Monstertalk

FLASHBACKWe're looking back at October 5, 2011 this week and an interview with Valerius Geist (February 2, 1938 – July 6, 2021) about the myths and reality of wolves.  How dangerous are they? There's complexity and nuance here.  Some people fiercely believe wolves are just peaceful misunderstood beautiful animals that would not hurt a person.  Others believe they're fierce and dangerous predators.  Internet debates will happen but history - and Valerius Geist - suggest using extreme caution if you find yourself in close proximity to these beautiful predators in the wild. MonsterTalk Live (Disco Edition)----FLASHBACK----ON NOVEMBER 8, 2005 Canadian geological engineering student Kenton Carnegie went for a walk. He told people that he’d be back by 5 pm. When he hadn’t returned by 7 pm, a search party went out and discovered his remains in the woods. In this episode of Monstertalk (a follow-up to last week’s), we interview professor Valerius Geist about the true cause of Kenton Carnegie’s death. Some people thou

We're joined by Sydney Davidson - student of Dr. Jeb Card (IRO) - to discuss her research into Frogmen Festivals, and to discuss monster festivals and some of the reasons people report they attend. (And it's not all about the plushies and t-shirts.)Darren Naish on The Loveland FrogThe Myth of DisenchantmentFrogman Festival 2026Close Encounters at Kelly And Others of 1955 (affiliate link)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.Some product links may be affiliated with Amazon revenue sharing.

We're joined by Matt Baxter to watch and discuss another vintage BBC look at the paranormal - this time in the form of an allegedly haunted chest of drawers. Check the links and watch it yourself if you've got 12 mins to spare. What do you think of our takes?Additional Links:BBC Archive Clip - A Haunted Chest of DrawersAGT: Special Head (levitation trick)The Indian Rope Trick - Penn & Teller documentary about the history of the trickDavid Berglas - Magician and Skeptical InvestigatorMassimo Polidoro - modern skeptical investigatorTony Cornell - British Parapsychologist and antiquarianBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.Some product links may be affiliated with Amazon revenue sharing.

We're joined by host of the Conspiracy Skeptic Podcast, Karl Mamer. Karl's working on a new book in his series of skeptically themed books of lists (The Skeptic's Book of Lists, The Conspiracy Skeptic's Book of Lists) and has been looking into the origins of demons & devils in Dungeons & Dragons.Further Reading:Deities & DemigodsBBC: The Great 1980s D&D PanicMichael Stackpole and the Pulling Report (counter to B.A.D.D.)The composite D&D title card is based on the work of David C. Sutherland III.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.Some product links may be affiliated with Amazon revenue sharing.

In this episode, I talk about why I don't believe in Bigfoot and the core of my basis of doubt. This is part of a new intermittent series wherein we'll be looking at why a lot of monster stories fall apart when you attack them with Occam's Razor and other similarly sharp tools.The clip in the intro is from In Search Of... Season 1, Episode 5. If you want to hear A LOT more about that episode, check out this episode of In ReSearch Of.... Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.Some product links may be affiliated with Amazon revenue sharing.

This week on MonsterTalk, Blake and Karen are joined by Matthew Baxter to revisit Karen’s classic investigation book Haunting America — newly re-released in paperback just in time for Halloween

UAPs, “Disclosure,” and the Influence Machine

This week Blake Smith and Karen Stollznow are joined by clinical psychologist Dr. Brian A. Sharpless, author of Monsters on the Couch, to discuss cannibalism—what it is, why humans have done it, and how the taboo shows up in archaeology, medicine, psychology, and horror cinema. They cover definitions (endocannibalism vs. survival cannibalism), prion diseases such as Kuru, criminal and paraphilic cases, and pop-culture touchpoints from Ravenous to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, plus legend-tripping at Lovelock Cave and the “giants” folklore around the Mound Builder myth.Don't forget to grab Karen's latest: Bitch: The Journey of a Word

We finish up Season 4 of MonsterTalk, not with a bang - but a chuckle, as we welcome Science Comedian Brian Malow to talk about using humor and science to entertain. https://sciencecomedian.com/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.Some product links may be affiliated with Amazon revenue sharing.

We discuss the sketchy "science by press release" of Colossal Biosciences and the controversies lurking in the history of its lead scientist. Have they resurrected dire wolves? No. Definitely not. If only overblown celebrity endorsed hype was the only problem…Did they make a Dire Wolf? (Spoiler: NOT EVEN REMOTELY CLOSE)George Church's explanation of Epstein tiesJames Arthur Ray - Guru of Death?Tony Robbins (more from Quora and Reddit)Peter Jackson and the MoaGeorge R. R. Martin and the Dire WolfFor a more… salacious take on this, check out the 2-part "Behind the Bastards" coverage of this topic. Part 1 and Part 2.--- on a more positive note ---What is CRISPR?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.Some product links may be affiliated with Amazon revenue sharing.

We take a look at a fascinating slice of paranormal history in the form of a 1975 BBC documentary The Ghost Hunters. How much has changed in paranormal research since 1975? Not much, after a fashion… Anybody know something about these plastic pub barrels from the 1970s?Show Notes:Benson Herbert - ghost hunterAndrew Green - the Spectre InspectorJohn Cutten (SPR, Inventor)Watch this masterpiece on YouTube here.Yes - the Ion Gun is, in fact, a device for cleaning vinyl records.Hugh’s other paranormal doco - "Out of this World" from 1977The Three Horseshoes Pub (Wiltshire)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.Some product links may be affiliated with Amazon revenue sharing.

Blake catches Karen up on his current research projects: The four-wall tour dates of the PGF, and a contextual look at the Van Meter Visitor. Neither of these projects are finished but he is excited to share what he's been working on. Dolemite is mentioned favorably.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.Some product links may be affiliated with Amazon revenue sharing.

Blake is joined by regular contributor Matt Baxter, and special guest Kara Van Hoose from the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife to discuss the (not that mysterious) outbreak of "tentacle bunnies" in Colorado this summer.  News reports of "rabbits with tentacles"Deer wasting disease (zombie deer)"Colorado Cannibal" Alfred PackerColorado Parks & Wildlife Colorado Parks & Wildlife Karl Shuker's blog about Jackalope99% Invisible episode on JackalopeWall DrugBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.Some product links may be affiliated with Amazon revenue sharing.

Karen and Matt are back from their book tour in the UK and they got to have some real MonsterTalk moments! Loch Ness, Boleskine House and more plus Blake wrestles with gremlins!More photos will be available on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/posts/137274189?pr=true&cr=true Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

It's Hollow Earth, UFOs, the birth of Sci-Fi, and more wierdshit than you can believe as we present a super-cut of our 2-part interview with Jerry Drake and Jeb Card about one of the foundational stories of "weirdshitology" in a new ginormous single episode. And there's a little bit of reading if you want to follow us down the rabbit hole... EXTENSIVE show notes freely viewable at Patreon.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Karen and Matt check in from the UK! Karen is on tour promoting her new book Bitch: The Journey of a Word.  (affiliate link)Islands are engines of language diversityBorley RectoryMentioned for future coverage (but touched on before):The Black Monk of PontefractEpisodes covering Enfield and PoltergeistsBoleskine HouseSome Nessie & Scotland coverageBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

A fascinating chat about Australian Magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen) with Dr. Grainne Cleary in which we talk about the role of stories in creating monsters, the role of citizen science, and lots of cool biology facts about these birds. Not everything about Magpies is black and white, it turns out.Why do birds do that? (affiliate link)Your Backyard Birds (booktopia - Australian bookshop)And remember: Why do Birds Sing? will be dropping into stores September 2nd, 2025!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Blake recounts his recent visit to see Robert the Doll, and his findings after a deep dive into newspapers and other literature.   Patrons get follow-up info from the girl who was the subject of the "true doll haunting" from episode #114! Karen's latest book:  Bitch: The Journey of a WordRecent death "associated" with demonic doll AnnabelleOfficial website of the museum hosting Robert the DollCall for Papers: Of Gods and Monsters II (July 15, 2025 - November 1, 2025)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Flashback to October 2016! Updated content on Robert coming soon.In this week’s episode of MonsterTalk, we talk about demonic or evil dolls, and look into the history of one of America’s most famous creepy playthings: Robert the Doll. Our interview is with Dr. Cori Convertito, Curator of the Key West Art and Historical Society, which oversees the Fort East Martello Museum, home of Robert the Doll.Robert the Doll linksdramatized film (now "Films" as of 2025)authorized history booknovelFacebook pageTwitter accountofficial websiteStories about Robert — Lore podcastVideosChild’s Play (not based on Robert the Doll. See episode for details.)Twilight Zone — Season 5, Episode 6: Living Doll(watch Episode 6 on Amazon)Twilight Zone — Season 3, Episode 33: The Dummy(watch Episode 33 on Amazon)Trilogy of Terror — a creepy doll classicFurther ReadingThe Science of Superstition: How the Developing Brain Creates Supernatural Beliefs by Bruce M. HoodMusicMonstertalk Theme: Monster by Peach Stealing MonkeysAdditional music: C