The Stories We Tell in the Dark – Details, episodes & analysis

Take a haunted walking tour of Hollywood with Adam. Along the way, meet spectral projectionists, Marilyn Monroe's haunted mirror, the ghosts of the Roosevelt Hotel, and Peg Entwistle, the tragic actress who walks forever beneath the famous "H."

Tour Stops:
El Capitan Theatre
TCL Chinese Theatre
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Roosevelt Hotel
The Magic Castle
Hollywood Sign

Movies mentioned:
Citizen Kane (1941); Anything Goes (1936, stage musical, later film); The Rocketeer (1991); Aladdin (1992); King of Kings (1927); Thirteen Women (1932); From Here to Eternity (1953).

Personalities mentioned:
Will Rogers; Joan Fontaine; Clark Gable; Orson Welles; Sid Grauman; Mary Pickford; Douglas Fairbanks; Howard Schenck; Norma Talmadge; Victor Arthur Killian; Charles Wagenheim; Errol Flynn; Carole Lombard; Montgomery Clift; Marilyn Monroe; Suzanne Leonard (Roosevelt Hotel staff); Harry Houdini; Roland B. Lane; Catherine Lane; Peg Entwistle; Robert Keith; Brian Keith; Irene Dunne; Myrna Loy.

Other media & pop culture references:
All in the Family (1971–1979); Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976–1977); The Jeffersons (1975–1985); Kojak (1973–1978); Gunsmoke (1955–1975); Planet of the Apes (TV series, 1974); The Brady Bunch (1969–1974); Family Affair (1966–1971); Hotel California (Eagles album, 1976).

Show notes at https://magicalmystery.media

A 1978 thriller accidentally supercharges a conspiracy - and a Hollywood icon's life spirals into a true-crime saga. We explore Peter Hyams' Capricorn One - why Buzz Aldrin disapproved, how it was saved by Superman, and how moon-hoax theories grew from fringe chatter to mainstream mania. Then we trace the 2001 murder of Bonny Lee Bakley - and actor Robert Blake's criminal trial.

Movies mentioned:
Capricorn One (1978); T.R. Baskin (1971); Busting (1974); 2010 The Year We Make Contact (1984); Outland (1981); Timecop (1994); Lost Highway (1997); Baretta (1975-1978); The Little Rascals & Our Gang (1922 to 1944); In Cold Blood (1967); Superman (1978).

People mentioned:
Peter Hyams; Elliot Gould; James Brolin; Sam Waterston; Brenda Vaccaro; Hal Holbrook; Karen Black; Telly Savalas; O. J. Simpson; Buzz Aldrin; Robert Blake; Bonny Lee Bakley; Christian Brando; David Lynch.

Show notes at https://magicalmystery.media

What if a dream could kill you?

We revisit Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and the real-life sleep phenomena that inspired it. We explore how Freddy Krueger emerged from Craven's own childhood fears and reports of mysterious deaths among Hmong refugees.

We also get into the strange science of sleep paralysis, the folklore of the "Old Hag," the phenomenon of the Hat Man, and the viral mystery of This Man, a face reported in dreams around the world.

Shownotes

Blade Runner is more than a sci-fi classic — it's a meditation on memory, identity, and empathy. We explore Philip K. Dick's 2-3-74 mystical VALIS experience, the meaning of the Voight-Kampff test, and why the film still resonates today as a cinematic awakening. 

Shownotes

From vodou to viral spores, zombies have always evolved with us. In this week's episode of Film on the Fringe, we uncover the real roots of the undead—myth, science, and metaphor. 

• The Last of Us and the real-world science of Cordyceps fungus

• White Zombie (1932) and the colonial legacy of the Haitian undead

• Vodou, slavery, and the soul in Haitian cosmology

• Clairvius Narcisse, Wade Davis, and The Serpent and the Rainbow

• Romero's undead allegories: race, consumerism, class warfare

• 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, Warm Bodies, Kingdom, Train to Busan

• Forgotten classics and deep cuts: Raising Stony Mayhall, Pontypool, The Night Eats the World

Shownotes

Dr. Atom takes you behind the scenes of JURASSIC PARK—literally. After a personal story of working alongside the filmmakers, we explore the science of cloning dinosaurs, the truth behind amber-trapped DNA, and modern de-extinction efforts using CRISPR and AI. Then we dig into the 19th-century Bone Wars, Victorian dinosaur mania, and Arthur Conan Doyle's THE LOST WORLD. Along the way, we follow a strange fossil trail into the world of young Earth creationism, Cambodian stegosaurus carvings, and fire-breathing beasts from the Book of Job. It's science, history, and myth—all tangled up in one prehistoric narrative.

Shownotes

Gremlins on the wing, goblins in the woods, and strange little beings at your window. From WWII aviation lore to Spielberg's unmade alien siege story, this episode traces the evolution of mischievous trickster creatures through folklore, pop culture, and real-life encounters—including the night something came calling in Kentucky.

Featured Films:

• Shadow in the Cloud (2020)

• Gremlins (1984)

• Poltergeist (1982)

• E.T. (1982)

• The Twilight Zone (Nightmare at 20,000 Feet)

• Amazing Stories ("The Mission")

Shownotes

Venture into the murky space between psychological manipulation and the supernatural. Today, we're talking about The Quiet Ones (2014), a Hammer Films horror throwback inspired by one of the strangest real-world experiments ever attempted: the Philip Experiment. We'll unpack how a group of researchers in 1970s Canada set out to create a ghost, explore Derren Brown's Seance as a modern reinterpretation, and finally, discuss whether collective belief can actually influence physical reality.

 Shownotes

Let's explore The War of the Worlds — the iconic novel by H.G. Wells and the countless interpretations, adaptations, and conspiracy theories it inspired.

We discuss:

• The 2005 Spielberg movie and the 1953 George Pal version
• The long-forgotten SEQUEL published only a year after the original
• The 1938 Orson Welles "panic broadcast" 
• Wernher von Braun's alleged warning of a staged alien invasion
• Project Blue Beam 

And finally, we ask: What would a real alien invasion look like?

The War of the Worlds continues to fascinate because it reminds us of the fragility of our dominion over this Earth. It humbles us with a creeping dread that the universe may be – almost certainly is – teeming with ancient, unknowable threats.

Shownotes

Let's dissect The Conjuring 2 and the real-life case that inspired it—the infamous Enfield Poltergeist. Was it a genuine supernatural event or an elaborate hoax that spiraled out of control? Join me as I explore how this case became one of the most documented hauntings in history.

Ed and Lorraine Warren: Paranormal Pioneers or Masters of Mythmaking?

Before discussing the Enfield case, I take a brief detour to talk about the legendary (and controversial) ghost-hunting duo, Ed and Lorraine Warren—from their involvement in the Amityville Horror to a bizarre court case where they allegedly "proved" a haunting in a Connecticut home. I share my personal connection to this incident, which was dubbed the Hebron Horror by sensationalist media.

The Conjuring 2 (2016) – Fact, Fiction, and Some Very Creative Embellishments

James Wan's The Conjuring 2 delivers a chilling take on the Enfield case, but just how accurate is it? The film portrays the Warrens as the central investigators, battling a demonic nun and confronting a terrifying entity. In reality, they played only a minor role in the case, and some of the most iconic scares—like the Crooked Man and the dramatic exorcism—were pure invention. While the film captures the eerie atmosphere of 1970s England and delivers solid performances, it takes more than a few liberties with the truth.

Shownotes