Monstertalk

While Blake recovers from COVID, we'll take a listen to the MonsterTalk series "DeBased on a True Story." The audio isn't quite up to our regular quality, but we hope you enjoy the content.  This episode deals with the legend behind the 1977 Wes Craven film The Hills Have Eyes. If you'd prefer to watch this episode you can catch it on our YouTube channel.   A lot of our research materials have disappeared from the web since we recorded this, but I'll come back to shore up the notes when I can dig up some better references. Fortean Time article on the search for Sawney Bean  Sawney Bean the Scottish Cannibal   Retelling of Sawney Bean  Sawney Bean (Wikipedia)  Catch MonsterTalk Radio on All Your Favorite Podcasting Sites  Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn Follow MonsterTalk Radio on Facebook | Twitter | YouTube Support Love the show? Consider supporting MonsterTalk Radio on Patreon! Interested in Advertising with us? Contact sales@advertisecast.com!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www

Karen and Blake discuss the myths and legends of the Basilisk (and the Cockatrice). The conversation includes ancient legends, medieval legends, alchemy, a whole lot of bird sex, A.I. and information hazards.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

(AKA - The Hairy Hands of Dartmoor, The Unseen Hands) The legend of the Hairy Hands is set in Postbridge, Dartmoor. The road is now known as the B3212. Since 1921, the road has been the locale of a legendary menace - a pair of powerful unseen hairy hands that occasionally drives people to their death. But where did this story come from? And is it true?  Blake discusses his research into the case with Karen, and he thinks he's figured this one out.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

A reading of "In a Dim Room" by Lord Dunsany. A ghost story for Christmas.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

We talk with Dr. Jeffrey Weinstock (Central Michigan University) about "Monster Theory" and his new volume which collects a panoply of essays on this interesting topic. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

In this episode of MonsterTalk Radio, Blake and Karen have David Farnell of Fukuoka University on the show to talk about Frankenstein and the novel’s—and the monster’s—impact on pop culture, as well as how the definition of what a monster is and how monsters are perceived have evolved through literature. David has published numerous papers on monsters and monsters in literature.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

When we think about monsters, the number one reaction most people will have is fear. Why is that and where does it come from? How do our brains process the concept of monsters, our gut reactions to them, and about where we stand with all of that? In this episode of MonsterTalk, Blake sits down with author, professor, and artist, Stephen Asma to delve into how monsters evolved with us as humans culturally, how our imaginations play a role in it, and how our minds wrap themselves around our beliefs—among many other things.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

A look at the brief but influential "life" of the Grand Guignol theater, a Paris stage venue that specialized in gore and terror. We interview Professor Richard Hand, who has co-authored four volumes about this amazing little production company that for a brief while made much of true-crime and visceral nightmarish plots to present gore, horror and terror to Paris audiences. With less than 300 seats but with thousands of performances, the screams that came from its stage still echo through the world of theater to this very day.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

We're joined by the Spooky Science Sisters to talk about one of our favorite ghost stories, the psychic/omen/folklore/horror story that has haunted Karen and me since we were kids - the tale of Lord Dufferin and his encounter with the beyond. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Here on MonsterTalk, we stretch the idea of what a monster might be in all sorts of interesting ways. In this episode, Blake and Karen dive into the world of monstrous plants, with Peter D’Amato as their guide. Having grown them for over 40 years, Peter D’Amato is the authority on carnivorous plants. He also authored the book, The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants, which has been reprinted over 25 times.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Was Elizabeth Bathory the most vicious serial killer of all time? We're joined by historian Kayla of Historical AF to talk about the facts behind the brutal legend of the blood countess. [EXPLICIT WARNING]Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Blake and Karen speak with Toby Ball, author and host of the Strange Arrivals, a podcast that presents a historical UFO event within a social and scientific context. They deep dive not just on the UFO phenomenon, but also on ufology, aspects of which Blake has strong feelings about, as he ardently shows throughout this episode.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

In this episode, we’re talking with Mike Mason of Chaosium, the gaming company that makes the role-playing system Call of Cthulhu. Mike is here to talk about the newest version of Chaosium’s monstrous bestiary, which is called the Malleus Monstrorum, for the seventh edition of the classic game ecosystem based on the works of HP Lovecraft, and all kinds of Lovecraft-adjacent horror.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

On July 18, 2021 the AiPT SciPhiFest Conference included a 45 min segment of my  interview with author and comic-book artist Stephen R. Bissette (who is probably best known for his work on the Alan Moore run of the DC comic Swamp Thing). The interview is about Stephen's book CRYPTID CINEMA (http://bit.ly/CryptidCinema) with a special focus on the little-known touring film used by Roger Patterson to promote (and profit from) his famous alleged Bigfoot film.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

They're everywhere. They're inside you. You can't escape them - and can't live without them: Bacteria!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

The online convention starts at 10 am and I'll be participating in a couple of ways if you're interested. At noon, I've got a special interview with Stephen R. Bissette. You might know him as a key artist on Alan Moore's run of Swamp Thing in the 80s - but if you've been subscribing to BIG FOOTAGE the Patreon bonus cast, you'll know him as the author of CRYPTID CINEMA. I'll also be on at 3:30 pm with Jeb Card to discuss conspiracies and comics. https://bit.ly/SciPhiFest2021Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Sapphire Sandalo is the host of the web series Stories with Sapphire. She's a writer, animator, podcaster, TV personality, and part-time university instructor. Her series tells stories with distinctive music and animation and has a strong representation of many monsters, ghosts and creatures that come from Asian folklore from multiple cultures and stories submitted by her audience.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Karen and Blake are joined by the hosts of MonsterFuzz, Eamonn O'Neill and Rob Billington, to discuss monsters and folklore of Ireland. Well, that's what we were supposed to talk about but we wandered a bit because it was obvious we all loved talking about monsters.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Blake Smith has uncovered the uncropped "Watertown Ghosts" photo, lost to the public for more than fifty years, plus more discoveries about this famous alleged ghost photo.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Did coffins mysteriously move in a crypt in Barbados? Is there a natural explanation?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.