Podcast appearances and mentions of Joe Nickell

We will be playing some episodes from our archives for a few weeks this Summer - let's kick it off with this classic from October 2013! THE WARREN OMISSION.WAS THE STORY OF The Conjuring the true story of how Ed and Lorraine Warren fought demonic forces in Rhode Island? In this special episode of MonsterTalk, we hear a different side to the story of America's first family of ghost hunting. Features interviews with investigators Joe Nickell and Steven Novella.Full NotesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

This week, the potential discovery of signs of biosignatures in the atmosphere of a distant planet has aliens on the minds of many scholars. Meanwhile, a recently published study, “Exploring expert figures in alien-related UFO conspiracy theories” investigates how “expert figures”—including scientists, self-proclaimed researchers, and UFO witnesses—are used to legitimize alien-related conspiracy theories online. But what do these findings really indicate about conspiracy theories about UFOs, as well as academic views toward the UAP subject? This week on The Micah Hanks Program, we look at how key findings in the new study point to concerning trends that have recently emerged in the UAP research community, as well as potential biases in academic ideas toward the subject. We also look at the myth of the "UFO expert," NASA's lack of progress in UAP, and much more.  Have you had a UFO/UAP sighting? Please consider reporting your sighting to the UAP Sightings Reporting System, a public resource for information about sightings of aerial phenomena. The story doesn't end here... become an X Subscriber and get access to even more weekly content and monthly specials. Want to advertise/sponsor The Micah Hanks Program? We have partnered with the AdvertiseCast to handle our advertising/sponsorship requests. If you would like to advertise with The Micah Hanks Program, all you have to do is click the link below to get started: AdvertiseCast: Advertise with The Micah Hanks Program Show Notes Below are links to stories and other content featured in this episode: NEWS: Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff who ministered with a charming, humble style, dies at 88  Joe Nickell, Paranormal Investigator and ‘Real-Life Scully,' Dies at 80 Hegseth shared detailed military plans in second Signal chat that included his wife and brother The White House has begun process of looking for new secretary of defense  ALIENS? Strongest hints yet of biological activity outside the solar system  UFO CONSPIRACY: Exploring expert figures in alien-related UFO conspiracy theories New Film The Age of Disclosure Alleges Government Cover-Up of UFOs, but BU Expert Is Skeptical BECOME AN X SUBSCRIBER AND GET EVEN MORE GREAT PODCASTS AND MONTHLY SPECIALS FROM MICAH HANKS. Sign up today and get access to the entire back catalog of The Micah Hanks Program, as well as “classic” episodes, weekly “additional editions” of the subscriber-only X Podcast, the monthly Enigmas specials, and much more. Like us on Facebook Follow @MicahHanks on X. Keep up with Micah and his work at micahhanks.com.

With Brian sitting in for Pontus while he's doing some skiing, we talk events to start with. The Hungarian Skeptic Society just handed out two awards for those enlightening the public by either speaking up directly against pseudosciences and disinformation or choosing to provide detailed analysis on controversial topics. So, we congratulate Professor of molecular biology Zsolt Boldogkői on getting the first ever László Orosz Lifetime Achievement Award, and biologist, PhD candidate Zsófia Tauber who received the first László Orosz Award from the Hungarian skeptics at and all-day event of talks and panel discussions in Budapest.Brian promotes an evening of presentations about misinformation and conspiracy theories in Edinburgh and we finish off the opening segment by commemorating one of the most acclaimed skeptics, Joe Nickell, who passed away recently.On TWISH, we talk about a milestone of modern science, the discovery of Uranus by a German immigrant to the UK, William Herschel. And then we turn to the news:UK: Plan to make phone use safer for teens watered downINTERNATIONAL: Phone bans in school not really helpingRUSSIA: The country seems to be flooded with esoteric nonsenseThe Really Wrong Award this week goes to the Royal Society for still holding on to Elon Musk's fellowship. On the opposite side, the owner of a soft-play centre for gets this week's Really Right award for fending off an attempted chickenpox party.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-470-html.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:52 Greetings0:19:03 TWISH0:28:14 News0:45:37 Really Wrong / Really Right0:53:44 Quote0:55:04 Outro0:56:21 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben has been on a cruise, and brings back an interesting story on how quickly rumors and conspiracy theories can form in that environment. We pay tribute to Joe Nickell, a truly versatile skeptic and investigator, and go over the Stand Up for Science marches that took place last week. Then we turn to current events wrought by the Trump administration: the kerfuffle over "transgender mice" is more complicated than you think; RFK's faint praise of the MMR vaccine; and the CDC's planned study on vaccines and autism.

A brief remembrance of our friend, Joe Nickell. (December 1, 1944 – March 4, 2025)Joe Nickell's extraordinary life came to an end on Tuesday, March 4th and we're posting this brief remembrance this week instead of our regular episode.Check out Joe's many "personas."The Science of Monsters: Tracking the Real-Life CreaturesArchive episodes with JoeThe sourtoe cocktailBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:05:40 For Crying Out Loud! It's Kat McLeod This week Kat interviews Annie McCubbin from Australia. Annie is an actor, author and corporate trainer, committed to elevating the quality of critical thinking in business and life. She focuses on helping women avoid being conned by new-age nonsense and self-help platitudes. She is the author of Why Smart Women Make Bad Decisions (published in 2020) and Why Smart Women Buy the Lies (published in 2023). https://linktr.ee/anniemccubbin 0:28:26 Deep Seek - The Play - Penny's Adventures #6 We asked Deep Seek AI to write part #6 of the misadventures of psychic Penny and the Galactic Federation. Joining Richard Saunders in this segment, playing the parts of a psychic and aliens, are Kat McLeod, Adrienne Hill, Lara Benham, Maynard and Kathy Rightmire. 0:36:50 What can AI tell us about Cold Reading? Will AI ever replace psychics? We think it's quite possible. In this week's episode we interview an AI engine to get its opinions on the matter and get a cold reading along the way. https://www.sesame.com 0:43:56 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Australian Skeptics. 1987.04.24 - The Sydney Morning Herald 1997.08.12 - The Age 1989.06.03 - The Age http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Surf Coast Skepticamp http://www.tinyurl.com/scsc2025 Joe Nickell with Maynard 2015 http://www.tinyurl.com/scsc2025

Joe Nickell, the world renowned paranormal investigator, died earlier this week at the age of 80. He was a great inspiration to us here at The Reality Check and it was a great pleasure for some of us to have met him back in 2009 at The Amazing Meeting. At that time we recorded this interview, originally used in episode 53 of the show, where we talk with Joe Nickell about his fascinating career.

Cemeteries Cleaning and Grave Rubbing - Karen and Blake are joined by Matt Baxter to discuss the ethics and best practices around maintaining and preserving graveyards. Links for Grave Rubbers from CyberSpace:The article that inspired this conversation (via The Conversation)Ken Feder (friend of the show and emeritus professor of archaeology) sent along this helpful article about grave preservation.The woman with the pink foam (Kaeli Mae McEwen - aka "Clean Girl") has a site where she sells the stuff.In Atlanta - at historic Oakland Cemetery - they have community cleaning projects.  They list this under an article titled "Pro Team Field Notes on Scrubbing the Surface"Thoughts on Grave Rubbing from a blogger.Additional Links:Since we mentioned The Conversation, by coincidence Jeb Card got interviewed about his paranormal course at University of Ohio - check it!Karen's book Bitch: The Journey of a Word is out now - grab a copy! (affiliate link)Don't forget to grab a copy of Joe Nickell's The Science of Monsters: Tracking the Real-Life Creatures - every sale helps MonsterTalk! (affiliate link)And if you want to meet me at sea in the Bermuda Triangle, sign up for the Skeptoid Adventure - there's still a few cabins left! (as of 2/1/2025)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

On December 18, 1975, George and Kathy Lutz moved their family into their new house on Ocean Avenue in Amityville, NY, where, just one year earlier, Ronald DeFeo Jr. had murdered all six members of his family. Twenty-eight days later, the Lutz family fled the home, leaving behind all their belongings and vowing never to return again. According to the Lutzes, their time in the house on Ocean Avenue was a nightmare of psychic attacks and demonic activity that put them in fear for their lives.The supposed experience of the Lutz family served as the basis for the iconic haunted house story, The Amityville Horror, and the countless films adapted from or inspired by the original novel. However, unlike most other stories of paranormal experiences, The Amityville Horror became a phenomenon that influenced everything from Ronald DeFeo's criminal defense to the American public's belief in the supernatural. Yet for all their talk of it being a genuine story of demonic activity, in the years since the publication of The Amityville Horror, a large body of evidence from skeptical evaluations to court records and interview transcripts suggest that America's most notorious haunted house might not have been quite so haunted after all.Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!!ReferencesAnsen, Jay. 1978. The Amityville Horror. New York, NY: Bantam Books.Bartholomew, Robert, and Joe Nickell. 2016. "The Amityville Hoax at 40." Skeptic Magazine 8-12.Carter, A.J. 1976. "DeFeo house: legal twist." Newsday, February 17: 3.Drehsler, Alex, and Jim Scovel. 1977. "Fact or fiction." Newsday, November 17: 188.Gelder, Lawrence Van. 1977. "A real-life horror story." New York Times, October 9: L12.Lutz v. Hoffman et al. 1979. 77-032D-T (Southern District of California ).Nickell, Joe. 2003. "Amityville: The Horror of it All." Skeptical Inquirer 13-14.Nickell, Joe. 2009. "The questionable research of Hans Holzer, dean of ghost hunters (1920-2009)." Skeptical Inquirer 5-6.Schemo, Diane Jean. 1992. "'Amityville' prisoner says movie money tained defense." New York Times, June 25: B6.Snider, Jane. 1977. "New owners call house beautiful, not haunted ." Newsday, May 13: 23.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Donate to our October 2024 OVERCOMING THE DARKNESS campaign at https://weirddarkness.com/overcoming. Weird Darkness is narrated by professional full-time voice actor Darren Marlar. No A.I. voices are ever used in the show. IN THIS EPISODE: It was kept secret for years that the U.S. government spent millions of dollars and decades of research and experiments looking into the paranormal, trying to weaponize psychic powers like remote viewing and mind control. We were told they didn't find much success – but could that be part of an ongoing secret? What if they did succeed, but don't want us to know due to “national security” reasons? And what if they aren't just spying on our enemies, but also on us, the country's citizens? And if they can do that… can they also control our minds to make us think and do whatever they wish? It's a disturbing journey. SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…“The U.S. Government Dabbles In The Occult” by Colin Dickey for The New Republic:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckjnw39“Remote Viewing and the CIA” by Marcus Lowth for UFO Insight: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mte672ey“Mind Control and MKUltra” by Marcus Lowth for UFO Insight: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p96m772BOOK: “Phenomena – The Secret History of the U. S. Government's Investigations Into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis” by Annie Jacobsen: https://amzn.to/3QudCnXBOOK: “Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Military Base” by Annie Jacobsen: https://amzn.to/3s3g3UvBOOK: “The Men Who Stare At Goats” by Jon Ronson: https://amzn.to/440YHoxBOOK: “The Pentagon's Brain – An Uncensored History of DARPA, America's Top Secrete Military Research Agency” by Annie Jacobsen: https://amzn.to/3YmhQQHBOOK: “Psychic Discoveries Behind The Iron Curtain” by Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder: https://amzn.to/3DKmeiXBOOK: “The Mystery Chronicles – More Real-Life X-Files” by Joe Nickell: https://amzn.to/43XgVHwBOOK: “The Seventh Sense – The Secrets of Remote Viewing As Told By A Psychic Spy For The U.S. Military” by Lyn Buchanan: https://amzn.to/3s28ygDBOOK: “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley: https://amzn.to/3Ylpue5VIDEO: (Spoon Bending) Jack Houck PK Party at 1985 Psychotronics Assoc. Conference: https://youtu.be/wFsfaCIE34sVIDEO: Roseanne Barr Reveals MKUltra In Hollywood: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p92cmz9EPISODE: “Murdered By 1980s's Video Games: The Truth Behind POLYBIUS and Berzerk”: https://weirddarkness.com/?s=polybiusWeird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library. = = = = =(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2024, Weird Darkness.= = = = =Originally aired: August 07, 2023CUSTOM LANDING PAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/CIAMindControl

The days are getting longer, the weather is getting nicer, and the summer season is fast approaching. But as you prepare to travel and spend time adventuring in your local forests- heed these cautionary tales of the creatures that lurk in the dark. This week, we're covering not one, but TWO classic American cryptids. First, we'll learn about the Flatwoods Monster, spotted in West Virginia in 1950. When a mom and a group of teens followed a bright light streaking across the sky, they could not have anticipated what they would find. Next, we'll travel up to Dover, Massachusetts where a creepy creature was spotted repeatedly in 1977.  Of course Joe Nickell has simple explanations, but we don't buy them for a second. Tune in to this week's episode and decide for yourself!

  Please Hit that Subscribe Button, and leave a positive comment.   Click here to go to our Patreon Page. Click here to save on clothing. Click here to go to our website. Click here to go to Joes Woodworking page.   In German folklore and ghostlore, a poltergeist 'rumbling ghost' or 'noisy spirit') is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descriptions of poltergeists show them as being capable of pinching, biting, hitting, and tripping people. They are also depicted as capable of the movement or levitation of objects such as furniture and cutlery, or noises such as knocking on doors. Foul smells are also associated with poltergeist occurrences, as well as spontaneous fires and different electrical issues such as flickering lights.   These manifestations have been recorded in many cultures and countries, including Brazil, Australia, the United States, Japan and most European nations. The first recorded cases date back to the 1st century.   The Enfield poltergeist was a claim of supernatural activity at 284 Green Street, a council house in Brimsdown, Enfield, London, England, between 1977 and 1979. The alleged poltergeist activity centred on sisters Janet, aged 11, and Margaret Hodgson, aged 13. Some members of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), such as inventor Maurice Grosse and writer Guy Lyon Playfair, believed the haunting to be genuine, while others such as Anita Gregory and John Beloff were "unconvinced" and found evidence the girls had faked incidents for the benefit of journalists. Members of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), including stage magicians such as Milbourne Christopher and Joe Nickell, criticized paranormal investigators for being credulous whilst also identifying elements of the case as being indicative of a hoax. The story attracted press coverage in British newspapers, has been mentioned in books, featured in television and radio documentaries, and dramatised in the 2016 horror film The Conjuring 2. Claims In August 1977, single parent Peggy Hodgson called the Metropolitan Police to her rented home at 284 Green Street in Enfield, London, saying she had witnessed furniture moving and that two of her four children had heard knocking sounds on the walls. The children included Janet, aged 11, and Margaret, aged 13. A police constable reported witnessing a chair "wobble and slide" but "could not determine the cause of the movement."[3] Later claims included disembodied voices, loud noises, thrown toys, overturned chairs, and children levitating. Over a period of eighteen months, more than thirty people, including the Hodgsons' neighbours, paranormal investigators and journalists, said they variously saw heavy furniture moving of its own accord, objects being thrown across a room and the sisters seeming to levitate several feet off the ground. Many also heard and recorded knocking noises and a gruff voice. The story was regularly covered in the Daily Mirror newspaper until reports came to an end in 1979.   #paranormal #Shortridge #ghost #podcast #money #holloween #ghosthunting #sasquatch #haunted #medeumship

Strap yourselves in, coven. We're about to bring you the closest thing to proof of a bonafide UFO sighting- short of being zapped up and probed, of course! This week we're covering the Stephenville Lights, a series of UFO sightings that happened over Texas dairy county in 2008. Over the course of a number of days, dozens of folks reported seeing strange lights and crafts in the sky. The subsequent investigation revealed some pretty tangible and compelling proof of something strange overhead. Today we also learn all about MUFON (The Mutual UFO Network, obviously) and meet MUFON's top research guy, who is obviously Halee's newest celeb crush.... goodbye, Joe Nickell. You've been replaced! You know we want to believe, but this one just might have you believing too! Happy Haunting! 

Dr. Joe Nickell recalls his experiences working on the Season 4 episode of In Search Of… dealing with The Shroud of Turin. note: if you also subscribe to IN RESEARCH OF, the interview audio in this episode is identical to the IRO cut, but the wrapping intro/outro are customized to the respective feeds. -B In Research Of… (Patreon) In Research Of (free feed) In Search Of… The Shroud of Turin (YouTube) Joe Nickell covered by The Daily Mail That's Incredible! segment on THE AMITYVILLE HORROR. (YouTube) Joe Nickell's website Joe's Amazon Author's Page (affiliate link) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Joe Nickell recalls his experiences working on the Season 4 episode of In Search Of… dealing with The Shroud of Turin. note: This interview will be cross-posted to MonsterTalk. The interview contents will be identical, but the framing intro/outro will be unique to the respective shows.  In Research Of… (Patreon) In Research Of (free feed) In Search Of… The Shroud of Turin (YouTube) Joe Nickell covered by The Daily Mail That's Incredible! segment on THE AMITYVILLE HORROR. (YouTube) Joe Nickell's website Joe's Amazon Author's Page (affiliate link)

Are you, like us, feeling the post-Halloween blues? Melancholic at the thought that spooky season is coming to an end? If so, we understand and we feel your pain. But do not despair, coven! It's always spooky season here! This week's news includes many lessons learned about what can and can't be donated to a thrift store, a master class in long-term revenge, and just how much acid Goldie Hawn was tripping on in the California desert when an alien touched her face. We get updates on the douchey ghost tour company trying to trademark a historic event (RIP Lizzie Borden's family), and uncover even more potential vampiric graves from centuries past. As usual, Elise is thirsty for mothman, and Joe Nickell is still ghosting halee- but what's new? Come bask in the spookiness with us and keep Halloween season going year round! Happy Haunting! 

PLEASE SHARE THIS EPISODE in your social media so others who loves strange and macabre stories can listen too! Find all of podcasts I host at https://weirddarkness.com/links.IN THIS EPISODE: It was kept secret for years that the U.S. government spent millions of dollars and decades of research and experiments looking into the paranormal, trying to weaponize psychic powers like remote viewing and mind control. We were told they didn't find much success – but could that be part of an ongoing secret? What if they did succeed, but don't want us to know due to “national security” reasons? And what if they aren't just spying on our enemies, but also on us, the country's citizens? And if they can do that… can they also control our minds to make us think and do whatever they wish? It's a disturbing journey. SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…“The U.S. Government Dabbles In The Occult” by Colin Dickey for The New Republic:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckjnw39 “Remote Viewing and the CIA” by Marcus Lowth for UFO Insight: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mte672ey “Mind Control and MKUltra” by Marcus Lowth for UFO Insight: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p96m772 BOOK: “Phenomena – The Secret History of the U. S. Government's Investigations Into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis” by Annie Jacobsen: https://amzn.to/3QudCnX BOOK: “Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Military Base” by Annie Jacobsen: https://amzn.to/3s3g3Uv BOOK: “The Men Who Stare At Goats” by Jon Ronson: https://amzn.to/440YHox BOOK: “The Pentagon's Brain – An Uncensored History of DARPA, America's Top Secrete Military Research Agency” by Annie Jacobsen: https://amzn.to/3YmhQQH BOOK: “Psychic Discoveries Behind The Iron Curtain” by Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder: https://amzn.to/3DKmeiX BOOK: “The Mystery Chronicles – More Real-Life X-Files” by Joe Nickell: https://amzn.to/43XgVHw BOOK: “The Seventh Sense – The Secrets of Remote Viewing As Told By A Psychic Spy For The U.S. Military” by Lyn Buchanan: https://amzn.to/3s28ygD BOOK: “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley: https://amzn.to/3Ylpue5 VIDEO: (Spoon Bending) Jack Houck PK Party at 1985 Psychotronics Assoc. Conference: https://youtu.be/wFsfaCIE34s VIDEO: Roseanne Barr Reveals MKUltra In Hollywood: https://weirddarkness.com/archives/16530 EPISODE: “Murdered By 1980s's Video Games: The Truth Behind POLYBIUS and Berzerk”: https://weirddarkness.com/?s=polybius Visit our Sponsors & Friends: https://weirddarkness.com/sponsors Join the Weird Darkness Syndicate: https://weirddarkness.com//syndicate Advertise in the Weird Darkness podcast or syndicated radio show: https://weirddarkness.com/advertise= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library. Background music provided by Alibi Music Library, EpidemicSound and/or StoryBlocks with paid license. Music from Shadows Symphony (https://tinyurl.com/yyrv987t), Midnight Syndicate (http://amzn.to/2BYCoXZ) Kevin MacLeod (https://tinyurl.com/y2v7fgbu), Tony Longworth (https://tinyurl.com/y2nhnbt7), and Nicolas Gasparini (https://tinyurl.com/lnqpfs8) is used with permission of the artists.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =OTHER PODCASTS I HOST…Paranormality Magazine: (COMING SEPT. 30, 2023) https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/paranormalitymagMicro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/microterrorsRetro Radio – Old Time Radio In The Dark: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/retroradioChurch of the Undead: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/churchoftheundead= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2023.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =TRANSCRIPT: https://weirddarkness.com/archives/16543This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3655291/advertisement

By 1952, flying saucers had become a familiar topic to the American public. However, the case of the "flatwoods monster" was among the first widely-publicized UFO sightings to also involve an "alien" being, and it preceded a rise in anomalous entity encounters around the world. Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/user?u=3375417 Donate on Paypal: https://ThinkAnomalous.com/support.html Watch video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uZ7o2B84jtQ Website: https://ThinkAnomalous.com Full transcript: https://ThinkAnomalous.com/flatwoods-monster.html Facebook: https://facebook.com/ThinkAnomalous Twitter: https://twitter.com/Think_Anomalous Instagram: https://instagram.com/Think.Anomalous Think Anomalous is created by Jason Charbonneau. Illustration by Colin Campbell. Music by Josh Chamberland. Animation by Brendan Barr. Sound design by Will Mountain and Josh Chamberland. Sources: Frank Feschino, Jr. The Braxton County Monster: the Cover-up of the “Flatwoods Monster” Revealed. Revised Ed. USA: Lulu Enterprises, 2013. Joe Nickell, “The Flatwoods UFO Monster,” Skeptical Inquirer 24, no. 6, November/ December 2000. Donald E Keyhoe. Flying Saucers from Outer Space. New York: Henry Holt, 1953. Ivan T. Sanderson, Uninvited Visitors: A Biologist Looks at UFO's. New York: Cowles, 1967, 37-52. See two of the original newspaper sources here: https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195213/http://sites.eoi.com/folder5715/index.cfm?id=187109&fuseaction=browse&pageid=27

Coven, there's really no other way to say it. What the fuck is up with crop circles? Are they a manmade hoax? Are they alien landing spots? Are they the result of drunk wallabies wandering about the fields? This week, we dig up the history of these infamous markings, and learn about some very compelling cases. Don't worry, before we get too carried away (in a UFO?) Joe Nickell brings us back down to earth.  As always, it's spooky and it's fun and god damn we want to believe it. Happy Haunting! 

Jen and Noam discuss whether the US does indeed have an alien spaceship and if aliens are real, the rumor that DeSantis is on the spectrum, the Twitter ad exodus, and of course the greatness that is Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse  We will (maybe?) be on Callin this week Thursday at 7:30pm Eastern, come join us live! https://www.callin.com/show/all-crossed-out-jVWglWcHxW  Show Notes: Here is the guy Noam was talking about who debunked von Daniken's work: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Nickell 

B.J. Rains of Bronco Nation News is joined by Boise State softball coach Justin Shults and Joe Nickell, executive director of The Horseshoe Collective, on a Friday edition of BNN LIVE presented by RoePaint.com.

Matt Baxter joins Blake & Karen to discuss the case of the allegedly "demon haunted" house of Gary, Indiana. There will be a companion video to this focusing on Zak Bagans' film of the same location in the very near future.  You can see a lot of the characters in this story in this Inside Edition clip. Joe Nickell's investigation into this case. Please take a moment and fill out our Airwave survey - just go to the survey page and select MonsterTalk from the show list, then answer the questions. Thanks! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/monstertalk and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disclaimer/Warning: We're absolutely savage in this episode - no holds barred! This is one of our favorite cases from the Warren Files to discuss: The infamous Haunting in Connecticut case, aka The Snedeker Family Haunting. This case surrounds the Snedeker family who claimed their house was not only haunted, but that the demons also attacked them late at night...sexually.  They sought out the help of Ed and Lorraine Warren, who rated this haunt only a 9 out of 10, though.  We lose all sense of decorum and tact in this episode as we discuss the facts of the case as well as possible ulterior motives. Mell and Chris take the gloves off in this episode!  If you haven't seen their interview on the Sally Jesse Raphael show, we've included the link below for you along with links to additional resources. After you're done listening, what do you think? Links: Sally Jesse Raphael appearance:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxMtNTQOIXwA Current Affair interview:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG9-qu_cnFULorraine Warren interview (2009):  https://youtu.be/aTg96zio_swThe Paranormal Scholar's research:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwB3cKnrpm8Center for Inquiry:  https://centerforinquiry.org/blog/demonizing_in_connecticut/Skeptic Magazine (includes interview of Ray Garton): https://www.skeptic.com/podcasts/monstertalk/13/10/16/transcript/People Magazine article: https://people.com/celebrity/inside-story-the-real-life-haunting-in-connecticut/N.E.S.P.R.:  https://tonyspera.com/the-haunting-in-connecticut/https://tonyspera.com/the-haunting-in-connecticut/Support the show

This week we're going back to the Old West with The Ballad of Buster Scruggs! Join us as we learn about dry counties, whether or not birds can count, bank robbery, the Chautauqua, and more! Sources: A.V. "Why America Still Has 'Dry Counties'," The Economist, available at https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2018/06/05/why-america-still-has-dry-counties Nancy Kay Tisdale, The Prohibition Crusade in Arizona. MA Thesis, 1965. Full text available at https://repository.arizona.edu/bitstream/handle/10150/551788/AZU_TD_BOX252_E9791_1965_251.pdf?sequence=1 Chautaqua: An American Narrative. PBS. Available at https://www.pbs.org/video/chautauqua-an-american-narrative-chautauqua-an-american-narrative/ Kelsey Ables, "What is Chautauqua? The Site of the Rushdie Attack Has a Long History," Washington Post, available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/08/13/chautauqua-history/ Jacky Emmerton, "Birds' Judgments of Number and Quantity," Avian Visual Cognition https://pigeon.psy.tufts.edu/avc/emmerton/  Hank Davis and Jeff Memmott, "Counting Behavior in Animals: A Critical Evaluation," Psychological Bulletin 92:3 (1982): 547-71. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hank-Davis/publication/232453414_Counting_behavior_in_animals_A_critical_evaluation/links/555b44e808ae8f66f3ad5120/Counting-behavior-in-animals-A-critical-evaluation.pdf  Joe Nickell, "Animal Shows" Secrets of the Sideshows, 299-321 (University Press of Kentucky, 2005). https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2jcf40.16  Michael T. Caires, "Building a Union of Banks: Salmon P. Chase and the Creation of the National Banking System," New Perspectives on the Union War edited by Gary W. Gallagher and Elizabeth R. Varon, 160-85 (Fordham University Press, 2019). https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvh1dnpx.10  E. Michael Rosser and Diane M. Sanders, "Overview of Banks and Mortgage Banking in the United States," A History of Mortgage Banking in the West: Financing America's Dreams, 19-40 (University Press of Colorado, 2017). https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1vz4910.7   John Warnock, "Tucson: A Place-Making," Journal of the Southwest 58:3 (2016): 361-616. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26310194  Brian D. Behnken, "Bandits Everywhere: Anti-Mexican Violence, Mexican and Mexican American Resistance," Borders of Violence and Justice: Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and Law Enforcement in the Southwest, 1835-1935 (University of North Carolina Press, 2022). https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5149/9781469670140_behnken.11  Robert M. Utley, "Who Was Billy the Kid?" Montana The Magazine of Wester History 37:3 (1987): 2-11. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4519066  Stuart H. Traub, "Rewards, Bounty Hunting, and Criminal Justice in the West: 1865-1900," Western Historical Quarterly 19:3 (1988): 287-301. https://www.jstor.org/stable/968233  Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_ballad_of_buster_scruggs  Peter Bradshaw, "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs review - the Coens' brutal salute to the western," The Guardian, 31 August 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/aug/31/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-review-coen-brothers-western  Glenn Kenny, "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," RogerEbert.com 9 November 2018, https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-2018  Terry Gross interview, Fresh Air, https://www.npr.org/2019/02/08/692636652/filmmakers-joel-and-ethan-coen-on-singing-cowboys-and-working-with-oxen  Claire Lampen, "All the Allegations Against James Franco," The Cut 13 July 2022. https://www.thecut.com/2022/07/all-the-sexual-misconduct-allegations-against-james-franco.html  BBC News, "Liam Neeson bemoans sexual harassment 'witch hunt' in Hollywood," 13 January 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/av/entertainment-arts-42675667   BBC News "Liam Neeson in racism storm after admitting he wanted to kill a black man," 5 February 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-47117177 

We're excited to be the premier venue for Joe Nickell's latest research on the case of the Dover Demon.  The Dover Demon (Wikipedia) W. Halden Blackman's The Field Guide to North American Monsters Joe Nickell's Amazon Author Page Mysterious America by Loren Coleman NPR Coverage of Snowy Owl in California Please take a moment and fill out our Airwave survey - just go to the survey page and select MonsterTalk from the show list, then answer the questions. Thanks! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/monstertalk and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For episode 55 of Legend Amy finally talks about one of her favorite topics, Aliens! Have you ever been minding your business when all of the sudden a giant flying object with flashing red lights is chasing you down? That's what happened to Norman Muscarello and a few others near Exeter the night of September 3, 1965. Many theories of what they might have seen have been brought forth but leave it up to Joe Nickell and James McGaha to come in with a theory 45 years later that fits the bill. But does it really? Don't forget to submit your stories at our email thisislegendpod@gmail.com or on our website, https://www.thisislegendpod.com/contact

Hey everyone! We're taking a little break this week but wanted to bring you back to the National Treasure of the 1880s. Enjoy! A treasure in the Blue Ridge? Almost a billion dollars? Uncrackable ciphers and a story that's a bit too good? This week, Emma gifts Shannon with a very Shannon-y episode about The Beale Ciphers, a set of codes printed in the 1880s that continue to draw people in. If you find the treasure the codes lead you to, you could get your own McNugget of gold! Join us and find out if we can really dig up this treasure! Or if it's just another movie Shannon wrote on the fly (she's getting really good at it, you guys). Come follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter! Visit our website! Send us a heart fart! Sources: The Mother Source The Museum of Unnatural Mystery reprint of the pamphlet “Discovered: The Secret of Beale's Treasure” by Joe Nickell, found on JSTOR Northern Virginia Magazine Mental Floss Virginia Living Magazine The NSA's stash of copies

On September 12, 1952 a housewife and six kids in Flatwoods, West Virginia ascended a foggy mountain and had an encounter with the unknown at the top. Ever since, scientists have debated what they actually saw that night... Transcript, sources, links and more at https://order-of-the-jackalope.com/worse-than-frankenstein/ Key sources for this episode include Gray Barker's They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers; Ivan T. Sanderson's Uninvited Visitors: A Biologist Looks at UFOs; Joe Nickell's Real Life X-Files: Investigating the Paranormal, and contemporary newspaper reports. Presented by #13 (Dave White) Artist. Lover. Social Media Unfluencer. Acknowledged authority on lucrative bogs. Dave White is all this and more. But most days he's a web developer, graphic designer, and cartoonist. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, his two cats, and his crippling obsession with strange trivia. Discord: https://discord.gg/Mbap3UQyCB Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orderjackalope/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/orderjackalope Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/orderjackalope Tumblr: https://orderjackalope.tumblr.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/orderjackalope Email: jackalope@order-of-the-jackalope.com Part of the That's Not Canon Productions podcast network. https://thatsnotcanon.com/

Former Boise State athletic executive Joe Nickell joins Prater and Mallory for a conversation about a new non-profit organization that will raise awareness for local charitable causes by pairing them with community-minded Boise State football student-athletes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Boise State athletic executive Joe Nickell joins Prater and Mallory for a conversation about a new non-profit organization that will raise awareness for local charitable causes by pairing them with community-minded Boise State football student-athletes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Boise State athletic executive Joe Nickell joins Prater and Mallory for a conversation about a new non-profit organization that will raise awareness for local charitable causes by pairing them with community-minded Boise State football student-athletes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He's everyone's favorite big guy, even with only four toes and a stinky disposition. You love to question him, really want to believe in him, and can't quite disprove him. It's a bear! It's a costumed man! It's Bigfoot! Whether you call him Sasquatch, Bigfoot or maybe even Yeti, everyone has some version of this bi-pedal beast who lives in the woods. This week, Halee navigates our favorite cryptid's origin story, some questionable proof of his existence and the film that made him famous. As always, Joe Nickell tries to crash the party, but we just won't let him. Happy Haunting! 

On November 13, 1974, the small Long Island hamlet of Amityville was rocked by a gruesome crime. At 112 Ocean Avenue, 6 members of the same family were murdered in bed as they slept. Before the books, movies, and tales of demonic possession, there was the DeFeo family. Join us this week as we explore the real horror of what happened in Amityville, and unravel the myths of America's “most haunted” house. Things only get spookier as Halee and Joe Nickell agree for the first time ever- what's scarier than that?! For our little something sweet, Elise lives up to her newfound homesteader status and crafts a delicious pie with freshly harvested rhubarb! Make sure you have your candles lit for this one, and be sure to let us know what you think about this infamous haunting. 

UFO sightings amongst airline pilots are relatively common, but the sightings of Japan Airlines flight 1628 on November 17, 1986 are notable for the wealth of supporting evidence. An official FAA investigation revealed cockpit recordings, radar data, and eyewitness interviews that all attest to a truly remarkable encounter, and an official government cover-up. Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/user?u=3375417 Donate on Paypal: https://ThinkAnomalous.com/support.html Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_10zDNP8cIM Website: https://ThinkAnomalous.com Full sources & transcript: https://ThinkAnomalous.com/japan-airlines-ufo.html Facebook: https://facebook.com/ThinkAnomalous Twitter: https://twitter.com/Think_Anomalous Instagram: https://instagram.com/Think.Anomalous Check out more from our illustrator, V.R. Laurence: https://vrlaurence.com Think Anomalous is created by Jason Charbonneau. Illustration by V.R. Laurence (https://vrlaurence.com). Research by Clark Murphy. Music by Josh Chamberland. Animation by Brendan Barr. Sound design by Will Mountain and Josh Chamberland. Sources: Callahan, John J. “The FAA Investigates a UFO Event ‘That Never Happened'” in Kean, Leslie. UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go On The Record. New York, USA: Three Rivers Press, 2010, 222 - 229. Fox, James, dir. I Know What I Saw. USA: A&E Home Video, 2009. The Black Vault. Collected documents at “Japanese Airlines JAL 1628 UFO Encounter, November 17, 1986.” September 21, 2018; Updated: June 17, 2020. https://theblackvault.com/documentarchive/ufo-case-japanese-airlines-jal1628-november-17-1986. Klass, Philip J. “FAA Data Sheds New Light on JAL Pilot's UFO Report” in The UFO invasion: The Roswell Incident, Alien Abductions, and Government Coverups, edited by Kendrick Frazier, Barry Karr, and Joe Nickell. New York, NY, USA: Prometheus Books, 1997, 171 - 176. Maccabee, Bruce. “The Fantastic Flight Of JAL 1628.” Shincho, Shukan. "Terauchi's London interview of December 1986. JAL Pilot's UFO Story Surfaces after 20 Years.” JapanToday, December 8, 2006. ​ This podcast uses sound effects downloaded from stockmusic.com. UFO Case Review contains sound design with elements downloaded from FreeSound.org. Typewriter_2rows.wav, Uploaded by Fatson under the Attribution License.

UFO sightings amongst airline pilots are relatively common, but the sightings of Japan Airlines flight 1628 on November 17, 1986 are notable for the wealth of supporting evidence. An official FAA investigation revealed cockpit recordings, radar data, and eyewitness interviews that all attest to a truly remarkable encounter, and an official government cover-up. Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/user?u=3375417 Donate on Paypal: ThinkAnomalous.com/support.html Website: ThinkAnomalous.com Full transcript & audio: ThinkAnomalous.com/Japan-Airlines-UFO.html Watch video version on YouTube: Youtu.be/_10zDNP8cIM Facebook: Facebook.com/ThinkAnomalous Twitter: Twitter.com/Think_Anomalous Instagram: Instagram.com/Think.Anomalous Think Anomalous is created by Jason Charbonneau. Illustration by V.R. Laurence (VRLaurence.com) Research by Clark Murphy. Music by Josh Chamberland. Animation by Brendan Barr. Sound design by Will Mountain and Josh Chamberland. Sources: Callahan, John J. “The FAA Investigates a UFO Event ‘That Never Happened'” in Kean, Leslie. UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go On The Record. New York, USA: Three Rivers Press, 2010, 222 - 229. Fox, James, dir. I Know What I Saw. USA: A&E Home Video, 2009. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1579236. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGMGOdKOPKk. The Black Vault. Collected documents at “Japanese Airlines JAL 1628 UFO Encounter, November 17, 1986.” September 21, 2018; Updated: June 17, 2020. https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/ufo-case-japanese-airlines-jal1628-november-17-1986. Klass, Philip J. “FAA Data Sheds New Light on JAL Pilot's UFO Report” in The UFO invasion: The Roswell Incident, Alien Abductions, and Government Coverups, edited by Kendrick Frazier, Barry Karr, and Joe Nickell. New York, NY, USA: Prometheus Books, 1997, 171 - 176. Maccabee, Bruce. “The Fantastic Flight Of JAL 1628.” Shincho, Shukan. "Terauchi's London interview of December 1986. JAL Pilot's UFO Story Surfaces after 20 Years.” JapanToday, December 8, 2006. https://www.ufocasebook.com/jal1628surfaces.html. Stout, David. “Donald Engen Dies at 75; Led Space Museum.” The New York Times. July 15, 1999. Speigel, Lee. "UFO Sightings Increase 67 Percent In 3 Years, History Channel Investigates Unexplained Aerial Phenomena." Huffington Post. August 26, 2011, updated December 6, 2017. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ufos-pilots-history-channel_n_935847. This video uses sound effects downloaded from stockmusic.com. UFO Case Review contains sound design with elements downloaded from Freesound.org. Typewriter_2rows.wav, Uploaded by Fatson under the Attribution License.

We know a lot of you are counting down the days 'til Halloween (we're almost halfway there) so we decided to do a show on ghost hunting!  In this episode we explore some of the history, as well as the equipment used in this highly scientific process.  Also in this episode, Justin looks to further his education online, Joe accuses a cat of murder, and Peter explains what 5G really is. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/talkstupid2me)

Do you ever feel like life is just too easy, and there's not enough to worry about? Fear not friends, we've got you covered... This week we'll add to your baseline anxiety as we explore whether we should be afraid of bursting into flames at any given moment. Halee will take us through a long history of folks spontaneously combusting, from as early as 1470, all the way up to modern times. Halee's on-again off-again boyfriend Joe Nickell, of the Skeptical Inquirer, says it's all made up. Find out our *hot* takes on the matter and decide what you think! Pop some bottles alongside us as we celebrate our 20th episode and Elise cooks up some criminally delicious bite-sized cinnamon rolls. Make sure you light your candle, but don't sit too close this week! Happy Haunting!

It is the embodiment of all evil, capable of killing with a thought? Is it the brain box of the cosmos, capable of unlocking the secrets of the universe? Either way, it's the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull of Doom! Transcript, sources, links and more at: https://order-of-the-jackalope.com/lost-legacy/ Key sources for this episode include, well, Jane MacLaren Walsh and Brett Toppings's The Man Who Invented Aztec Crystal Skulls; Skeptical Inquirer articles by Joe Nickell and Benjamin Radford; the memoirs of Frederick Albert Mitchell Hedges, Lady Richmond Brown, and Jane Harvey Houlson; and Richard Garvin's The Crystal Skull. Discord: https://discord.gg/Mbap3UQyCB Instagram: https://instagram.com/orderjackalope Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/orderjackalope Tumblr: https://orderjackalope.tumblr.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/orderjackalope Email: jackalope@order-of-the-jackalope.com

A treasure in the Blue Ridge? Almost a billion dollars? Uncrackable ciphers and a story that's a bit too good? This week, Emma gifts Shannon with a very Shannon-y episode about The Beale Ciphers, a set of codes printed in the 1880s that continue to draw people in. If you find the treasure the codes lead you to, you could get your own McNugget of gold! Join us and find out if we can really dig up this treasure! Or if it's just another movie Shannon wrote on the fly (she's getting really good at it, you guys). Sources: The Mother Source The Museum of Unnatural Mystery reprint of the pamphlet “Discovered: The Secret of Beale's Treasure” by Joe Nickell, found on JSTOR Northern Virginia Magazine Mental Floss Virginia Living Magazine The NSA's stash of copies

Seriah hosts Adam Sayne for a deep dive into the work of Ed and Lorraine Warren, their influence in pop culture, and their very interesting connections. Topics include the film "A Haunting in Connecticut", Snedeker family, paranormal reality TV, the book "In a Dark Place", Ray Garton, perception of demons everywhere, the Roman Catholic Church, Vatican II, the Tridentine (Latin) Mass, Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul XI, ecumenism, the Traditionalist Catholic movement, Malachi Martin, the Rite of Exorcism, the Protestant Reformation, translations of the Bible, Society of Saint Pius X, Marcel Lefebvre, the "Orthodox Roman Catholic Church", Robert McKenna, Francis E. Fenton, John Birch Society, anti-communism, Biblical examples of exorcism, Enfield Poltergeist, parapsychological research, Maurice Grosse, Guy Lyon Playfair, "Demons in Seattle" case, apports, Roland Doe, "Exorcism in St. Louis", William Peter Blatty, Spiritualism, Ouija boards, Dr. J.B. Rhine, Rhine Institute, "Exorcism of Emily Rose", "Exorcism of Anneliese Michel", temporal lobe epilepsy, Whitley Strieber, the film "The Exorcist", the "Conjuring" movies as propaganda, the apparitions and prophecies of Fatima, the concept of perfect possession, the book "Michelle Remembers", Satanic Panic, John Zaffis, "Paranormal State" and "Ghost Hunters" TV shows, Detective Ralph Sarchie, Sally Jessy Raphael, skeptic Joe Nickell, people claiming to be sexually assaulted by demons, Perron family haunting, Amityville, Amityville ghost boy photo, Smurl family haunting, book "American Exorcism" by Michael Cuneo, Father Robert McKenna and Ed Warren, and more. This is a fascinating conversation, packed with information! - Recap by Vincent Treewell Outro by Just a Memory "For the Love of Pity" Download

Seriah hosts Adam Sayne for a deep dive into the work of Ed and Lorraine Warren, their influence in pop culture, and their very interesting connections. Topics include the film "A Haunting in Connecticut", Snedeker family, paranormal reality TV, the book "In a Dark Place", Ray Garton, perception of demons everywhere, the Roman Catholic Church, Vatican II, the Tridentine (Latin) Mass, Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul XI, ecumenism, the Traditionalist Catholic movement, Malachi Martin, the Rite of Exorcism, the Protestant Reformation, translations of the Bible, Society of Saint Pius X, Marcel Lefebvre, the "Orthodox Roman Catholic Church", Robert McKenna, Francis E. Fenton, John Birch Society, anti-communism, Biblical examples of exorcism, Enfield Poltergeist, parapsychological research, Maurice Grosse, Guy Lyon Playfair, "Demons in Seattle" case, apports, Roland Doe, "Exorcism in St. Louis", William Peter Blatty, Spiritualism, Ouija boards, Dr. J.B. Rhine, Rhine Institute, "Exorcism of Emily Rose", "Exorcism of Anneliese Michel", temporal lobe epilepsy, Whitley Strieber, the film "The Exorcist", the "Conjuring" movies as propaganda, the apparitions and prophecies of Fatima, the concept of perfect possession, the book "Michelle Remembers", Satanic Panic, John Zaffis, "Paranormal State" and "Ghost Hunters" TV shows, Detective Ralph Sarchie, Sally Jessy Raphael, skeptic Joe Nickell, people claiming to be sexually assaulted by demons, Perron family haunting, Amityville, Amityville ghost boy photo, Smurl family haunting, book "American Exorcism" by Michael Cuneo, Father Robert McKenna and Ed Warren, and more.

The Bell Witch haunting is one of the oldest American hauntings on record and it is the subject of this week's unpleasant dream. -- Cassandra Harold is your host. EM Hilker is our principal writer and researcher with additional writing by Cassandra Harold. Jim Harold is our Executive Producer. Unpleasant Dreams is a production of Jim Harold Media. You can find EM Hilker's original article HERE. Sources & Further Reading: 1868 article in the Courier-Journal: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7660018/the-courier-journal/ An Authenticated History of the Bell Witch by Martin Van Buren Ingram https://web.archive.org/web/20021022185219/http://bellwitch02.tripod.com/the_red_book.htm Bell Witch Folklore Centre https://web.archive.org/web/20020924085754/http://bellwitch02.tripod.com/ Bell Witch Cave official site http://www.bellwitchcave.com/ Pat Fitzhugh's Bell Witch site http://www.bellwitch.org/story.htm The Bell Witch Poltergeist by Joe Nickell https://skepticalinquirer.org/2014/01/the-bell-witch-poltergeist/ The Terrifying True Story of the Bell Witch http://thesouthernweekend.com/bell-witch/ PODCAST TRANSCRIPT The Bell Witch haunting is one of the most famous American hauntings on record, not only for the extent of the hauntings but because it is credited as the only American haunting to result in the death of a living person. John Bell Sr died 200 years ago, and much of the haunting occurred years prior to that.  To date, there are a half dozen movies based on the story with more having been influenced by it; there is a doom metal band called Bell Witch, and several songs by other musicians based on the tale. It has spawned other stories and even traveled in a slightly altered form to become folklore in Mississippi, where several Bell children settled in their adulthood.  The story itself is the story of the Bell family. In the very early years of the nineteenth century, John Bell Senior came to Robertson County, Tennessee with his wife, Lucy, and their young children. They settled along the Red River, near the modern town of Adams. Bell had been a barrel-maker in his youth, but had decided to turn to farming. He was quite successful in this, and by the time of his death, his farm would boast more than three hundred acres of land. He developed a good name for himself as well, and would eventually become an elder at the local church (though later he was excommunicated for unscrupulous business dealings). He had a good life along the Red River for well over a decade, he and his wife had nine children, and they were well-liked as a family.  The “family trouble”, as the Bells would one day call it, began late in 1817. In the earliest days of the haunting, a strange creature was spied around the Bell's farmland by a number of people. A strange mixture of dog, sometimes two-headed, and rabbit. It was large and dark and utterly unsettling. The Bell family's slave, Dean, saw this same creature, among other bizarre and supernatural sights, multiple times on his walks in the evening to visit his wife on a nearby farm. John Bell also reportedly saw the creature lurking around on occasion. In early 1818, seemingly supernatural activity had started within the farmhouse. The children would report hearing the sounds of rats gnawing on their bedposts in the night, but upon examination neither rat nor bite mark could be found. After this came knocking sounds and the heavy rattle of chains being dragged across their wooden floors. Sounds that all the family could hear. In time, the children would be bitten at and scratched and pinched by the air itself. Their bedsheets would be yanked off their bed as night. Pillows snatched from under their sleeping heads and thrown to the floor. John Bell Sr woke one day to find his mouth paralyzed. One of the most famous parts of this story, or perhaps infamous, is the treatment of the Bell's daughter, Betsy. All sources seem to agree that she was an uncommonly beautiful girl, and perhaps this is why the increasingly violent manifestations, allegedly those of a witch, centered around her. She was pinched and scratched more and worse than the other children, leaving her black and blue and bloody. Her hair was yanked and she was kept awake at night. She was abused and miserable. The family tried to relieve her suffering by having her stay with friends and family, but the abuse followed her wherever she went.  By contrast, the entity was utterly enchanted by Lucy Bell, the mother of the family. Lucy was a well-liked woman, but it seemed especially enthralled with her. It lavished her with adulation, brought her fruit and nuts when she was sick, and sang her praises. Author Pat Fitz Hugh quite correctly points out that this can hardly be called genuine kindness on the entity's part, given the emotional suffering Lucy would have endured in watching her family be harassed and abused. All the while, John Bell became sicker and sicker, and no one was sure what ailed him, or how to cure him of his mysterious malady. In desperation, the Bell family reached out to their good friend James Johnston for help. He and his wife agreed to spend a night in the Bell's home. Having been as harassed and abused as the Bells had been throughout the night, they agreed in the morning that it was an authentic, malicious spirit. Around this time, the entity began to whisper to them. Barely-heard snatches of a disembodied voice at first, and then growing in power as it appeared to be getting stronger and stronger. When asked who it was, it claimed at various times to be “Old Kate Batts' witch” (Kate Batts herself was alive and well; she allegedly had a sharp tongue and a wicked temper, and was said to actually be a witch).  At other times she was the spirit of a disturbed grave who had lost a tooth under the house (though no tooth was ever found).  On Another occasion, she claimed she was the ghost of a poor murdered peddler. And yet another time, the ghost of an immigrant who had buried treasure nearby (no treasure was ever found, despite the wild goose chase “Kate” led them on). It is said that in 1819 Andrew Jackson, the then army general who would go on to be the seventh president of the United States, had heard stories of the Bell Witch. Given that the Bell's sons had served under him, he chose to visit the farm itself to investigate. The beginning of this part of the story is the same in all versions -- Jackson and his men found their carriage wheels stuck fast on their way to the farm, and nothing they could do would loosen them. It was the work of the witch, who spoke to them: she would see General Jackson later that evening. The stories differ here: one version says that the general and his men went straight on past the farm house, never to meddle in such things again. The other, more heroic version, states that Jackson did indeed continue on to the Bell homestead.  While there, one of his men who claimed himself to be a “witch layer” was harassed and humiliated by the witch. Regardless, Jackson himself stayed the night, speaking with both the family and the witch herself long into the evening.  It is also said that 1819 was the year in which the witch began to threaten to kill “Old Jack” Bell, who was by this time incredibly weak and fading fast.  In 1820, this threat came to pass. John Bell Sr allegedly was fed a mysterious substance by the witch, after which he died. This substance was later tested on the poor family cat, who promptly died as well, leaving no doubt as to what sort of substance was in the bottle. The witch, not yet finished with “Old Jack”, sang ribald drinking songs loudly at his funeral to the family's dismay. The haunting did not immediately stop with John Bell's death. The following year, the Witch implored and nagged at Betsy until she called off her engagement to her fiance, promising to go away for seven years. Betsy did so, perhaps fearing that her love would die as her father had. The witch was, surprisingly, as good as her word.  The witch kept her word to return to the family, as well. She returned to Lucy and the boys in 1828. In some versions of the story they simply changed tact and chose to ignore her entirely rather than engage with the creature who had killed their father. Following this, she simply left. In other versions, she and the boys discussed philosophy and civilization, before she again left. In some versions, she told them she would return to their descendants in 107 years.  Interestingly there actually was a descendant of the family, a Dr. Bailey Bell who was alive 107 years later and was fascinated by the lore of the family witch. He wrote a book on the subject in 1934. If the witch did return to him in 1935 as promised, however, he went to his grave a decade later without telling anyone about it.  There may have been another return of the witch that hadn't been announced to the family: in 1868, somewhere near the Bell farm, a man named Mr. Smith claimed to have occult powers from the witch. Tom Clinard and Dick Burgess alleged that he had been practising witchcraft on them. They claimed that he had made them see old grey horses and hobgoblins in the night. They proclaimed proudly that if they could do it all again, they would kill him again. They had been attempting to arrest Smith for his use of witchcraft, leading to the conflict that resulted in Smith's death. They were found Not Guilty. In 1880, the Bell Witch's work was attributed to a haunted house in Tennessee, where clangs and bangs were heard, but no speech from the witch as with the Bell family. There were accusations of fakery, none of which were solidly proven.  There's also the Bell Witch Cave. The cave exists on what was once the Bell's property, and in COVID-free times is open to the public. It doesn't have a place in the original story, but since that time it HAS been and continues to be, the site of numerous phenomena. The Witch herself once rescued a young boy in the cave who had gotten stuck, and it's said that the cave was where she resided when she wasn't tormenting the Bell family.  Our primary source of information for the inside happenings of the Bell Witch haunting is a book published in 1894 by Martin Van Buren Ingram, called An Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch. Ingram calls himself a compiler of data in the preface of the book, some of which was “written by Williams Bell, a member of the family, some fifty-six years ago, together with other corroborative testimony by men and women of irreproachable character and unquestionable veracity.” Ingram himself makes reference to news articles of the day, none of which survive. The legend survives through oral tradition as well. In addition to the stories still told in Tennessee, the tale of the Bell witch made its way to Mississippi, with some of the names and motivations changed, where it's still told today. The young heroine of the story is now called Mary, and a love story has been added, but the story remains very much intact.  Pat Fitzhugh brings up the possibility of John Bell Sr's illness and death being due to a neurological disorder, rather than the evil work of the witch (however much and loudly she took credit for it at the time). The science of neurology, despite the concepts being two hundred years old, was still very much in its infancy in the 1820s. It would be 50 years before electrodes would be used to study neurology, and all the advances that they would bring. Bell's symptoms mirror those we now know to be those of neurological illness, though of course without the patient to examine there's no way to know for sure. Skeptic Joe Nickell believes it possible that the whole haunting was a hoax perpetrated by Betsy, as another example of “poltergeist faking syndrome”. Ingram himself admits that two of the Bell brothers took frequent boat trips down to New Orleans around 1815 - 1818, where they learned ventriloquism, which they then taught to their sister Betsy. Certainly the timing of the early days of the hauntings lines up with the acquisition of their new talent. Ingram himself does not believe this theory to be true, pointing out that the hauntings brought no good to the family.  It's impossible to say whether this was a legitimate haunting or an elaborate trick that coincided with the neurological illness of John Bell Sr., ending in his death. All witnesses have been dead for well over a century, and the original farm house fell into ruin long, long ago. All we can do is speculate, and wonder if the world will hear from “Old Kate Batts' witch” again one day. 

BECOME A PRODUCER! http://www.patreon.com/themidnighttrainpodcast   Find The Midnight Train Podcast: www.themidnighttrainpodcast.com www.facebook.com/themidnighttrainpodcast www.twitter.com/themidnighttrainpc www.instagram.com/themidnighttrainpodcast www.discord.com/themidnighttrainpodcast www.tiktok.com/themidnighttrainp   And wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.   Subscribe to our official YouTube channel: OUR YOUTUBE   Ep. 106 Creepy West Virginia   Today's episode takes us to a place that birthed one of your lovely hosts. We're not talking about hell, we're talking about the great state of West Virginia. That's right Jon was put forth into this world from good ol' West Virginia. In fact we're pretty sure Isaiah might be my grandpappy.  For those of you that are from out of the country or from the US and don't know much about West Virginia, we're gonna talk about the history of West Virginia and then get into the creepy!    The area now known as West Virginia was a favorite hunting ground of numerous Native American peoples before the arrival of European settlers. Many ancient earthen mounds constructed by various mound builder cultures survive, especially in the areas of Moundsville, South Charleston, and Romney. The artifacts uncovered in these give evidence of a village society having a tribal trade system culture that practiced the cold working of copper to a limited extent. As of 2009, over 12,500 archaeological sites have been documented in West Virginia. The Adena provided the greatest cultural influence in the state. For practical purposes, the Adena is the Early Woodland period From the years of about 1000 B.C. to about 1 A.D. according to West Virginia University's Dr. Edward V. McMichael.    In 1671, General Abraham Wood, at the direction of Royal Governor William Berkeley of the Virginia Colony, sent the party of Thomas Batts and Robert Fallum into the West Virginia area. During this expedition the pair followed the New River and discovered Kanawha Falls.   The Treaty of Albany, 1722, designated the Blue Ridge Mountains as the western boundary of white settlement, and recognized Iroquois rights on the west side of the ridge, including all of West Virginia. The Iroquois made little effort to settle these parts, but nonetheless claimed them as their hunting ground, as did other tribes, notably the Shawnee and Cherokee. Soon after this, white settlers began moving into the Greater Shenandoah-Potomac Valley making up the entire eastern portion of the State and just fucking everything up for everyone one. They found it largely unoccupied, apart from Tuscaroras who had lately moved into the area around Martinsburg, WV, some Shawnee villages in the region around Moorefield, WV and Winchester, VA, and frequent passing bands of "Northern Indians" (Lenape from New Jersey) and "Southern Indians" (Catawba from South Carolina) who were engaged in a bitter long-distance war, using the Valley as a battleground.   Orange County, Virginia was formed in 1734. It included all areas west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, constituting all of present West Virginia. However, in 1736 the Iroquois Six Nations protested Virginia's colonization beyond the demarcated Blue Ridge, and a skirmish was fought in 1743. The Iroquois were on the point of threatening all-out war against the Virginia Colony over the "Cohongoruton lands", which would have been destructive and devastating, when Governor Gooch bought out their claim for 400 pounds at the Treaty of Lancaster (1744).   During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, a growing demand for beaver sent trappers up and down the Kanawha region's tributary creeks by canoe and raft. Trading posts were established at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers at Point Pleasant, West Virginia where, in the mid 1780s, Daniel Boone resided for several years. Likewise, St. Albans, West Virginia, at the confluence of the Kanawha and Coal Rivers, became a point of trade. In the late 18th century, the steel trap increased efficiency, and beaver became scarce. A shift to exporting the state's other natural resources began. Kanawha salt production followed by coal and timber could be seen on the waterways.The logging industry furthered the river shipping industry. A horse-drawn logging "tram" with a special block & tackle for hill-side harvesting was brought into use, allowing expansion of Crooked Creek and the opening of a wooden barrel plant at the creek's mouth. In the 1880s, this tram and other steam machinery were used for collecting timber used as railroad ties in the railway construction along the Kanawha river. Railroad spurs were built throughout West Virginia, connecting mines to the riverboats, barges and coal-tipples.   In 1861, as the United States itself became massively divided over slavery, leading to the American Civil War (1861–1865), the western regions of Virginia split with the eastern portion politically, and the two were never reconciled as a single state again. In 1863, the western region was admitted to the Union as a new separate state, initially planned to be called the State of Kanawha, but ultimately named West Virginia.   When the First Wheeling Convention met, 425 delegates from 25 counties were present, but a division of sentiment soon arose. Some delegates favored the immediate formation of a new state, while others argued that, as Virginia's secession had not yet been ratified or become effective, such action would constitute revolution against the United States.[16] It was decided that if the ordinance were adopted (of which there was little doubt) another convention including the members-elect of the legislature should meet at Wheeling in June 1861. Even before the American Civil War, counties in northwest Virginia had desired to break away from Virginia to form a new state. However, the federal Constitution did not allow a new state to be created out of an existing state unless the existing state gave its consent. Soon after the Union government declared that the Restored Government was the legitimate government of the Commonwealth, the Restored Government asserted its authority to give such approval. It authorized the creation of the State of Kanawha, consisting of most of the counties that now comprise West Virginia. A little over one month later, Kanawha was renamed West Virginia. The Wheeling Convention, which had taken a recess until August 6, 1861, reassembled on August 20, 1861, and called for a popular vote on the formation of a new state and for a convention to frame a constitution if the vote should be favorable. In the election held on October 24, 1861, 18,408 votes were cast for the new state and only 781 against. At this time, West Virginia had nearly 70,000 qualified voters, and the May 23, 1861 vote to secede had drawn nearly 54,000 voters. At first the Wheeling politicians controlled only a small part of West Virginia. However Federal forces soon drove the Confederates out of most of West Virginia. On May 13, 1862, the state legislature of the reorganized government approved the formation of the new state. An application for admission to the Union was made to Congress. On December 31, 1862, an enabling act was approved by President Lincoln, admitting West Virginia on the condition that a provision for the gradual abolition of slavery be inserted in the Constitution. President Lincoln issued a proclamation admitting the state at the end of 60 days, on June 20, 1863. Meanwhile, officers for the new state were chosen, and Governor Pierpont moved the Restored Government to Alexandria from which he asserted jurisdiction over the counties of Virginia within the Federal lines.  In recent years, there has been serious talk about the possibility of certain counties in the Eastern Panhandle rejoining the Commonwealth of Virginia. Frustrated by bad economic conditions and what they perceive to be neglect from the Charleston government, this movement has gained at least some momentum. In 2011, West Virginia state delegate Larry Kump sponsored legislation to allow Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties to rejoin Virginia by popular vote.                  So there's a somewhat abbreviated history of west Virginia and it's formation.  I know it may not seem abbreviated but there's a long history to the area and we wanted to hit the big points to keep our passengers better informed! So with the history of the region told… Let's get into why we are all here… The creepy shit!!!   Our first stop on the creepy West Virginia tour starts at a place of much fun and enjoyment, an amusement park! Well, what used to be an amusement park anyway. We are heading to Mercer county and a visit to Lake Shawnee Amusement park.  The southern West Virginia park was abandoned in 1966, after the accidental deaths of two of its young patrons. But it seems Lake Shawnee's haunted history reaches much farther back. Mercer County was home to a Native American tribe until 1783, when a European family's attempt to settle the land sparked a violent turf war. The patriarch of the family was a farmer named Mitchell Clay, according to the Wyoming County Report. While he was out hunting, a band of Native Americans reportedly killed his youngest son, Bartley Clay. A daughter, Tabitha, was knifed to death in the struggle. Eldest son Ezekial was kidnapped and burned at the stake. Mitchell Clay enlisted the help of other white settlers to seek vengeance for his family. After burying his children, he murdered several of the Native Americans. Centuries later, in the 1920s, a businessman named Conley T. Snidow purchased the site of the Clay farm and developed it into an amusement park. He built a swing set, a ferris wheel, a water slide, a dance hall, and a speakeasy. He also added a pond and swimming hole, complete with canoes.A little girl in a pink ruffled dress met her end after climbing into the circling swing set. She was killed after a truck backed into the path of the swing. Another little one, this time a boy, drowned in the amusement park's swimming pond. According to Visit West Virginia, the park's rides were responsible for a total of six deaths. The park eventually shut down, but its structures were left to rot and rust. After 20 years, another businessman approached Lake Shawnee. Gaylord White thought the sleepy meadows seemed ideal for future neighborhoods. But, as construction crews tore into grass and soil, they unearthed bones and Native American artifacts.   It turned out the amusement park sat atop an ancient burial ground. And most of the skeletons belonged to children. Archaeologists believe the remains had been there long before settlers moved west. So with that history in mind is it any wonder Lake Shawnee ranks as one of the Travel Channel's “Most Terrifying Places in America.” ABC goes even further. Their experts declared the property one of the “10 Most Haunted Places in the World.” So what kind of stuff happens here? Well, let's find out. There is no shortage of strange stories coming from visitors like people getting horrible vibes, seeing ghosts, or feeling the presence of evil spirits. Scariest Places on Earth filmed there in 2005. However, none of the psychics would work on the property at night, claiming that the energy was so dark it was making them sick. Swimming is no longer allowed on the property but, of course, there are still those idiots that try it anyways. Many reports day that while attempting to swim it felt as if someone, or something, was trying to pull the people down into the water and drown them. There are tons of reports of seeing the ghost of a little girl playing on the old swings. Most people agree that it must be the ghost of the little girl in the pink dress. There are also reports of people seeing ghostly children playing by the ferris wheel. Some report the sounds of children laughing or Natives chanting. And then there Moody's favorite, the conversion stand food! Well not exactly, there's no conversion stand anymore but people have stated that they can still smell the concession stand foods aroma in the air. Then there are the shadowy figures that many will say they are on the old ferris wheel and swing rides still adorning the park. When the Discovery Channel filmed, Chris White, descendant of Gaylord White, says one of its investigators got stuck in the old ticket booth and went into such a panic she had to go to the hospital in Princeton. “She couldn't get out and she was yelling for help,” he said.   “It was a push door and she was pushing.”   White won't speak of any personal “creepy” Lake Shawnee experiences. He does, however, say his father had an encounter with the little girl who lost her life on the swings 49 years ago.   “Dad was on the tractor mowing the field and he kept feeling a weight on his shoulders,” White said. “He didn't know what it was, so one day he felt the weight and he turned around and the little girl from the swings was there. She was in a ruffled dress and she just appeared. He wasn't scared, but the only thing he could think of was, ‘Well, if you like this tractor so much, I'm going to give it to you.'   “So he got off of it and left it sitting there. It's still sitting where he left it in the late ‘90s.”    Creepy shit for sure!   So where to next you ask? Well, how about the Silver Run Tunnel #19 near Cairo WV. Silver Run Tunnel is located along the North Bend Rail Trail. Before the Civil War, the Rail Trail was–as the name implies–a railroad. According to West Virginia State Parks, the railroad was sold in the '80s, and construction of the recreation trail as it now began. The trail stretches 72 miles and has 10 tunnels. The tunnel in this legend is also known as Tunnel #19. According to BridgeHunter.com, the tunnel is 1,376 feet long. Locals say that the tunnel is almost permanently damp and foggy. The tunnel is home to the legend of the lady in the white dress. The legend of the lady in the white dress goes that she was a bride who was riding on a train with her groom, and either she was pushed or fell from the train and died.   One early account guess as follows: In 1910, a young engineer was making the 169 mile midnight westbound express run along the Baltimore and Ohio tracks starting in Grafton and heading toward Clarksburg and then, Parkersburg. When the engineer came upon the short stretch of railway at the entrance to Tunnel #19, in the light of the moon and headlights, he saw a woman in a pale dress with raven-colored hair and golden slippers walking along the tracks. Horrified he would hit her, he tried desperately to stop the train by throwing the brakes into emergency. He could not stop in time.   The engineer would later report to watchmen at the Smithburg Tunnel about 36 miles west that he and the fireman jumped from the train, but a layer of fog on the tracks seemed to swallow up the pale lady. Crazy shit!    “And there's a saying that goes along with the tunnel. If you watch the trains, and the train slows down, they see the ghost, and the engineer has never seen the white lady before, but if the engineer just barrels on through the tunnel, he has had an experience with the ghost, and he's not going to take it anymore,” explained Jason Burns, a West Virginia storyteller, “Because the ghost has a habit of standing in the tracks, and when the train stops to check if it has run over somebody, there is no one there. So the engineer gets ticked off that he has stopped his train for this person who is obviously a ghost, and so they would just barrel through the tunnel as fast as they can next time, so they don't have to worry about it.” In one particular instance, an engineer stopped his train a few times, thinking he might have run over somebody. Like the other engineers, the man decided to go quickly through the tunnel to avoid falling for her trick again.   “Well, on the way to the next town, usually there's people waving at the trains along the tracks anyways at this time period, but he starts noticing that there was an inordinately large amount of people following his train, and some of them are on horseback, and some of them were yelling and waving crazily,” said Burns, “When he finally gets to the town, Proper, and stops his train, there's this group of people that has literally followed him most of the way down the train tracks, and they're like, ‘Where is she?' and he's like, ‘Where is who?' and they said, ‘The lady,' and he was like, ‘What lady?' and they said, ‘The lady in the white dress,' and he said, ‘you mean the ghost back in the tunnel?' They said, ‘No, the ghost that was riding your cow catcher for the past two and a half miles.' Apparently, the ghost had a sense of humor because she was allegedly sitting on the cowcatcher of the train, and if people were standing by watching the train go past, she was waving at them.”   And now for something completely different… Except for not! We're gonna stick with tunnels and head to Dingess tunnel! Dingess is an unincorporated community in Mingo County, West Virginia. The community was named after William Anderson Dingess, a pioneer settler. As of 1894, Dingess contained two hotels, eight boarding houses, four restaurants, four groceries, four sawmills, and a school with two teachers and about 100 students. 133 coal miners lived in Dingess. The community once garnered a reputation for being a lawless land. From 1900 to 1972, approximately seventeen lawmen were shot to death in the area which stretches fifteen miles along Twelve Pole Creek. The Dingess Tunnel was built in 1892 for the Norfolk and Western Railroad, largely by African American and Chinese immigrant workers. Legend has it that residents of Dingess, who didn't take kindly to outsiders, used to hide in the hills just outside the tunnel and shoot any dark skinned passengers aboard the train, according to internet reports. No records were kept but it's estimated that hundreds of black and Chinese workers died. In addition to the murders, workers also died during construction, and at least two trains collided on the tracks there, causing more deaths. These crimes and accidents still haunt the area and earned the tunnel its terrible nickname: "Bloody Mingo." The dark history of the tunnel loaned itself well to macabre tales told during Halloween. Eventually, the stories grew, and the celebrations turned horrific. Almost as if the area proved once again to be untamable, the youths of the town took to mischief. They would spend Halloween night building bonfires in the middle of the tunnel. With the smoke pouring out, the town itself was virtually blocked off from outside assistance. The tunnel served to keep the residents locked in for the night. From there, the nightmare continued. There would be rocks thrown through windows, buildings and vehicles set on fire, and other acts of damaging mischief. The dirty deeds would carry on throughout the night, but by the following day, things returned to normal. It was like a real life “Purge” movie. In recent years this activity has for the most part gone away, but many of the locals still tell stories of those horrific nights. Sabrina Daniels, known locally as the “Mountain Medium,” and a host of others interested in the paranormal happenings at the tunnel including the “Relate with Nate” television crew, a local news show, hoped to make contact with that energy during a recent investigation at the infamous 3,327-foot tunnel. Countless times they entered in, both on foot and in vehicles, to the dark, dank, stone tube cut through the hill. Countless times they called on the spirits within to make them aware of their presence as they dealt with leaking water and enhanced echoing of even the quietest voice. And, if the evidence is any indication, countless times they were successful.  “I can feel the emotions of the souls here,” Daniels  said while taking a break between one of the many trips in and out of the tunnel on the night of the ghost hunt. “I feel sadness, but I felt peace with them. I didn't feel any doom or anything, except in the middle (of the tunnel). What I felt there wasn't anything that has tasted life. There's a difference there. I've always felt the negative energy through the middle.” since things went down that they claim were paranormal. A light flickered, then came on and shut off, seemingly by itself here. Strange audio picked up through the wireless mics there. The sound of a train whistle, although no railroad line is anywhere in the immediate vicinity, echoed through its expanse. Eerie images caught on photos taken within the tunnel's claustrophobic walls showing what appear to be flames rising up from beneath. What appeared to be shadows of workmen, perhaps even the image of a lantern in what could be construed as the window of a train show up in the far distance. As the crew nears the tunnel's midsection, all notice an extreme and sudden drop in temperature, a tell-tale sign of the presence of poltergeists, or what the locals refer to as “haints.” So yea another creepy tunnel. I guess it makes sense there are a bunch of creepy haunted tunnels given the fact that there are mountains everywhere in WV.   Next up is a bird… It's a plane...it's a uh...UFO? We are talking about the Flatwoods monster! The encounter made the local and national news, scaring a wider swath of people. Then it prompted a U.S. Air Force UFO inquiry, part of a project called Project Blue Book that dispatched a handful of investigators around the country to look into such claims. The May brothers Ed, 13, and Freddie, 12, had been playing in their schoolyard with their 10-year-old friend Tommy Hyer. After noticing a pulsing red light streak across the sky and crash on a nearby farm, the three youngsters ran to grab the Mays boys' mother, then high-tailed it up that hill to check out where the light had landed. A few other boys, one with a dog, showed up too.   They ran back down—in sheer and credible terror.    “Seven Braxton County residents on Saturday reported seeing a 10-foot Frankenstein-like monster in the hills above Flatwoods,” a local newspaper reported afterward. “A National Guard member, [17-year-old] Gene Lemon, was leading the group when he saw what appeared to be a pair of bright eyes in a tree.”   Lemon screamed and fell backward, the news account said, “when he saw a 10-foot monster with a blood-red body and a green face that seemed to glow.” It may have had claws for hands. It was hard to tell because of the dense mist. Lemon said he aimed a flashlight in that direction and momentarily saw a tall "man-like figure with a round, red face surrounded by a pointed, hood-like shape". The group said they had smelled a "pungent mist" and some later said they were nauseated.    “Those people were the most scared people I've ever seen,” said local newspaper publisher A. Lee Stewart, in that 1952 news story. Stewart himself had marched up that hill with a shotgun after witnesses told what they saw. “People don't make up that kind of story that quickly,” Stewart said then.   According to UFO writer Gray Barker's account, the next day, A. Lee Stewart, Jr. of the Braxton Democrat claimed to discover "skid marks" in the field and an "odd, gummy deposit" which were subsequently attributed by UFO enthusiast groups as evidence of a "saucer" landing.   After investigating the case in 2000, Joe Nickell of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry concluded that the bright light in the sky reported by the witnesses on September 12 was most likely a meteor, that the pulsating red light was likely an aircraft navigation/hazard beacon, and that the creature described by witnesses closely resembled an owl. Nickell suggested that witnesses' perceptions were distorted by their heightened state of anxiety. Nickell's conclusions are shared by a number of other investigators, including those of the Air Force.    Fuck that… It was a UFO and an alien. We all know this! In celebration of the legend, the Braxton County Convention and Visitors Bureau built a series of five tall chairs in the shape of the monster to serve as landmarks and visitor attractions. The town of Sutton also houses a museum dedicated to the monster legend and offers promotional merchandise.    Now you're gonna need some place to stay while checking out all these creepy things… So why not a creepy hotel? How about the Glen Ferris Inn? The Glen Ferris Inn began its life in 1839 when Andrew Stockton received a license to operate a "common room" to cater to the stagecoach traffic through the area.  Prior to that year, the site probably contained a home as early as 1810, which at some point partially burned, and was reconstructed as Stockton's Inn.   In 1853, the common room expanded into what is now the Glen Ferris Inn.  During the Civil War, soldiers from both sides stayed at the inn, as did two future presidents of the United States.  It is rumored that the home even served as a makeshift Civil War hospital between 1863 and 1865.   After the war, aluminum production began in the area, and Union Carbide purchased the inn, expanding it with a 10 room wing in 1929.  Additions were built in the 1960s and again in the 1980s, before a local family purchased the inn from Elkem Metals in 1996.    The inn is thought to be haunted by a ghost of a Confederate soldier with a long beard, nicknamed The Colonel. He is a friendly and playful ghost, known to close doors behind people, make the birdbath water bubbly and frothy, and walk around with audible footsteps. His apparition has been seen from the waist up.   In 2018, a young couple stayed several days there and planned to have breakfast with the day manager when they were departing. The manager was told by the desk clerk that the couple departed in haste at 4:30 that morning and left an apology for missing the planned breakfast. The reason?   They had awakened in the night and saw a man with a long beard who was wearing what appeared to be a uniform sitting in a chair across the room.   Another story we found goes as follows: " I have worked there in the past (2002) and it was one of the experiences that I had that caused me to quit on the spot. I was a waitress in the dining room and it was around 7:30pm. There was no one in the dining area when I first looked but all of a sudden a little boy in a grey civil war type suit was sitting at one of the tables. I walked over to him and asked him if he was waiting for someone and he shook his head no. I asked if I could get him something and he said in almost a whisper "chocolate milk, ma'am" I walked into the kitchen and got his milk, brought it back to the table and he was gone. I asked the cook if he had seen anyone come in and he said that he didn't, so I then went up front and asked the desk clerk if she seen anyone and she said no as well. I realized that it was a ghost kid. I told my manager that I was done, I couldn't deal with ghosts, grabbed my stuff, and high-tailed it out of there as fast as I could."   Creepy! Sounds like a place you should check out. Apparently their rolls are fucking fantastic.. So there is that too.   What creepy place would be complete without a Creepy road! Well West Virginia has route 901. West Virginia Route 901 is a 5.5 mile stretch through farmland in Berkeley County. Formerly known as County Route 3, locals are familiar with this short state highway. However, it has been immortalized in publications like Haunted West Virginia: Ghosts & Strange Phenomena of the Mountain State as a destination full of ghostly activity. The area wasn't a battle site, but may have been a campsite for soldiers during the Civil War.        In the recent past a couple was driving Route 901 near Spring Mills Plantation late one evening in October. Near Harlan Run the couple entered a bank of fog and the interior of the car became quite cold. The fog began to take on a greenish hue and suddenly, the car came to a stop; the engine went dead and the headlights shut off. The couple was left in cold, silent darkness.   From out of the darkness the couple was stunned to see the form of a bedraggled Confederate soldier appear. He held his back as if he'd been wounded and he appeared to notice the couple as he neared the front of their car. With a thump he laid his hands on the hood and peered pleadingly before collapsing leaving bloody handprints on the car. The husband opened his door and walked to the front of the car to help the pathetic figure who now lay prone in the roadway. When he reached out to the poor soldier the figure disappeared along with the bloody handprints. The couple quickly left vowing never to drive that stretch of road in the dark. Another plus about this road is the fact that the Hammond Mansion is located there. The Hammond Mansion was built between 1838 and 1845, and was home to Dr. Allen C. Hammond and his family.  It was an L-shaped brick federal style building.  It is rumored that another family lived on the property in the 1700s, but was attacked by bears.   The Hammonds were among the few Confederate supporters in an area which was largely under Union occupation.  While Dr. Hammond and his sons were off fighting in the War (his son George was with Company B 1st Virginia Confederate Calvary and died during the war), the ladies remained in the home.   Legend states that during this time, the ladies shot, sniper-style, several Union soldiers.  As a result, the ladies were captured and locked into the brick, windowless slave shack on the property.  The order was given to get rid of the women, meaning to take them out of the area, but the order was misinterpreted, and indeed, the women were gotten rid of.  Fire was set to the slave shack, killing them all.   Also during this era, the home served as a Civil War hospital.  When a typhoid epidemic broke out, victims were sent here, and quarantined on the summer porch.   In 1978, a fire gutted the home, leaving little more than a brick shell.  In its state of disrepair, the home became a favorite shelter for the homeless population, and one vagrant did freeze to death in the area of the summer kitchen.   It  is this homeless man, and the women who tragically died in the fire, who are said to still roam the grounds of the mansion.   The house WAS eventually restored, and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Spring Mills Historic District, listed as for sale.  Also in the district is another haunted location, the Stephens-Hammond Mill at Falling Waters.  It is said that the mill, once used by Gen. Jackson, was home to ghostly lights and sounds coming from the second and third stories of the mill, even though the floors of the upper levels were rotted away.  The mill is now torn down. So there you get a nice little 2 for 1!   We're gonna throw some quick hitters in here for ya now!    Screaming Jenny: Legend,  has it that Jenny, a poor woman with no family, lived in a shed along the B&O Railroad in Harpers Ferry. She barely had enough money to eat, and the shed stayed cold during the winter months. One day in late autumn Jenny was drinking broth over a fire and trying to stay warm. She was so focused on the broth that she didn't notice a spark had flown up from the fire and caught her skirt on fire. Her skin started to burn, she leapt up and threw the rest of the broth onto the flames, but it did little to put it out. She began to run along the train tracks to Harpers Ferry station, trying to find someone to help her, but it wasn't long until her entire body was alight with fire. Overwhelmed and screaming in pain, she mistakenly rushed onto the tracks, when a train came around the corner and ran her over. To this day, every year on the anniversary of her death, an engineer has rounded the corner to the station and seen a women completely on fire and seems to be hit by the train. When the train stops, there's nobody there! It's now one of the most haunted places in West Virginia!   The Red House is an imposing 2.5 story brick structure located in Eleanor, WV.  The original structure was built around 1840 by the Ruffner family, but there is reason to believe that the house may have actually been built as early as 1825.  The house, with its converted slave quarters and North and South Wings added by the Federal Government during the 1930s, now is home to the Eleanor Town Hall offices.  The right (North) wing, serves as the town hall section, while the left wing (South) serves as the Homestead Room, available for rent for parties, meetings, etc.  The original middle section of the house is being readied for a future museum dedicated to its New Deal Homestead history.   The town of Eleanor took possession of the Red House, or Ruffner House as it is commonly called, in January of 2001.  Earliest records from the Eleanor town website say that the structure was home to the Samuel Earl Gibeaut family in the 1890s.  In the 1920s, it was owned by Frank Fitzsimmons, then passed to his brother Chris and family.  While Chris and his family briefly moved out of state, a family of Boldens lived in the Red House.  Chris returned to the home, and then sometime it was acquired by the C.H. King family.  C.H. King and his wife Ruth had a large family and farmed the land.  The King family was living on the property at the time of the New Deal, and the home was acquired by the Federal Government.  In 1946, the government deeded the title over to the Washington Homesteads for use as an administration building, and later, it came into possession of Dr. Lyle Moser.   With a long and somewhat incomplete history as to ownership of the house, legends of this structure abound.  One legend states that a slave was murdered on the uppermost staircase landing.  Another legend states that tunnels run from the house to the nearby Kanawha River, as part of an Underground Railroad stop.  To date, evidence of such tunnels has never been found.  However, one legend DOES seem to make itself known to employees and visitors.  That legend is the ghostly overseer, protector, or guardian angel of the Red House.  Employees have dubbed him "Sam," and say that Sam likes to be heard, but not seen.   In recent years, however, it appears as if Sam, or perhaps some other resident ghost, DOES like to be seen!  Eleanor citizens walking along the town's sidewalks past dusk have been reporting seeing a man standing in one of the upper windows of the Red House.   Next…   The Captain's House, located on Juliana Street in Parkersburg's historic district, was built by George Deming, prior to 1860.  George was born in Connecticut in 1806, and was an accomplished Master Mariner.  Shortly before the Civil War, Deming left New England, and took his young family to Parkersburg, where he built at least two homes.   This home, sometimes referred to as the "Markey House," is the oldest, and is built in a classic New England style, with a small front yard, and narrow halls and a low ceiling, reminiscent of a ship.   Deming passed away in 1861, possibly due to the typhoid epidemic which was sweeping the area.  Deming's young son also passed away sometime during this time period.  Both are buried two blocks from the house in the Riverview Cemetery.  Deming's gravestone has an elaborate ship carving, and along with his birth and death dates bears the claim that he is a direct descendant of Myles Standish.  Unfortunately, the son's stone is too worn to accurately see the dates or name.   It is believed that  since Deming was in his 50s at his time of death, yet he had several young children, his wife was probably much younger.  There are no records of any other Deming's in the cemetery, so it is believed that she moved away shortly after the death of her husband and son, and remarried.   The Captain's Home has since then acquired a reputation for being haunted.  Rumors abound that subsequent owners have been driven mad while living in the home, which has undergone extensive renovations over the years.  While these rumors seem largely unsubstantiated, the home still has paranormal activity associated with it.  Workers restoring the home reported seeing a child's footprints in the dust in the attic, although no children lived in the home at the time. The dust was cleared, and several months later, the footsteps would reappear, although no children had even set foot in the closed off section.   Another strange anomaly seems to be the glow of a fire reflected in the home's windows.  People looking at the window see the reflection of orange flames whipping about, and other weird light anomalies, which are attributed to the Captain's pipe burning.   Oddly enough, the Captain isn't confined to his former home.  Residents have seen his apparition in various parts of town, often walking with his head down, and wearing a black overcoat.  He is seen at times in Riverview Cemetery, and some claim, even in the Blennerhassett Hotel.   Gotta have a bridge story right? The town of Wheeling, among other attributes, boasts the longest single span stone bridge in the United States.  The famous bridge:  The Main Street Bridge, constructed between 1890 and 1892.  Some sources say that bridge was constructed to replace an earlier bridge, one built in the 1840s.  There isn't much there to confirm this though.   In any event, the building or rebuilding in the late 1800s was quite a spectacle for the townspeople.  In an effort to enforce safety, a sign was erected which read "Danger! No one is allowed to loaf on this bridge by order of the Board of Public Works."  Pat Weir, the city's watchman, was giving the task of policing the bridge, and dealt with more than one smart-alec who insisted that they were loafing on their own free will, and not by order of the Board of Public Works, thus, it was okay for them to be there.   Whatever diligence was taken to ensure safety unfortunately couldn't prevent at least one fatal accident from occurring.  Dominick Carey, a contractor from the Paige, Carey & Co. of New York apparently fell from the bridge while heavy stones were being moved.  It has been theorized that the scaffolding gave way, and Carey fell into the icy Wheeling Creek, which feeds the Ohio River, being swept away.     Carey's body was never found, but that doesn't mean he was never heard from again...Witnesses say they encounter the apparition of the unlucky contractor on the bridge, as well as another possible spirit.    Allegedly, either the new bridge or the bridge it supposedly replaced, saw another tragic accident.  A gentleman leading a team of horses across the bridge stopped to fix a loosened hitch.  When he dismounted, he spooked his own horses, and they trampled him to death.  Witnesses have reported being approached by a man who asks "Have you seen my horses?"   Ok one more for you and we'll wrap this up! This next one is a little church with some cool stories. St. Colman Catholic Church is located about 15 miles away from Hinton, in an area of Irish Mountain named Sullivan's Knob.  Maurice Sullivan was the first settler in the area, purchasing 435 acres of land from the Gwinn Family in 1855.  The following year he was joined by the Quinlan family, and then several other Irish families.  Together, they turned the small, isolated community into a thriving Irish farm settlement.   The community  was largely of the Roman Catholic faith, and church services were held in private homes, provided once a month by a traveling preacher from St. Patrick's in Hinton.  The community pushed for a church of their own, and in 1876, Sullivan deeded over 1 acre of land to Bishop Joseph J. Kain for use as a church and a cemetery.  The cemetery unfortunately came first, as in that same year, John Quinlan passed away and was buried on the grounds.   The church was built the following year and consisted of a hewn log structure.  The cemetery is unique in that it has a "Lost Souls" corner for unbaptized babies.  The name St. Colman comes from a Gaelic saint, and the church became known as the "little Catholic church on Irish Mountain."   The church never did gain its own preacher, and continued to receive services through St. Patrick's in Hinton.  In 1928, the church was refurbished.  Clapboard painted white was erected over the hewed logs.  In 1983 it became a registered historical site.   Visitors to the church in recent years have reported unexplained cold spots and cold mists that are actually seen.  Some have reported these cold mists will take an almost human shape, and that sometimes they will stop and pause on pews by visitors, as if sitting beside them.    Paranormal groups have investigated and found numerous things. There are stories of small children's ghosts in the lost souls area of the graveyard. They also report sounds of children crying or laughing. There are stories of objects like balls being moved. Again stories of figures sitting in the pews. Sounds like a cool creepy little place.    So with all those stories you may be wondering why we didn't talk about the more well known haunts like Harpers Ferry or the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic asylum and others like that. Well if you've listened to our other creepy episodes you'll know we like to find less talked about stuff to explore. With the history of this state going back as far as it does and all the strife and hotties of the civil war in the area, it's no wonder there are tons and tons of creepy and supposedly haunted places in west Virginia. We are definitely coming back for seconds here and we actually have a couple of the spots in this state on our actual list of episodes, so we'll definitely be back to West Virginia.    Top ten horror movies set in west Virginia   https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=west-virginia

In this episode the team discusses the odd phenomenon of spontaneous human combustion.Sources for this episode -wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Michael_Fahertywikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_human_combustion #cite-note-Yotam Aviram-9wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelia_Zangheri_Bandi“Ley lines,” article in the Wikipedia website, 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ley_linesSecrets of the Supernatural, Joe Nickell (with John F. Fischer), 1988 Prometheus Books. ISBN: 0879756853, 978087975685“On the Combustion of the Human Body, produced by the long and immoderate Use of Spirituous Liquors,” by Pierre-Aime Lair, article in The Philosophical Magazine, Vol. VI, March 1800, London, England. Pgs. 132-146. Online: https://books.google.com/books?id=m2D7VC8H7BcC&pg=RA1-PA132&dq=%22On+the+Combustion+of+the+Human+Body,+produced+by+the+long+and+immoderate+Use+of+Spirituous+Liquors%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwibzZaF-6bbAhXTNn0KHfb2D8QQ6AEILTAB#v=onepage&q=%22On%20the%20Combustion%20of%20the%20Human%20Body%2C%20produced%20by%20the%20long%20and%20immoderate%20Use%20of%20Spirituous%20Liquors%22&f=false

Roz Morris - The Enfield Poltergeist is the name given to seemingly supernatural activity at 284 Green Street, a council house in Brimsdown, Enfield, England between 1977 and 1979 involving two sisters, aged 11 and 13. Some members of the Society for Psychical Research such as inventor Maurice Grosse and writer Guy Lyon Playfair believed the haunting to be genuine, while others such as Anita Gregory and John Beloff were "unconvinced" and found evidence the girls had faked incidents for the benefit of reporters. Members of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, including stage magicians such as Milbourne Christopher, Joe Nickell and Bob Couttie, reviewed the case and criticised paranormal investigators for being overly credulous whilst also identifying features of the case as being indicative of a hoax. Roz Morris has many years' experience as a broadcaster and media trainer. She co-founded TV News London in 1992 and is an accredited trainer for the Independent Television Association. She has been a news reporter, newsreader and programme presenter for BBC TV, ITN, Thames TV, and Tyne Tees TV, where she was the first woman in the North East of England to be the regular presenter of the weekly political and business programme. She also worked as a correspondent for BBC Scotland, based in Edinburgh, and for RTE (Irish national radio and TV) as a London Correspondent. She has been a reporter and presenter for LBC/IRN and BBC Radio News, a feature writer for the Evening Standard and a staff reporter and feature writer for The Observer and The Guardian, where she was the youngest reporter on both papers. As well as being a leading media trainer, she is currently a blogger for TV News London and the Huffington Post UK on media matters.

Have you ever encountered a terrifying shadowy presence looming over the foot of your bed? Was he wearing a hat? In this episode Cat and Rebecca talk about their experiences with sleep paralysis and chat about a documentary that explores the phenomenon through the lens of several different cultures. If you've woken up unable to move and seen something terrifying whether it's an old hag, a ghost, a batlike creature with terrible claws or an alien wielding a probe you'll know how real it feels, but is it? Listen and decide for yourself. Exploring esoteric, paranormal and spiritual topics from two completely different perspectives it's The Seeker and The Skeptic. Connect with us Twitter @SeekerSkepticInstagram @SeekerSkeptic Or visit www.seekerandskeptic.com LINKS MENTIONED The Nightmare (The documentary discussed in this episode and our intro clip) https://youtu.be/gY2gh51KdnQ The Nightmare (The scarier documentary recommended by Rebecca but strongly advised against by Cat) https://youtu.be/tYW1fADeDf4 A systematic review of variables associated with sleep paralysis. DanDenis, Christopher C.French, Alice M.Gregory. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079217301120 Sleep Paralysis: Historical Psychological Perspectives, Dr Brian Sharpless, Karl Doghramji https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleep-Paralysis-Historical-Psychological-Perspectives/dp/0199313806 Abducted: How People Come to Believe They Were Kidnapped by Aliens, Susan Clancy. https://www.amazon.com/Abducted-People-Believe-Kidnapped-Aliens/dp/067402401X Horror, Personality and Threat Simulation. https://pure.au.dk/portal/files/137585045/HorrorAndPersonality.pdf Joe Nickell's article on the Popobara https://web.archive.org/web/20180413052602/https://www.csicop.org/sb/show/skeptic-raping_demon_of_zanzibar Coast to Coast episode featuring Heidi Hollis discussing Hat Man. https://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2008/07/23 The inspiration for Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street https://horrorfreaknews.com/real-story-inspiration-behind-freddy-krueger The Hat Man: The True Story of Evil Encounters, Heidi Hollis. https://www.amazon.com/Hat-Man-True-Story-Encounters/dp/0983040192 The Shadow Man (episode of The Twilight Zone) https://youtu.be/pu6FtkWxiAQ Freddy's Song (Our outro clip) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1MvYXkZHhU  

I'm back with a new podcast about the first episode of Unsolved Mysteries! It's a skeptical look at a show that sometimes blends reality and total horseshit in the best way. In this episode we talk about the Queen Mary ghost ship hauntings, wanted man Joe Shepherd, and missing woman Gail DeLano. It gets very goofy and then gets very sad. Special thanks to the Center for Inquiry (www.centerforinquiry.net/)for great information about the normal side of the paranormal and Joe Nickell for being my hero. Assorted music by THREE CHAIN LINKS from the album PHANTOMS threechainlinks.bandcamp.com/ Used under CC3.0 ATTRIBUTION Unsolved Mysteries is property of its rights holders and is not affiliated with this show in any way. Its subjects and brief clips are used for commentary and review only. This is not an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, and this program is designed to be a fan-made companion piece to each actual episode of the show. So support the show by watching the episode first, then checking in here after!

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews author Benjamin Radford about his book, "Scientific Para-normal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries." Ben is deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine and a Research Fellow with the non-profit educational organization the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He has written over a thousand articles on a wide variety of topics, including urban legends, the paranormal, critical thinking, and media literacy. He is author of six books: "Hoaxes, Myths, and Manias: Why We Need Critical Thinking" (with sociologist Robert Bartholomew); "Media Mythmakers: How Journalists, Activists, and Advertisers Mislead Us," examining the ways in which deception is used in various media to influence decision making and public policy; "Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World's Most Elusive Creatures" (with Joe Nickell), a scientific examination of lake monsters around the world; "Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries;" "Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore" and "The Martians Have Landed! A History of Media-Driven Panics and Hoaxes" (with Robert Bartholomew).