When we think about the Victorian era, we tend to picture elaborate clothes, gaslit foggy streets, enormous houses, industrialization, and, eventually, Jack the Ripper. But there was another defining feature of Victorian life that is especially interesting from a horror perspective: Death was everywhere. The nineteenth century was a period when people were much more likely to die young than they are today. Infectious diseases, childbirth, accidents, industrial injuries, and c

Earlier this year Alan and I were lucky enough to go to Paris and visit the infamous Catacombs. It didn’t surprise me that it was a claustrophobic experience, but it did surprise me how emotional it was.

In my research, I’ve come across this painting so. many. times. It is a piece of art that’s absolutely terrifying. Today I decided to look up its history. And guess what? It may have inspired some of my favorite pieces of horror.

The dark history of Valentine's Day and the best horror movies to watch in celebration.

Recently a friend asked me if I knew much about vampire history in New York. I didn’t. Mostly because there isn’t much from a historic perspective, the closest is the New England Vampire Panic. The Panic that hit the United States in the 1730s was largely a response to tuberculosis and normal human decay. But neither of those topics were broadly, or scientifically understood enough at the time. The fun fact is that Bram Stoker took more from the New England Vampire Panic and

I’ll give it to him. Alan was on to something in episode 158 of the Lunatics Radio Hour podcast when he compared Popeye to a superhero. My first reaction was to laugh, but I was quickly convinced that Popeye is indeed a superhero. Or at least his own version of one. He possesses superhuman, spinach-powered strength, stands up for those in need, has a few arch-nemeses, and sports a distinctive costume. Shortly after Alan and I recorded that episode, something strange happened.

Three years before Frankenstein was published, Mary Shelley traveled through Europe. While in Germany, she passed near Frankenstein Castle, which may have influenced her novel. The castle was home to Johann Conrad Dippel, an alchemist who created a tar-like substance called Dippel’s Oil. Folklore about Dippel’s experiments possibly inspired Shelley, though she never mentioned this in her journals.

McCurdy was an American Outlaw, but that’s not why he’s famous. After his death, his corpse went on to live in infamy.

In 1837, residents of a London neighborhood started to report strange encounters and incidents with a mysterious and terrifying man.

Since ancient times, May 1st has marked the commencement of Summer across many cultures. It’s a festival honoring the transition from...

In honor of our exploration of theories behind UAP and UFOs on Lunatics Radio Hour, here are some of the most famous UFO and UAP...

It’s that time of year again, when I get to remind you that the most famous ghost story of all time is a Christmas story. And that is for...

Yule is a 12 day historic pagan festival celebrated in conjunction with the Winter Solstice on December 21st in the Northern...

As darkness falls on the evening of December 5th, folks across certain regions of Europe perpare for Krampusnacht. Traditionally, across...

One of the most famous tragedies from colonial New England was the Salem Witch Trial's. These trials took place about a century earlier than the New England Vampire Panic , and yet the Vampire Panic is much less well known. Let's talk about the history of the New England Vampire Panic. When Tuberculosis came to South Eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island in the 1730s, it wasn’t immediately clear what was happening. By the 1800s when the Vampire Panic was in full swing, Tubercu

The novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley was published in 1818. Shelley started writing the story when she was...

It was Halloween night 1938 when Orson Welles infamous radio play The War of the Worlds was broadcast to millions of Americans. Some listeners didn’t realize it was fictional, and thought that aliens were actually invading Earth, despite several notices that the broadcast was not real. The radio drama was based on the 1898 novel The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. The program was skinned as a breaking news broadcast, a very convincing one. The production was the 17th episode

Despite being born in the 1800s, Harry Houdini remains one of the most famous magicians and illusionists of all time. This is the history of Harry Houdini. Houdini was born Erik Weisz on March 24th 1874 in Budapest, Hungry. He was one of seven children in the family. Four years after his birth, his family immigrated to the United States and settled in Appleton, Wisconsin. His father worked for a period as a Rabbi but after losing his job the family moved to Milwaukee and fel

Charybdis and Scylla are vicious sea monsters from Greek mythology.

In 1957 the BBC reported that Switzerland’s spaghetti crop was out of control and even showed footage of farmers harvesting pasta. The...