The lore of Spirits is expanding with more stories about the man with the trenchcoat and the dog, the origins of the Silent Hill movies, and more terrible choices by college students. Also featuring our love for real life Scooby Doo, the Hot Tall Lady from Resident Evil, and more!
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of Covid-19, bodily functions, nightmares, death, martyrdom, bodily harm, under...
Julia and Moiya are back channeling the gods to give you advice on burning questions! Amanda teams up with a fortune god to give financial advice, we help determine what paths are the best paths, and we learn to love ourselves.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of sex, relationships, anxiety, war, fire, Covid-19, money/finances, banking and financial institutions, and heteronormativity.
H...
We’re joined by horror and video game connoisseur, Jenna Stoeber, to discuss the Internet’s own version of folklore - Creepypastas. From Candle Cove and Ted the Caver, all the way to the modern day, we chat about the specific ecosystem that allowed them to thrive.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of suicide, eugenics, cults, racism, abduction, sex trafficking, death, chain letters, body horr...
We have talked about theatre a LOT over the past five years, so now seems like the perfect time to talk about theatre superstitions! From old classics like the Scottish Play, to some that are totally new to us, we’re talking all things that go bump in the wings.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of bodily harm/broken limbs, suicide, civil unrest, riots, police and military violence, fire, dea...
Sometimes a story just sticks with you. And in this last installment of Oops! All Urban Legends month, our favorite hometown tales are back and better than ever. Hear the real story behind the Toyota Plant, the return of the Crawdad King, and our favorite named ghost.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of murder, child endangerment, body horror, animal death, dismemberment, ablism, child neglect...
A creepy store, ghost hunting parents, and a small town monster family! These extra long stories deserved their own episodes because they are so JAM PACKED with details to scare and delight.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of death, bodily remains, xenophobia, demons/The Devil, graves, murder, body horror, organized crime, cultural appropriation, self-harm, fire, curses, and cannibalism.
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Humans aren’t the only supernatural beings and spirits out there - it’s time to feature the pets and animals in our creepy lives! Featuring a cat’s unfinished business, how to create a plant ghost, a horse antichrist, and a ghostly game of fetch.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of animal death, mental health issues, anxiety, cultural appropriation, sexual innuendo, sacrilegious implications, a...
A whole month of urban legends. You read that right. And we’re kicking it off with Second Chances - a series of updates from stories we love, and new tales revisited! We discuss haunted restaurants, hiking mistakes, and guessing the names of ghosts.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of animal death, pet abandonment, death, fire, bodily functions, threat of physical violence, dismemberment, tort...
We’re closing out this year with the tale of Chang’e - or rather, the many tales of the Chinese moon goddess. We cry through a musical, blend tales of betrayal and love, and discuss the honesty of grief and moving on, drinks in hand.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of death, terminal illness, Covid-19, misogyny, murder, abusive relationships, emotional trauma, fire/death by fire, suicide, ani...
A year ago, we said we’d have Emily VanDerWerff on to talk about A Christmas Carol, and damn it, we delivered! We talk cozy ghost stories, bringing back the tradition of wrecking the homes of the rich, and how trickle down economics ruined A Christmas Carol.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of death, social inequality, trauma, Covid-19, capitalism, politics, cultural erasure, religious persecu...
Sometimes we ask a question on this show that simply does not have an answer. And that’s probably for the best. We talk hair-styling witches, flipping haunted homes, and… well you’ll just have to wait to find out.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of sex, Covid-19, curses, war/violence/conquering, genitals, masturbation, ageism, religious persecution, ableism, “Satanism”, mental illness, death,...
We haven’t gotten existential about death in a while, so let’s talk about past lives! We touch upon the religious and philosophical origins of rebirth and reincarnation, and discuss the modern interest and study of past life regression.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of death, parapsychology, pseudoscience, child death, religious persecution, war, World War II, colonialism/cultural appropria...
Bro! Gather round the mead hall, because we’re gonna tell the story of Beowulf, talk the nuance of translation, and gush over warrior queens with author Maria Dahvana Headley.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of murder, violence, toxic masculinity, misogyny/sexism, rape/sexual assault, and xenophobia.
Guest
Maria Dahvana Headley is the New York Times-bestselling author of eight books, most...
It’s time to turn to the gods for some divine advice. We welcome Moiya McTier back to the show to channel the gods like the oracles of old and answer questions about long distance relationships, working from home, and keeping your plants alive!
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of Covid-19, drug use, self-mutilation, debt, sex, mental health, and relationship problems.
Guest
We’re all over the place in this one, both in terms of content and geography. From Scandinavia to Alaska, we’re questioning your choices left and right when dealing with the supernatural. It’s a feisty one, folks!
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of possession, death, disturbed graves, science experimentation, zombies, violence against women, animal death/butchery, threat of animal attack, p...
Right this way! We’ll be your tour guides through the Greek Underworld this episode as we talk about the new game, Hades, as well as the chthonic gods, hot Furies, sleepy lads, and who this Zagreus guy is, anyway.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of ritual sacrifice, animal death, death, cannibalism, child death, dismemberment, implied drug use, war/battles, misogyny, and guns.
Housekeeping
...October might be over, but when you’re Mary Shelley, every day is a great day to talk about death. That’s why we were so excited to have guest Rose Eveleth, who walked us through the scientific origins behind Frankenstein and his monster, and the life and times of Mary Shelley.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions sex, misogyny, miscarriage, child death, Covid-19, scientific experimentation, hangi...
Only on Spirits do we get really into the logistics and philosophy of a Disney Channel Original Movie. We’re talking Halloweentown, and stress that there’s no such thing as witch DNA, and magic should go back to being more democratic.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of elitism, biological essentialism, religious persecution, societal inequity, and witch trials.
It’s Halloween month, which means we are breaking out some of the best urban legends in our inbox. Cursed buildings, cursed objects, cursed woods. You name it, we’ve got scary urban legends about it!
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of the USSR, loans/debt, possession, spirit binding, curses, pranks, revenge, death, Covid-19, sacrilegious acts, grave robbing, animal bones, serial killers, fam...
Your state might be spookier than you thought. For Halloween, we’re rounding up the scariest urban legends from all 50 states! Listen to find out what state is haunted by a horse, which is haunted by a pickup truck, and which is most likely the plot of a Scooby Doo episode.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of infancide/child death, abduction, starvation, death, drowning, tuberculosis, anxiety ...