstition permeated our everyday lives and affected everything from how we number floors in a building to how many people we'll invite over to dinner?  Is Friday the 13th really one of the worst days to be out and about because somehow it's even unluckier than 13 is?  I'm going to answer all these questions for you, give you some random facts about the number 13 you may or may not already know, and of course I have to tell you a little bedtime story about a thirteenth child whose siblings want to get rid of him. Join me for the fun this week on Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

No sex + no drugs = survival. That's what they call a formula. On this episode we explore the incredibly well-known and celebrated (sometimes derided) horror trope: the final girl.  Who is the final girl, and where did she come from?  Why is this lone survivor of a madman's massacre almost always female, so much so that the phrase “final person” just doesn't ring true?  What exactly does our obvious love for this trope say about us as horror fans? Is the final girl the ultimate representation of what a women should be in a conservative patriarchal world?  Or is she, in fact, a feminist icon because she bested her larger, stronger adversary? So many questions to answer but I will tackle every single one of them.  I will also review what the final girl has looked like throughout her history, from her birth in the 70s to today, and share some heartbreaking truths about where the final girl actually fits into the reality of true crime, this week on Creeptastic. See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

Do you like a little blood in your sports? In this episode of Creeptastic, things are going to get bloody. Also a bit sporty.  What exactly are “blood sports,” and what form have they taken over the centuries, even today? Why are we, as supposedly "humane" beings, so inherently drawn to the evident violence of such entertainments (and you really can't deny that we are)? Can blood sports be considered objectively "right" or "wrong," in a moral sense? I am diving down a bloody little rabbit hole to   answer these questions for you. I will go over the history of blood sports, or violence for the sake of entertainment, and talk about how we tend to keep bringing them back into our lives, sometimes in the fictional world, but also in reality. Let's find out what we humans find so attractive about blood sports this week on Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

I would ask if you like scary movies, but I already know you do! For this week's episode I decided to mix things up a bit and give you a little sneak peek at one of the monthly bonus episodes which are usually for patrons only which I have been calling Murder and a Movie.  I pick a horror movie, usually a decently well-known one, and talk about that as well as the real-life cases and/or killers which inspired it. And for this episode, I have chosen to feature 1996's Scream, which some have called one of the most influential and pivotal horror movies of all time. Famous as it is, few people know that the plot was actually inspired in part by the real-life horrific murder of a 13-year-old babysitter named Janett Christman in 1950, and the brutal crimes of the Gainesville Ripper in the early 90s.  Let's journey back to 1996 when the world was first introduced to Ghostface, this week on Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

How scary are those needles at the doctor's office to you? Not at all, a little, a lot, so much you're about to faint? In this episode of Creeptastic we are looking at the history, anatomy, and use of the hypodermic needle - and the love/hate relationship we humans seem to have with puncturing our skin. Why do so many of us, especially kids, freak out to the point of fainting sometimes just at the idea of needles? And what about those of us that go the opposite direction and don't shy away from needles, but openly embrace them (maybe in the course of receiving body piercings, or maybe even just for more playful, artistic purposes)? I tackle these questions and share a bit about my own journey with needles (and my fear of them) this week on Creeptastic. See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

Have you ever heard of Poveglia, a tiny island in the Venetian Lagoon with a history so sinister it has been called by some the most haunted island on Earth? Once I had, I had to know more, and now I think you do, too. In this episode of Creeptastic we are looking at the history and legends of Poveglia, a so-called plague island south of Venice, Italy on which it is said over 160,000 people have died, or been buried. How and why did this plague island come to exist? What exactly is "the plague" and why was it so devastating that it led to the kind of panic which caused people to burn alive those even suspected of having it? How does one tiny island rack up such a body count, and what kind of haunted legacy has that body count potentially created? I will of course answer those questions for you, talk about a mad doctor who may or may not have jumped to his death from the bell tower, and bring you a nice little story about dying from plague to fall asleep to. Let's get sick and spooky this week on Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

Are you afraid of the dark? In this episode we will embrace the darkness and examine our fear of it (because we all do fear it, at least a little). We fear the unknown, and without light the world seems a lot less knowable. What does prolonged light deprivation do to us, physically and psychologically? Why can being in the dark be so torturous, but also, sometimes, so soothing? How has use of “the dark” helped enhance the wide world of horror we all know and love?  I will shed some light on all this darkness, talk about some of the deliciously dark horror movies out there, and then I'll top you off with a sweet little bedtime story about why you should most definitely be afraid of what dwells in your closet this week on Creeptastic. See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

"I want to play a game..." Anyone remotely plugged in to pop culture in the 2000s knows exactly who said that, and also knows whoever it's been said to is about to have a very unpleasant day. In this episode of Creeptastic we are slashing into the controversial subgenre of horror that puts utter brutality front and center: torture-horror, a.k.a. "torture porn." How and why does torture-horror as a form of entertainment even exist? What the hell is enjoyable about watching people being brutally tortured if you wouldn't actually enjoy torturing someone? Why do we like torture-horror, and what does that say about us? I tackle all these questions, go over some of the most influential torture-horror films, and share the grand history of torture-horror with you this week on Creeptastic! See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/carolinesayang/ (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

The signs always told you...beware of dog! In this episode of Creeptastic we are looking at the ultimate bad dog: the evil dog, the scary dog, the demonic dog, the devil dog. We're all afraid of dogs at least a little bit (they're still predators with nice sharp teeth), so let's face that fear. I will tell you a bit about cynophobia (or the overwhelming fear of dogs) and run through some history of unwitting dogs being used in very bad ways. How dangerous are dogs, really? Are some breeds truly more dangerous than others? How has our history with dogs impacted what we think of certain breeds? I answer all these questions and walk you through some devil dogs of myth and movie this week on Creeptastic. See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/p/CazzSVepajf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

"Grab your torches and pitchforks" is funny and cute to hear when you're watching a Pixar movie, but the reality of an angry mob is far more terrifying. In this episode of Creeptastic we are looking at the history, fiction, and reality of mob mentality, and so-called "mob justice." What exactly happens in our messed-up brains that accounts for mob violence? What can make an otherwise rational and respectful human being grab a torch or pitchfork and join an actual lynch mob? How much of mob violence is really on the "mob," and how much of it is on each individual that has to participate in order to make the mob? I try desperately to answer all these questions while taking a gander at mob justice in the wide world of horror fiction and the wider world of horrific reality this week on Creeptastic. See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/p/CagOW4ulvrY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

"Hold on tight!" is always good advice to follow on a thrill ride (as is wearing your seatbelt). In this episode of Creeptastic we are looking at the history, fiction, and reality of the thrill ride. What exactly is a thrill ride, and why the hell do we like them? What does experiencing the violent motions of a roller coaster and pressure of up to 5 g's actually do to our bodies? Are thrill rides actually dangerous, or truly just pretending to be? I answer all these questions and talk about some fun killer thrill rides in popular horror this week on Creeptastic. See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/p/CaPzysVJuZT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

"Dude, that kid's creepy," is not an uncommon phrase to hear in horror for a reason! Join me as I explore the idea of the "evil" child in the real and fictional worlds, and answer the question of why kids can be so damn unsettling sometimes. It's creepy kiddo day on Creeptastic!  See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ-T7HUvHj-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!

"You made me jump out of my skin!" is usually hyperbole, but not in today's episode! Join me as I morbidly explore the history of the skinning of human beings, or flaying. Who was it used on, and why? How exactly does skinning work? And what do you mean this isn't a dead practice?! I answer all these questions and deliver some fun facts on flaying this week on Creeptastic. See visuals for this episode on https://www.instagram.com/p/CZsTjDTPHxp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link (Instagram)! Become a https://www.patreon.com/creeptastic (Patreon) of Creeptastic to access bonus weekly and monthly content! Contact me and find links to social media at https://creeptastic.com/ (Creeptastic.com)!