Encounters

The much anticipated second part of our episode about the portal in the Pentagon is here! If you listened to episode one and were just as intrigued about the intersections about the end of the world, aliens, demons, and the US government--then part two is definitely for you! We do a deep dive into this particularly intense conspiracy theory to talk about the ways in which these very separate beliefs can all intersect.  

If you've ever wondered about the connection between UFOs, demons, the government, and witchcraft--have we got the episode for you. This week, we bring you part one of a two part episode, where Ellie and Jesse take a look at a portal that the US government opened up inside the Pentagon. 

Alright, alright, we know you've been curious how we at Encounters were going to spook up your Christmas--well, with Krampus of course. We're pushing this episode out a little early in celebration of Bloomington's own Krampus parade (https://www.facebook.com/BloomingtonKrampus/). I mean, how often do you get to talk about Saint Nick's companions? Especially ones with cloven hooves and a pension for whipping children? 

We recommend listening to Episode 28 before this one! Last episode, we had a series of unexplainable sounds on our audio. We think it's the result of recording in the doll room at our department--which is just as spooky as it sounds. We decided to re-record the second half of that episode so you all could actually hear us talk about one of our favorite December events--the Mothman Festival! We use this episode to think about the role of festival, commodification, and place-making. 

Well, after technical snafus galore, we bring you this week's episode(s) [we're actually posting two!]. This first episode is the original recording of the our coverage regarding the Cryptid Convention in Frankfort, KY. We originally recorded the second half of this episode about the Mothman Festival, too, BUT when we went to go upload the episode the sound was super messed up. Our sound producer, Ben, noticed all these horrible popping and clicking noises. The sound, too, was cutting in and out for no discernible reason. We think the issue may be that we recorded the episode in the Folklore & Ethnomusicology Department's doll room (which is a horrible thing that exists). We decided to go ahead and upload this episode (pops, clicks, and noise reduction included!) so that all you spooky people can enjoy the weirdness. 

PART TWO of our two part episode featuring a live storytelling session at the International Contemporary Legend Research Society. If you love live storytelling sessions, than this is the one for you. Most of the stories in this part of the session are centered around the Old Hag or the Mare--so listen to episode 26 for context first! This is from our first EVER live episode, so go easy on us! 

It's here, it's here! The long awaited Small Town Monster's film The Invasion of Chestnut Ridge!! We're so excited to have been given early access to this documentary and we're excited to share our review with you here. We're new to this kind of thing, so be patient with us while we figure out how to go about it. We decide to implement a rating based on ghouls (out of ten). Take a listen to hear what we think about this newest masterpiece from Seth Breedlove, the creative mind behind Small Town Monsters! 

New changes to Encounters this week! We've brought in a new producer, Ben Danner. Ben is helping us with our sound, including making us our very own introduction!  If you've ever woken up in the night unable to move with the feeling that there is something OR someone in the room with you--then you've most likely experienced the mara. This phenomenon, sometimes called the Old Hag, is one of the most frightening nighttime experiences someone can have. This week, Ellie and Jesse talk about the folkloristic approaches to understanding the mara, mostly through the work of David Hufford. We also look at a recent, popular example: twitter user, Adam Ellis' Dear David experience (find the link here). In two weeks, we have pt. 2 of our live episode at the ISCLR conference in June. 

This is a special TWO PART live episode from the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research Conference. Part one includes a diverse set of stories told by folklorists from all over! We apologize for the poor quality at times--it was our first attempt at live episodes!

A note at the top of the episode, after much debate we've decided to take a month long hiatus. Ellie is out of the country in Iceland and Jesse is visiting some friends in Florida, making our production very challenging to complete. We'll be back in a month to continue the podcast, so don't worry! If you have any suggestions for future episodes, please tweet at us (@encounters_cast) or send us a message on Facebook! (http://www.facebook.com/encounterscast).  If you're curious about how folklorists study the Illuminati, we're here to clarify this rather confusing organization. Not only do we talk about terrestrial understandings of the group known as the Illuminati, but we discuss the reptilian elite. The reptilians are often thought to be either from below the Earth's crust or from outer space, and some believe that they are responsible for running our entire government. Along the way, we explore the names of famous people associated with the Illuminati, including those who may have been on the receiving end of a murder plot!  If you enjoy our podcast, please give us a rating and review on your favorite streaming site. It helps us out a lot and we really appreciate it! Thank you for listening! 

If you've heard of Iceland, chances are good that you've heard of the huldufolk (yes, Ellie knows she made a goof 'em up of the spelling in the episode). The huldufolk are a group of entities who inhabit the island and live alongside the people who live there, too. This week, Ellie is joined by Andrew Johnson. Andrew may not be an expert in the huldufolk, but he's an expert in being a skeptic. He brings a very different perspective to the podcast, and we're excited to have him on! As a word of warning, this episode is cut short by some unfortunate news... Thanks so much for listening and we hope that you enjoy our podcast. If you do, or if you don't, it helps us out a lot to rate and review us on your podcasting website of choice!

We're joined by folklorists Lynne S. McNeill and Andrea Kitta to discuss... a lot of stuff! We touch on the old hag, the role of fake news, folklorist cosplay, Slenderman, UFOs, /fiction--you name it, I bet we discuss it! Recorded at the ISCLR (https://contemporarylegend.org/) conference, we apologize for any issues with sound! For more Lynne and Andrea, follow them on Twitter: @AndreaKitta & @lynneSmcneill If you like this episode be sure to rate and review it on iTunes. 

Last week we covered the US governmental agencies responsible for investigating UFOs, but what about the non-governmental ones? This week, we take a look at the most prominent one--MUFON (Mutual UFO Network). If you were curious about the history of MUFON, or how to become a UFO investigator, then you definitely need to listen to this week's episode. We're currently in the process of becoming MUFON Field Investigators, which is something you can do, too! (www.mufon.com).  If you've enjoyed this week's episode, please rate and review it on iTunes.  Thanks for listening! 

If you're interested in the role of Project Blue Book in determining the study of UFOs of America--or if you've never heard of Project Blue Book--than this week's episode is for you! We go into the history of UFOlogy (the study of UFOs) in the United States by exploring how Project Blue Book determined the course of governmental study on the UFO phenomena. Project Blue Book began in 1952, following two other similar projects, to look at the threat that UFOs posed on national security. After concluding in response to a rather dramatic report, many UFOlogists believe that Project Blue Book is still being carried out--this time in secret. We also provide an overview of the role of science in the study of UFOlogy in the second half of the episode. If you enjoy our podcast, please be sure to give us a like on Facebook (www.facebook.com/encounterscast) and follow us on Twitter (@encounters_cast) for updates. Also, please rate us on iTunes. Thanks for listening! 

We're back in Point Pleasant this week. This time, we made the journey across several state lines for the first screening of the film The Mothman of Point Pleasant and we were lucky enough to sit down with the filmmaker, Seth Breedlove. Seth is the brains behind Small Town Monsters, which to date, is a collection of films that focus on the cultural and social implications that sightings of cryptids have in smaller communities. In this episode, we discuss the filmmaking process, crypotzology, what it means to be a folklorist, as well as Mothman. We cannot recommend the film enough and encourage you to check it out as soon as possible (as well as Small Town Monster's other films), particularly if you liked episode ten of the podcast featuring Ashley Wamsley-Watts.  Check them out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smltownmonsters/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf  To purchase The Mothman of Point Pleasant go here: http://shop.smalltownmonsters.com/products/the-mothman-of-point-pleasant-dvd The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7S4NS5dcBY Always always, don't forget to rate & review our podcast on iTunes. Thank you for listening! 

This week, we're joined by guest Brandon Barker to discuss the Bell Witch--a famous entity from Adams, TN, who terrorized the Bell family in the 1800s. The Bell Witch is famous for the ambiguous nature of the legend (is it a ghost, witch, etc?) and for the acts committed against the Bell family, which culminated in the murder of John Bell. To this day, taking anything from the land of the Bell Witch can spell misfortune for your loved ones. Brandon discusses his work in Adams, particularly the history of the legend and how the legend has become tied to a particular place. We also discuss his work with folk illusions, and local variants of the Bloody Mary summoning. 

Keeping with the theme of alien abductions, this week we look at one of the most frequently studied abduction cases--Betty and Barney Hill. Taken together in September 1961, the Hills are famous for the specific details of their case, particularly as they are recalled by Betty. Most importantly, upon their return Betty drew the now famous Reticuli star map, that predicted the position of a nearby star system and its position to our own. This episode we go over the details of the case and discuss how trauma can be understood through narratives.  

If you've ever seen the film Fire in the Sky (1993), you're familiar with the abduction case of Travis Walton. It's hailed as one of the most important abduction cases for it's multiple witnesses and compelling story. This episode we take a deeper look at what happened to Travis and the five men who saw him get hit with a beam of energy. If you've got a favorite alien abduction case or film, we would love to hear from you: www.facebook.com/encounterscast or encounterscast@gmail.com 

We're back after a two week hiatus! Thank you for being patient with us as we go through finals week. We're going to be resuming our regular schedule now. This episode we look at two of the most famous cases of stigmatized property--the Amityville Horror House and the Watcher. We look at the elements of these two cases that caused the homes in which they happened to become undesirable. You can find us at www.facebook.com/encounterscast. 

We've decided to begin a bonus content series all about folklore! If you think of folk tales or old wives tales when you hear the word "folklore," you're not wrong--but there's so much more! In this episode, we offer a brief overview of what we think of when we hear the word "folklore." If you're new to the podcast or you want to learn more about what we teach--this is the episode for you! 

Do you have a house on your street that just won't sell? An apartment that won't rent? Maybe it has a spooky store attached to it, or it just looks like it could be haunted. Well, we folklorists have a term for that--stigmatized property. This episode, we begin an exploration into stigmatized property. Sharing stories from our own lives, including our recent trip to Point Pleasant, we delve into some of the ways that people relate haunting encounters to space and place. In this episode, we talk about the Lalaurie Mansion in New Orleans (which is feature in American Horror Story: Coven) and the famous Ghostbusters Ruling. Have you lived somewhere haunted? We'd love to hear about it! encounterscast@gmail.com and www.facebook.com/encounterscast. 

In preparation for Easter, Ellie and Jesse decided it would be fun to look at an urban legend--the Bunnyman. Even though this legend has very little to do with Easter, it does feature one of the most prominent icons of the holiday: the bunny rabbit. The legend is based on reports of a murderer wandering the woods of Clifton, VA, both alive and in death. We also touch on a similar legend, the Pope Lick Monster of Louisville, KY. If you've not heard of the Bunnyman or the Pope Lick Monster, this episode details both narratives. We also discuss legend-tripping at length, including how both of the settings for these legends have become sites for visitors from all over. We hope you have a happy (and spooky) Easter weekend! 

We're joined this week by guest Robby Dobler, a lecturer in the Folklore and Ethnomusicology Department at IU. Last fall, Robby began to research clowns in reaction to the rash of clown sightings at schools across the US. While we make think of it as an isolated set of incidents, Robby points out that these cases are in conversation with previous decades, too. Robby discusses the history of clowning and theories about the prevalence of the clown sightings in the fall of 2016. If you're spooked out by clowns, we can't recommend this episode enough. 

Jesse has temporarily abandoned the podcast for the purposes of academia, so this week, Ellie is joined by Kristina Downs. Kristina was previously on the podcast for episode seven, where she spoke about fairy abductions and unexplained murder cases. We're excited to have Kristina back this week to talk about ghost investigations and ghost investigating tools. In the first half of this week's episode, Kristina shares some stories from her favorite investigations, including Colonial Williamsburg and our very own Folklore and Ethnomusicology Department. In the second half of the episode, Kristina discusses some of the tools she has used for these investigations and how to best choose your own investigative tools. Have you ever been on a ghost investigation? If so, we'd love to hear from you! encounterscast@gmail.com 

We've hit the road! This week, we take you inside the Mothman Museum. We're joined by Ashley Wamsley-Watts, the Marketing Director of the Museum and the Mothman Festival. For those of you unfamiliar with Mothman, it's one of the most fascinating cases of cryptid sightings. It includes some of the first reports of Men in Black, a giant winged creature tormenting a small town, and alien/UFO sightings out the wazoo. Ashley gives us perspectives on some of these encounters and her own experience working at the museum and the festival. 

This follow-up episode to last week's episode on ZoZo discusses some of the ways that ZoZo is portrayed online and in popular culture. Drawing on films, YouTube videos, and twitter, Ellie and Jesse discuss how online audiences are interacting with this offline phenomenon. If you have not listened to last week's episode about ZoZo START THERE. This episode will make little sense without that context. You can find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/encounterscast or through e-mail at encounterscast@gmail.com. 

This week, we tackle our fears to talk about one of the most frightening demons people encounter through the Ouija board--ZoZo. Those who use a Ouija and make contact with ZoZo find themselves plagued by the entity, including cases of demonic possession. Unlike the Doris Bither case from week 6, ZoZo is not an isolated phenomenon, but is popping up all around the globe. In this episode, Ellie and Jesse provide an overview of the history of the "ZoZo Phenomenon," popularized by Darren Evans and Rosemary Ellen Guiley. Have you ever had a weird Ouija experience? We would love to hear from you. You can find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/encounterscast or through email at encounterscast@gmail.com. 

This week, Ellie and Jesse are joined by fellow folklorist Kristina Downs. Kristina has an interest in unsolved murders and mysterious disappearances. After talking with Jesse about some of these cases, they both realized the similarities with stories about fairy abductions/disappearances. On the podcast, Kristina shares three of the oddest cases she's read about and their connections to narratives about fairies. You can find us online at encounterscast.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/encounterscast. 

This week, Ellie and Jesse provide an in-depth look at one of the most disturbing cases of paranormal activity ever recorded. The basis for the film The Entity (1983), Doris Bither's 20 years of paranormal attacks have been the subject of great scrutiny. Jesse begins the episode with an overview of the field of parapsychology, introducing both the term and the study historically. Then, Ellie and Jesse discuss the film and the reports of the attacks. This episode contains adult and upsetting content, we recommend that young listeners only listen to the first half of the podcast.  We invite any feedback: encounterscast@gmail.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/encounterscast.

Love is in the air! Valentine's day is all about chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, and--apparently--murder. This episode, Ellie and Jesse look at three murders (ranging from gross to spooky) that were committed on Valentine's Day. They also discuss a recent meninist movement in Japan, centered around Valentine's Day. If you're interested in love, and also death, this is the episode for you! What is the worst Valentine's Day you've ever had? We'd love to hear from you! encounterscast@gmail.com

Ellie grew up in Louisville, Ky, and has long since been fascinated with Waverly Hills Sanatorium, long hailed as one of the most haunted places in America. This week, Ellie and Jesse discuss the history of Waverly, the previous conceptions of tuberculosis, and some of the creepy things that have happened at Waverly. Because so many of the hauntings at Waverly are tied to physical evidence (photos, EVPs, etc), be on the look-out for a forthcoming video accompaniment to this episode! Have you been to/or heard about Waverly? We would love to hear about your experience: encounterscast@gmail.com.

In this episode, Ellie and Jesse discuss a couple early 20th-century accounts of the supernatural collected by Lady Gregory. Lady Gregory was an influential Irish folklorist and dramatist of the late 19th and early 20th century, who published several collections about Irish lore. Jesse introduces the terms "memorate" and "fabulate" as genres of belief narratives. What are some historical supernatural encounters you enjoy?

This week, Ellie and Jesse speak with friend and classmate Barb McGinness about her encounter with an unidentified flying object. Not only is Barb a fantastic storyteller, but her experience is one of a kind. Prior to the interview, Ellie and Jesse speak briefly about aliens and associations with UFO sightings. We'd like to know: what alien movie/TV show/book is your favorite? Why? Please contact us at encountercast@gmail.com

In this episode Ellie and Jesse discuss their experiences in haunted houses. These stories range from a possible haunted house in Northern Ireland that they experienced together, to their individual experiences of living in haunted apartments in college. Spirits are commonly rooted to specific places and so we begin at home before venturing out to explore the wide world of the paranormal. Ellie also makes two errors in this episode (whoops!). The first is that she accidentally calls the podcast "Experiences," the second is that she misremembers the e-mail address. We can be reached at encounterscast@gmail.com.