The unknown. It lies at the root of all fear, and has inspired legends, superstition, folklore, customs, hysteria, and even murder throughout history. Still today we feel the shadowy presence of our ancestors' struggles to explain the mysterious in almost every facet of our lives. Whether it be in the form of religion, urban legends, pop culture, ghost stories, superstitious rituals, and so much more we are still just fighting to keep our monsters in the dark. Welcome to The Strange and Unusual Podcast.
Alyson Horrocks | Morbid Network
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The Strange and Unusual Podcast is an absolute gem that I stumbled upon recently, and I couldn't be happier that I did. This podcast is a wonderfully enjoyable series that presents tales and myths from history in an expertly produced and entertaining way. Alyson, the host, does an exceptional job of guiding the listener through these stories with the perfect mix of warmth and skilled oratory. Each episode is a journey that captivates the audience from start to finish.
One of the best aspects of this podcast is its outstanding writing and storytelling. The episodes are incredibly well-written, with attention to detail and a perfect balance between fact and fiction. Alyson dives deep into each story, providing thoughtfulness, intelligence, and wit in her delivery. The amount of research put into each episode is evident, as she brings new perspectives to well-known stories while also introducing lesser-known tales. It's fascinating stuff that keeps you hooked and wanting to binge-listen to every single episode.
The narration on The Strange and Unusual Podcast is top-notch. Alyson's voice is spooky yet soothing, creating the perfect atmosphere for each story she tells. Her voice is easy to understand, making it effortless to get lost in the narrative. Additionally, the production quality of this podcast deserves praise. The background music sets the mood perfectly without overpowering Alyson's storytelling.
If there were any downsides to this podcast, it would be that new episodes don't come out as frequently as some might like. However, considering the incredible amount of research and creative writing that goes into each episode, it's understandable. Quality over quantity reigns supreme here.
In conclusion, The Strange and Unusual Podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in history with a dark twist. It's educational while being thoroughly entertaining at the same time. Alyson's passion for the strange and unusual shines through in every aspect of this podcast, from her engaging storytelling to her deep dives into historical tales. Whether you're a fan of true crime or supernatural podcasts, this show strikes the perfect balance between the two genres. Give it a listen, and you'll be captivated from the very first episode.
Join me for a new 'Haunted Waters' series. In this first episode I explore lakes, marshes, and ponds and their legendary ghosts. Our stops in this episode include Bell Island in Canada, Haunted Lake in New Hampshire, White Rock Lake in Texas, Deadman's Pond in Canada, and Lake Lanier in Georgia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode, I explore the Nahanni Valley of the Northwest Territories in Canada, which has been given the nickname Valley of the Headless Men. This due to a series of deaths of goldhunters and fur trappers after they entered the valley.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
You know those messages that you get all the time, the ones that pop up out of nowhere? They could be real, but something about them seems fishy. You likely dismiss these texts and emails as mere annoyances, thinking you've stopped some random stranger from ripping you off. But the shocking truth is, the person behind that message might be trapped inside a “scam factory” on the other side of the world and forced to scam others against their will. From Wondery, comes a new series about the brutal reality behind these operations, where one family discovers a horrifying truth: the only way out is to scam their way out.Listen Now: Wondery.fm/Scam_Factory See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In the conclusion to this series on Russian Hill, I delve into the events which affected Pat Montandon and her friends and family at 1000 Lombard Street, as well as the occult resurgence in the 1960s, including the role of Anton LeVay.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In the second episode of this series, I tell the story of a young, widowed migrant during California's Gold Rush, and the horror of what she found in her new home on Russian Hill. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode we explore some of the strange goings-on in the earlier days of Russian Hill in San Francisco, including the ill-fated union of a Russian count and Spainish maiden, the first legal execution in California history, seances, the arrival of Fanny Stevenson to the hill, the earthquake of 1906 and more.In part 2, we get into the experimental '60s, Anton LeVay, mysterious deaths, and many more strange goings-on during that time.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A short series coming to the strange and unusual podcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In 1991, the New York State Supreme Court decided on a case that would set a legal precedent for house haunting in the state for years.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In the depths of the dark net, tech journalist Carl Miller makes a disturbing discovery: a secret Kill List targeting hundreds of innocent people on a murder for hire website. When the police decide not to investigate, Carl is thrown into a race against time to warn those in danger and uncover the truth about the people who want them dead. From Wondery and Novel, comes a true story about obsession, control and the price of life and death.Listen to Kill List on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts: Wondery.fm/Kill_List You can listen to Kill List and more Exhibit C true crime shows like Morbid early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+. Check out Exhibit C in the Wondery App for all your true crime listening.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
We reach finally the conclusion of Frankenstein, where we discover the fates of Frankenstein and the CreatureSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode, we follow Victor Frankenstein to his wedding day, which ends in tragedy, and the dominos really begin to fall.Though I thought I could cover the remaining chapters of Frankenstein in this episode, that was before I realized the final chapter was like two chapters in one. So, I will be releasing the final episode in week, instead of the usual two weeks, to finish up this epic tale, before we begin Halloween season spookiness!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode, we cover chapters 20-21, in which Victor struggles with whether or not he will create a mate for the creature, and is confronted and threatened by the creature as well. Victor is then faced with an unexpected shock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week's headline comes from The Inter Ocean, published on December 21, 1890. This article covers the "buried alive" convent of nuns in Naples, Italy. The convent is raided when strange rumors spread of this order of nuns, and things are changed for these nuns forever.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this week's episode, Alyson explores the phenomenon of being scared to death through real life examples, folklore, pop culture, and medical mysteries.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Hysterical investigates a mysterious illness that spreads among a group of high school girls in upstate New York. What is causing their sudden, often violent symptoms? Is there something in the water or inside the school? Or is it “all in their head?” The series examines the outbreak in LeRoy, NY, believed by some to be the most severe case of mass hysteria since the Salem Witch Trials. In his search for answers, Dan Taberski (9/12, Missing Richard Simmons, Running from Cops) explores other seemingly inexplicable events of the last few years – CIA officers being crippled with nausea and vertigo; cops OD'ing from exposure to fentanyl – and discovers they're far more connected than we realize.From Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios, this 7-part series forces us to grapple with the mysteries of our own minds, and reckon with a contagion that we thought was long dead, but may be the defining disorder of our time. Follow Hysterical on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Hysterical early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ at Wondery.fm/Hysterical_Morbid.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode, we cover chapters 17 through 19, when the creature confronts and begs his maker to build him a new companion. Victor then goes on a journey to perform his dreaded task.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
On this week's episode we delve into the superstition of the evil eye and a case of witchcraft murder in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1929See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week's headline comes from St. Louis Post Dispatch, published on December 23, 1900See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Barbara Newhall Follett was considered a child prodigy when her first novel "The House Without Windows" was published at age 12 in 1927, and then she had vanished forever when she was 25 in 1939. What happened to Barbara? And what does her disappearance possibly have to do with another woman who vanished in New Hampshire in 1936, Elsie Whittemore? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week's headline was published by Escanaba Morning Press on July 6, 1911. In this episode, we get into Jersey Devil lore, a trolling Benjamin Franklin, a mysterious Irish creature, frozen hoof prints, a Philadelphia Dime Museum, a doctored kangaroo, and more!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Beginning in June, 1947, when a news article reached millions about a UFO sighting over Mt Rainier, flying saucer mania began, and lasted through the 1950s. Intensified by an alleged invasion of saucers over Washington DC, nuclear war, and the newly began Cold War, it was a time when the world feared that we may be overtaken by little, green men.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this week's episode, listen to learn more about the fascinating female vampires of Southeast AsiaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week I'm away on a birthday trip, so I'm re-releasing one of my favorite headline episodes. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
For this installment, we cover chapter 12-16, when things really get dark See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this week's episode, we explore the history of mirrors, and their place in our superstitions, legends, and folk beliefs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
When a charismatic young doctor announces revolutionary treatments for cancer and HIV, patients from around the world turn to him for their last chance. As medical experts praise Serhat Gumrukcu's genius, the company he co-founded rockets in value to over half a billion dollars. But when a team of researchers makes a startling discovery, they begin to suspect the brilliant doctor is hiding a secret. From Wondery, the new season of Dr. Death: Bad Magic is a story of miraculous cures, magic and murder. Hosted by Laura Beil.Listen to Dr. Death - Bad Magic: Wondery.fm/Dr.DeathSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
For this week's episode, we are exploring the monstrous entities that emerge during the winter holidays.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Doors, thresholds, doorways, portals, and gates have always been powerful symbols throughout all of history and across all cultures. They've been used in rituals and religious rites since antiquity. And they have always been part of humanity's legends, folklore, ghost stories, and superstition. Join me this week, as we explore the psychological and symbolic place doors have always held throughout all humanity.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week I'm down with a cold, so please enjoy this re-release of one of my favorite episodes ever 'A Haunting Winter'. Next week I'll be back with a whole new episode!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week's headline comes from The Toronto Star Weekly, April 5, 1924See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Join Alyson for chapters 10-11 of 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley. In this episode, Victor Frankenstein is forced to face his creation, and he, in turn, tells Victor all about the first days of his life.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Tristan Redman is a journalist who doesn't believe in ghosts. But weird things happened in his teenage bedroom – weirder than normal. When, years later, he discovers subsequent occupants of his family home were haunted by the ghost of a faceless woman, he's curious. Because by a strange coincidence, it just so happens that the house Tristan grew up in is right next door to a murder scene - where his wife's great grandmother was killed by two gunshots to the face. Could there be a connection? Tristan decides to investigate and soon finds himself where no son-in-law should ever be: delving deep into his wife's family history, asking questions no one wants answered. Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios present Ghost Story — a seven-part podcast series about family secrets, overwhelming coincidences and the things that come back to haunt us.Follow Ghost Story on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Ghost Story ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. Listen now: Wondery.fm/Ghost_StorySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this week's episode, we explore medieval accounts by historians living a the time of the walking dead. Additionally, we look into why people of all times love a good spooky tale.Next time, join me for 'The Shadows of Burton Hall, Pt 2"See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this week's episode we begin a ghost story written by me called 'The Shadows of Burton Hall'. The story begins with Teresa moving back to a family country estate in the English countryside, after losing the love of her life. Locals begin telling her of the hauntings her home is famous for, and the estate begins to feel like its full of menacing shadows.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this week's episode, we delve into the history of doppelgängers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week's headline "Mystery of the Talking Mongoose of Cashen's Gap" was printed in The San Francisco Examiner on April 12,1936See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
To start of a new series in this podcast 'Frightful Fables From Around the World', we start with Vasilisa The Beautiful from Russia. Join me to learn more about this centuries old tale and about the Slavic witch Baba Yaga.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Join me for a look into the morbid case of Elena de Hoyas and the obsession of Carl Tanzler in Key West, Florida in 1940.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week's strange and unusual headline was published by The San Francisco Examiner on March 4, 1934See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Join me for the conclusion of the spooky tale of the curse of Winthrop FallsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Join me for the third part of the New England ghost storySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
To kick off the Halloween season, we bring you the totally original, totally re-recorded, remade, remastered 'The Curse of Winthrop Falls', a new installment for three weeks. Let's get the spooky season going!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
To kick off the Halloween season, we bring you the totally original, totally re-recorded, remade, remastered 'The Curse of Winthrop Falls', a new installment for the next three weeks. Let's get the spooky season going!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week's headline comes from The Boston Globe, published on January 27, 1896. Join me as I explore 19th century vampires in Rhode Island.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
From Wondery and Bloomberg, the makers of The Shrink Next Door, comes a new story of incredible wealth, betrayal, and what happens when “doing good” goes really, really bad.When nerdy gamer Sam Bankman-Fried rocketed to fame as the world's richest 29-year-old, he pledged to donate his billions to good causes. But when Sam's crypto exchange FTX collapsed, billions of dollars went missing, and Sam was in handcuffs, those who knew him were left wondering — who was Sam really? A well-meaning billionaire who made a mistake? Or a calculated con man?Listen to Spellcaster: Wondery.fm/SC_MorbidSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Join Alyson as she continues the story into chapters 8-9, when Victor's world begins to really fall apart as his loved ones lose their lives in violent means.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week's headline comes from The Ogden Post on December 11, 1915. Join me for the strange tale of Pearl Curran and her dead companion, Patience Worth.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this edition of Frankenstein, we get into chapter 7.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week's headline "Exposing the Weird Secrets of Mediums and Spirits - by Houdini's Mysterious Girl Detective" was published in The Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, March 10, 1929See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week's headline "Flesh Descending in A Shower" was published by The New York Times on March 10, 1876See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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