The Uncanny

Utopologist

Short, unsettling stories about things that seem a little bit off. If you enjoy the show and want to help incentivize episodes to come out faster, go to https://ko-fi.com/utopologist and send me a few dollars. utopologist@protonmail.com

Last refreshed: November 27th, 2025 at 7:50 AM ⓘ

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Episodes

Impostor (2022)

The narrator reconnects with an old college roommate, Chris, who confides a disturbing belief that his brother Michael has been replaced by an imposter. This leads the narrator on a journey through folklore, a grandmother's similar story, and the discovery of Capgras delusion, a rare neurological condition. A chance encounter with Michael rekindles the narrator's unease, culminating in a fateful hike to Tulane Peak where Michael reveals a shocking truth before mysteriously disappearing.

Apr 23, 2025•28 min

Visitor

The warmth and light promised by a house on a winter night aren't always comforting.

Jul 21, 2022•17 min•Ep. 10

The War Prayer

The narrator reestablishes contact with an old college roommate, Chris, who shares a disturbing conviction: his brother, Michael, has been replaced by an imposter after a solo hike. This prompts the narrator to research similar phenomena, discovering both folklore about changelings and the neurological disorder, Capgras delusion. A subsequent chance encounter with Michael and an investigative hike to the same mountain lead to a deeply unsettling confrontation, hinting at truths beyond human understanding and resulting in Michael's disappearance.

Apr 02, 2022•28 min

Commute

There are places only minutes away from the lights of the city that can feel completely isolated.

Jan 30, 2022•8 min•Ep. 8

Emergency alert

It changes depending on where in its elliptical rotation it is, but the average distance the moon is from Earth is 382,500 kilometers, or 238,855 miles. With gratitude to Kris Straub of Local 58 .

Nov 02, 2021•14 min

Bolter

If we knew all the legends about our area, we would feel differently about home.

Jun 15, 2021•18 min•Ep. 6

Traffic jam

written by Gabriel Costantino Mountain roads at night sometimes feel like they don't follow the same rules as the rest of the world.

Jan 12, 2021•15 min•Ep. 5

Urban exploration

In any metropolitan area, there are any number of abandoned buildings just full of secrets and surprises.

Nov 01, 2020•15 min•Ep. 4

Pull

One of the things kids experience if they move away for school can be confusion and unease at returning to what used to be their home.

Oct 18, 2020•15 min•Ep. 3

Night drive

The average running speed of a human in good shape is between 10 and 15 miles per hour. People have been documented sprinting short distances at almost twice that speed.

Oct 02, 2020•9 min•Ep. 2

Face

If you're expecting a quiet night at home by yourself, someone else coming around can be an extremely unwelcome surprise.

Sep 06, 2020•8 min•Ep. 1

Face (2021)

If you're expecting a quiet night at home by yourself, someone else coming around can be an extremely unwelcome surprise.

Feb 14, 2020•10 min

The Fever by Wallace Shawn

Wallace Shawn's 1990 play The Fever is about capital and class struggle and commodity fetishism and liberalism and guilt, and about someone coming to terms with the injustice in the world and his own role within that injustice. Music: Phill Niblock - Works for Hurdy Gurdy and Voice Sarah Davachi - For Voice

Feb 14, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 1

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