Send us a text Laugh uncomfortably with us as we unpack the eerie! Here, we’ll explore true crime, the occult, conspiracy theories & other unknowns via dark humor, and a psychosocial/social justice lens. Each episode we’ll dig past the surface of morbid fascination, scavenging for unasked questions surrounding the stories that creep the hell out of us. Follow us on Instagram @unpackingtheeerie, Facebook at Facebook.com/unpackingtheeerie and Twitter at twitter.com/unpacktheeerie Support the s...
Jul 03, 2025•1 min0
Send us a text Content warning: sexual assault, ableism, murder, necrophilia, cannibalism, pedophilia, homophobia, racism, police violence/neglect. We’re backkkk!!!!!! After a long hiatus caused by multiple huge life changes on both our ends, we bring you our first story recorded in two separate continents. It’s a heavy one - we’re covering the Jeffrey Dahmer murders. But as is always true with us, it’s less about the violence itself and more about the historical and social context these murders...
Jul 02, 2025•2 hr 25 min
Send us a text Join us for a guest episode and round-table discussion between four Palestinians in the diaspora, Muhamed, Battuul, Firas, Vinny & Michlin. In part two of this two-part conversation, our guests shed light on the brutality of the Israeli occupation and the people's movements to resist it. This episode unpacks zionism, land sovereignty and also offers a window into the 2nd Intifada. We are honored to offer these folks a platform to share their voices & stories with us. (Reco...
Apr 08, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Send us a text Join us for a guest episode and round-table discussion between four Palestinians in the diaspora, Muhamed, Battuul, Firas, Vinny & Michlin. In part one of this two-part conversation, we are given the gift of listening to our guests talk about Palestine, Palestinian resistance, indigeneity, historical memory, cross-movement solidarity and so much more. We are honored to offer these folks a platform to share their voices & stories with us. Stay tuned for Part II, coming soon...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 19 min
Send us a text Ongoing Palestinian Genocide content warning: extreme violence, genocide At the publishing of this episode at least 8,306 Palestinians have been killed and over 21,000 injured in Gaza in the past 3 weeks. The current massacre and ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people has left us heartbroken and called to use our platform to uplift Palestinian voices as well as share resources and calls to action. Please listen to this short episode where we will share some of our thoughts &am...
Oct 31, 2023•47 min
Send us a text DARK HISTORY: Lake Washington cw: brief mentions of slavery Ever wondered what lies beneath the lakes you hang out at? Shaena does! And this week she takes us on an exploration under the depths of Lake Washington. Join us and learn about the ancient frozen forest that has existed deep under Lake Washington for decades. The eerie sunken dwellings of the largest lake in King County is sure to give you goosebumps. Support the show Thank you for listening to our passion project <3 ...
Sep 30, 2023•25 min
Send us a text HAUNTING: The Pontianak Legend CW: sexual and domestic violence We’re back with another minisode and this time we’ve returned to Malaysia to explore an iconic urban legend and spiritual embodiment of feminine rage, The Pontianak. Join us as Akshi shares about her origin story and how the continuation of her lore offers significant commentary about patriarchal violence and survivor empowerment. She also takes time to discuss the utility of the horror genre as a medium to unpack the...
Sep 16, 2023•34 min
Send us a text DARK HISTORY: The Weston State Hospital continued CW: ableism, racism (including eugenics), gender-based violence, psychiatric trauma, abuse Part 2 of Melancholia, Menstrual Derangement and Bad Whiskey continues deep dive into Weston State Hospital and the history of U.S.-based "mental asylums." In this episode, we uncover the different “treatments” that used at these institutions, including the famously horrific “Icepick” lobotomy. We’ll also explore the backstory of the DSM, dei...
Aug 04, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 25
Send us a text DARK HISTORY/HAUNTINGS: Weston State Hospital/History of Asylums CW: ableism, racism, gender-based violence, psychiatric trauma, abuse In the late 1800s, America would become home to a new wave of “mental health” institutions we now know as asylums. The Weston State Hospital (aka The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum) was one of many of these “state of the art” facilities. This episode Is all about how aspirations for palatial, elite experiences for (white) mentally ill patients quic...
Jul 27, 2023•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 24
Send us a text DARK HISTORY: The Blue Fugates of Kentucky cw: incest, childhood sexual abuse, rape, abortion After a few months off, we’re back y’all! And this time Shaena takes us down to another small town to learn about a family of blue people. Yes, you read that right - Blue People. Join us as we wander down to Troublesome Creek, Kentucky and learn about the Fugates: aka The Blue Fugates, aka ‘The Blue People of Kentucky’. Why are they blue? Listen to find out. Spoiler alert: it has to do wi...
May 29, 2023•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 23
Send us a text UNSOLVED/CONSPIRACY: Disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 On March 8th, 2014, 227 passengers and 12 crew members boarded Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 for a 5 hour commute to Beijing, China. The aircraft departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 00:42 MYT and by 01:19 MYT completely disappeared off the radar -- never to be seen or heard from again. Since then the Flight 370 disappearance has been the subject of countless newspaper articles, online discussion boards, ...
Jan 09, 2023•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 22
Send us a text CULT: Aum Shinrikyo/Shoko Asahara cw: abuse, terrorism, sexual violence, death Our fifth and final segment of our Psychedelic Nightmare series examines the story of a lesser-known Japanese cult that was responsible for the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack in March 1995 that killed 14 and injured over 5,000 innocent civilians. Aum Shinrikyo was a cult led by - you guessed it - a malignant narcissist, Shoko Asahara. This episode, we explore Shoko's childhood, the development of his cul...
Dec 05, 2022•2 hr 13 min•Ep. 21
Send us a text CULT: Charles Manson Segment 4 of Psychedelic Nightmare brings us to one of the most well known cult murders in American history. We’re talking about Charles Manson’s racist, LSD fueled doomsday conspiracy and the young people he convinced to execute what we know now as the Tate Murders. Join us as we unpack the evolution of this cult, historical context of the time, the dynamics of grooming, and how mainstream media consistently positions the murder of these Hollywood elite above...
Oct 05, 2022•2 hr 30 min•Ep. 20
Send us a text CULT: The Family/The Great White Brotherhood/Anne Hamilton Byrne cw: sexual assault, suicide, child abuse, ritual abuse In Part 3 of this series, we travel away from MKUltra, to the other side of the globe to unpack Australia’s most notorious cult – “The Family” (aka The Great White Brotherhood). In mid 1960’s Australia, this doomsday cult was formed by Anne Hamilton Byrne, a yoga teacher-turned-cult leader, who believed she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. This story has ee...
Aug 17, 2022•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 19
Send us a text DARK HISTORY: MKULTRA continued In part two of this series on MKUltra, you’ll learn more about the roll out of these LSD-fueled experiments and how they came to a close. We take a deeper look at its intersections with racism and criminalization as well as the stark contrast between the trauma and dehumanization experienced by unknowing “test subjects,” the most impacted being incarcerated Black folks, and the bohemian counter-culture cultivated by white beat writers who were willi...
Jul 29, 2022•2 hr 9 min•Ep. 18
Send us a text DARK HISTORY: MKULTRA, Intro/History In our second series, we explore our first ever conspiracy theory, that is absolutely wild & incredibly true. Project MKULTRA was a secret CIA project that took place between the early 1950s to the early 1970s, in which hundreds of tortuous experiments were conducted on (mostly) unsuspecting human subjects. The project, Sidney Gottlieb, aimed to develop strategies and identify drugs (such as LSD), that could be used for the purposes of “min...
Jun 22, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 17
Send us a text TRUE CRIME: Katherine Knight We’re back with a horrifying story and, this time, we’re taking you to the small town of Aberdeen in New South Wales Australia. “If I don’t show up to work, it’s because she killed me,” John Price told his co-workers as he prepared to separate from his relationship with Katherine Knight. The next day his neighbors rang the alarm when he never arrived at work without a call — Katherine had murdered….and cannibalized him. This episode, we trace back Kath...
May 18, 2022•2 hr 2 min•Ep. 16
Send us a text CULTS: Jim Jones/Jonestown Massacre cw: anti-black racism, extreme violence, assault, murder, suicide, child abuse, slavery In 1978, over 900 people died at a remote settlement in Guyana after ingesting a poison-laced drink. Their leader, Jim Jones, declared this a “revolutionary suicide.” In our first episode about a cult, we dig into the Jonestown massacre – the event that had the largest number of American civilian casualties due to a non-natural cause, until 9/11. In our third...
Mar 24, 2022•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 15
Send us a text TOPIC: Witch Hunts in India & Okinawa, Origins of Brujeria cw: violence against women, graphic violence, sexual violence, torture When people hear “witch hunts” and “witch trials”, what often comes to mind are the Salem Witch Trials that occurred in Massachusetts in the 17th century. What people don’t know is that what we know as “witch hunts” have occurred in many other parts of the world, and in some countries, are still happening today. In our second collaborative episode, ...
Mar 01, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 14
Send us a text CW: mutilation of animals Since the 17th century, there have been thousands of reported cases of unexplained livestock mutilations across the world. This weird and disturbing phenomena has never been solved and continues to happen on a fairly regular basis in desert climates globally. In this minisode, Akshi gives us a look into this deeply unsettling phenomena and shares potential theories… some that are terrestrial & others that are more extra. SOURCES Creepy Inn by Devil Mu...
Jan 20, 2022•46 min
Send us a text Since 2007, at least 21 disembodied human feet have been found along the Strait of Georgia and on the coasts of the Salish Sea. This strange and haunting phenomena continues to shock unsuspecting beach goers in and around Vancouver, BC and Seattle, WA. In this minisode, Shaena shares about these discoveries and unpacks why the heck there are so many severed feet washing up on the shores of the Pacific Northwest. SOURCES Creepy Inn by Devil Music is licensed under a Attribution-Non...
Jan 11, 2022•39 min
Send us a text TOPIC: Lake Lanier CW: anti-black racism, genocide, hate crimes, murder, sexual assault Lake Sidney Lanier is a one of the largest manmade lakes in the US that was built in 1956 for flood control, drinking water and hydroelectric power. Although this lake has 11 million visitors a year, it also has a dark side. Over 500 people have died or gone missing at this lake since the 1950s, so we wondered, why? Join us as we dig deep into the very dark, racist history of this lake & it...
Dec 19, 2021•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 13
Send us a text DARK HISTORY/HAUNTINGS: The Fremont Troll/Aurora Bridge On Thursday, October 21st at 6:00pm PST we did a live recording with the University of Washington School of Social Work, our recent Alma Mater heyooo. Here, we unpack the Fremont Troll in Seattle, WA - its ghost stories, history, and role in gentrification. Much gratitude to the folks at the SSW for making this happen & for the generous donation of $500 to the People’s Harm Reduction Alliance in honor of this episode. CW...
Nov 08, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Send us a text If you take a visit to Ed & Lorraine Warren's Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut, you'll find a seemingly ordinary Raggedy Anne doll encased in a wooden box with a sign that reads "POSITIVELY DO NOT OPEN" on the door. This doll is rumored to be severely haunted, and has even inspired The Conjuring movie franchise. This Halloween, we're talking about the infamous Annabelle doll. Join us for an eerie minisode as Akshi shares about Annabelle's origin story and why people think ...
Oct 31, 2021•34 min
Send us a text This minisode, Shaena unpacks the bizarre death of Gloria Ramirez, a 31 year old mother of two from Riverside, California. In a strange sequence of events, following Gloria’s arrival at Riverside General Hospital, several hospital workers started to become ill after being exposed to her body and blood. Join us as we explore the theories that have been put forth as explanations to this mystifying unsolved medical mystery. Sources: https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/analysis-of...
Sep 23, 2021•33 min
Send us a text CW: domestic, sexual, physical violence, bodily harm, racism, xenophobia On June 23, 1993, Lorena Gallo (then, Bobbit) would come to be known as the woman from Manassas, Virginia who, in a rage, severed her husband’s penis and threw it out the window of her car. What was missing from this story, in all of the sensational media coverage, is the extreme abuse she had endured from him the years leading up to this. In our first collaborative episode ever, Shaena and Jill Zawisza*, Co-...
Sep 09, 2021•2 hr 19 min•Ep. 15
Send us a text cw: residential schools, bodily harm On May 19th 1967, Stefan Michalak was prospecting for rocks when he came across a couple of strange flying objects. In our first episode featuring a UFO sighting, your hosts dig into the incident, aftermath and investigation of a sighting near Falcon Lake, Manitoba in Canada. Join us as we unpeel the layers of one of the most famous documented UFO sightings in North America while examining the field of UFOlogy, and unpacking what has been going...
Aug 09, 2021•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 14
Send us a text In Japan, houses that have seen unnatural or undignified deaths are legally declared Jiko Bukken or "accident properties" (see episode 12: Richard Energy & Legally Haunted Houses !). Homes are also codified as Jiko Bukken if they are built over a well -- what's that about? In this minisode, Shaena explores this question as she tells us about Okiku's Well (located at Himeji Castle), one of Japan's "big three" ghost stories. Here, you'll learn about the origin story as well as t...
Jul 07, 2021•19 min
Send us a text CW: extreme violence, violence against women, sexual violence, suicide On December 30th, the Miyazawa family was found brutally murdered in the Setagaya neighborhood of Tokyo, Japan. More than twenty years and 12,500 pieces of evidence later, this case remains unsolved to this day. Join us as we unpack this unnerving case and dig into how misogyny and the U.S. military play into this case in addition to learning with us about the phenomenon of jiko bukken and lonely deaths in Japa...
Jun 29, 2021•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 12
Send us a text In the depths of national forests/wooded areas all over the world, people report stumbling across mysterious staircases with no destination and the strange circumstances that go along with them. Could it be creepy, unexplained phenomena or is it just popular online fiction? Decide for yourself in our very first mini-sode! Join us for a quick meander into something light on the unpacking, and heavy on the eerie as we explore this internet urban legend! Sources: https://www.historic...
Jun 20, 2021•19 min
