Oddity

In this episode of Oddity, we take a look at a bizarre murder case which occurred in Colorado in 1941: the tragic death of Philip Peters at the hands of a man best known as The Denver Spider Man. Sources and further reading: Wikipedia – Theodore Edward Coneys Theodore Coneys, Murderpedia: http://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/coneys-theodore.htm

A screaming skull is a human skull which, according to legend, disturbs the house in which it's kept by screaming, speaking, or causing other disturbances. In the case of a few of these skulls, they are the focus of hauntings which stop when the skull is laid to rest – but in the majority of stories, the act of removing the skull from inside the house is what sparks off the trouble. Sources and further reading: Westwood, J. and Simpson, J. 2005. The Lore of the Land. Westwood, J. and Simpson, J. 2008. Haunted England: The Penguin Book of Ghosts. Clarke, David. 1991. Ghosts and Legends of the Peak District. Roberts, Andy & Clarke, David. 'Heads and Tales: The Screaming Skulls legends of Britain', in Moore, Steve (ed). (1996) Fortean Studies. Volume 3. John Brown Publishing. London. pp.147-150. In Calvariae Disjecta: The Many Hauntings of Burton Agnes Hall. Wikipedia - Screaming Skulls, Red Barn Murder, Appley Bridge 'Screaming Skulls', Paranormal Database: http://paranormaldatabase.com/reports/skulls.php 'The Cursed Skull of Tunstead Farm', Ludchurch blog: https://ludchurchmyblog.wordpress.com/places-of-interest-in-cheshire/the-cursed-skull-of-tunstead-farm/ 'The Ghost of Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum', Lancashire Folk: https://lancashirefolk.com/2013/11/27/the-ghost-of-ripleys-believe-it-or-not-museum/ 'The Pack Horse Inn History', Affetside Village website: http://affetside.org.uk/pub_history.htm 'Legend of the Screaming Skull', Real British Ghosts: http://www.real-british-ghosts.com/screaming-skull.html

The historic market town of Pontefract is perhaps best known for its liquorice. But since the late 60s, the town has also been known for something not quite as sweet. In this episode of Oddity, we take a look at the famous 30 East Drive haunting, and its supposed resident Black Monk. Sources and further reading:  Wikipedia - When The Lights Went Out The Black Monk of Pontefract, Ghost Story.co.uk: http://www.ghost-story.co.uk/index.php/poltergiests/273-the-black-monk-of-pontefract-yorkshire-uk 30 East Drive website: http://www.30eastdrive.com/  'Poltergeist: A Classic Study in Destructive Hauntings", 1981, Colin Wilson, p. 146-7

Here in the UK, badly behaved children might discover that on Christmas morning, Father Christmas has left them lumps of coal or raw potatoes instead of toys and sweets. But in some other parts of Europe, the punishment for misbehaving is a whole lot worse. Saint Nicholas still brings presents for the good children, but naughty kids should, frankly, be terrified. Legend says that they're in for a visit from Saint Nick's less friendly companion - Krampus. Sources and further reading: 'The Changing Mask of Krampus', Al Ridenour, Fortean Times, FT 348. Wikipedia - Krampus / Companions of Saint Nicholas Street Parade to Mark Latest Krampus Run, Whitby Gazette: http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/street-parade-to-mark-latest-krampus-run-1-8737926 9 Facts About Krampus, Mental Floss: http://mentalfloss.com/article/71999/9-facts-about-krampus-st-nicks-demonic-companion How to Blend in at an Alpine Krampus Parade: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-to-blend-in-at-an-alpine-krampus-parade Krampus Run around the Munich Christmas Market, Muenchen.de: http://www.muenchen.de/int/en/events/christmas-market/krampus-run.html Austrian town reassures asylum-seekers over unusual Christmas tradition, Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/austria/12024686/Austrian-town-reassures-asylum-seekers-over-unusual-Christmas-tradition.html

In 1978, a young woman went to the papers with a strange tale. She had fallen through a hole in Crystal Palace Park, and stumbled upon a train carriage full of skeletons. But how did this story come about? Sources and further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Palace_pneumatic_railway / Crystal Palace Park / The Crystal Palace / Crystal Palace Dinosaurs / Church Hill Tunnel Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway: Lost Tunnels & Creepy Urban Legends, Urban Ghosts: https://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2014/10/crystal-palace-pneumatic-railway-lost-tunnels-urban-legends/ Crystal Palace Skeletons, Silent Thrill: https://silentthrill.wordpress.com/2015/11/08/crystal-palace-skeletons/ Tunnel Vision, Subterranea Britannica: http://www.subbrit.org.uk/tunnelbase/sites/p/paxton/index.shtml 'The Crystal Palace Skeletons', Tom Brown, Fortean Times, FT 315.

In late 1948, a man was found dead on a beach in Australia. His identity, and how he died, have remained a mystery for almost seventy years. Could a piece of paper found in his pocket shed light on the case? Sources and further reading: Wikipedia - Tamam Shud 'Tamam Shud', Roy Bainton, Fortean Times 351. The Body on Somerton Beach, Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-body-on-somerton-beach-50795611/ On The Trail Of The Somerton Man, Huffington Post: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/derek-abbott/on-the-trail-of-the-somer_b_7310672.html

This Halloween episode of Oddity is a trick or treat assortment of seasonal folklore and urban legends, from vampire pumpkins to razor blades in apples.

Werewolves, UFOs, Bigfoot, British Big Cats, a hellhound, ghosts, plus a pig man, Black Eyed Kids and the Slenderman... Despite its status as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Cannock Chase seems to be somewhat of a magnet for weirdness! Sources and further reading: 'Werewolves in Staffordshire', BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2009/09/29/werewolves_in_staffs_feature.shtml 'Lee Brickley's New Book On The Pig Man Sheds Light On The Legend', Huffington Post: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/25/lee-brickley-pig-man_n_3654175.html 'British Bigfoot', Cryptomundo: http://cryptomundo.com/bigfoot-report/british-bigfoot/ 'A Critical Look At The Black Eyed Child Of Cannock’s Chase', Hayley Is A Ghost: http://hayleyisaghost.co.uk/cannocks-chase-black-eyed/ 'A British Slenderman? I Don’t Think So…', Hayley Is A Ghost: http://hayleyisaghost.co.uk/british-slenderman/ 'The Man-Monkey of Bridge 39', Man-Beast UK: http://manbeastuk.blogspot.co.uk/2008/04/man-monkey-of-bridge-39.html 'Black Eyed Child returns to haunt Cannock Chase', Birmingham Mail: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/black-eyed-child-returns-haunt-7846214 'Spooky Slender Men spotted in Cannock', Birmingham Mail: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/spooky-slender-men-spotted-cannock-8505191 "Fortean Traveller 87: Cannock Chase", Lee Brickley, Fortean Times 306, October 2013.

In 1855, a group gathered in a rented house on Campo Lane in Sheffield. They were there to investigate a haunting, but one of the group would soon be dead... Sources and further reading: "Scared to Death", David Clarke, Fortean Times 284, p. 34 - 39 Wikipedia - Spring-Heeled Jack 'Scared To Death', Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scared-to-death-heart-attack/ 'Spring Heeled-Jack and the Terrified Child', Mike Dash's blog: http://blogs.forteana.org/node/105

Friday the 13th is often seen as an unlucky day. In this Oddity minisode, we explore some of the strange and unusual things that have occurred on this date.

In June of 1836, a group of boys set out for Arthur's Seat looking for rabbits. In a small opening in the rock, almost hidden from view, they found something else. Seventeen miniature coffins, each one containing a small wooden figure, dressed in hand stitched clothes. But who put them there, and what did they represent? Sources and further reading: 'Mystery of the Miniature Coffins', NMS: https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/scottish-history-and-archaeology/mystery-of-the-miniature-coffins/ 'Murder Dolls', Atlas Obscura: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/burke-hare-murder-dolls Wikipedia - Arthur's Seat / Anatomy Act 1832 / Burke and Hare Murders / Grave Robbery

When news of a Persian mummy emerged in October 2000, it became the focus of international attention. But the mysterious mummy held a secret that would shock the world... Sources and further reading: 'The Persian Mummy', BBC Horizon: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/persianmummy.shtml 'The Persian Mummy' episode transcript, BBC Horizon: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/persianmummytrans.shtml 'Two Vatican Mummies Declared Fake', Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/02/vatican-mummies-fake_n_6594622.html Wikipedia - Persian Princess / Mummy Forgeries 'A Mummy Hoax', Atlas Obscura: http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a-mummy-hoax-might-be-wrapped-up-in-a-modern-murder

In this episode of Oddity, we examine the hotly debated phenomenon of spontaneous human combustion. For hundreds of years, there have been reports of people bursting into flames, seemingly without being set alight by any external heat source... Sources and further reading: Wikipedia - Spontaneous Human Combustion / John Irving Bentley / Mary Reeser / Wick Effect / Death of Michael Faherty 'Spontaneous Human Combustion', The Independent online: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/spontaneous-human-combustion-woman-who-suffered-burns-in-germany-spurs-debate-about-controversial-a6722166.html 'Spontaneous Human Combustion', How Stuff Works: http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/unexplained-phenomena/shc.htm

In this episode of Oddity, we'll be looking at a weird tale from Devon concerning a pair of disembodied hands which, for the last hundred years, have haunted one particular stretch of road across the moors. Sources and further reading: 'The Hairy Hands Horror', Mysterious Universe: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/11/the-hairy-hands-horror/ 'Dartmoor's Hairy Hands', We Are South Devon: http://wearesouthdevon.com/dartmoors-hairy-hands-evolving-myth/ 'The Horror of the Killer Hands' forum thread: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/frightday-eight-the-horror-of-the-killer-hands.18632036/ Wikipedia - Hairy Hands / HM Prison Dartmoor

In this episode of Oddity, we'll be taking a look at an unsolved murder from the 1920s which continues to baffle people to this day - the Hinterkaifeck Massacre. Sources and further reading: Wikipedia/de.Wikipedia - Hinterkaifeck 'Case of the month: Hinterkaifeck', Defrosting Cold Cases: https://www.defrostingcoldcases.com/case-month-hinterkaifeck/ 'Hinterkaifeck', Ranker: http://www.ranker.com/list/hinterkaifeck-murder-farm/cat-mcauliffe 'Hinterkaifeck', Armchair Detective: https://armchairdetective.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/hinterkaifeck/

In this episode, we'll be considering the case for alien big cats or ABCs, also known as phantom cats. These anomalous felids are non-native species which appear in unlikely locations and rarely leave any concrete proof of their existence. Sources and further reading: Wikipedia - British Big Cats / Phantom Cat / Beast of Bodmin 'Uncovering The Mysterious Tale of the Surrey Puma', The Surrey Mirror: http://www.surreymirror.co.uk/uncovering-the-mysterious-tale-of-the-surrey-puma/story-30408572-detail/story.html 'On The Trail of the Beast of Bodmin Moor', Glenda Cooper, The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/on-the-trail-of-the-beast-of-bodmin-moor-1574378.html 'Big Cats Still Stalk Britain', Paul Sieveking, p. 20 - 25, Fortean Times, FT 344 'ABC in Bedfordshire', Strange Days, p. 11, Fortean Times, FT345 'North Suffolk's Mystery Mutant Moggy, Matt Salusbury, p. 56 - 57, Fortean Times, FT 338 'Alien Big Cats', The Fortean Times Paranormal Handbook, p. 128 - 141.

This week on Oddity, we'll be looking at a tiny island with a tragic history, which has become something of a tourist attraction due to its eerie inhabitants; The Island of the Dolls. Sources and further reading: Isla De Las Munecas website: http://www.isladelasmunecas.com/ La Isla De Las Munecas, Slate: http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2013/06/17/la_isla_de_las_munecas_is_an_island_filled_with_hundreds_of_hanging_decomposing.html La Isla De Las Munecas, Atlas Obscura: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/la-isla-de-las-munecas Mexico's Creepiest Tourist Destination, Weburbanist: http://weburbanist.com/2010/10/06/mexicos-creepiest-tourist-destination-island-of-the-dolls/ Xochimilco, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xochimilco

This week on Oddity, we'll be taking a look at Spring-heeled Jack, a monster who terrorised the women of nineteenth century London decades before the other monstrous Jack stalked the streets. Sources and further reading: "The Haunted Landscape", Jacob Middleton, Fortean Times #310, p. 30 - 35 "New Jersey's Spring-Heeled Jack Scare", Theo Paijmans, Fortean Times #310, p. 28-29 Wikipedia - Spring-heeled Jack / Jack the Ripper Suspects

This week on Oddity, we discuss an archaic charm which is a fascinating, albeit grisly, part of English folklore; the hand of glory. Sources and further reading: D. L. Ashliman's research on University of Pittsburgh website - http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/hand.html The Whitby Museum - http://www.whitbymuseum.org.uk/collections/hogg.php Folklore Thursday - http://folklorethursday.com/folklife/dark-folklore-hand-glory-dead-mens-hands-folk-magic/ Walsall.gov website downloadable pdf – The Hand of Glory and the White Hart Wikipedia – The Hand of Glory / Walsall Museum / Mandrake pages

This week on Oddity, we look at a case which started in 1977 and lasted for over fourteen months, turning the lives of one ordinary family upside down and leaving an impact which can still be felt four decades later. Sources and further reading: Forum: The Enfield Poltergeist show, Guy Lyon Playfair, Fortean Times 329, p. 51 The Birth of the Poltergeist, Claude Lecouteux, Fortean Times 293, p. 38 - 41 Enfield Poltergeist, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enfield_Poltergeist What Really Happened During The Enfield Haunting?, The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/06/13/the-conjuring-2-what-really-happened-during-the-enfield-haunting/ The Poltergeist That Plagued A North London House, Vice: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/the-poltergeist-that-plagued-a-north-london-house-904 Podcast: The Unexplained With Howard Hughes #72, Guy Lyon Playfair Eerie Enfield, Black Cab London: https://blackcablondon.net/2013/10/28/eerie-enfield-a-poltergeist-comes-to-north-london/ The Enfield Poltergeist, Flickering Myth: https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2016/06/the-enfield-poltergeist-the-true-story-that-inspired-the-conjuring-2/

On Monday 12th December 2015, the body of a man was found on Saddleworth Moor. In his pockets were £130 in £10 notes, some train tickets, and an empty medicine bottle. Despite attempts to identify him, his name would remain a mystery for over a year... Sources and further reading: Body On The Moor, BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-e8c6cbab-da44-4a3c-8f9b-c4fccd53dd24 Who Was Neil Dovestone?, The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/may/14/mystery-saddleworth-moor-who-was-neil-dovestone Body On The Moor, The Afterword: http://theafterword.co.uk/body-on-the-moor/ Bill O Jack's Murder, Dovestone Heritage: http://www.doveheritage.com/bill-o-jacks-murder/ Bill O' Jack's, Wessyman: https://wessyman137.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/bills-o-jacks/ Inquest of David Lytton, Manchester Evening News: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/david-lytton-saddleworth-inquest-live-12738557 David Lytton, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lytton