Watch the episode on YouTube:

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About the Guest: Chris, Co-Host of The Wandering Road

Chris is a co-host of The Wandering Road Podcast, a show that explores paranormal and spiritual themes a little more seriously than Homespun Haints does. The podcast is available on several platforms, including Apple Podcasts. Follow TWR on YouTube, TikTok @ twrpodcast, IG @TWRoadPodcast, Twitter @TWRoadPodcast, and FaceBook. To tell your paranormal story on their show, write to them at twroadpodcast@gmail.com.

Tormented by Duendes as a Child

Chris tells us the story of his first paranormal encounter as a kid growing up in The Bronx. Were those strange, short creatures he saw in his mom’s bedroom duende? He only remembers it happening once, but his super-Catholic mom says it was actually many more times, always around 3am. She’d seen the little people too, validating what he saw.

Then they moved to Queens, where his experiences were to be a whole lot more terrifying.

Paranormal Mysteries in Queens

His Aunt called them “visitors.” They turned on the stereo when nobody else was home. Then came the heavy footsteps from the attic, as soon as the lights were out. Chris’ dad blamed pigeons and squirrels. But that didn’t explain the 3 am growling. Or the 3 knocks on the front door that repeatedly happened when nobody was there.

Chris wasn’t the only one in the house to experience the paranormal during the witching hour. His cousin saw an inexplicable light, moving from the bathroom to the basement and back, for hours. When his aunt was home alone, she’d hear heavy footsteps coming from Chris’ empty room. Then his other aunt got bodily thrown out of the bathroom by an unseen force. His grandmother couldn’t sleep, for all the voices in the house. Then, the ghost confronted and threatened his mom, choking her with invisible hands. His sister had an imaginary friend named Andy, a kid who dressed in a 1920’s sailor suit and wasn’t allowed to leave the block. Chris would hear his name being called in his family’s voices, which his mother warned him not to listen to.

Later, the neighbors revealed that the previous residents were allegedly Satanists. Chris’ family bought the house as-is, full of the previous resident’s furniture…and old WWII Axis memorabilia.

Paranormal Stories from NYC

This isn’t the first paranormal story from NYC we’ve heard.

• Her Broken Heart Broke Her Reality, But Not the Bottle
• Ghost Trucks of New York
• Korean Folklore, Death Days, and the Haunted Queens Apartment
• Quarantined with a Ghost
• Will You Share Your Nightmares?
• Ghosts Make Great TV: Reliving the Past, Episode By Episode

Adult Chris Kept Getting Haunted

We didn’t have enough space in this episode for all of Chris’ paranormal stories! Once you’ve listened to this episode, head over to Patreon for bonus content about all the haunted places Chris has lived since he moved out of the allegedly Satanic Queens duplex.

The Full Tortoise Video

Of course, we have to include the full video of the amorous tortoises mentioned at the beginning of the episode. Here you are, and you’re welcome (or sorry?).

Can You Debunk Chris’ Stories?

Chris’ paranormal encounters in NYC were intense and terrifying, but also mysterious. From the UAP light that followed him and his mom home, to the entity that threatened the lives of the entire family, the experiences led Chris to a spiritual awakening. And yet, he still craves an explanation, pleading with listeners to give him a better rationale than pigeons and squirrels.

Can you figure out what was lurking in that Queens duplex? Or better yet, can you scientifically explain all of the phenomena Chris described in the episode? Or are you like us, just having a mysteriously spooky day?

The post That’s Just the Dead, Calling Your Name appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Watch now on YouTube:

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About the Guest: Shannon B. Evans

We have a lot in common with Shannon: from her daily graveyard walks in the birthplace of Tennessee Williams, to her daring podcast about the dark underbelly of Columbus, Mississippi, to the casual way she talks about all the haunted houses she grew up in. Catch Shannon’s podcast, Tombigbee Tales, at pshannonevans.podbean.com. You can also follow Shannon on YouTube at @pshannonevans, TikTok @shannonevans487, and Facebook.

Haunted Houses in Mississippi

Is Shannon just a ghost magnet, or is every house in Columbus, Mississippi haunted? First, she tells us a story about a house she lived in where a ghost wearing old lady perfume hid her kitchen gadgets. Then she lived in a house where ghosts haunted both the nursery and the wrap around porch, wafting the scent of cigar smoke through her open windows. And then, she tells us about the time both she and her dad heard a disembodied voice…twice. Then, she tells us about a séance she attended where objects in the room moved on their own. She goes on to tell us about a wounded Civil War soldier who returned home more than a century late.

Mississippi Ghost Stories

Even with all these haunted houses in one tale, we in fact haven’t had that many guests with ghost stories that took place in Mississippi. I think Stacey Williams-Ng told us about staying the night in a haunted house in the Mississippi Delta in our episode about ancestor communication with an oracle deck. That’s about it!

Have you ever encountered ghosts in Mississippi? Why not submit your story to be on a future episode of Homespun Haints podcast? C’mon Mississippi folks, help us have another spooky day!

The post The ‘Possum Town Whistleblower: True Ghost Stories from Mississippi appeared first on Homespun Haints.

These Appalachian paranormal stories from Bump in the Night Society are on YouTube:

Or listen here:

About the Guests: Jennifer and Sean Bowman of Bump in the Night Paranormal

The couple is fortunate to have at least one thing in common: they love researching things that go bump in the night. So much so that, in 2020, they formed Bump in the Night Society, a paranormal research team working to the comedic tune of a wooden recorder. Far from just ghost hunting, their venture also encompasses a wide range of paranormal topics, including cryptids, monsters, aliens, and conspiracies. They share their experiences and insights through various platforms.

The Bowmans’ inspiration for exploring the unknown and sharing their findings lies partly in the legends of spirits in Appalachian folklore. They host a podcast featuring discussions with guests, exploring supernatural topics that range from Halloween haunts and attractions to true ghost stories (Sean used to work at ScareHouse, a seasonal haunted attraction in Pittsburgh Mills Mall). Listen to their podcast of Appalachian paranormal stories on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Their website tells the story of what sparked their interest in the paranormal. The website also details the services they offer, including consultations, public investigations, and home service calls all over Appalachia to tackle paranormal phenomena.

Additionally, they share videos related to their paranormal activities on YouTube. Their YouTube channels are Bump in the Night Paranormal Investigations and Bump In The Night Paranormal. They hope you dare to join in on the chills by following them on TikTok, where they broadcast some of their paranormal investigations in Appalachia live. Email bumpinthenightsociety@yahoo.com or check Facebook for info on joining them in person for a public investigation. Or check out their Linktree for all of their links.

More notes about Paranormal Activities in Appalachia

Is an Appalachian Deliverance Like an Exorcism?

Those who grew up outside the Appalachian region may hear the word “Deliverance” and begin to feel on-edge. It’s a prejudice implanted by the Yankee perspective of rural Southern Americans exploited in the movie of the same name. But what is deliverance, and what does it mean biblically? Appalachian Pentecostal deliverance and a Catholic exorcism are not unlike each other in their goals (and flamboyant, stigmatizing Hollywood depictions). Yet the two differ greatly in approach, scope, and practice.

Pentecostal Deliverance vs Catholic Exorcism

Exorcism involves a formal ritual performed by a priest or religious leader. This typically (but not exclusively) Catholic practice includes prayers, incantations, holy water, and religious symbols to drive out demons. The “Rituale Romanum” under Pope Paul V established specific, strict guidelines for the performance of exorcisms. The Catholic Church considers exorcism a last resort for severe and verifiable cases of demon possession.

What is Spiritual Deliverance?

Deliverance, on the other hand, is a broader concept found in charismatic Christian movements. It’s not limited to the expulsion of demons, but also addresses other spiritual forces like generational curses, witchcraft, and occult influence. It is a wholistic practice. In addition to the active process of expelling demons, deliverance will likely involve preparation, diagnostics, curse breaking (through not just prayer and spiritual warfare, but also forms of counseling), healing for the mind, body, and soul, and follow-up.

Lay people can perform a deliverance, which doesn’t necessarily follow a prescribed formal ritual. You might think of it as a homespun exorcism. This type of informal spiritual warfare is naturally more common in an area where even emergency medicine has traditionally been homespun by Appalachian Granny Women. The people of Appalachia have always known how to take care of and look after one another, without the need or desire for a formal institution to grant them permission to do so with such things as degrees or licenses. After all, if the closest licensed medical professional is so far away that you’re likely to die in transit, something’s got to give.

For more detailed information, read sources like Wikipedia’s page on Deliverance Ministry and Multiplying Freedom Ministries.

Why is Pittsburgh, PA, the “Paris of Appalachia?”

Diana’s camper van sat frozen in fear at the bottom of the hill. Stopping in Pittsburgh on her way to West Virginia now seemed like a questionable decision. Craning their necks towards the windshield, Amber and Diana couldn’t even see the top of the trees making up the woods in front of them. They could only tell that the road intersected another at a perpendicular crossroads right at the peak. That was their turn-off.

Was there some way to back up? To gain enough momentum in the vintage van to make it to the top? When…IF they made it up, would they be able to make that sharp 35 degree turn off the 35 degree grade? What if a car happened to be speeding from the other street? Or what is there was a sheer cliff on the other side of the hill? Trying not to imagine the potential fall, Amber circled the block at the bottom of the incline, seeking a suitable takeoff runway.

Urban Pittsburgh is perhaps the least paranormal place in the Appalachian Mountains

A quick jaunt to explore Pittsburgh leaves a gritty taste in one’s brain. It’s instantly apparent why the city’s pro-team references metal mining, and gradually apparent that the rest of its history is somehow entwined with that of ketchup. Diana breezed through a traditional Italian deli, thankful she wasn’t the one looking for Strip District parking, exiting with a muffuletta in a greasy paper sack. Later, she went searching up Squirrel Hill for authentic Szechuan off a Chinese-only menu.

The Oktoberfest vibe drew what felt like millions of visitors to the breweries. Even in standing room only, the locals were disarmingly welcoming. Tasting more than her fair share of tiny flight glasses of local beers certainly made the subsequent Pittsburgh tours more interesting. Between microbreweries, Diana spotted workers applying fake rust to fireplugs for major motion picture filming.

As the apex city of a mostly rural region, Pittsburgh has been likened to Paris, France. Both are hubs for higher education and the arts, built upon a history of revolutionary industrialization. Also like Paris, Pittsburgh features a blend of glinting architecture and the tree-covered beauty of the natural world, well viewable from many a cliff or steep hill.

The nickname “Paris of Appalachia” is, however, somewhat tongue-in-cheek. It pokes fun at the contrasts between grand Paris and humble Pittsburgh. Or rather, the cultural reputation of France compared to that of Appalachia. A sarcastic SAT question might summarize this cheeky comparison as Paris:France:Wine:Arts::Pittburgh:Appalachia:Beer:Condiments.

The OTHER Octagon Haunted House in Circleville, OH

We’ve all had nightmares about Becky’s family’s house of octagons, so you already know how haunted a shape it is. Octagonal houses may be fated to severe levels of paranormal activity, considering this other one is the Bump In the Night Society’s favorite site to investigate. They like the location not because of its shape, however, but because of the haunted parts. They tell us tales of how they collect an abundance of haunting evidence every time they visit the building.

In the early 2000s, the 1856 Gregg-Crites Octagon House was slated for a demolition that never happened. Instead, in a remarkable feat of engineering, the Round town Conservancy moved the 480 ton mansion—intact—to park it on a new plot of land half a mile away. This complex process involved inserting steel beams into the basement and mounting the house on a hydraulic mechanism with 96 wheels. Sean says they took the ghosts with it.

The Conservancy plans to restore the mansion, now listed on the National Register of historic places, into a museum. Read up on the tale of its legend on its Wikipedia page here. The Ohio Exploration Society also provides photographs and stories about the house’s restoration progress here.

What are the Brown Mountain Lights?

In the Pisgah National Forest of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, enigmatic lights appear at random above Brown Mountain. The lights were seen shining through the darkness of the forest decades before electricity would’ve been common in the area. Native American legends suggest they might have been observed much, much earlier.

What might cause the Brown Mountain Lights?

The nature of the lights has sparked much speculation, ranging from the scientific to the supernatural. Are they caused by the piezoelectric effect, when quartz rock in the earth generates light in response to mechanical stress? Could they be transient brush fires, or St Elmo’s Fire, from storms? Are they manmade? Could they be ghosts or UFOs? The souls of women looking for their husbands who fell in battle? Other proposed explanations include unusual electrostatic discharges from geological fault lines or natural phenomena similar to ball lightning. Yet despite data from numerous studies, including one by the United States Geological Survey, the true nature of the lights remains unexplained, continuing to fuel storytelling.

Where to see the Brown Mountain Lights

The ideal viewing location is Brown Mountain Overlook, according to Carolinacountry.com. You can get there via Highway 181, turning off between mile marker 20 and 21. Wiseman’s View is another good place to search for the lights. That’s harder to get to, however, as you’d have to take a gravel road 5 miles south of Linville Falls on State Road 1238. Even if you organize an extensive search party, you’re highly unlikely to see the lights on any given trip.

TLDR: see Jen’s TikTok video for a very quick description of the Brown Mountain Lights.

What is the Bellaire Demon House?

Sean told us he saw a possession at Bellaire demon house in Bellaire, Ohio. The child spirit of Emily Davis is seen there yet today. But we now have good reason to doubt she’s a child at all.

Why is the Bellaire House so haunted?

The extremely haunted abode has myriad reasons to be infested with ghosts.

• It was built on a ley line.
• It was also built on the site of a fatal coal mining accident that claimed 42 lives.
• The home is near ancient Native American burial caves.
• Its located in an area affected by the French and Indian War.
• It may have been part of the abolitionist movement.

Perhaps the haunting of the Bellaire House was manmade? Edwin Heatherington, the house’s former resident, was obsessed with contacting his deceased sister Lyde after she died in the house. He conducted numerous seances, which may have led to the opening of portals to other realms within the house. Sean commented matter-of-factly that the house is thought to have 13 portals.

Do you have a true ghost paranormal story from Appalachia?

Whether you’re in Paris or Pittsburgh, Homespun Haints wants to hear your stories, told by you. Submit your story today to be featured on the podcast soon, and have a spooky day!

The post Paranormal Appalachia Goes Bump In The Night appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Today, we shift our focus toward the nuts and bolts of running a successful enterprise with a goth, macabre bent. Our guests, Matt and Meredith, founded Boredwalk as a way to create quality designs with a dark sense of humor. Hear their stories, today, on Homespun Haints.

Listen Now!

About the guests, Matt and Meredith of Boredwalk

From their website, “[Matt Snow and Meredith Erin] are creative partners and life partners. The two met in Washington, DC in 2004 and married in 2009. When they’re not designing products for Boredwalk Matt and Meredith enjoy live comedy, road trips, low brow art, cocktails, B movies, trading “dad jokes”, cooking vegan food, and snuggling with their cat. For a more business-y “deep dive” into Boredwalk, you can learn more at My Brand Journey.”

The company aesthetic is suitable for those of us who only wear black, have a macabre sense of humor, and/or feel like this doomed world is hopelessly on fire so we might as well laugh about it. Becky and her tween daughter love Boredwalk’s Grievance Journal as part of their funny dark self-help practice. For an IV drip of their dark humor, listen to the Boredwalk Podcast, and follow them on Twitter or YouTube.

What’s this about another spooky business from yours trulies?

Not only have we interviewed other goth business owners on the show, we play goth business owners IRL. Long before we designed, built, wrote, and optimized this website, Becky formed her own web design company: The Concept Spot. Creating this website together has rekindled Becky’s passion for web design, just as it provided her with her new favorite coworker. Get the full scoop here.

The post The Business of Being Strange and Unusual appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Episode Summary

Some people avoid ghosts at all costs, and some people run to them. One person, in particular, also collects haunted objects (including haunted dolls), investigates haunted abandoned hospitals on her own, and does it all while living in a portable home so she can spend more time at these haunted locations.

Lady Teal is an artist, podcaster, writer, marketing specialist, collector, and haunted travel agent, and she has some very interesting stories to tell.

AI-generated transcript of this episode available upon request.

About the Guest: Lady Teal, AKA Katie Brittle

Katie is a full-time traveler and collector of haunted dolls and other oddities. She has a dream of someday opening a haunted museum. In the meantime, she’s been broadcasting live ghost hunts.

“Through photography, curiosity collecting, and podcasting, I try to unveil captivating stories and objects, while my day-time-job involves creative directing and crafting enchanting brand experiences. As an event and travel planner I organize immersive spectacles, and as a paranormal investigator, I love delving into the world of the unseen. I always encourage people to Stay Curious.” -From ladytealscurios.com.

Follow Katie on Tiktok @lady_teals_curios, IG @ladytealscurios, and Youtube @ladytealscurios.

Keep an eye out for Katie’s stories, published in The Feminine Macabre this Summer!

Episode Show Notes

“It literally felt like something was pushed through me.”

Can you intentionally mass-produce haunted objects?

With the number of Etsy listings for a “real haunted dybbuk box” skyrocketing, you can’t blame us for being a little skeptical that these haunted items are really so readily available. In a past episode, Katie told the story of supposedly haunted vodka that was aged near Annabelle the doll. Are these just gimmicks? Or do these shenanigans result in a reliably haunted object? Check out this episode where we explore this topic further.

How to get to know your new tarot cards

Katie never expected to be one of those tarot people who has 3 decks in her purse at all times, just in case. Yet tarot decks can be addictive, and one is rarely enough. Each deck has a different interpretation, and a different meaning. Some even have completely different cards.

Katie’s first deck was the Wild Unknown Tarot, which she calls “a good starter deck.” In this episode, she tells the story of how she bonded with the deck upon bringing it home with her. Becky has also had a strange experience with a new deck speaking to her audibly in the quiet language of shuffling.

Step 1: Introduce yourself to your new tarot deck

You can do this vocally, or with visualization and energy. Maybe flip through the deck. You could pull out the cards you really like the artwork on, or the cards you tend to draw over and over if you’re a seasoned self-reader.

Step 2: Tell the tarot cards your intentions

How do you plan to use the cards? This seems obvious sometimes, but there are probably some specific details you can come up with. Are you using these cards for paid readings? Just for friends? For your own private use? Are you seeking guidance through a current obstacle, to understand someone else’s motivations better, or to divine the future? Are you trying to talk to the deceased? Just want to draw a random card for daily inspiration? Explaining this to the deck might help with the next step, in which you can determine if this is the right choice for your needs.

Step 3: Do a reading only about the tarot deck

Allow it to tell you what it’s intentions are. Try asking aloud, “tell me about you, what I should expect from using this deck, and how would you prefer to be used?” This reading will be only about the deck and how it intends to interact with you on an ongoing basis.

If the reading is extra salty, maybe use a different deck when you’re feeling moody and vulnerable. Or, if the reading is obtuse and vague, maybe use a different deck when you need a quick, straightforward answer. And if the reading is super poignant, informative, interesting, and helpful, use this deck all the time! We all need more of these types of readings in our lives.

Step 4: Sleep with the new tarot deck under your pillow

Unless you find that uncomfortable; then sleep with the cards under your bed. You may just have a dream about how bonding with your new tarot cards is going to go.

Curious Haunted Places Mentioned in this Episode

Katie has collected some pretty amazing real EVP at some of these locations.

• Americus, GA, where Katie experienced the strange connection with her friend, and where there’s apparently a very haunted hotel.
• Ajo, AZ paranormal research facility built in an old hospital.
• Bradshaw Ranch in Sedona, AZ, home to cryptids, vortices, and and haunted ruins.
• Historic Scott County Jail.
• Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, GA.

Getting to know your new tarot cards and old haunted dolls

Well Hainted Loves, what do you think? Let us know how you get to know your new tarot cards in our Facebook group. If you have a story about a haunted doll, submit it for a chance to be featured on a future episode of Homespun Haints Podcast. And for goodness’ sake, if you give a friend a haunted doll, at least potty train it first, or you’re setting them up for a spooky day!

The post A Traveling Home for Wayward Haunted Dolls appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Watch this episode on YouTube:

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Summary of this Strange Paranormal Podcast Episode

Do you believe in fairies? What do you think they look like? What do they sound like? If you saw one while you were driving down the road, would you stop to say hi?

Shane is obsessed with cryptids, fae, and UFOs because he has encountered so many strange unexplainable phenomena in his lifetime. He shares several stories of ghosts and fairies. It’s up to you to decide what it is he saw on Christmas Eve outside of Asheville, NC.

This is our last episode of Season 4! We’ll be back in February, 2023. If you miss us and want more content between now and then, we’d love it if you’d join our Patreon at patreon.com/homespunhaints.

A Strange Paranormal Podcast

About Our Guest Shane

Our guest today has become used to the high strange. In fact, he himself has a strange paranormal podcast devoted to the unexplainable happening around us all the time. Because he himself has seen some things that will give you pause. Shane co-hosts Dark Notes, a podcast about music, horror, and high strangeness, with his friend Lisa. Check out Shane’s podcast Dark Notes on Spotify and YouTube. You can also follow him on Instagram @ufobigfoot.

The 12 Orbs of Christmas

On Christmas Eve, 2014, Shane was in the process of moving to Asheville, North Carolina. Passing through the little town of Hickory, NC, he witnessed a mystical ballet of orbs by the side of the road. When he went online to report the event, he learned that he wasn’t the only one to witness the phenomenon.

What do you think these orbs could be? Were they really communicating with Shane? Also, why do sightings of inexplicable lights seem to correlate with sightings of Bigfoot?

Bigfoot sighting similarities

I guess the term “unidentified flying objects” applies to orbs, when speaking generally. But Shane definitely felt like the orbs he encountered were not extraterrestrial in origin. There are however plenty of accounts where Bigfoot sightings coincide with sightings of orbs and/or UFOs. And perhaps at least one sighting of Bigfoot wearing a belt?

Anomalous Music

Shane also mentions hearing music that “wasn’t there.” As a musician, he is usually pretty good about picking out individual instruments within a composition. But in this case, the tune was an un-replicable musical phenomenon that existed only within Shane’s mind, for only an hour, only once. Like Tartini‘s dream score, the magic of the tune may have existed within its inability to be heard with physical ears.

Hopefully you’re not stressed enough to be haunted!

It is interesting to note that the standout supernatural experiences in Shane’s life occurred during periods of intense emotional turmoil. And he isn’t our only guest to draw this correlation. If you’ve had a ghostly experience, do you feel like tension in your life may have had something to do with manifesting it? Are you more likely to see a ghost when you’re stressed? Join the conversation on our FB group and let us know your opinions and experiences.

And until next time, have a spooky day!

The post The Weirder The Better appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Episode Summary

What’s scarier: strange, unexplainable noises and spirits that go bump in the night? Or a real life boogeyman who’s still at large after a terrifying killing spree? 

Fear has a way of grabbing you, changing you, and staying with you, no matter whether it comes from the supernatural, or from living next door to a serial killer. Let’s look into the notion of fear, and how it has stayed with a community for generations, today, on Homespun Haints.

About the Guests, Rebecca Everett and Jessica Remo

Our guests today co-host the podcast Father Wants Us Dead. It’s a true-crime podcast about John List murdering his family in 1971 New Jersey, only to go on to lead a pretty normal life for 18 freaking years before law enforcement finally apprehended him. As the pair point out, it’s a story everyone in Westfield thinks they know, but their show gets down to the bizarre details.

Uniquely, both hosts are also professional journalists. Their expertise at investigative reporting allows them to find the juicy inside scoop while remaining objective.

Rebecca Everett

According to her bio on FatherWantsUsDead.com, “Rebecca Everett is an enterprise crime reporter, investigating the issues and figures driving policing and crime in New Jersey. Since joining The Star-Ledger and NJ.com in 2016 as a local news reporter, she has won seven New Jersey Press Association awards, including two for the print version of “Father Wants Us Dead.”

“Rebecca previously worked at MassLive.com and got her start in journalism 12 years ago at the Daily Hampshire Gazette, her hometown newspaper in Massachusetts. Her reporting shed light on issues of sexual harassment and assault years before the #MeToo era, including a series revealing harassment allegations against a city councilor that resulted in a recall election and a Publick Occurrences Award from the New England Newspaper & Press Association.”

Follow Rebecca on Twitter @RebeccaJEverett.

Jessica Remo

According to her bio on FatherWantsUsDead.com, “Jessica Remo spent seven years as an award-winning reporter and columnist at The Star-Ledger and NJ.com. In 2017, her story on “Passing the trash” — the epidemic of problem teachers moving from school to school after allegations of misconduct — won an award for Responsible Journalism from the New Jersey Press Association and propelled the state Legislature to pass a bill against the practice. 

“After leading news coverage in Union County, she became a columnist, writing dispatches from Wrestlemania 35, chasing presidential candidate Cory Booker around the Iowa State Fair and detailing how her DNA test revealed a wild family secret. She previously worked at Patch.com, New Jersey Monthly magazine and Philadelphia magazine.”

Follow Jessica on Twitter @JessicaRemoNJ.

Bios from fatherwantsusdead.com.

Episode Show Notes about The John List Murders

The Deserted Village on the Watchung Reservation

Patty List’s interest in the occult was a perfectly typical Robinson Age expression for a teenage girl growing up in the late 1960’s. Jessica and Rebecca state that Patty’s friends corroborate that she was practicing magick around the time of her death. And yet, her father confessed that he wanted her to die a good Christian before she was led to sin by poverty. Surely John List was aware of his daughter’s dabbling in the occult, and yet that didn’t seem to factor in to his decision to murder her.

Very close to the site of the murder in Union County, NJ, there is a ghost town. After several failed attempts to make a settlement on the land, the area was dubbed the “Deserted Village” within the “Enchanted Forest.” The place is supposed to be suitably haunted. Rumors of witches and Satanists practicing rituals in the forest have been in the local lore since before these murders. According to Jessica and Rebecca, there’s no evidence that those practices had anything to do with Patty List. Still, she must have been aware of the rumors when she decided to become a practicing witch, if that’s indeed what she did.

What is the Son of Sam Law?

So-called Son of Sam laws prohibit criminals from profiting off of media coverage or other documentation about their crimes. According to The First Amendment Encyclopedia, “New York Executive Law Section 632a, commonly known as the “Son of Sam” law, was hastily enacted in 1977 after serial killer David Berkowitz, also known as the “Son of Sam,” sold his exclusive story rights.” Profits were instead slated to go to the victim.

A super creepy innocent bystander

The police discovered the bodies of the family at the urgings of daughter Patty’s drama coach Edwin Illiano. He told police that something just wasn’t right. The teacher later gave an interview to author Joe Sharkey, for the book Death Sentence: The Inside Story of the John List Murders. In the interview, he indicates he may have secretly discovered the bodies earlier on his own.

Later, in 1991, Illiano also wrote and directed a film called The Patricia List Story. The film implies that John’s 16 year old daughter Patty was in love with Illiano. The girl apparently confided in her coach before the murders. The film makes the claim of being the only firsthand account of the family’s inner secrets at the time.

Why we’re extra creeped out

Why did Illiano publicly portray his (no older than) 16 year-old student as an unstable nymphomaniac who was successful in seducing him? How did that admission go for his career as a drama teacher? Even if that’s not what he was still employed as in 1991, surely that must have raised some ethical concerns.

Did he really have forewarning of Patty’s eventual murder? If so, why did he take no effective action to intervene, report, or prevent her death? Did he really admit to discovering the dead bodies of the List family prior to leading the police to them? And how much prior? Why did he stage the “discovery” of the crime scene for late at night? And why, if he had all this inside knowledge, did he wait until after John was apprehended decades later to make the film? Why did he play himself in the film, when he was 20 years older? Is it just coincidence that the film was released the same year the Supreme Court repealed the Son of Sam laws as unconstitutional? Is anyone as creeped out by this part of the story as we are?!

The Murders of John List: Scarier than Ghosts

Overall, we are siding with Jessica in that we’d much rather meet a ghost than a murderer. We are glad there are podcasters out there who enjoy covering true crime. These professional reporters certainly do it justice. Are you more of a true crime fan, or a paranormal fan? Let us know which is your favorite and why on our Facebook group. For us, we’ll stick to the more supernatural scares that ghost stories provide. That’s enough for us to have a spooky day.

The post Something Wicked Comes To Westfield appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Listen right here:

Or get this episode on YouTube:

Italian Folklore About Ghosts

Katy Sewall and Tiffany Parks of the Bittersweet Life Podcast relay tales about the ghosts of Beatrice Cenci and Olimpia Maidalchini, who still wander the bridges in the city of Rome, Italy. However, these podcast hosts have additional, personal ghost stories from their original home town of Seattle, WA.

Every city has its ghosts. Whether you live in an ancient town filled with ruins from another era, or you wander streets built within your lifetime, you cannot escape the whispers of the dead, filling the cracks in the pavement and the spaces between the walls.

For Katy and Tiffany, who live on opposite sides of the world, this has become very apparent. When you hear their stories, you might begin to wonder what’s lurking in your favorite restaurant, on your favorite bridge, or in your own backyard.

Sponsored by Witch Baby Soap

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About the Guests, Katy Sewall and Tiffany Parks

Katy Sewall is an award-winning senior public radio producer and host, writer, and podcast consultant. Tiffany Parks is an author, travel writer, and tour guide. The two were childhood friends in Seattle, WA, and reconnected while living abroad in Rome, Italy. Together, they created and host The Bittersweet Life podcast, which they’ve kept alive for 10 years and counting. In their words, “What began as a podcast about what it means to live abroad has become a dynamic examination of what it means to live.”

Keep up with Katy, Tiffany, and The Bittersweet Life on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. If you’re not sure what episode to start with, episode 452 is the one where they interview us.

Haunted Bridges are a Worldwide Trope

What is it about bridges that makes them so prone to hauntings? Becky posits it’s the liminal space between shores, plus the energy of the flowing water beneath. There are also old traditions involving human sacrifices to influence bridge fortunes. These are a subclass of construction sacrifices, a practice that used to be popular in many different cultures.

In some cases, construction sacrifices were committed to intentionally haunt new structures. This could be to ensure that the structure wouldn’t feel the need to take any more lives, as it was already appeased. Sacrificing an innocent spirit by tying it to a structure also served to repel evil spirits. In the South, we leave abandoned wasp nests up to prevent new wasps from building nests nearby. We think the practice of construction sacrifice proves that ghosts are as territorial as wasps.

Roman locations from these Italian Folklore stories

Here are some of the Italian locations Tiffany referenced, if you’d like to try to see if the folklore is true by doing your own ghost hunting.

• Castel Sant’Angelo.
• Ponte Sant’Angelo bridge where the spirit of Beatrice Cenci appears on the night of September 10th, head in her arms.
• Museum of the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
• Ponte Sisto, haunted by Olimpia Maidalchini on January 7th.
• The palace of Pope Innocent X in Piazza Navona.
• Kell’s Irish Pub (ok ok, this one is in Seattle, not Italy, but it still has a bathroom full of portals).
• The Crypt of the Capuchin Monks.
• Chiesa di Santa Maria dell’Orazione e Morte, where a skeleton bears the phrase “Hodie mihi, cras tibi.”

Speaking of which…

Does that church really specialize in fishing bodies out of the Tiber river?

The Church of St. Mary of Prayer and Death has provided the poor with funerals, burial, and prayer for nearly 500 years. This also included unidentified bodies from the Tiber River. The church used to have tunnels connecting it to the river, where the bodies were stored and prepared for burial. At one point, the church contained the remains of over 8000 bodies. And of course, in old world Roman Catholic tradition, those bones make up some gorgeous décor within the church.

Escape Woods at Sleepy Hollow Farm

In case you happen to be in Atlanta, check out the farm Becky and Diana reference in this episode! Don’t fret that it’s after spooky season; they have creepy immersive escape room experiences all year. One of their escape rooms takes place in the actual cabin where scenes from Stranger Things were filmed.

Are these ghostly Italian folk stories true?

Tiffany says that these are documented, verified events that actually took place around Rome. Are these Italian locations really haunted by these famous ghosts? We can’t wait to visit and find out for ourselves! Let us know in the comments if you’ve been to any of these haunted places in Rome. And in the meantime, passa una giornata spaventosa!

The post The Spirits of Medieval Rome appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Listen to part one of the interview here:

Then, catch part two, An Evil Ghost Named John, here:

Personal Ghost Stories from Iowa

Today’s guest grew up in the cornfields of Hornick, Iowa. Yes, the literal, proverbial cornfields. The Job and Sarah’s house scenes of the film Children of the Corn was shot in her hometown back in the ’80s. And the echoes of Hollywood horror tropes didn’t stop there. Just a few years later, young Lindsay encountered just about all the ghosts you’d expect in any scary movie. From a crying ghost bride, to spectral children who just wanted to play with her toys, to a menacing…wait, that’s not a scarecrow!

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Episode Show Notes about these Personal Ghost Stories

About the Guest, Lindsay Valenty

Lindsay is one of the co-hosts of two paranormal-related podcasts. Pineapple Pizza Podcast was all about urban legends, mythology, and cryptozoology. Ye Olde Crime Podcast is all about pre-1900’s true crime, a surprisingly underserved niche in an extremely popular genre. Both employ a storytelling-plus-comedy format, which means you’ll probably enjoy them if you like our show. But unlike our show, where we try to scare you silly, Lindsay’s show features upbeat music to make the tales of grisly murder go down smooth.

Personal ghost stories from a train station for spirits

The house Lindsay lived in at age 11 seemed to be constantly full of ghosts. But not the same ghosts. Is it possible for a house to function as a thoroughfare for spirits just passing through? Becky made a YouTube video exploring this idea, which also has a cute cat.

Haunted dolls

Lindsay tells us her many personal childhood haunting stories, including about how a ghost in her attic wanted to play with her Barbie dolls. How come some people love dolls, and others find them horrifying? Sure, maybe dolls can house demons. But also, maybe those demons are just misunderstood. What happens when you befriend a demon-possessed doll? Well, we made another video for just this situation.

Also, for some reason, Becky has started amassing an unintentional collection of haunted dolls. She’s sold some of them on Etsy. Please consider buying Becky’s haunted dolls, she has way too many and she’s too possessed of late to admit she has a problem. If you do, for sure you’ll have a spooky day.

The post Buckwheat Man’s Gonna Getcha: A True Ghost Story from the Cornfields of Iowa appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Listen to the interview here, then scroll down for a bonus episode.

Episode Show Notes: True Stories About Aliens

On this truly bizarre and hilarious episode, we hear stories about the half-body apparition of a green foot, a saber tooth tiger, the perils of farting in a museum, and a nocturnal alien visitation.

About the Guests: Josh and Dakota.

Today’s guests are the hosts of the Mindless Morning Show Podcast. Hollywood Digest named the show 1 of the top webshows in the world. In fact, at the time of this interview, they were number 69 in the list. And that’s about to have a whole lot more double-entendre relevance after you listen to this episode, heh heh. Dakota is a writer, author of the sci-fi novel Barnard’s Galaxy: Descendants of Legacy, soon to be an ongoing saga. Josh is a video game developer.

While the Mindless Morning Show is no longer in production, you can still listen to old episodes. Catch up with Josh and Dakota on Discord for updates on their future projects.

Bonus True Alien Stories

Here’s the bonus episode we promised:

The True Story of the FBI Documents on Nikola Tesla and his Alien Origins

In the early 20th century, famous scientist Nikola Tesla produced over 1000 patents. Some of his inventions and ideas were so far ahead of his time that they might even still be ahead of our current time. He apparently predicted smart phones pretty accurately, among other things. Where did Tesla get his ideas? Well, according to the stories floating around on the internet (which are always true), one declassified FBI document suggests he was an alien.

When Tesla died in the middle of the Second World War, the US government was suddenly very interested in obtaining all of his research. They mainly wanted to prevent it from falling into unfriendly hands. But there were also some promising military applications for Tesla’s work. Specifically, Tesla had supposedly invented a “death ray”. He even allegedly had a working prototype. According to rumor, the prototype cost $19,000 to construct, and was stashed in a safe deposit box at an NYC hotel.

It’s fun to read old FBI documents from the era when the government was willing to consider all sorts of possibilities. Also from the era where using typewriters, paper, and microfiche meant that spelling errors would go down in history (one special agent misspelled Tesla as Tulsa, go figure). When Tesla died, the Alien Property Custodian seized his belongings. Aha, there’s the alien link! Disappointingly, the word “alien” in this case just calls into question whether the foreign-born Tesla’s documents were at risk of being claimed by hostile foreign countries.

Did Tesla build a real death ray?

Also disappointingly, when the US government finally obtained Tesla’s safe deposit box, it contained only standard electrical equipment. But not long after, Tesla’s young protégé Bloyce Fitzgerald was tracked down in Wichita, Kansas. The FBI determined he was possibly still working on the “death ray,” which he touted as the “only possible defense against…the Atomic Bomb”. The whole situation seemed to come to no real end. The government obtained Tesla’s writings, pouted for a bit that no death ray was forthcoming, and the case was basically closed in 1950.

Then the case was reopened in 1957. What changed? A Yugoslavian-American informant contacted the FBI to report that a woman named Margaret Storm was “issuing newsletters which contain information pertaining to flying saucers and interplanetary matters,” and that “Mr. and Mrs. Storm are exploiting the reputation and genius of Nikola Tesla.” Basically, the Storms claimed Tesla invented an interplanetary communication device that wasn’t complete until after his death. Also that Tesla was born on Venus, but raised on Earth.

Was Tesla an Alien?

So are the stories true; did the declassification of this document reveal that the FBI believed Tesla was a space alien or worked with extraterrestrial? After spending wayyyyy too long reading the entire chain of communications, I can say there was nothing in the document that indicated the FBI was at all interested in investigating this angle. But Margaret Storm wrote a book about her Tesla-alien claims, if you’d like to investigate the truth of the story further. Or, if you’d rather just pretend to investigate Tesla based on David Bowie’s theatrical performance, watch the 2006 film The Prestige.

Thank you for listening to our show!

Do you have a true story about an alien experience? We love hearing about all the weird encounters, of the third, fourth, or any kind. Join in the conversation on our Facebook group. Until next time, have a spooky day!

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