Once more unto the breach of Halloween, dear friends, once more, as we drift dreamily into some of our listeners’ most eerie encounters!  We begin tonight’s fearsome festivities with an account from Kamal, who discovered some ghostly confirmation in “Grandma’s Photo Album.”  Listener Holly and her nephew are visited both day and night by a little girl they could consider “Our Imaginary Friend.”  Next, while on deployment in East Africa with the Army National Guard, Zac and his fellow soldiers make “Contact in the Desert” with an otherworldly being.  While giving a tour at the historic and haunted Belleview-Biltmore Hotel in Florida, Joseph gets spectrally tackled, giving him the “Groundskeeper Willies.”  Damon’s story shows that even when you unwittingly stare into the void, “The Void Stares Back.” And finally, when listener Alison is supernaturally harassed and goaded to “Wake up, Ali!” she learns that we thankfully have champions in the spiritual warfare between good and evil.  Please join us for our spooky season tradition, where the most astonishing thing is our listeners and their actual experiences.  

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In part 2 of our series on The Entity, we delve deeper into the story of The Entity and the horrific experiences of Doris Bither. We’ll explore previously undisclosed details of her life and the paranormal phenomena witnessed in her home by a large team of researchers from UCLA, as told by the only person in the world who’s been in touch with Bither’s family, Javier Ortega. We’ll examine the aftermath of the haunting, its profound effects on the Bither family, and the challenges they faced long after the initial investigation concluded. Going beyond the well-known narrative, we’ll explore Doris's later years and the enduring psychological impact on her family. Astonishing Legends has always strived to be the ‘Podcast of Record’ on the topics we cover, and this one is no different. Join us as we unravel the untold continuation of The Entity Haunting, seeking not just the truth of what happened but a deeper understanding of how the investigation into it may have done more harm than good.

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On the night of September 19, 1961, around 10:30 p.m., Betty and Barney Hill drove back to their home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, after a vacation in Niagara Falls and Montreal.  As they passed the town of Lancaster along U.S. Route 3, Betty saw a bright light in the sky just below the Moon that she initially thought was a falling star, except this light was moving upward and erratically, growing larger and more brilliant.  The Hills pulled over for a closer look through binoculars.  Betty said she saw an oddly shaped craft with multicolored lights that flashed as it traveled across the face of the Moon.  Barney saw what he first reasoned was a commercial jetliner, but when the craft silently descended rapidly in their direction without turning, he realized it was not a plane.  They resumed driving as the object continued its quick descent toward their car until it hovered above the highway about 80 to 100 feet off the ground, causing Barney to stop in the middle of the road.  Using the binoculars again, Barney could now see what he described as eight to eleven humanoid beings staring at him through one of the craft's windows.  Then they all turned away from the window except for one that continued to glare and seemingly sent a telepathic message to Barney, commanding him to "stay where you are and keep looking."  After making further observations about the craft and its occupants, whom Barney described as "somehow not human," the only thing the Hills could recall next from that moment was hearing a buzzing sound, then continuing on their drive.  The Hills arrived home in the early morning the following day, and somehow, the trip took about two hours longer than it should have.  Initially feeling at ease upon arrival, Betty and Barney would soon be troubled by puzzling evidence and unexplainable feelings and urges.  Their watches were permanently stopped.  Betty's dress was ripped around the zipper and lining and dusted with traces of a pinkish powder.  The leather strap for the binoculars was torn, and the tops of the toes of Barney's shoes were scuffed as if he was dragged.  He also developed inexplicable growths.  They felt compelled to take long showers to remove any contamination without fully knowing what had happened to them.  They noticed concentric circular marks on the trunk of their car that had strange magnetic properties.  All of these baffling clues were traces of the extraordinarily terrifying and traumatic experience they endured that night, which scarred them for years, pieced together from their conscious memories, hypnotic regression sessions, and Betty's vividly recurring dreams.  Taken all together, the story of Betty and Barney Hill became one of the most classic and seminal in ufology and is considered the first widely publicized case of alien abduction in the United States.

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We often wonder when was the first time a now well-known phenomenon first occurred or was recorded. In the instance of spiritual possession, at least in the United States, we may have an answer in the case known as “The Watseka Wonder.” Indeed, if such a condition exists, it’s likely people have been claiming or appearing to be possessed by a supernatural force since human beings existed. However, many cite the Watseka story as the first well-documented example of a person appearing to have been taken over by a deceased human spirit. This historical incident also benefits from the thorough documentation from a credible source. At the time, a physician and Spiritist, Dr. E. Winchester Stevens, treated his patient experiencing the possession and wrote about the bizarre events soon after they occurred in a book he titled, The Watseka Wonder. Stevens’ report details the story of Mary Lurancy Vennum, who began to suffer from cataleptic-like seizures at the age between thirteen and fourteen years old. On July 11, 1877, the first attack happened where Lurancy passed out on the floor and remained unconscious for five hours. The “fit,” as it was called back then, happened the next day as well, except that this time while in something of a trance, she spoke of being in heaven and in the company of various spirits. She described some of these spirits as angels and claimed to talk to a departed sister and a brother who died when Lurancy was just 3. Her episodes occurred in greater frequency by January of the following year, some lasting from an hour to eight hours and as many as twelve times per day. Her religiously orthodox parents and the numerous doctors that examined her feared she had become insane, and the only option left was to have her committed to an asylum. However, a respected, casual acquaintance of the Vennum family, Asa B. Roff, became intrigued by Lurancy’s condition and instead convinced her parents to let Dr. E. W. Stevens treat the girl using Spiritist methods. To everyone’s astonishment, Lurancy then started to behave like she was inhabited by the soul of Roff’s daughter Mary. Mary Roff had passed away more than a decade before Lurancy was born. Join us tonight for Part 1 of our series, where we cover the circumstances of perhaps America’s first acknowledged case of “spirit infestation,” known as “The Watseka Wonder.”

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One question we often receive is, do we think the US Government will ever disclose the existence of UFOs? We believe the answer is, they've already begun. Since the groundbreaking, front-page article appeared in the December 17, 2017 edition of the New York Times with a title exclaiming "Real UFOs," the world has seen drips and drops of Pentagon-authenticated video clips and statements publically disseminated and officially validated. Add to this the testimonies of some of the most credible sources willing to come forward, such as Luis "Lue" Elizondo, former director of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program or AATIP at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence in the Pentagon, Christopher Mellon, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, and retired veteran US Navy fighter pilot Commander David Fravor. The claims become hard to dismiss as goofball flights of fancy. On June 25, 2021, the release of a report titled Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena by the Office of the Director Of National Intelligence was considered anemic by many who wanted FULL disclosure of what the government knows. However, it was another official admission that these encounters are certified and remain a mystery to our military. At least on the surface. And what is known currently by the general public above this surface owes a great deal to the efforts of our guest tonight, a field researcher and documentarian Jeremy Kenyon Lockyer Corbell. Jeremy's pursuit and publication of unclassified video from Naval electronic warfare targeting systems like the now-famous "Tic Tac" clip have stirred public imagination and debate. They may have even spurred congressional inquiry resulting in that preliminary report and future disclosures. But we owe our access to Jeremy to the facilitation from a long-time listener and now friend Adam. Adam and Jeremy became friends while investigating a cattle mutilation near Adam's storage property in the Texas panhandle region. Tonight, we'll discuss Jeremy's journey to becoming a clearinghouse for genuine UFO footage, his documentary work on the subjects of Bob Lazar and Skinwalker Ranch, and he and Adam's findings from their cattle mutilation case, and all the implications thereof. One curious and ironic conclusion when trying to connect all the dots is that the specific governmental disclosure on alien life, their motivations, abductions, and cattle mutilations seem like it could be another matter altogether.

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Here's a question: What makes a haunted house spooky if you've never been there?  How scary can a haunted house be if no one has repeatedly investigated it?  In other words, what is more frightening, the honest anecdotes about experienced paranormal activity in a haunted location or the unverified legends and lore of a place that send the frights of our imagination into overdrive?  And what makes a house haunted?  Is it the house or land itself, the activities and energy of its inhabitants, or a reciprocal combination of both?  These are questions that would be apropos for tonight's subject, a house known as the Wilbur-Hahn manor in Spokane, Washington.  The craftsman-style mansion came to life in September of 1916, when the heiress to the Hecla Silver Mine fortune, Sarah Smith, married playboy Ralston T. "Jack" Wilbur.  Jack Wilbur had used Sarah's money to hire an eminent architect to build a three-story, seventeen-room house in Spokane's historied and tony South Hill neighborhood.  For the princely sum of $75,000, the estate, sitting on nearly four acres of land, flaunted imported marble, gold-leaf carvings, and mahogany paneling inlaid with mother of pearl brought from China.  However, the newly minted Mrs. Wilbur didn't fancy the home, and with this and other tumults in the marriage, Smith, and Wilbur divorced in 1918.  The following notorious couple to occupy the house was Rudolph A. Hahn and his second wife Sylvia, thirty-two years his junior.  Hahn purchased the manor in 1924 and spent $50,000 on additions, like a swimming pool and lavish gardens with fountains and statues, along with rumored secret panels and tunnels.  Obtaining a doctor's license through a correspondence course, Hahn made a fortune performing electroshock therapy and illegal medical procedures for Spokane's well-heeled.  The money, which some believe Hahn had stashed on the property, fueled his love of wild parties, fast cars, boats, and racehorses, much to the neighbors' dismay.  But the excess and extravagant lifestyle of this real-life "Great Gatsby" would eventually lead to his bizarre murder in a seedy hotel downtown known as The New Madison Hotel.  Perhaps it was the raucous, illicit activities and extreme emotions witnessed by the estate that imprinted somehow.  Reports of arguing phantom voices or boisterous laughter, vanishing bloodstains, shadow figures, the apparition of a woman at the top of the stairs, and even screams and mysterious noises heard by passersby are forever bound to the house.  The lesson of such an infamous place as the Wilbur-Hahn manor is that no matter how private any owners are, they cannot curb the spirits or the legend of a haunted mansion, and spooky is as spooky does.

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It's much more comfortable for most of us to think of paranormal subjects as having their origins beginning only in recent history – an amusing byproduct of mid-twentieth century foolishness or the internet age.  Much easier to dismiss then.  Many people, persuaded by an uninformed media, believe UFOs only started appearing to the public after pilot Kenneth Arnold's famous sighting while flying near Mt. Rainier on June 24, 1947, or the incident in Roswell, NM, just fourteen days later.  Similarly, many people believe the Bigfoot or Sasquatch phenomenon only began in 1958 in Bluff Creek, California, after the family of Ray Wallace claimed he started it all by leaving large, fake footprints made with wooden carvings as a prank.  It's uncomfortable to consider that these unnerving intrusions into our comfortable reality had occurred for maybe hundreds, if not thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years before our sophisticated logic matured.  However, researchers who study paranormal phenomena know that reports of these things, especially Bigfoot, go back far beyond written history.  Unfortunately, yet not surprisingly, there seems to be an air of ethnocentrism and hubris when it comes to western scientists giving credence to the indigenous oral traditions of encounters with these massive, hairy ape-like beasts.  Yet, it stands to reason that if any of these beings truly existed, their origins likely go back further than the birth of Rock and Roll.  So, how far back do the sightings of Bigfoot and Sasquatch go?  Here's a hint: it's a lot more ancient and global than you probably imagined.  To help us explore this enigma, we're fortunate to have our dear friend, researcher, science enthusiast, author, and fellow podcaster Micah Hanks join us for a roundtable discussion.  We'll hear about his latest research into the earliest known writings and oral histories of the cryptic cousin creature we've come to know and love.
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Our goal in covering the story of the Perron family's experience while living for a decade at the Arnold Estate, the inspiration for the motion picture, The Conjuring, was to uncover the real story behind the persistent hauntings. What we discovered once again was the actual truths at the heart of this, and other famous cases are as murky and nebulous as the spirits that do the haunting. The question that remains is, what is truth and what is real when it comes to supernatural activity? Skeptical researcher and writer Kenny Biddle investigated the historical people that the Perrons thought may have been the entities that lingered in their home. He found inconsistencies between the records of the lives and deaths of named locals and their claimed involvement with the farmhouse. But the attempt to cast doubt on the Perron story by focusing on historical inaccuracies is to go at the problem in an understandably linear, causal fashion, perhaps not one taken by a paranormal investigator. This leads us to the question, can the supernatural be analyzed with earthly rational thinking?  For example, does a person have to die in the same place that their ghost supposedly haunts (if one even believes in ghosts), or can they move about freely? Can spirits visit only some individuals or occupants, or would they have to haunt everyone in the same space equally? Can spirits identify as something they're not, or do they have to tell the truth about who or what they are? What are the rules for something so mysterious? While many of us would like to apply standard logic to understanding the numen world, those that have experienced it might tell you no ordinary rationale matters. Despite the "facts," what they have witnessed was real and true enough.

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Whether you're a fan of horror films or not, you've probably heard of the 2013 motion picture, "The Conjuring." This film, starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, struck such a chord with viewers that it spawned a franchise of related films like The Conjuring sequels, The Nun, Annabelle, and The Curse of La Llorona. But the initial movie was inspired by real-life events, the roughly decade-long hauntings of the Perron family that started the moment they moved into the Arnold Estate in 1970, now called "The Farm on Round Top Road" in Harrisville, Rhode Island. The colonial farmhouse, built circa 1736, would be home to 9 generations of families, including the Perrons. It seems some of the residents would never be able to leave, and some new and terrifying entities would make an unwelcome appearance during the Perron occupancy. While a few of the spirits were viciously malevolent, some were benevolent, and Andrea Perron, the eldest daughter, comprehensively chronicled the entire experience in a three-volume set of books titled House of Darkness House of Light: The True Story. While Andrea loved the cinematic adaptation of her family's story in the film, she also realizes that a movie has its own set of rules for narrative compression. Its purpose is to entertain efficiently, and therefore was only "one percent of one percent of what actually happened at the farm." Also, the famous paranormal investigative couple, Ed and Lorraine Warren were only a lesser element to the overall story. So what were some of the more frightening yet fascinating occurrences that happened to the Perrons at clearly one of the most active haunted houses still in existence that most of us have never heard? Join us tonight for part one of our examination of the true story behind "The Conjuring." 

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Many of us have taken an adventurous expedition to check out some local, notorious spot to see if we could witness or sense some evidence of a past famous or infamous incident. Most of the time, one only returns with a minor anecdote or pictures of an ordinary location bereft of anything noteworthy. The more realistic purpose is not so much to find a ghoulish memento but to imagine what it must've been like to have been there when it happened. But what if such an outing starts with strange coincidences and ends with the adventurers enduring a paranormal event seemingly unrelated to the original incident? This is the sort of tale we'll hear from our good friend, graphic designer, and illustrator Tommy Beaver about the time some friends went to check out the scene of a horrific crime that happened in Summerfield, North Carolina, almost 13 miles northwest of Greensboro. On June 3, 1985, the incident in question occurred when at the end of a murder spree and police pursuit, Fritz Klenner and his first cousin, lover, and accomplice, Susie Newsome Lynch, ended their standoff detonating a bomb in their Chevrolet Blazer. Klenner and Lynch had blown themselves up along with Lynch's already deceased two sons who were in the vehicle rather than face arrest. The site of this shocking finale was what the friends were hoping to explore, but their souvenir was an unsettling experience they'll never forget. Strangely, a mysterious white horse suddenly appeared to encounter the group, except that this creature may not have been a horse at all. Many people have claimed to see a spectral white horse, and the ancient Britons believed a sacred white horse was one's ride to the afterlife. Yet these friends may forever wonder, as will we, what was the connection of this beast to the tragedy if there is one? And if this wasn't a horse as we know it, what sort of monster haunts the location of one of North Carolina's most ghastly crimes?

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So, as we close out our three-part series on Crop Circles, what have we all learned so far? Well, we've learned that Crop Circles are not just another fad from the 1980s and 90s. Generations of farmers going back at least to the turn of the last century have found them, and probably long before that if written accounts are accurate. They may have been the template or the inspiration for Standing Stone formations such as Stonehenge and rock paintings like the Gwion Gwion, often found in the sacred sites of our earliest ancestors. And they continue to be discovered to this day. While hoaxers have gotten more sophisticated with their designs and prodigious with their efforts over the years, simple logic and reason would suggest they couldn't have made all the now thousands that have been found all over the world. And many of these showing no signs of human touch. It applies especially to the massive and intricate patterns discovered within hours or less of their creation. Even more perplexing is the claim by many hoaxers that they felt strangely compelled to create their formations as if they had no choice. Some circle makers revealed a mysterious fog had shrouded their activities or aided by a sudden clearing of the weather or an alteration of perception by onlookers. And if an unknown entity made just one Crop Circle, then isn't the phenomenon genuine? But what is the point of all this effort and secrecy? If they are merely human-made decorations, they serve to nourish us the way all art does. Suppose they are messages from an otherworldly source. In that case, they contain a level of cleverness in their multiple layers of meaning functioning all at once, as we would expect from higher intellect. They speak to us with a mesmerizing beauty, using elements of Sacred Geometry that have always captured our imagination, with their deeper meaning residing in our unconscious. Each circle may have a particular message, with all of them combined to form an instructive narrative, and the key to unlocking this enigma may be in the circles themselves. If this is a new form of language or communication, then perhaps one clear and simple message is that the researchers, the hoaxers, the curious, and the clueless; our minds, bodies, and spirits are all connected along with the earth. Maybe it's the result of global human consciousness, an unseen intelligence, or a combination of both. Whatever the force behind Crop Circles, could it be that something tells us we need to evolve our awareness and understanding to take better care of all of it before we lose our way for good?   Visit our website for a whole lot more information on this website, and seriously, we're talking a LOT more.

As we dive deeper into exploring the phenomenon of Crop Circles, it seems that the story of its research takes on the shape of other histories of paranormal investigation.  Misinformation and misdirection from government and military agencies, hoaxes complicating genuinely anomalous evidence, and the phenomena itself presenting an ever-moving target for those that seek the truth are akin to the serious study of UFOs, for example.  And curiously, for being thought of by many as just prankish art installations in grain stalks, Crop Circles come with a Grab Bag of High Strangeness too.  For tonight's Part Two in our series, we first cover inexplicable occurrences associated with some circle formations.  We'll focus on one surveillance experiment in a crop circle dubbed "Operation White Crow" with bizarre and unsettling effects for Colin Andrews, Pat Delgado, Busty Taylor, Dr. Terence Meaden, and others.  Then we look at what appeared to be an attempt by the British military to discredit Andrews and other "cereologists" called "Operation Blackbird" that ironically may have generated its own enigmatic results and the question of why would they bother?  And lastly, we'll begin to examine the mindset and role of the hoaxer and the symbiosis they may participate in with earnest researchers, one that hoaxers may not realize they share as they do their part to keep the mystery alive.

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On a July afternoon in 1983, Colin Andrews, an electrical engineer and officer employed by the British regional government, was driving between his offices near Winchester and Hampshire when something caught his eye. Seeing something unusual in a farmer's field next to the road, he felt strongly compelled to pull over and check it out. A strange physical and mental sensation came over him as he approached and realized it was a set of five large circles forming a traditional "Celtic Cross." Unbeknownst to Andrews, within days, he would partner with meteorologist Dr. Terence Meaden, NASA scientist Pat Delgado, and the three of them, along with pilot Busty Taylor, would become the only people in the world at the time researching the global Crop Circle phenomenon. In 1989, the first book on the subject, Circular Evidence, written by Delgado and Andrews, would become known as the "Crop Circle Bible." Not only did the book cause scientists and researchers to then take the matter seriously, but it also unleashed a deluge of Crop Circle hoaxes, complicating earnest study. When two older British gentlemen, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, came forward in 1990 claiming to have made all the crop circles in England, the media and the public seemed to take their word as reason enough to lay the mystery to rest. Yet, the examples they and other hoaxers have provided as evidence don't match the precision and completion times found in circles considered authentic. While the hoaxers' techniques have become more sophisticated and impressive over the years, the genuine formations display characteristics that seem beyond the reasonable capability for the short time in which real ones are created. Authentic Crop Circles have many stalks bent in 90º angles near the ground, with the stalks interwoven in a complex fashion, anomalies found in the soil, precise lines in massive formations, and no evidence of people walking to or around them. Strange physiological effects like dizziness, nausea, euphoria, time disturbance, and bizarre sounds, to name a few, have also been reported by many who step inside one. However, most Crop Circles, both real and faked, share in common one significant trait – artistically, they employ design elements found in "Sacred Geometry," with ratios composed with the "Golden Mean." They are also often located near areas with ancient archaeological sacred sites, and reports of their existence appear to go back hundreds, if not thousands of years. So if the creators, both earthly and beyond, remain a mystery, perhaps the meaning behind the circles can be more easily fathomed. Whether the lesson is a sociological or spiritual and metaphysical one, wondrous Crop Circles do continue to exist and have a purpose. They carry a message, which could be as simple as – pay attention because you could learn something that will affect your existence.

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Scott and Forrest are joined by Chris Cullari and Ed Voccola, the hosts of Scared All The Time, for a live show at Monster Fest 2. Featuring live listener stories and EVP’s collected live on site from the Sallie House DR60!

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We have a very special guest joining us tonight, metaphysical "astralnaut," philosopher of the liminal, "Pope of the Paranormal," and host of the AM Radio talk show Dark Air, Terry Carnation.  Terry first got his start in the paranormal radio genre when unexpectedly thrust into taking over for another show.  While working as a late-night rock n' roll Disc Jockey for an FM station in Buffalo, NY, in 1992, Reginald Wilcox, the host of the paranormal call-in show that aired after Terry's slot was mysteriously murdered while Terry was in the bathroom... or so he claims.  In his unflappable sense of duty, apparently stronger than his sense of legal obligation, Terry immediately took over the role of consigliere for listeners stupefied by the supernatural. And in Terry's words, "that's how a legend was created." Now, after a three-year hiatus, Terry Carnation returns with a new podcast, also called Dark Air, available starting April 1, 2021, wherever podcasts are given away for free.  While you may not have heard of him, there will be something uneasily familiar about his voice and visage.  And the audience will come to know his strange power for tearing off the head of disbelief and reaching down deep into our souls to yank out the viscera of our darkest fears and mysteries.  Wrapped around our interview with Terry, our good buddy Rich Hatem joins us once again to discuss his latest adventures and projects.  We'll also con him into playing our version of a game show, in the spirit of America's NPR radio program Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and Britain's Would I Lie to You?  We'll tell Rich three outrageous paranormal stories, and he has to guess which one is fake.  Please join us for an episode of inscrutable levity.

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As legend would have it, or at least how the story goes from Marie Caroline Watson Hamlin's 1884 book, Legends of Le Détroit, on the evening of the 10th of March, 1701, a lively banquet took place in the castle of St. Louis, Quebec. The celebratory dinner host was the governor of "New France," Hector Louis de Callière. The guest of honor was Monsieur Antoine La Mothe Cadillac, Sieur de Douaguet, and Mont Désert, who had just been granted a commission of Commandant along with 15 square acres to locate a colony and build a fort wherever he saw fit at "le Détroit," or "The Straits." At the height of the merriment, the dinner party received a strange and mysterious visitor. A peculiar-looking woman called "Mère Minique, La Sorcière" offered to read the guests' fortunes. She would astound the officials with details of their lives she could not possibly know, yet La Mothe Cadillac remained skeptical, and against the advice of Mère Minique, bade her tell him of his future. She told him he would found a great city, but his policies and pride would cause his ruin, and his colony would be the scene of strife and bloodshed. Above all, she warned, to appease the Nain Rouge, beware of offending him! It would be six years of profitable growth for the settlement before Cadillac would be able to temp his fate. While on an evening stroll with his wife, the red devilish imp crossed their path as prophesied. And it takes no sibyl to guess that Cadillac let his impetuous temper get the better of him, and he lashed out at the goblin with a curse and his cane. The rest, it is said, is history, but certainly, history mixed with fact and folklore. So was the Nain Rouge nothing more than a cautionary tale of greed and undue ambition? Maybe an imagined scapegoat for the woes of this famed city or a tulpa-like harbinger of doom? Could it be that the Nain Rouge was, and is, an actual supernatural entity as possibly described in First Nations legends? If one is entertaining this last option, or when in doubt, perhaps it's always best to respect the specter, yet remember that our fate is always in our own hands. 

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Jim Perry's Euphomet returns with a new season! Sneak preview. Subscribe now to Euphomet on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

In the years between 1764 and 1767, a real-life monster had brutally savaged the residents of the former province of Gévaudan in the highland region of south-central France.  While the creature's first attack was reportedly unsuccessful in killing its intended victim, it did provide a horrific description of it.  Some sort of massive, canine-like creature was stalking the villagers out in their fields of the Margeride mountains.  And it would remain as elusive as its killing spree grew nightmarishly effective.  In a three-year span, contemporary and modern estimates put the death toll anywhere from around 100 to 500 people, mostly women, and children.  To add to the fear and suffering, these were no ordinary large animal predator attacks.  Considering that only a small percentage of the victims were found partially consumed, with livestock untouched, the bodies of all were so shockingly mutilated that it could be surmised this abomination of nature was not killing out of hunger but for sport.  As news of the relentless slaughter spread throughout France, tens of thousands from every walk of life, peasants, soldiers, and noblemen alike, joined in the hunt to stop this menace.  Reports had even reached Versaille, where King Louis XV had placed a large bounty on its head.  When survivors and eyewitnesses had given their statements, a puzzling picture of the beast emerged.  Although many accounts described this creature as having some features like an abnormally large wolf, or wolf-dog hybrid, other details combined didn't fit any known animal.  It was also described as the size of a calf or donkey, with reddish hair and a black stripe down its back, giant, razor-sharp teeth set in the gaping mouth of a pig-like head, a tail with a tuft on its end, and talons on its feet.  This being was shot and wounded on several occasions at close range only to escape and kill again, adding a supernatural element to the legend.  Many believed then as they do now that this animal must have been a canine mutation of some sort.  However, without the descriptor of "werewolf" or "skinwalker" added to the story, saying it was just a vicious, big dog leaves an unsatisfactory conclusion.  With no remains or taxonomy to define this murderous freak, the only name that could be given to it then is the one that remains today: The Beast of Gévaudan.

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Who among us hasn't wanted to know the future or have insight into the hidden, at least in passing?  From the first instance a human had a premonition that came true, it seems likely that the adventurous who were shocked and astounded wondered how those without the "gift" could duplicate this impossible experience.  Then, when someone stared too intently into a reflective pool of liquid, a glowing ember, or even the night sky, and experienced an extrasensory perception, a technique and its medium are discovered to tap into a sixth sense.  Practiced now for millennia, this procedure for obtaining occult information has become known as scrying.  One interesting observation is that although there are general guidelines for preparing oneself and performing a scrying session, many mediums can facilitate the phenomenon.  It appears that any object can be used that can capture the light and dazzle the eye, or a reflective surface that can offer deep introspection or a dark void that focuses the senses.  But then the burning question becomes, how does this process work, and from where does the information come?  Does this "second sight" materialize from deep within ourselves, external omniscience, or some combination of both?  In tonight's episode, we'll look at the elements, the history, and the concepts behind this ancient and mysterious means of knowing the unknowable.

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As we wrap up our coverage of the Frederick Valentich story in Part 3 of our series, we'll continue our conversation with Melbourne resident Chris Tyler about his research into the case and other possibly related UFO incidents around the same time and area.  We'll also examine the Australian Department of Transport accident report's remaining findings and discuss its conclusions.  As you begin to reach your own conclusions, it's essential to keep several factors in mind which make the usual mundane explanations seem inadequate.  The high number of independent sightings of aerial phenomena occurring in proximity to the disappearance suggests Valentich wasn't alone in witnessing it.  The distance a Cessna cowling was found from a potential crash site and the lack of definitive markings makes its discovery inconclusive.  Even if the cowling did come from Valentich's plane, it still doesn't account for what caused him to ditch, let alone other missing debris and Valentich himself.  Perhaps the most surprising revelation comes from the summary of the report itself.  Rather than dismissing the possibility of a UFO entanglement, an official government statement lists it as one of four likeliest scenarios.  Remember that Valentich himself never suggested he interacted with a UFO in his last transmission, despite being painted as obsessed with them by his skeptics.  When these factors and more are taken together, it's no wonder this incident is one of the most baffling and tragic in the phenomenon's history and leaves us all to wonder, what happened to Frederick Valentich and where did he go?

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When the facts about a paranormal event yield no more answers, investigators and the public alike tend to turn their attention to the experiencer's character to ascertain its authenticity.  So what kind of person was Frederick Valentich?  A once-lost aircraft accident report from Australia's Department of Transport, which resurfaced in 2012, has shed some light on Valentich's behavior and state of mind leading up to the moment of his disappearance.  Through extensive interviews with his family, friends, associates, and the flight personnel he came into contact with, a picture emerges of Valentich's disposition.  Although there were some puzzling actions and statements by the young pilot, overall, he appeared to be a dedicated and serious student of aviation.  Yet if a paranormal cause of his disappearance is off the table of consideration, then the answer must lie in one of his shortcomings, right?  This has led to speculation that Valentich intended to abscond with the aircraft and start a new life, or he planned a mysterious suicide, or that as a UFO enthusiast, he simply mistook stars and planets for a UFO and crashed trying to avoid it.  As we delve further into the details and analysis from the official report in part two of our series, we're joined by listener and lifelong Melbourne resident Chris Tyler.  Being quite familiar with the case, Chris will lend his own insight into the mystery and illustrate this enchanting Australian backdrop's prevailing attitudes and characteristics.

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On Saturday, October 21, 1978, at 6:19 p.m., 20-year-old Frederick Valentich took off from Moorabbin Airport just south of Melbourne, Australia, for what was supposed to be a routine training and pleasure flight over Bass Strait to King Island.  A serious student aviator, Valentich had been flying for two years and had accumulated over 150 hours of solo flying time in his goal to one day become a commercial airline pilot.  Although rated for night flying by instrument, the sun was still up, and with clear visibility and good weather, there was no reason Valentich shouldn’t have easily completed this trip, which he’d taken several times before.  However, just over halfway through the flight at 7:06 p.m., Valentich contacted Melbourne Flight Service Unit and reported seeing an unidentified craft above him, traveling at high speed and shining four bright lights.  Valentich would radio back a few minutes later that it didn’t appear to be any known aircraft, and now it had even more unusual characteristics: it was long, shiny metallic, and a green light was emanating from it.  Even more unsettling, this craft he described was deliberately toying with him as it orbited above while his plane’s engine was sputtering.  At 7:11 p.m., the last statement anyone would hear from Valentich would be that the object was still hovering and that it was not an aircraft.  Valentich and his plane had vanished at that moment, but whether it was an elaborate hoax, a deliberate crash, or merely a misidentification combined with a mechanical failure, no investigation has been able to determine.  What is not in doubt is that the case of Frederick Valentich remains one of Australia’s biggest aviation mysteries, if not in all of UFO lore.

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Please join us for a very special Astonishing Legends episode – an All-Star holiday party featuring some of your favorite podcast personalities!  Along with consigliere Tess Pfeifle, we welcome our very own "Alexander Leek," sage, screenwriter and good friend Rich Hatem; podcaster, compadre, and casual archaeologist Micah Hanks; our Space Brother and To The Stars professor, Rob Kristoffersen; and our special guest, inspirational pathfinder, and podfather Jim Harold.  We'll engage in all the scintillating conversation and fascinating anecdotes you'd expect to hear at a holiday gathering attended by paranormal enthusiast friends and fueled by high octane egg nog, and Micah will treat us to a guitar performance near the end!  We hope you'll enjoy this virtual celebration and feel part of a fellowship as we find support and unity at the end of a trying year any way we can.

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Our friend Seth Breedlove has a new docudrama out about the Bell Witch and guess who's in it? Forrest! 

http://www.smalltownmonsters.com/shop 

https://tinyurl.com/markofthebellwitch

On June 29, 1988, around 2:30 a.m., Christopher "Chris" Davis drove home after working the night shift at his local McDonald's. Driving along Browntown Road, which cuts through the dense woods of Scape Ore Swamp in South Carolina, Chris hears the pop of a flat tire on his car. As he finishes installing the spare, he notices something large and dark coming out of the trees, moving towards him about 30 yards away and swinging its arms. In an interview with The Item newspaper, Chris described seeing this humanoid creature with glowing red eyes close up, saying it was "green, wetlike, about seven feet tall and had three fingers... a red-eyed devil." Terrified, Davis ran to the driver's door and jumped in. Once inside, this bipedal beast was now right outside his window, where he could see it from the neck down. It then jumped up onto the roof of his car, where he could see its "rough-looking, black-fingernailed hands, sticking down from the windshield." The cryptid deeply grunts as Chris peels out, attempting to escape. As he estimated he was driving about 35-40 mph, this thing had caught up to the car and jumped onto the roof again, banging and clawing at it. The creature finally fell off as he swerved frantically, racing home. This encounter would become the best-known report of this impossible monster emerging from Scape Ore Swamp, but it was not the first, nor would it be the last.  At least one verified account tells of a sighting occurring two years prior, and a handful of police reports describe run-ins that happened in the years following Davis's experience. Chris Davis never called it the "Lizard Man," but residents had already labeled some previously seen brute by that description. And when a local reporter printed the nickname, the moniker stuck in the broader public's imagination. Sheriff Liston Truesdale was the one person who vetted all the claims, took reports from witnesses, and investigated their stories. And we're fortunate and grateful to have on our show tonight the one person who spent time interviewing Sheriff Truesdale, questioned locals, visited locations, and wrote a book about it all, our friend and noted cryptozoology researcher and author Lyle Blackburn. Lyle's 2013 book, Lizard Man: The True Story of the Bishopville Monster, is the phenomenon's most comprehensive and detailed history. As the sightings and questions continue, perhaps the most puzzling and troubling thing is whether everyone sees the same being and whether it is reptilian, more Bigfoot-like, or some other horror altogether.

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Tonight's episode starts with the coverage of a strange and funny case involving aliens and holiday pies.  On January 4, 1979, Mrs. Jean Hingely of the town of Rowley Regis in the West Midlands region of England was visited by three fishbowl-helmeted and friendly aliens with wings.  After some spiritually uplifting exchanges, her holiday visitors thrashed her Christmas tree and nicked three of her mincemeat pies.  The second part of our episode features heartwarming personal stories of hope from some of our listeners.  These stories may not be proof of an afterlife for some, but for others, they may bolster the belief that our existence doesn't end with our physical death and that somewhere there is a world where everything we cherish is waiting for us, and proof that love is eternal and boundless.

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In a rare dual-subject episode for us, we take a look at two somewhat Christmas-themed stories, the mysterious yet not-so-mysterious "Utah Monolith" and the Warminster "Thing." In the first part of the show, we discuss the recent discovery of a 9.5-foot-tall metal triangular prism-shaped pillar we've dubbed "The Christmas Monolith." This story made the rounds after state biologists from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources spotted the out-of-place-artifact while conducting a survey of bighorn sheep by helicopter over San Juan County in southeastern Utah on November 18, 2020. Two days later, the Utah Department of Public Safety posted a photo of the monolith on Instagram, with more pictures and videos of the puzzling pillar to follow. The internet and media outlets were soon abuzz with speculation about who, human, alien, or otherwise, would've illegally planted the iconic looking structure in such a remote red sandstone slot canyon in the middle of nowhere and why. Other metal columns have appeared in Romania and California, prompting the question, are these pranks, artworks, a message, or perhaps all three? The second part of our show tonight examines a freakish "flap" of High Strangeness that's so fantastic in its details and so widely experienced at the time that it's baffling why the story has mostly become forgotten. Generally considered to have gotten its start in the early hours of Christmas morning in 1964, this saga of shocking incidents in hindsight seems to have only publically peaked on December 25th and continued well into the following year, and only gradually declined in the decade to follow. The holiday literally started with a bang for the residents of the town of Warminster in Wiltshire County in southwestern England. Numerous citizens and British soldiers training nearby awoke to a medley of piercing, thundering, clattering, metallic noises in the sky and on their rooftops, the nature of which nearly defies description. The strange and untraceable sounds would continue to accost the townsfolk, with some reporting these sonic attacks were so violent it threw them to the ground and sickened their pets. As 1965 wore on, the unearthly rackets would eventually coincide with sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena and craft so unique they sound unusual even for a UFO wave. And what bouillabaisse of the bizarre would be complete without cattle disappearances, freaky interstellar messengers, and tall, humanoid-alien visitors? Warminster had it all. All told, this series of strangeness was so beyond comprehension, and with no vocabulary to satisfactorily describe it, the phenomena became simply known as the Warminster "Thing."

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In tonight’s Part Two of our discussion of Joe Fisher’s book, The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts, with Special Guest Rich Hatem, we continue to examine the narrative of Fisher’s interactions with Spirit Guides through Channeling and their troubling results.  With the messages and guidance becoming increasingly confusing, frustrating, and seemingly misleading, Fisher and those in his Channeling group start to doubt the intentions and purpose of voices from the other side.  Even as the entreaties grew insistent and hopes turn to dubiety, the Guides would provide unknowable details beyond rational explanation, which only served to fuel the desire for understanding.  As Fisher followed just one more breadcrumb after breadcrumb down a blind alley, we’ll never know if he found his answers in the afterlife or if the truth was there all along amongst the living.  When it comes to finding meaning through channelling in Fisher’s case, the pertinent answer is that the medium is often the message.

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Sure, maybe most of us would find it enticing to receive "inside information" from a mystical plane, our very own oracle of knowledge beyond what's possible in our earthly human existence. Who wouldn't want access to a Spirit Guide, one that could lend us valuable insight to better our lives and give a glimpse of what awaits us on the other side? Perhaps this supernatural soothsayer could also provide a longing companionship or, even better, prove to be a soulmate from a past life? It sounds like a delightful gift, right? But what if the source of this metaphysical communication ended up having as many foibles as any ordinary untrustworthy "frenemy?" What if the messages proved to be increasingly inaccurate or questionable, with the attitude of your once beatific benefactor becoming demanding, desperate, petty, contentious, and maybe even obsessive and possessive? Perhaps it wasn't looking out for your best interests, after all? This twist seemed to be the compelling and chilling experience of Toronto-based journalist and author Joe Fisher when he became entangled with a consuming investigation into Channeling and Spirit Guides. In Part One of our examination of Fisher's book, The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts, we're joined by our own Spirit Guide and good friend, Rich Hatem, for a discussion about Fisher's enigmatic journey into a sometimes troubling relationship with Channeling and the personalities, once-human and otherwise, that come through a medium. What materializes is realizing that our expectations of wisdom and comfort from a Higher Source can gradually lead to suspicion, fear, and doom.

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In tonight's continuation of our conversation with author and paranormal researcher David Weatherly, we discuss the rest of the creatures from the remainder of his book, Strange Intruders.  This unholy host of insidious beings include such wide-ranging descriptions as reptoids appearing as aliens or disguised as humans, black-eyed kids and adults, the Night Hag, Psychic Vampires, Slenderman, and David tells of his own encounter with a Grinning Man.  We'll hear not only of David's ideas about them but also stories from people who've suffered the consequences of their terrifying intrusions.  One recurring pattern throughout these cases is that it didn't seem to matter whether the individual believed in their existence or not.  Most of the victims didn't or were unaware of their definitions, that is until they encountered one for themselves.  It seems all some of these witnesses merely did was to notice them, and once they noticed being noticed, it never goes over well.  These are monsters you don't need to go out of your way to search for because somehow they find you.

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Visiting a spooky location can be scary because of the spirits and monsters which may await you there. However, one can avoid these horrors by merely not going to these places, right? But what if these frightening creatures came to visit YOU? What if they knew where you lived, your secrets, what terrified you the most, then used that knowledge and their supernatural powers against you? Native elders had always spoken of mighty beings who inhabited the earth before us and enjoyed their reign over it. When humans began to populate the land, they were displeased with our presence and our ways. They retreated or were banished to the realms beyond our reality, forever holding a grudge. They can visit us in our world as they please, but theirs is a dark place, and they can bring their darkness with them. This may sound like folklore or myth, but judging by the myriad of modern-day accounts, they have since been and will always be with us. So how do we know what we’re dealing with? What is going on, what do they want with us, and what can we do about it? Who is willing to investigate these sinister encounters and tell the rest of us about them? Tonight’s guest is one such fearless explorer of the unknown. David Weatherly has researched paranormal phenomena for most of his life. He’s traveled the world in search of the answers to ghosts, cryptids, UFOs, magic, and more. He’s visited ancient and mysterious sites where many would fear to tread and studied with masters of the mystic arts and shamanic traditions from many cultures. David has been a featured lecturer at numerous paranormal conferences, a frequent guest on shows such as Coast to Coast AM, and has nearly a dozen books dealing with Forteana to his credit. Although he’s written about subjects ranging from Black-Eyed Children to cryptozoology to haunted places and objects, tonight, we’ll be focusing on his compendium of creepy beings, Strange Intruders. As fascinating as it is disturbing, this book provides anecdotes from witnesses along with insights and context about some of the most dreadful and terrifying unwelcome visitors, you might have the misfortune to meet. 

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Last week's episode on the Ouija board's history and sociological context illustrated that its use was regarded mostly as a virtuous parlor game for over half its life.  But then, in the later period of the 20th century, the board's reputation changed from being an innocent way to contact the deceased to often being an oracle and instigator of supernatural dangers.  Which leads us to the question of whether it's merely that our cultural norms have changed, or is it that the communication and the resulting coincidental events have become more diabolical?  Have our attitudes about Ouija evolved because it got more sinister, or have we altered what comes through the board due to a change in ourselves?  In other words, is this "talking board" a window to a manipulative, omniscient intelligence, or more of a mirror reflecting our darker human essence?  Whether it's the fact that we're unaware of the more iniquitous interactions of Ouija's earlier years, or the nature of it has indeed changed, we now have no shortage of anecdotes where this "game" delivered terror rather than comfort.  In tonight's episode, we'll first examine some historical cases where there's a connection to Ouija and crimes.  We'll then hear stories from a few of our listeners where a session with the board took a turn for the worst.  The lesson here is that one should be extremely cautious if opening the door to the occult, as you never know what's waiting for you on the other side.

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Most of us are familiar with the name and iconic image of the magical Ouija board.  Many have dared to test it, either seeking answers from the great beyond or for spooky entertainment or both.  The Ouija board has always been advertised as a family-friendly game.  However, for about the last 50 years, Ouija became associated with the forbidden, a taboo tool of the occult.  But has it always had this reputation for unleashing evil, and when did this shift in perception occur?  Is it a variation of an ancient scrying device or portal for speaking with the dead, or is it a more modern amusement?  How could such a pop culture symbol that is so pervasive have such a mysterious background?  It seems the board's manufacturers have intentionally kept the details shadowed from the start, adding to the marketing appeal and popularity.  Although the practice of attempting communication with the spirit world is as old as philosophy, the board we recognize today had its beginnings with the Spiritualist Movement of the nineteenth century in America.  Yet in that era and into the first part of the twentieth century, using the board to contact spirits was seen as wholesome family fun and nothing to fear or shun.  Why did the Ouija board take a turn for the dark side, and what is its real story?  As we search for clues, tonight's guest will shed more light on its history and cultural relevance.  Brandon Hodge is one of the world's foremost researchers and historians of spirit communication devices.  His website, mysteriousplanchette.com, is a wealth of information on these instruments, and his Austin-based collection houses an astounding display of planchettes, "talking boards," dial plates, and psychographs, everything an adventurous Victorian soul searcher might use.   Please join us to discuss why a simple board with printed letters, numbers, and a pointer managed to inspire such enduring wonder and apprehension with its mystical nature.
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In Part Three, the commercial-free final "mega-sode" of our D. B. Cooper series, we continue with the FBI's profiling of the infamous skyjacker and learn of their Lead Agents' conclusions, Ralph P. Himmelsbach and Larry Carr.  While the FBI investigation would practically come to a dead-end stalemate with their inability to "prove culpability beyond a reasonable doubt," that hasn't stopped scores of amateur and some professional sleuths from continuing the chase, with scientific evidence surfacing as recently as August 2020.  One factor that has kept curiosity alive is that several likely suspects have emerged in the years since his disappearance, some having an uncanny number of bizarre coincidences to the case.  As we close out our coverage with an in-depth look at these candidates for Cooper's legacy, perhaps doubts about their suitability should remain.  One of the enduring aspects of his story for many is that a seemingly average guy may have gotten away with a mischievous and lucrative daydream.  For the sake of our fondness for legends, especially more modern ones, perhaps some mysteries are best left unsolved. 

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What makes the legend of D. B. Cooper so enduring is not so much the crime itself, but everything that happened after.  Cooper's skyjacking was just one of many during a wave in the era.  His method of escape was only somewhat novel.  Although he seemed to know about some commercial jet aviation aspects, a few of his choices left authorities questioning his skills, rationale, and, therefore, his background.  But what continues to capture the public's imagination is the mystery of his disappearance and speculation about his identity.  The two pieces of verified evidence found outside the plane to date, a placard for the Airstairs and a few ransom money packets, raised more questions than provided answers about where he landed and if he survived the jump.  Could a plan so daring and defiant have worked, or did cavalier confidence doom him?  Part two of our series will continue with the investigation that triggered one of the most extensive manhunts in U.S. history and lead to the final mystery – just who was D. B. Cooper? 

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Those who have visited Hawaii have experienced its natural beauty, soothing lifestyle, and the charm and friendliness of the inhabitants. However, only a select few may have encountered what the locals know and revere – the supernatural entities and legends that are still active and enduring. Some, like seeing "Madame Pele," can invigorate awe and wonder, while others can be terrifying. One of the latter and seemingly more prevalent is encountering the Night Marchers. They usually appear as a column of warriors floating above the ground along a predetermined path, weapons or torches in hand. Many report only hearing their presence in the form of unexplainable beating drums or the ghostly blowing of a conch shell. And just seeing them, it's said, ensures a disappearance or violent death to the witness if the proper respect isn't paid in their presence. But what is their origin story, and what do they want? Are they soldiers defeated by King Kamehameha I advancing towards a counterattack or seeking revenge? Or are they keepers and enforcers of ancient Hawaiian cultural laws and mores? To help us explore these questions and relay some of his personal experiences, tonight's guest is Kamuela "Kamu" Kaneshiro. As a native Hawaiian, content creator, and podcaster for 20 years, Kamu has extensive knowledge of the lore and heritage of his homeland. His royal lineage might even protect him from these fearsome spectral guardians. Join us for a fascinating discussion as we warily watch for the Night Marchers of Hawaii.

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On the afternoon of Thanksgiving eve, November 24, 1971, a smartly dressed man approached the flight counter for Northwest Orient Airlines at Portland International Airport and purchased a one-way ticket to Seattle.  The name he gave was "Dan Cooper" as he paid cash to board Flight 305, a short 30-minute trip that would turn into one of the longest criminal manhunts in modern history.  Once aboard, Cooper's requests to Flight Attendant Florence Schaffner were simple: a bourbon and soda, and a note to be delivered to the captain demanding $200,000 in cash and four parachutes.  To add emphasis to his order, Cooper briefly showed Schaffner what appeared to be a bomb in the black attaché case he carried with him.  Calm and polite throughout the ordeal, Cooper was now instructing the pilots to take him to Mexico City during the refueling stop in Seattle.  However, it was never his intention to go that far.  Cooper's additional demands were now that the Boeing 727 fly not higher than 10,000 feet, with the landing gear still deployed, the wing flaps lowered, the cabin depressurized, and at the lowest airspeed possible without stalling the aircraft.  Around 8:13 p.m., the aft airstairs of the jet deployed, and Cooper would leap into a cold rainstorm of a western Washington night and popular culture forever.  Due to a name mixup with an early suspect by a local news reporter, the public would also forever know "Dan Cooper" as "D. B. Cooper."  The mystery of Cooper's true identity and fate, along with the whereabouts of most of the ransom money, would launch a 45-year investigation by the FBI.  His piracy would become a legend and the only unsolved skyjacking case in the history of commercial aviation.

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In the continuation of our interview with the mastermind behind the infamous and legendary Alien Autopsy film, director, producer, conceptual artist, and magician, Spyros Melaris, we learn more about the process of its creation and the aftermath of its release upon the world.  But if you think this is just one more case of "Mystery Solved! Nothing to see here, folks!" you may not be considering its broader scope.  Because not only is this a rare case where the magician reveals how they did the trick, but its story reveals a glimpse into human nature, a peek behind the curtain of our beliefs and disbeliefs.  The smaller picture is the mechanics behind what we see in the frame.  The bigger picture is a contemplation of how and why we believe the things we do.  Keeping in mind that nothing in the film could be disproven at the time; if you didn't buy what you saw or didn't bother to look, ask yourself, was it because what you saw didn't look authentic in your estimation, or was it because you think the reality of it is impossible?  For those who demand proof of aliens before they accept the idea, why not look at all?  For those that believed, was it an open mind that entertained its veracity or merely wishful thinking, and what does it take to foment disbelief?  What keeps some believing even after revealing the trick?  With the word hoax being so currently prominent in our society, it certainly seems beneficial to examine one of the world's greatest hoaxes and the hoaxer's methods.  The Alien Autopsy film defined for many the adage "Seeing is Believing" to mean seeing in person, but how can we trust what we see?  The proof of alien life would be the biggest story on the planet.  What we would consider the evidence and how we would handle it is our own biggest mystery.

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Indeed, there is no shortage of debatable evidence and probable hoaxes when it comes to the subject of UFOs and aliens. Yet as with any cultural phenomenon, there are those prime examples that rise to the top to become forever cemented into our collective consciousness. One such artifact is a 17-minute black-and-white film that became so iconic it is merely, and famously known only as "Alien Autopsy."  The film sequence purported to show government or military Medical Examiners performing an autopsy on an alien lifeform supposedly recovered along with debris from an equally famous event, the 1947 Roswell UFO crash.  One could argue that the film has become more well-known than the incident upon which it was supposedly based.  The first public screening of the film occurred on May 5, 1995, in a small theater at the Museum of London.  The organizer of the event who had possession of the film at the time, a music and television producer named Ray Santilli, had invited the Press, UFOlogists, and even clergy members to witness the extraordinary footage to generate buzz and controversy.  Accomplishing both aims, news outlets around the world picked up on the story.  But the biggest sensation sparked on August 28th of that year, when Fox Television aired a documentary Special featuring the footage titled, Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction.  The Special was re-broadcast two more times, with each one generating millions of more viewers.  The backstory Santilli stated then was that he purchased the footage from a retired military cameraman who shot the film during the actual autopsy at the Roswell Army Air Field.  However, just before the release of a 2006 British comedy called Alien Autopsy, which dramatized the story of the events surrounding the film, Santilli admitted that the film he and his partner Gary Shoefield released was a recreation of the original footage he acquired in 1992. He claims that in the time he first viewed the 22 original reels and the 1995 release, the film deteriorated so severely that his team needed to recreate the shots based on what he had seen.  But Santilli also insists that they spliced frames from the original footage into the film they released – that an authentic, 1947 autopsy film existed.  But that is his story, and as we all know, there are always more sides to one.  Enter tonight's guest, magician and media producer Spyros Melaris.  Spyros has a convincing story of his own, that he and his friend, sculptor and Special Effects artist John Humphreys created the film and everything seen in it – that there is no authentic autopsy film.  Whatever you may decide after hearing part one of our interview with Spyros, one thing is sure: the Alien Autopsy film captured the imagination of the world and might be one of the greatest hoaxes of all time. 

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In the continuation of our interview with esteemed UFO and paranormal investigator Stan Gordon, he relays case studies that indicate that the event at Kecksburg may have been merely one incident in a long and continuing saga of High Strangeness.  In his 61 years of research so far, beginning in 1959 at the age of ten, Stan has interviewed thousands of UFO witnesses and hundreds of people who've claimed to confront Bigfoot.  In the decades of data collection and analysis, reaching a crescendo with the Pennsylvania UFO "Flap" of 1973 and continuing to this day, a startling and incomprehensible pattern began to emerge.  Many of these accounts of two traditionally thought of as disparate types of phenomena, UFOs and Bigfoot, occurred in the same places and within days, hours, or minutes of each other.  In a few of the most bizarre cases, Bigfoots appeared to interact with a UFO encounter, as if one may be responsible for the other.  Yet reports over the years weren't limited to these two favorites of Forteana.  Stan had also investigated connected reports of other cryptid sightings, strange environmental phenomena, spirit activity, and had himself come across footprints of 3 and 4-toed unnatural creatures, along with classic Bigfoot tracks that inexplicably stop as if the being had vanished.  A significant number of reports originate in the Chestnut Ridge region, an approximately 75 mile-long westernmost ridge of the Allegheny Mountains extending into West Virginia.  However, incidents have spread out like a virus over the decades to cover most of Pennsylvania.  Some paranormal researchers would be hesitant to publicly consider an association between these marvels or even scoff at the notion.  But a lifetime of investigation leaves Stan with the conclusion that a mind-blowing connection between these cases indeed exists.  That these connections would be statistically unreasonable to ignore, and this camp of thinking is growing.  As we conclude this interview, one might be wondering, what are the implications if a correlation is real, and if it is, is Chestnut Ridge, the Skinwalker Ranch of Pennsylvania?

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Tonight's show will be a special treat for those listeners who've been patiently awaiting a revamping of our coverage of the Kecksburg UFO incident.  Those unfamiliar with the case but entertain a curiosity with mysterious, non-organic objects falling from our skies meeting an equally mysterious fate will also find this episode fascinating.  In the late afternoon of December 9, 1965, thousands of citizens watched as a large, fiery object streaked through the skies over at least six to eight U.S. States and Ontario, Canada.  Many who observed its unusually slow path claimed it seemed to be under "intelligent control."  While astronomers continued to assume it was merely a meteor bolide entering Earth's atmosphere, some type of craft crash-landed in the woods near the town of Kecksburg, Pennsylvania.  Local eye-witnesses and First Responders who descended onto the scene described the object as looking like a giant acorn, large enough for a human to stand in, and encircling a band near its base were strange markings some likened to Egyptian hieroglyphs.  Uncharacteristically for something as natural as a meteor landing, military authorities, purported NASA personnel, and State troopers immediately arrived and cordoned off the crash site and shooed away onlookers.  The object was loaded onto a flatbed truck along with multiple unknown containers, tarped and hauled away to some government facility, which would be the last time any unauthorized civilian would see it.  This was before initial reports that the U.S. Air Force and State troopers found "absolutely nothing" during their search.  There have since been speculations that the craft was a downed Soviet space probe called Kosmos 96, or perhaps a General Electric Mark 2 Re-entry Vehicle.  While we could've revisited the story with just these oft-told elements and our own speculations, we thought it was best to wait patiently to speak to an authority who's studied the case for decades for some much-needed insight.  We're finally fortunate enough to talk with Stan Gordon, a paranormal investigator from the area who's researched the Kecksburg crash since his teens, and has tracked all of the associated High Strangeness that has followed.  Also joining the conversation is Stan's friend Ron Struble, a witness to the original incident as a Kecksburg Volunteer Firefighter.  This a discussion that not only examines a plausible scenario through reported facts but one that has altered our assessment of one of the most well-documented cases in UFOlogy, one that has become known as "Pennsylvania's Roswell."

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For children, the world is still new and full of wonder. Every day is a chance for an adventure, discovering exciting possibilities, and meeting interesting people. Sadly, today's world is a little less safe for kids to explore on their own than it was in the nostalgically idyllic year of 1973. In early May of that year, two kids would make a new friend that may have literally been out of this world. A 7-year-old girl known as "Fay" and her friend, a boy about the same age, took a walk near Lake Common, adjacent to the town of Sandown, on the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England. Around 4:00 p.m., the pair heard a strange wailing sound coming from across the nearby golf course. They followed the noise until it ceased. The children were walking over a wooden footbridge that crossed a narrow stream when suddenly a hand wearing a blue glove appeared and out from under the bridge a most bizarre being emerged. After some initial slapstick-like fumblings, what eventually followed was an encounter and discussion with a creature whose actions and description seem beyond the imagination of even the most precocious child. Fay and her friend described its appearance as nearly seven feet tall and similar to that of a partly wooden, partly mechanical, partly flesh clown, and not like from any circus you're likely to see. It introduced itself as "...all colours, Sam." Seemingly friendly, and perhaps a little lonely and certainly misunderstood, the children began to ask "Sam" what he was, whether a man or if not that as best they could figure, a ghost. The cryptic answer they received was, " ...Well, not really, but I am in an odd sort of way." The two would spend around 30 minutes visiting with their new friend in his liminal, metal shack, which later vanished. Whether Sam was some "Ultraterrestrial" entity, a sentient cyborg from another world, or merely the "whimsy of a child," this is a story that is precisely the kind we like to talk about... nay, MUST be discussed. And that's what we're going to do in tonight's episode, with the help of our good friends Micah Hanks of the Micah Hanks Program and Rob Morphy from the Cryptonaut podcast. We may never understand what Sam indeed was, but there are enough weird and wonderful elements to this case that neither child nor adult could ever forget meeting Sam the Sandown Ghost Clown.

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In the second & final part of our Question & Answer interview with the inimitable Rich Hatem, Scott & Forrest continue to babble & blather on & on about everything from UFOs & Ghosts to vampires & Yetis, and everything in-between.  Because, you know, everything is connected.  And if everything is indeed connected, then is anything really, a long, drawn-out, tedious tangent?  Why not dare to find out?!  Let's face it, if you've stuck with us this far, you might as well see it through to the end, and we'd be so glad to have you!

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Believe it or not, we've always viewed this podcast as a journey.  Initially, we wanted the feel of the show to embody the spirit of why we wanted to start a podcast in the first place – because we enjoyed discussing the strange and mysterious stories of this weird and wonderful world of ours with good friends.  We hope that spirit of camaraderie, curiosity, and discovery remains.  We're still unsure where this adventure into the unknown will take us, perhaps to some enlightenment or just more questions, but we couldn't be more grateful and honored that you've decided to travel with us.  Along the way, many listeners have had questions for us or wanted to share an anecdote about their own experiences.  As we've said many times before, one of our few regrets is that we haven't had the time to answer or respond to all of them directly, but perhaps these next two episodes will help a bit with that.  We felt it was a good time to take a moment, well, two very long moments spread out over two episodes to address some of the most frequently asked questions and also engage in a little introspection on where we're all at since starting this show in October of 2014.  And what better host and moderator to guide us and embrace that feeling mentioned above than our good friend Rich Hatem.  We'll talk about our backgrounds, motivations, intentions, processes, thoughts on our topics, and how our beliefs have changed... or not.  We hope you'll join us for a reflection as we continue on this journey together.

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Bonus show on the Hellfire Club of Dublin, originally posted to Patreon, now being shared on our main feed during this dark week.

No associated webpage for this episode, but here is a link to Part 1 of the original Loftus Hall Series.

We are sharing 2h45m uninterrupted audio file of heavy surf at high tide from February 14th, 2020 late evening at Carolina Beach. Recorded with a Zoom H4N at a high sample rate. Use it for sleep, meditation, ambience or don't use it at all. Share with anyone you'd like, but not for profit. All rights reserved by Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC

When most of us think of shipwrecks, images of rough ocean waves and sailing vessels of yore come to mind. But those familiar with the Great Lakes region of the north-central United States and southern Canada know all too well that these massive bodies of fresh water produce devastating storms and treacherous swells to rival any sea. Estimates are that around 6000 vessels and 30,000 lives have fallen victim to their notoriously severe weather and deadly waters. In December 1927, a "raging blizzard" on Lake Superior claimed the steamship SS Kamloops and all 22 souls aboard. But was she really a "Ghost Ship," as the legends often describe? The ship went missing and remained undiscovered until 1977 but is in unusually, reasonably intact condition. So, although the wreck was found, the SS Kamloops is still known for a ghost of its own. At least one crew member remains, still manning his station, who is perhaps both a ghost and a corpse. Some divers on the wreck have claimed that the body of this crewman follows them around as they explore, known as "Old Whitey" because of his appearance. Others have also claimed to see a spirit nicknamed "Grandpa" because of his appearance, still on duty in the icy depths. Are these beings the same, and are their perceived actions the result of fluid dynamics and decompression sickness? Join us as we take a deep dive to get to the bottom of the legend of the SS Kamloops and Old Whitey.

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It seems Lady Wonder was much more than a "One-trick Pony."  But even if you consider her one trick to be an abnormal aptitude for intuitiveness and the ability to express it, that's quite a trick for an animal.  Her impressive skills were at least intriguing enough to garner a scientific study of her phenomenon by a couple of leading researchers of the day.  Joseph Banks Rhine or "J.B." as he was known, and his wife Louisa E. Rhine were the founders of the branch of psychology known as parapsychology, with J.B. credited with coining the term Extrasensory Perception, or E.S.P.  In a week, they conducted around 500 experiments on Lady Wonder's powers.  While there was no conclusive proof that the horse had an individual and infallible psychic perception, the data collected was enough to astound the Rhines since no human trickery was detected.  In the following years, J.B. Rhine would come to doubt his initial conclusions, although he never expounded on his later thinking.  Still, he wondered if there wasn't instead a form of telepathy between Lady and her handler Claudia Fonda, which would be nearly as remarkable.  Skeptics have claimed that this mere parlor trick was performed by having Lady move over each letter on her "typewriter," at which point Claudia would somehow signal Lady to tap the correct key.  However, this would necessitate Lady having to step several feet in either direction to cover every possible letter and number, and the Rhines observed that when she was most effective, the horse was near motionless while in an almost trance-like state.  It would also not explain how Claudia then could have answers to questions she would not logically know.  If J.B. Rhine's rethinking of his conclusions was correct, it might be just as extraordinary if there was psychical cooperation between Lady and Claudia, one that perhaps Claudia was not even aware of herself.  Whether you believe psychic ability with any living creature is real or not, at the very least, the story of Lady Wonder illustrates the profound and special bond humans have with the animals they love.

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Many folks simply don't believe in psychic abilities.  But those that have had a total stranger tell them something about themselves that the person couldn't possibly know have often had a change of heart.  But what if that impossible information came from a horse!  There have been quite a few trained animals over the years that have displayed an uncanny ability to perform human-like mental feats.  From counting numbers and communicating to predicting the outcomes of sporting events, these clever animals have delighted and entertained us with their tricks.  But none have come close to the prodigious prognostication of a horse named "Lady Wonder."  Lady Wonder was a mare raised by Claudia and Clarence Fonda on their farm in Richmond, Virginia.  From her beginnings as a weeks-old foal, it was clear to Claudia that Lady was special, as she demonstrated an almost supernatural ability for intuitiveness.  Claudia soon trained Lady to recognize the alphabet with the use of toy blocks.  As she grew, Clarence fabricated a sort of giant typewriter where Lady could tap out the answers to questions posed to her.  But Lady's answers weren't relegated to the obvious, incredible as that act alone would seem.  Lady also knew things about the inquisitor that no one else could know.  As soon as this ability became known to the public, Lady was soon seeing hundreds of visitors a week, answering questions about subjects such as personal advice, business, romance, and of course, lucky gambling picks.  But most mystifying of all were her predictions of future events and knowledge of missing people.  Although like most human psychics, Lady was sometimes wrong about her prophesies, she was right enough throughout her life to spark public fascination and scientific study, earning her the name of "Lady Wonder."
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Many of us have seen all those ghost hunting shows on Cable Television and elsewhere. They usually feature an intrepid team of Paranormal Researchers trying to capture supernatural activity using electronic equipment like Night-vision cameras, audio recorders, and specially modified gear to aid in Instrumental Trans-Communication, or “ITC.” The evidence gathered is often compelling and entertaining, but usually frustratingly lacking in details. What we want to know is, who or what is this thing making its presence known, and most chillingly, what does it want? For those answers, some shows employ a psychic or a medium, and yes, there’s a difference. What these gifted individuals can tell us is what they can supposedly see that the cameras cannot, messages the recorders cannot hear, and sensations no device can detect. We’re fascinated by the insight because the answers lead to the more significant question, and that is, what happens to us after we die and what’s it like “beyond the veil?” And whether we believe in these claims or not, haven’t you thought how interesting it would be to speak with and ask questions of someone with these powers? So did we. Tonight’s guest is just such a conduit to the Other Side. Jim Hunt is an “Intuitive Life Coach” who uses his psychic abilities to help his clients understand their personal path. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Jim was the resident Psychic Medium for the ghost hunting show Knock Knock Ghost, which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. With a respectful and comforting manner, this on-camera approach, combined with seemingly uncanny confirmations of his observations through the ITC devices, made us think he might be fun to talk to, and we were right. In our conversation with Jim, he talks about his experiences in eastern Canada’s historically haunted locations and gives us both a bit of a “reading” where we just might gain a little insight into our own stories and that of the podcast. 

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