The mere mention of the mysterious practice of “exorcisms” can make us feel uneasy, conjuring up images of demonic possession and a struggle between good and evil beyond human comprehension. Our guest on this episode, Dr. Paul Blair , is a healthcare chaplain at the Riverview Heath Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, who recently wrote a doctoral dissertation about exorcisms. We’ll discuss the reasons why exorcisms are needed, the myths and misconceptions surrounding them, and the crucial role of qual...
Feb 17, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 146
Join us for the gripping conclusion to our three-part mini-series on Edward Bulwer-Lytton's classic gothic tale, ' The Haunted and the Haunters .' After a terrifying night, our protagonist attempts to unravel the mysteries of the haunted house. Was it real or just imagination? In the end, he makes a startling discovery that challenges his perceptions of reality and imagination. This discovery sheds new light on the events of the story and raises more questions about the haunted house and its his...
Feb 03, 2023•38 min•Ep. 145
Join us for the second part of our three-part mini-series on Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s paranormal masterpiece, “ The Haunted and the Haunters ”, published in 1859. The story is a chilling reminder of the dangers of obsession and the power of the past to shape our present and future. In this installment, our unnamed protagonist has a terrifying encounter with something dark that is lurking in the house. Be sure to start with Part 1 to get caught up on the story so far!...
Jan 27, 2023•36 min•Ep. 144
Gather in close as we share a reading of a classic Victorian ghost story! Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s The Haunted and the Haunters is an exceptional example of Gothic fiction, a genre that emerged in the late 18th century and was characterized by its use of supernatural elements, melodramatic plots, and gloomy, often ruined settings. It tells the story of an unnamed protagonist, his servant and his dog, who visit a grand but dilapidated mansion that is rumoured to be haunted. The story follows their ...
Jan 20, 2023•36 min•Ep. 143
It is not every day that one of the world’s great mysteries gets solved. For 70 years, the identity of the Somerton Man, whose body was found on a beach outside of Adelaide, Australia, on December 1, 1948, has been frustratingly elusive. With no identification on him and many strange circumstances about his personal effects, speculation about his identity has run rampant. A spy? A time traveller? An alien? We know now with a high degree of certainty exactly who he was and what he was doing on th...
Dec 16, 2022•25 min•Ep. 142
One of the world’s great mysteries is on the verge of being solved. For over 70 years, investigators have sought to identify the unknown man found dead on an Australian beach in 1948. There were no signs of foul play and an examination of the victim’s stylish clothing strangely revealed that all of the labels had been removed. In his pocket was found a passage from a rare book that eerily translates to: It is ended . Was this a suicide or something much more complicated? We are joined by Dr. Lar...
Dec 16, 2022•39 min•Ep. 141
Shortly after 4am, on July 6th, 2022, an explosion rocked the hilltop pasture on which “ America’s Stonehenge ” stood for over 40 years. One of the monument’s mysterious columns was destroyed and the capstone on top was badly cracked. The blast caused the remaining columns to become unstable and the entire monument was brought down by county officials later the same day. Who would want to destroy the roadside curiosity that had brought tens of thousands of tourists (and their money) to the rural...
Dec 02, 2022•45 min•Ep. 140
This October, Jim had an opportunity to do a guest spot on an engineering podcast. The show, called Engineering Legends , is produced by Brown and Caldwell , an engineering consulting firm that works throughout North America and Guam in the environmental sector. Each year around Halloween they do a special episode about haunted infrastructure. Jim was able to share with them the story of Toronto’s Cabbagetown Monster , which lurks in the forgotten tunnels that run beneath the city. The second gu...
Nov 11, 2022•44 min•Ep. 139
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 🎃 We celebrate the spookiest day of the year by sharing a story recently published by one of our listeners. Caitlin Mulroney reads “Blood Harvest” from her new book Not That Scary: A Little Collection of Creepy Stories . It touches on many of our favourite topics and themes. Sit back, relax, turn the lights down low and enjoy a chilling tale on Halloween!...
Oct 31, 2022•30 min•Ep. 138
Like many old Canadian hotels, the Fort Garry was a railroad hotel built by the Grand Trunk Railroad just before the outbreak of the First World War. While spirits have been spotted throughout the property, the second floor has the highest concentration of activity and is usually the site of the most famous encounters. In fact, there is a specific room that paranormal investigators always wish to book. With ghosts that get in bed with the guests, spirits that cause blood to run down the walls, a...
Oct 28, 2022•30 min•Ep. 137
The epic conclusion of our 3-part Haunted Talks special event! Brittney Bos (Historian & Series Writer) and Margo MacDonald (Haunted Walk Tour Guide and Lead Investigator), join us for a haunted roundtable discussion about the four cases we have shared. It is a fun and thought-provoking conversation that explores the nature of poltergeists, why these cases might be so similar despite decades and great geographical distances between them, as well as additional unsettling details about the cas...
Oct 21, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 136
The second episode in a 3-part Haunted Talks special event! We continue our exploration of Canada’s most documented and frightening Poltergeist cases. For this episode, we travel to the Maritimes and explore two stories in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Although nearly 50 years and 200 km separate them, these stories share too many details to ignore. They have all of the hallmarks of the poltergeist stories that we’ve already come to know: the strange noises and aggressive behaviours. In ...
Oct 20, 2022•23 min•Ep. 135
The first episode in a 3-part Haunted Talks special event! Over the next few episodes, we’ll explore four poltergeist stories that took place in Canada in the 19th and early 20th centuries, all of which seem to share some striking and terrifying similarities. We start off with one of the greatest Canadian mysteries of all time and what might be the most famous historic poltergeist story in the country: the Baldoon mystery . Rocks and bullets were propelled at the exterior of their house by unsee...
Oct 19, 2022•25 min•Ep. 134
We start the show with TWO major announcements! In a Haunted Talks first, we will have three-part mini-series on classic Canadian poltergeist cases that we will release over three consecutive days. The series kicks-off on Wednesday, October 19th, 2022. In other big news, our Virtual Haunted Campfires will return for two big live shows at the end October. They will feature two of most popular campfire guest storytellers ever. The Pickman family thought they had found the perfect new home for thei...
Oct 15, 2022•42 min•Ep. 133
The Beast of Gévaudan is a true story about a vicious monster that terrorized the French countryside in the 18th century. It was a creature that was so difficult to describe that most of the eyewitnesses could not agree about what had attacked them. A wolf? A man? Or was it something else entirely? Despite many theories over the last 250 years, no satisfactory explanation has ever been found. We attempt to separate the fact from the fiction and ponder if this fanciful-sounding beast was humanity...
Sep 30, 2022•28 min•Ep. 132
Alcatraz is a place that uniquely captures the imagination, with stories of the civil war, harden criminals, daring escape attempts and lingering legends. We will be exploring “ the Rock ” through the eyes of Historian, Haunted Talks contributor and former Haunted Walk tour guide, Brittney Bos, Ph.D , as she visits the infamous island for the first time. While wandering the cellblocks and hallways she will share her thoughts and impressions about this one-of-a-kind site and why it is essential t...
Sep 16, 2022•38 min•Ep. 131
Sometimes even the most cheerful and happy places can be spooky. We share the stories of several locations that you never would guess are haunted, including children’s playgrounds, amusement parks and sports stadiums. There is something about the unexpected nature of these encounters that makes them especially eerie. You may never look at the monkey bars the same way again.
Sep 02, 2022•28 min•Ep. 130
Over 700 people were hanged in Canada before capital punishment was abolished in 1976. Of those, less than 2% were women. We examine the rare occasions when women were executed and the circumstances surrounding those cases. The stories range from acts of senseless violence to domestic disputes to gross miscarriages of justice to botched executions. We delve into this dark and often overlooked aspect of Canadian history. In the episode, we mention Canada’s Official Executioner Arthur Ellis. To re...
Aug 12, 2022•35 min•Ep. 129
While a minor outlaw during his lifetime, the story of Elmer J. McCurdy really begins after his death in 1911. For 60 years, his mortal remains were intentionally, and at times accidentally, displayed for public amusement and profit. Events culminated in 1976 when a TV show thought they had found the perfect prop in an old carnival dark ride. Only to realize what they had discovered was not a recreation of a mummified body – but a corpse! What was it doing there, and how was the mystery solved? ...
Jul 22, 2022•34 min•Ep. 128
It has been called the most haunted object in the world, but is it really one of the biggest paranormal hoaxes in recent memory? The Dybbuk Box has terrified people for nearly two decades, but last year the original spreader of the tale (and a few accomplices) admitted that the entire thing was made up. We dig into the facts, the fiction, and the bizarre stories of those who continue to come into contact with it.
Jul 01, 2022•23 min•Ep. 127
The strange disappearance of pilot Fredrick Valentich in 1978, is one of aviation’s greatest unsolved mysteries. In the episode, we examine the mystery, including the bizarre radio transmissions from Valentich, which include the chilling line, “ …it’s not an aircraft. ” Was it a tragic accident, a hoax gone wrong, or a close encounter with a UFO? Could it be something else completely unexpected? Join us as we fly into mystery. Be sure to check out our HAUNTED TALKS tees & hoodies !...
Jun 10, 2022•26 min•Ep. 126
In part two of our special interview with the British Museum’s Dr. Irving Finkel, he shares more from his book, The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies , including a discussion of the earliest drawing of a ghost , the intricate role of exorcists in Mesopotamian societies, and how the dead would often be rudely called up from the underworld to answer pressing personal questions from the living. He also ponders why modern society has become so skeptical about ghosts and shares his attempts to s...
May 20, 2022•37 min•Ep. 125
What is the oldest recorded mention of a ghost? Dr. Irving Finkel, Assistant Keeper of Ancient Mesopotamian script, languages and cultures in the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum , joins us to talk about his recent book The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies . He shares how living with ghosts and other restless spirits has been part of the human experience from the earliest moments of recorded history. Not only is he a leading expert in ancient writing, but also a wonderfu...
May 13, 2022•34 min•Ep. 124
While not a traditional ghost story, the tale of the wrecked iron scow that sits atop Niagara Falls is a haunting cliffhanger. It unfolds on the threatening edge of one of the most awe-inspiring natural wonders in the world. Its wreckage is a secret hiding in plain sight. For over 100 years it has stood as a sentinel to the passage of time. Earlier this month, major news broke about the fate of the beloved ghost ship. We share the incredible story and discuss the recent news. See all of our epis...
Apr 29, 2022•18 min•Ep. 123
A cluster of rental homes near Manchester, England, requires new tenants to sign a waiver acknowledging that they will be living in a haunted house. As part of our discussion of this strange scenario and the frightening incidents that took place in these homes, we are joined by Paige Oldfield , the reporter from the Manchester Evening News who broke the story . Join us for the latest episode of Haunted Talks!...
Apr 15, 2022•19 min•Ep. 122
For the first time ever, scientists have recorded the brain activity of a patient in the moments right before and immediately following death. The results may be the first scientific evidence of the often reported “seeing your life flashing before your eyes” during a near-death experience. We are joined by Dr. Kate Einarson , a behavioural scientist and knowledge translator, to discuss the findings, the answers they provide, and the new questions they raise. Join us for a mind-blowing episode of...
Apr 01, 2022•32 min•Ep. 121
Robert Service’s The Cremation of Sam McGee is a beloved Canadian ghost story set in the unforgiving North. Many can identify it with just the first few lines. Themes of survival, obligation and brutal relentless cold, unexpectedly culminate in a surprise twist ending. We share a reading of the iconic poem and explore its strange history and the urban legends that surround this masterpiece.
Mar 04, 2022•30 min•Ep. 120
Can we be haunted by our own thoughts? Or use them to haunt others? Few ideas produce the fear and existential dread that Roko’s Basilisk provides. This unique thought experiment was considered so potentially disturbing, that the original website to which it was published quickly banned the topic. We break down this strange collision of urban legend, artificial intelligence and philosophy. Listener Warning: If you are struggling right now, or don’t want to deal with existential questions about r...
Feb 18, 2022•25 min•Ep. 119
We are going to be talking about death, but not in the usual ways we do on this podcast. There will be little discussion of the paranormal, and no mention of grizzly murders, unsolved or otherwise. Instead, we will be looking into the lives and businesses of those who spend the most time with the dead – Undertakers. Joining us will be a historical researcher and author, Marion Roes, to talk about her new book, Death as Life’s Wor k , which focuses on Undertakers and Funeral Businesses in the Wat...
Feb 04, 2022•39 min•Ep. 118
Katarina and Diandra, co-hosts of the German paranormal podcast, Geistergeflüster , join us for a paranormal cultural exchange. In addition to sharing some of their favourite German ghost stories, which include the origins of Sleepy Hollow’s headless horseman and a spirit who is very concerned about eating lunch, we also discuss the surprising way Germans think about the supernatural.
Jan 21, 2022•41 min•Ep. 117
