Spooky & Strange
Explore an endless library of strange tales, weird fiction, spooky stories, and mysterious mysteries with Aurelien
Episodes
"I can't decide if the effect is beautiful or creepy or something in between."
Throw on a deerstalker hat and join Aurelien in the library for "The Stitchers" (2020) by Lorien Lawrence. It's a spooky middle grade mystery where amateur detectives Quinn and Mike try to find out just what is up with their strange neighbors who don't seem to age, and the eerie pond at the end of the lane. Are they ghosts...
"Josie Schuller is a picture-perfect homemaker, wife, and mother - but she's also a ruthless, efficient killer"
Join Aurelien for a recap of the darkly funny (and fully bloody) Lady Killer vol 1 by Joëlle Jones and Jamie S. Rich. This bold graphic novel tells the story of a mid-century American woman trying to have it all: a loving husband, adorable children, killer style, and successful career as a hit woman.
"“Please help . . .” His voice was faint, but it was there."
Avoid the roads at night and keep your wits about you for "58 Rules to Ensure Your Husband Loves You Forever" (2019) by Rafeeat Aliyu. It's a deep dark story that asks: what are you willing to do (to someone else) for love? And it's a little gross.
What has eerie red eyes, a pronounced widow's peak, surprisingly fang-like fangs, and a soft pink nose? It's "Bunnicula" (1979), a spooky cute middle-grade comedy adventure written by Deborah & James Howe.
This time, Aurelien is joined by Dustin, fellow podcaster and magical library elf!
Hey, spooky friends! Aurelien astral-projected over to the new horror deep dive podcast Autopsy of a Horror Movie to discuss the straight from quarantine horror hit, Host (2020).
Brucker and Aurelien get into how impressive the editing is, the different types of fear, the scariest scenes, and Aurelien invents a new subgenre. If you're a horror movie fan, give it a listen!
Follow Autopsy of a Horror Movie:
Instagram: @...
“Sour candy trumps chocolate.”
Celebrate Valentine's weekend with Aurelien and a creepy horror story that will make you happy to be alone. "Sour Candy" by Kealan Patrick Burke (2015) starts with an everyday encounter and quickly devolves into more nightmares than you can count.
Buy the book and read more from Kealan Patrick Burke: https://www.kealanpatrickburke.com/books
--
* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McL...
"Creatures of the night, they get along just fine in the darkness."
Happy new year, spooky friends! Join Aurelien for a dark modern horror tale of unconventional friendship, the beauty of the night, and some light murder: "The Night Cyclist" by Stephen Graham Jones (2016).
"I asked how many days it took before she was aware of the ghost."
It’s time for another flash fiction roundup! Join Aurelien for a quick tour of the latest sweet, spooky, supernatural, super weird, and, of course, super short fiction she's loved lately. No spoilers!
This week for book club, let's go on a spooky tour of Aurelien's horror shelf, from teen witches and the perils of friendship, to creepy haunted houses, dark family secrets, and suspenseful short stories. No spoilers!
“Haunting is an art.”
Find us in the secret room for a hauntingly good time with "Open House on Haunted Hill" (2020) by John Wiswell. Autumn isn't only spooks and screams; it's also about loneliness, change, and the warmth of home. Warning: this story might melt your horror-loving heart.
Read the story: http://www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fiction-64a-open-house-on-haunted-hill-by-john-wiswell/
--
* Theme: Magi...
"What fearful shapes and shadows beset his path amidst the dim and ghastly glare of a snowy night!"
Let's meet at the spooky old church for book club to talk about a classic American ghost story: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820) by Washington Irving. Featuring superb descriptions of fall foliage, an excellent spooky atmosphere, and ghostly, mysterious ending, this story will immerse you in autumn.
And i...
“Terror can fill any space.”
It's time for book club, and for the exciting conclusion of Michael Crichton's "Sphere" (1987)! Packed with thrills, chills, and more giant squid than you can shake a stick at, Aurelien covers the second half of this mysterious scifi adventure. This episode is full of spoilers!
--
* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod
* Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"What they find defies their imaginations and mocks their attempts at logical explanation..."
Something has been found on the ocean floor, something intriguing and impossible. A group of scientists are sent 1000 feet down to investigate - and there, they find something even stranger. Aurelien covers the first half of "Sphere" (1987) by Michael Crichton, a paranoid, weird sciencey horror thriller.
Episode referen...
"Black winter had descended in a single night.”
Watch the tides and slip out in the cover of night for Daphne Du Maurier's "The Birds" (1952). It's a chilling, suspenseful story that's not really like the movie adaptation at all, and will fill your heart with dread. If you're a Shirley Jackson fan, add this one to your tbr! Spoilers ahead!
--
* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod
* Additional m...
And now she sat so very quietly, so very still, like a living-dead doll staring out the window.
Buenas noches, spooky friends! This week, let Aurelien tell you all about how Georgina's perfectly planned life got flipped-turned upside down - by Death. Set during the Mexican Revolution, "This Strange Way of Dying" (2011) by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a spooky dark historical love story about choosing your future and also, ...
"She is only a ghost, and nobody believes in ghosts any longer."
Let's go back in time for book club this week, with Ellen Glasgow's 1920 ghost story "The Past". If you like classic gothic stories and spooky hauntings, but also want a protagonist who asks "wtf?", this one is for you. And, please, ignore the spiritual representation of trauma watching us from the corner.
Episode references
“The house was full of dead bodies, it seemed. It felt like a mechanical cemetery.”
Hey, spooky friends! It's a special, Bradbury birthday edition of book club. Aurelien discusses (and spoils!) her favorite Ray Bradbury short stories: the spacey sadness of "All Summer in a Day" and the visceral horror of "The Veldt". Plus: how it feels when a favorite author might be someone you wouldn't want to talk to at...
"Darkness stood hushed and bulky beneath his kitchen window."
Bring a flashlight and stay out of the cellar! This week, Aurelien covers Ramsey Campbell's viscerally horrifying "The Brood" (1980). It's a dark, unsettling story about a lonely veterinarian and the strange happenings in the house next door. Who lives there? What are they doing with all those small animals? And do you hear those moaning, wailin...
"Even when you’re dead, some things cut close to the bone."
Let's go to the mall, everybody! But be careful - you don't want to get stuck here, like the ghosts in "Old Habits" (2011) by Nalo Hopkinson. It's a short modern horror story that manages to pack in plenty of nightmares (and feelings). Spoilers ahead!
Episode references:
"...and there were the trooping faeries that would steal them all away to their underground hills for a hundred years."
Meet by the edge of the wood and wear your best coat to book club for modern faery tale "The Coat of Stars" by Holly Black. It's a short and emotional story of lost love, faery bargains, and ethereal womenswear. Spoilers ahead!
--
* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod
* Additional mu...
Popular Podcasts
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.
We’re at our most vulnerable when we go to our doctors. We trust the person at the other end of that scalpel. We trust the hospital. We trust the system. Christopher Duntsch was a neurosurgeon who radiated confidence. He claimed he was the best in Dallas. If you had back pain, and had tried everything else, Dr. Duntsch could give you the spine surgery that would take your pain away. But soon his patients started to experience complications, and the system failed to protect them. Which begs the question: who - or what - is that system meant to protect? From Wondery, the network behind the hit podcast Dirty John, DR. DEATH is a story about a charming surgeon, 33 patients and a spineless system. Reported and hosted by Laura Beil.
This is what the news should sound like. The biggest stories of our time, told by the best journalists in the world. Hosted by Michael Barbaro. Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, ready by 6 a.m.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.