November 11, 2025 • 52 mins
The American landscape is rich with geographic, cultural, historical, and paranormal diversity. Explore the dark corners of untamed American landscapes on this edition of Octoberpod AM classic horror podcast with guest contributors Nikki Young (Serial Napper), Whitney Zahar, & Paige Elmore (The Pop Culture Diary, Reverie True Crime) Your horror host Edward October will be your guide on a tour of America's ghostly history with 2 tales of ghosts and spooks set against haunting landscapes.
First up: A tale of ghosts & psychic siblings in The Great Dismal Swamp. Then, Edward October shares some made-for-TV movie terrors. Plus: A classic ghost story of the American frontier from the pen of Ambrose Bierce. Featuring special guests Nikki Young (creator/host Serial Napper podcast), Whitney Zahar (author/podcaster), and Paige Elmore (creator/host of the podcasts Reverie True Crime & The Pop Culture Diary)
Saddle up! Because we're serving up harrowing historical haunts from the swamps of Virginia, to the deserts of the American Southwest, to the hills and frontier towns of 'Old Missoura' with side portions of monsters, werewolves, and vampires on this edition of Octoberpod AM: the retro horror podcast for bold individualists.
// PROMOS
Canary PI
Doom Generation
Ghost Bites (from Brew Crime)
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/octoberpod-am--5482497/support.
First up: A tale of ghosts & psychic siblings in The Great Dismal Swamp. Then, Edward October shares some made-for-TV movie terrors. Plus: A classic ghost story of the American frontier from the pen of Ambrose Bierce. Featuring special guests Nikki Young (creator/host Serial Napper podcast), Whitney Zahar (author/podcaster), and Paige Elmore (creator/host of the podcasts Reverie True Crime & The Pop Culture Diary)
Saddle up! Because we're serving up harrowing historical haunts from the swamps of Virginia, to the deserts of the American Southwest, to the hills and frontier towns of 'Old Missoura' with side portions of monsters, werewolves, and vampires on this edition of Octoberpod AM: the retro horror podcast for bold individualists.
// PROMOS
Canary PI
Doom Generation
Ghost Bites (from Brew Crime)
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/octoberpod-am--5482497/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
I'm Edward October. The sound you hear is a crawling,
festering swamp shrouded in shadow and mist. This is the
start of October Pod.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I freeze at the paths and gulping the thick air
into my lungs. Sweat beads my forehead, and my petticoat
clings as a second skin to my legs. My chest
heaves with aching tightness before me, looming like a deeper
patch of night stand the Spanish moss draped juniper and
(00:43):
cypress trees of the Great Dismal Swamp. Since childhood, the
swamp has filled me with horror. It remains a treasure
trove of adventure and natural wonder as well as danger.
Bears and wolves, stuck unwary men. Snakes lurk in hidden
(01:03):
places with poison dripping from their fangs. One could take
a wrong step with ease and vanish. Drowning in mud
is not a quick death.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
The Sleepless and the Deep based upon the story Sleepless
by Whitney Zahar, narrated by Nicky Young, creator host of
Cereal Knapper with Edward October.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
There are tales of ghosts of witches and their demon
cohorts of spirits, of nature and of the savages. But
these are just stories told to delight and scare a
little girl by a brother who at heart meant no harm.
I shiver as a light breeze since the trees whispering
(01:55):
to me. My brother has been drawn to the swamp
since he was a young boy. He braved the swamps hazards,
searching for secret places to play and explore. One time,
when I'd swallowed my fear enough to follow him, I
almost fell victim to a water moccasin, ready to sink
its harsh fangs into my heel. The vigilant James, only
(02:19):
eleven years old, acted just in time. He comforted me,
led me away while the snake floated, head mashed into
a dark, bloody pulp. I didn't expect you to venture
to this place, he said, his hand shaking around my shoulders.
It's not like you to be reckless. I shrugged from
(02:41):
his grasp, glaring at him. I heard you, plain as day,
taunting me that I was too afraid to join you.
He said that he'd never tease me, not allowed. He
said that I was the one muttering muttering. I'll show
him brave, but I never spoke those words, I only
(03:04):
thought them. Then he said, well, control your thoughts, then
they're too loud.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
In the early eighteenth century, surviving past the age of
five was quite a feat for a child. James and
Anne Thompson were special, born from their mother's womb only
minutes apart. More miraculous was that both survived to be
healthy teenagers. They were good children and attended church. However,
(03:33):
they were mysterious in a way no one could comprehend.
For the twins could speak to each other without moving
their lips, uttering no sound. As they grew older, they
could call each other from long distances and see through
each other's eyes. It was kept secret between the two
(03:53):
of them. Whether it was a gift of God or
the devil. This telepathic ability was something in the realm
of the unknown and unaccepted. Anne was more terrified of
this power than anything held in the swamp.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
From nowhere, clawed fingers snatch my linen cap from my head.
I shriek with panicked struggles against a wild assailant until
I tear myself free. My cap hangs like a shredded
moon from the prickled branches of the juniper tree. Along
with tendrils of my hair glinting like tangled gold. I
(04:33):
gulped down the rancid air and run my fingers through
my disheveled locks. I pray for God's help as I
glance behind me to discover the path I'd just traversed
is now obscured by writhing, whispering trees and bubbling mud.
It's too late to turn back. The swamp has trapped me,
(04:57):
just as I believed it would.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Anne.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
This way, the clear female voice rings in my ear,
But all I can see through the darkness is a
globe of warm white light winking at me through the trees.
It seems to sway excitedly, and the voice giggles in
my head with delighted music. Come, the voice says, follow me.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Charlotte Gordon rolled in the grass, laughing and stretching her
hands towards an expansive sky. She had counted nine stars
for nine nights and slept with a mirror under her
pillow to conjure the face of her true love to
appear in her dreams. Charlotte confessed to Anne that the
(05:47):
face she had seen was that of Anne's brother James.
But as the two girls spoke that day in the grass.
Anne seemed to be miles away, and skin was prickling
as she reached out to touch her brother's mind.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
He is close, walking up behind us, so happy to
see his love, but he has a happy secret.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Anne told Charlotte of James's plans to propose marriage. Charlotte,
giddy at the prospect, kissed Anne's cheek and told her
friend that she'd be glad to one day call her sister.
Charlotte knew of the gift Anne possessed. James had told
her it was witchery, of course, but witchery of the
(06:35):
whitest sort. She was certain. When James arrived, he and
Charlotte flew hand in hand to the swamp. Charlotte was
James's equal in courage and was more than willing to
join him in his many adventures in the wild. Sometimes
they did more than just paddle their canoe across the
waters of Lake Drummond, more than what Anne wanted to
(06:58):
view from her brother's mind, and lost in her reveries,
pricked her finger with a sewing needle. She put her
finger in her mouth sucked the pain away as James
joyfully twirled his new fiance in a circle, kissing her.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
My petticoat and jacket are so awash with mud that
the original colors are all but forgotten. My legs are
weak and trembling, welted by thorns. Yet I stagger onwards.
A branch whips and slices my cheek with a mute whimper.
I cup the gash with a hand that's crusted with
(07:42):
blood and pain. Nearby or far away, I can't tell.
In the labyrinth of trees a night, an owl is hooting.
I stop to catch my breath, listening for the rustle
of wings. Owls are like angels watching over us. It
is said that if one perches at the foot of
(08:03):
a bed, the sleeper who awakens to behold the sight
will die very soon.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Charlotte woke frantic to the sight of an owl at
the foot of her bed. She went to Anne for prayers,
but her fears were made light not long after, and
stood over her friend, who lay with skin like wax,
Her limp hair spread out on the pillow like brown
swamp water. No breath issued from between those shriveled lips.
(08:43):
The heart no longer beat behind that skeletal chest. She
had been in such pain, burning from a fever that
refused to set her free, and stayed by her day
and night, watching her waste away before her eyes, and
she could do nothing. James's voice drifted into her mind
(09:04):
from a great distance from the port city of Norfolk,
where he journeyed with father, touching Anne's mind, asking and
pounding echoes after his fiancee, and Anne could not tell
him what was happening. She held back her thoughts, not
wishing to destroy his happiness with her dying breath. Charlotte
(09:27):
told her friend to promise, promised to tell her brother
James that she'd be waiting for him on the banks
of Lake Drummond.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
Ay.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
When James returned, it was with no knowledge of Charlotte's death,
and yet she was cold in the earth. His family
gave him the grievous news. His cry sliced its sorrowful
blade into Anne's soul, and as she fell to the ground,
thrashing and screaming like madman, she clutched at her ears,
(10:05):
but still hurt him in her head.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Always there be silent, Please be silent, Be silent, Be silent,
Lake Drummond, waiting for him. She'll wait for him at
Lake Drummond, waiting.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
James bolted upright. His sudden movement startled his sister, who
was nodding in a chair by his bedside. He gripped
her with violence she never imagined. He possessed his fingers
like iron, bruising her arms. Where is she, he hissed,
his eyes burning with a strange green fire. You lied
(10:50):
to me, Anne, If she's dead, why did she tell
you she'll be waiting by Lake Drummond. She's alive, but
lost and frightened. He moved fast, faster than a serpent's strike,
thrusting Anne from him. She and the chair crashed to
the floor. He staggered from bed, across the room, out
the door. She's out there, and I'll go find her,
(11:12):
he howled. Once she's home, I'll care for her for
the rest of our days. In a desperate attempt, Anne
reached out, with her bruised arms and with her mind
to her.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Brother, see the truth, don't go.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
He lashed out at her with his own mind, slapped
her with his madness. Stunned, she huddled by the bed
until morning. James crashed through the swamp, searching for a
love that Anne knew was nowhere to be found. Anne meanwhile,
was seized with horrible visions so real she could smell
(11:57):
the rot and decay of the swamp. When branch's tore
at James's chest, she too felt the sting. For three weeks,
every time she closed her eyes, she'd experience her brother's
deluded journey, so she stopped sleeping. But she could still see.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
A beautiful white light dancing across the surface of Lake Drummond. James,
his fingernails, now splintered, builds a raft from his ragged clothes, vines,
and wood. He paddles out to that light with his
bare hands. Then the raft disintegrates under his knees, and
(12:39):
his last sight is of the rippling water closing over
the light blinking out.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
James woke to find himself on the lake's shore beside him.
Her smile, filled with love and sadness, was Charlotte. Madness
melted away, and a curious peace descended upon him. He
realized she was dead, the bitter odor of sweat and
sickness clinging to her skin and paper thin lips. But
(13:09):
she kept the promise left with the living. She had
waited for him, and James walked on the lake's surface
and viewed his own corpse in a watery coffin.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
He stands in a shaft of moonlight, dressed in a
ripped shirt and stained in mud from head to toe.
About his feet, a snake uncoils wraps about his middle
and rests upon his shoulders. His eyes smolder with that
odd green fire, and his skin is paler than the moon,
(13:48):
and clings to his cheekbones like wet silk. Flash SAgs
from his face and arms with skeletal fingers, reaching from
my cheek and reaching until he vanishes. Night after night
he calls upon me, as did Charlotte, who often accompanies him.
(14:10):
They stand together, whispering in my mind. I don't know
whether to laugh, scream, or weep. I do know that
it's pastime I pay them a visit.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
James and Charlotte rode their spectral white canoe across Lake Drummond.
Occasionally their laughter ran in Anne's ears. As she set
crosslegged like a child on the bank. They waved to her,
and she waved back. It was so good of Charlotte
to come to Anne with her lantern to guide her
(14:46):
through the quagmile.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
I ventured into the swamp I supposed to put my
fears to rest. Now, dipping my fingers into amber water
that were said to have healing powers, I wonder what
I have to fear. My brother and my friends ravaged
by death are reunited and happy. I've missed them, so now,
(15:14):
at last, I can rest easy and cease to be
a burden on others. When I was a little girl,
I too went outside for nine nights and counted nine
stars in the heavens. On the final night, I went
to bed with a mirror under my pillow, eager to
dream of the handsome young man who would be my
(15:35):
true love. But instead, the shadowy swamp, alluring, vital, and treacherous,
caressed my dreams like a demon lover. I knew it
would have me one way or another. I cast my
gaze downwards, where my own corpse floats just beneath my fingers.
(15:58):
Its hair spreads wide in the water. The long, angry
gash on the cheek was the only flaw upon a
face still and quiet in its beauty. The green eyes,
burnt by tears, haunted by beholding too much of the unknown,
are now closed. No more voices, no more sleepless nights.
(16:22):
Sleep well, and.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Deep, and blew a kiss to the body she once inhabited,
and strolled on the lake's surface to the canoe where
James and Charlotte were waiting for her. Monsters do have
(16:50):
their place in the zoo, in your nightmares, in the deep,
in your favorite horror movies, but not on your phone.
During an ad break, Politically motivated interests are seeking to
influence you through the ads placed on this podcast. Hi,
I'm your host Edward October, reminding you that we have
(17:12):
very limited control over the ads you hear on October Pod.
Please remember that only the ads and promos I read
with my own voice carry the endorsement of Edward October
and October Pod. Furthermore, I and the makers of October
Pod repudiate any entity advertised which seeks to promote hatred,
(17:33):
anti American or anti democratic sentiments, or the spread of misinformation.
Now with that in mind, October Pod will return after
this brief ad break.
Speaker 5 (17:47):
Heyame Trees rush time.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
It's intermission time, folks. Time to hit the snack bar
for a taste tempting treat like a hot, crispy, hand
battered corn dog or a bucket of rich buttery popcorn.
Fresh out of the popper. The sodas are sparkling, so
why not get one now and another for later. Today
we're telling ghost stories that showcase the diverse and richly
(18:15):
historic landscapes of America, from the swamps of Virginia and
later to the hills and frontier towns of Missura. Some
of the best examples of horror stories that showcase the
untamed places of America can be found in the now
forgotten frontier of made for TV movies from the nineteen seventies.
(18:38):
Take Moon of the Wolf from nineteen seventy two, for example.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
O Kyota with wild Dog Boy, This couldn't be done
by human. Good man, your mine. The mark was along here,
That's where a left handed person would strike.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
You were facing him. You've got a murder chef.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
You're saying it wasn't wild Dog.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
There's more than one can.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
What did you find when you examined Ellie?
Speaker 4 (19:12):
Just that she was murdered. Dogs didn't do it like
I said.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
He's saying, louke Galou were wolf. He's saying werewolf. He
says that I'm its next victim.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
The brutal murder of poor white trash Cajun girl Ellie
Burrofo turns a backwater Louisiana community upside down, uncovering family secrets,
scandalous affairs, and socioeconomic injustices. Was she murdered by the
man who got her pregnant? Or was she killed by
a ravenous beast? This ABC Movie of the Week is
(19:58):
based upon the novel of the same name by Leslie
Whitten and is part Who Done It, part Southern Gothic,
and part creature feature, with a pinch of early seventies
melodrama thrown into the gumbo for good measure. The Fugitives
David Janssen heads up a cast of accomplished character actors
(20:20):
at the height of their powers, including soap opera regular
Barbara Rush, Bradford Dillman, Jeffrey Lewis, Royal Dano, the voice
of Disney's Abraham Lincoln, animatronic John Davis Chandler, former baseball
pro and General Hospital original cast member John Beverdino, and
(20:42):
Claudia McNeil of a Raisin in the Sun fame, many
of them doing a great job affecting very specific local dialects.
Jeffrey Lewis, whom you'll recognize from Toby Hooper's Salem's Lot.
The films of Clint Eastwood, or as the Father of
Juliet Lewis, is particularly fearless in this regard. The werewolf,
(21:04):
which appears on screen only in the final act, is
well rendered considering the picture's meager TV budget. There are
many who like to pan the make up effects, but
as far as Wolfman's style creature designs go, it gets
the job done. I mean, we're not talking Rick Baker
(21:24):
or Rob Boteine here, and they had the good sense
to shoot the werewolf in soft focus, or in the
shadows or through a wall of flames. When it comes
to the voodoo of location, to quote Werner Herzog, Moon
of the Wolf has it in spades. Shot on location
in towns outside Baton Rouge, every sun baked frame is
(21:49):
obscured by the dark bowels of shaggy willow trees or
tall reeds. At the river's edge. You can almost smell
the stanky tang of the bayou, and the oppressive heat
is always present, almost as if it's a member of
the cast. You can see sweat dripping from every pore
(22:10):
and soaking into everyone's clothes. Like many telefilms, this one
is in the public domain and can readily be seen
on YouTube or downloaded from the Internet archive. Or if
you're a super fan like me, you can retire your
well worn Good Times home video vhs and upgrade to
(22:31):
the handsome vinegar syndrome blu Ray.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
The Devil was once the most favored of the host
of angels serving the Lord, but pride welled in his breast.
He thought it unseemly for him to serve. The Devil
and his band of followers, who likewise suffered the sin
of pride, were defeated in battle by the Lord and
his host, and were banished to the outermost depths of hell,
(22:57):
never to know the presence of the Lord. Look on
heaven again, smarting with his wounds, but all the more
swollen with pride, the devil cried out from the depths.
It is better to rule in hell than serve in heaven,
the devil proclaimed. What was lost in heaven would be
gained on earth. He said, my offspring, the gargoyles will
(23:19):
one day rule the Lord's works earth and man. And
so it came to pass that while man ruled on Earth,
the gargoyles waited, lurking, hidden from the light reborn every
six hundred years. In Man's reckoning of time, the gargoyles
joined battle against man to gain dominion over the earth.
(23:41):
In each coming, the gargoyles were nearly destroyed by men,
who flourished in greater numbers. Now it has been so
many hundreds of years that it seems the ancient statues
and paintings of gargoyles are just products of man's imagination.
In this year, with man's thoughts turned toward the many
ills he has brought upon himself, man has forgotten his
(24:01):
most ancient adversary, the Gargoyles.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
From that intro, you might expect nineteen seventy two's Gargoyles
to be a Miltonian tale of the battle between man
and demon. You would be wrong, though. Instead what you'll
find is a top notch creature feature that beautifully showcases
the other worldly sun baked desert vistas of the American
(24:26):
Southwest Carlsbad Caverns National Park to be exact. When an
expert in the occult and his buxom daughter venture into
the desert to examine strange relics at a roadside attraction,
they unwittingly set off a series of events that will
pit them a gang of dirt by hooligans and the
local police against a tribe of gargoyle like lizard people
(24:50):
who've been waiting six hundred years for a chance at
world domination. Like Moon of the Wolf, Gargoyles has a
cast chalk full of character actors who seem familiar even
though you can't name them. Pro football player turned actor
Bernie Casey, whom Trekkis will know from Deep Space Nine,
(25:10):
Bond fans will know as Felix Lighter and Never Say
Never Again, and whom normies may recognize from Revenge of
the Nerds, is unrecognizable as the lead Gargoyle. His voice
is dubbed by Vic Perrin, who also narrates the prolog
You Just Heard. Peren is perhaps best known as the
(25:30):
voice of the announcer on The Outer Limits. A young,
baby faced Scott Glenn shows up as one of the bikers.
Youngsters may know Glenn as Stick on the Netflix Daredevil series,
Horror fans of a certain age will know him from
Silence of the Lambs, and old farts like me still
love to hate him for his role in Urban Cowboy.
(25:54):
Rounding out the cast are dark Shadows, Grayson Hall and
TV regular Jennifers Salt wearing the hardest working tube top
in the business. The creature designs come courtesy of Stan Winston,
of all people, and are quite effective, especially for TV.
Whenever the creatures appear, they're shot in slow motion, which,
(26:16):
when you add the creepy Atonal music score and moody
desert landscape, produces a very eerie effect. Indeed, it even
features an element of found audio, which used to scare
the living shit out of me as a kid, like
Moon of the Wolf. The copyright on this picture is
so muddled that it might as well be public domain.
(26:37):
You can therefore find it for free on many streamers.
For our last TV movie of the week, we travel
from the desert to the jungle, the neon jungle of
Las Vegas, to be exact.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
May I introduce myself. My name is Kolshak of the
Daily Chronic Court. It's coal Shack reports, the bazaar, the supernatural,
the unexplainable. You're getting another crazy stor this nothinks he
is a vampire. You know what I call her irresponsible
yellow journalism. He is killed four maybe five women. I
(27:14):
saw that so called super killer, wipe up the streets
with your so called police force.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
I don't want any help from how much a bloodhouse
like you.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
I've got a report twenty two years. I've been a
police bos about thirty. Well, then why don't you retire.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Each manfield?
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Is vishu?
Speaker 4 (27:31):
One of these and one of these? Are you suggesting
that we pound one of these?
Speaker 1 (27:37):
In discoursing his chest? No? I to He's harsh. Darren McGavin.
Speaker 6 (27:45):
The night Stalker.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
The night Stalker is the tale of a sleezy, down
on his luck investigative newspaper reporter on the trail of
a vampire stalking the escorts, Cocktail, Waiteru and other night
owls of Sin City. The incomparable Darren McGavin, best known
as Ralphie's old man in a Christmas Story, is on
the case as Carl Kolchak, tracking down the pasty faced
(28:13):
bloodsucker Yanos Scoreseny. The Nightstalker is perhaps the best vampire
picture of the nineteen seventies and one of the best
telefilms of all time, thanks in part to a script
by legendary writer Richard Matheson, whose screen credits include Steven
Spielberg's duel Hammers, the Devil rides out the legend of
(28:36):
hell House from his own novel, and scads of the
best television ever written for series like The Twilight Zone,
Star Trek, Star Trek, the Next Generation and The Alfred
Hitchcock Hour, not to mention entrees into the Roger Korman
Vincent Price cycle of Edgar Allan Poe films, and if
(28:58):
you haven't picked up on the pattern yet, The night
Stalker also features a cast of familiar faces with unfamiliar names.
Cats like Kent Smith he played Oliver in val Lewton's
Cat People. Simon Oakland he's the psychiatrist who explains everything
at the end of Psycho Elisha Cook Junior. I know
(29:19):
you'd remember him from Salem's Lot or Blackula or The
House on Haunted Hill and Sheriff Lobo himself. Claude akins. No,
there's not much about this picture that hasn't already been said,
but I will reiterate that The night Stalker and the
character of Kolchak, who returns in a sequel and a
(29:41):
short lived series, are massive influences on everything from The
X Files to Supernatural and even Buffy the Vampire Slayer
and in terms of the American landscape, the figure of
a pale, anachronistic looking bloodsucker makes for a stark visual
contrast with the flashing neon and garish fashions of Las
(30:03):
Vegas in the early seventies. Yet the vampire seems to
move virtually unseen among the throngs of mindless slot junkies,
strung out drunks and gamblers, and soulless city bureaucrats. Speaking
of bureaucrats, the Night Stalker works just as well as
a paranoid political conspiracy thriller. In addition to being a
(30:26):
creature feature par excellence, Colcha's tragic faith in the last act,
which is foreshadowed by the framing device established in the
cold Open, serves as a damning commentary on American journalism
and politics. The Night Stalker comes with my highest possible
recommendation and is best enjoyed on the handsome chinolorber Blu
(30:50):
ray release. There's no guarantee that you'll be able to
find it for free on a streamer like tub or
some such, but if you do pop up a Messa
Jiffy Pop and enjoy Speaking of popcorn, better fill up
on some while it's hot because Act two of October
Pod starts.
Speaker 7 (31:10):
Now to the south, where the road between Leesville and
Hardy and the state of Missouri crosses, the east fork
of May Creek stands an abandoned house. Nobody has lived
(31:33):
in it since the summer of eighteen seventy nine, and
it is fast going to pieces. For some three years before,
it was occupied by the family of Charles May, whose
ancestral creek near which it stands took its name. Mister
May's family consisted of a wife, an adult son, and
(31:56):
two young girls. The son's name was John, The names
of the daughters are unknown to the writer of this sketch.
John May was of a morose and surly disposition, not
easily moved to anger, but having an uncommon gift of sullen,
implacable hate. Charles was quite otherwise, having a sunny, jovial disposition,
(32:25):
but with a quick temper, like a sudden flame kindled
in a wisp of straw, which consumes it in a
flash and is no more. He cherished no resentments, and
with his anger gone, was quickened to apologize. In order
to reconcile. Charles had a brother living nearby who was
(32:46):
unlike him in all respects, and it was talked about
in the neighborhood that John had inherited his disposition from
his uncle. One day, a misunderstanding arose between five and son.
Harsh words ensued, and Charles struck his son in the
face with his fist. John quietly wiped away the blood
(33:10):
that followed the blow, fixed his eyes upon the already
regretful offender, and said, with cold composure, you'll die for that.
Speaker 6 (33:24):
The Store in Nolan by Ambrose Bierce, narrated by Paige Elmer,
creator host of the Pop Culture Diary and a reverie
true crime.
Speaker 7 (33:40):
The words were overheard by two brothers their last name Jackson,
who were approaching the men at the moment, but seeing
them engaged in a quarrel, they retreated, apparently unseen. Charles
May afterward relayed the unfortunate occurrence to his wife and
(34:01):
explained that he had apologized to their son John for
the hasty blow, but without avail. The young man not
only rejected his attempts at apologizing, but refused to withdraw
his terrible threat. Nevertheless, there was no open rupture of relations.
(34:21):
John continued living with the family and things went on
very much as before. One Sunday morning in June of
eighteen seventy nine, about two weeks after the aforementioned Charles
May left the house immediately after breakfast and took a
(34:41):
shovel with him. He said he was going to make
an excavation at a certain spring in the woods about
a mile away, so that the cattle had water. John
remained in the house for some hours, keeping himself occupied
by shaving, writing letters, and reading a newspaper. His manner
(35:05):
was very nearly what it usually was, perhaps he was
a trifle more sullen and surly. At two o'clock John
left the house, and at five o'clock he returned. The
times of his departure and that of his return were
not connected with any interest regarding his movements, but were
(35:27):
noted by his mother and sisters, As was attested at
his trial for murder. They said when he came home
his clothing was wet in spots, as if so the
prosecution afterward pointed out he had been removing bloodstains from it.
(35:47):
They said his manner was strange, his look wild. John
complained of illness, then went to his room and took
to his bed. Charles never showed back up during that
night and the following day a search was conducted throughout
(36:07):
the woods where the spring was. It didn't result in
much except the discovery of both men's footprints and the
clay around the spring. John May, in the meantime, had
grown rapidly worse with what the local physician called brain fever,
and in his delirium, raved of murder, but did not
(36:29):
say whom he thought to have been murdered, nor whom
he imagined to have done the deed. But his threat
to Charles was recalled by the Jackson brothers. He was
arrested on suspicion, and a deputy sheriff was put in
charge of him at his home. Public opinion ran strongly
(36:49):
against John, and but for his illness, he would probably
have been hanged by a mob.
Speaker 5 (36:58):
As it was.
Speaker 7 (36:59):
A meeting of the neighbors was held on Tuesday, and
a committee was appointed to watch the case and take
any necessary action of circumstances arose that might seem to
warrant it. On Wednesday, all was changed. From the town
of Nolan, eight miles away came a story which put
(37:20):
quite a different light on the matter. Nolan consisted of
a schoolhouse, a blacksmith's shop, a store, and a half
a dozen dwellings. The store was kept by one Henry O'Dell,
a cousin of Charles May. The Sunday afternoon of Charles's disappearance,
(37:42):
mister Odell and four of his neighbors, men of credibility,
were sitting in the store, smoking and talking. It was
a warm day, and both the front and the back
door were open. At about three o'clock, Charles, who was
well known to three of them, entered at the front
door and left out the back. He was without a
(38:05):
hat or a coat. He did not look at them
nor return their greeting, a circumstance which did not surprise
because he was evidently seriously hurt. Above the left eyebrow
was a wound, a deep gash from which blood flowed,
covering the whole left side of the face and neck,
(38:26):
saturating his light gray shirt. Everyone had the same thought
he had likely been fighting and was going to the
brook directly at the back of the store to wash himself.
Perhaps there was a feeling of being considerate, like a
backwoods etiquette, which restrained them from following him to offer assistance.
(38:49):
The court records from which mainly this narrative is drawn,
are silent as to anything but the fact that they
waited for him to return, but he didn't. Bordering the
brook behind the store is a forest extending for six
miles back to the Medicine Lodge Hills. As soon as
(39:10):
it became known in the neighborhood that the missing man
had been seen in Nolan, there was a noticeable change
in public sentiment and feeling. The vigilance committee went out
of existence without the formality of a resolution. The search
along the wooded bottom lands of May Creek was stopped,
(39:32):
and nearly the entire male population of the region took
to beating the bushes around Nolan and the Medicine Lodge Hills,
but no trace was found of Charles May. One of
the strangest circumstances of this case is the formal indictment
of a person in a murder trial for the supposed
(39:53):
killing of a man whose body no human being professed
to have seen, not even known to be dead. We
are all more or less familiar with the eccentricities of law,
but this instance is thought to be unique. However that
(40:14):
may be. It is on record that while recovering from
his illness, John May was indicted for the murder of
his missing father. Charles, counsel for the defense, appears not
to have taken issue with it, and the case was
tried on its merits. The prosecution was spiritless and quick,
(40:35):
the defense easily established with regard to the deceased and
alibi during the time in which John allegedly killed his father.
If Charles was miles away from where John was, it
is obvious that the deceased must have come to his
death at the hands of someone else. John May was acquitted,
(40:59):
immediately left the country and has never been heard of
since that day. Shortly afterward, his mother and sisters moved
to Saint Louis. After the farm was eventually in the
possession of a man who owns the adjoining land and
who has a dwelling of his own. The May house
has been vacant and has the somber reputation of being haunted.
(41:25):
A day after John had left the country, some boys
playing in the woods along May Creek found under a
mass of dead leaves, but partly exposed by the rooting
of hogs, a shovel nearly new and bright, except for
a spot on one edge which was rested and stained
(41:46):
with blood. The shovel also had the initials c M
cut into the handle. This discovery renewed to some degree
the public excitement that was in the air a few
months before. The earth near the spot where the shovel
was found was carefully examined, and that resulted in finding
(42:10):
the dead body of a man. He had been buried
under two or three feet of soil and the spot
covered with a layer of dead leaves and twigs. There
was little composition due to preservative properties in the mineral
bearing soil. Above the left eyebrow was a wound, a
(42:32):
deep gash from which blood had flowed, covering the whole
left side of the face and neck, saturating a light
gray shirt. The skull had been cut through by the blow.
The body was that of Charles May. But what was
it that passed through mister Odell's store that time? In Nolan?
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Stick around after the credits for a brief word from
some of our fellow indie podcasters, creators and friends. There
may even be some bloopers, outtakes, and bonus content as well.
You have been listening to October Pod. October Pod is produced,
edited and directed by Edward October. The series co producers
are m J McAdams and Amber Jordan. Logo and banner
(44:01):
graphics by Jessica Good Edward October. Character design by Nick Calavera.
Select still photography courtesy of unsplash dot com. Select music
cues by Doctor dream Chip and various other stock music
and sound effects courtesy of freesound dot org. Music from
Bigfoot Apocalypse and Thorax theme from Octoberpod composed by Nico Vitasi.
(44:26):
All other images, music, and fxques, except where noted, are
sourced from within the public domain. Follow us on YouTube
at Octoberpod, home video, on Instagram and the app I
Still Call, Twitter at octoberpodvhs, and on TikTok and blue
Sky at Octoberpod. Or find us and all of our
(44:47):
links on the world wide Web at octoberpodvhs dot com.
For business inquiries or story submissions, email octoberpodat gmail dot com.
If you enjoyed this program, we'd be very pleased if
you told your friends about us, and while you're at it,
ride us a five star or equivalent review. Wherever you
(45:07):
were listening, the man who spoke to you was mister
Edward October.
Speaker 8 (45:19):
Are you looking for a movie podcast with deep dives,
interviews and thoughtful film analysis.
Speaker 3 (45:23):
We ain't got none of that.
Speaker 1 (45:25):
What do we got?
Speaker 5 (45:26):
We're going to hold the bucket right up? Hold the buckets,
sit in the cup chair their with I will never blink.
I'll just be there.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
Hold number.
Speaker 8 (45:32):
I will never blink on her drapes, most likely you
look like a drape.
Speaker 1 (45:38):
Jest alrip got a sweet, sweet poo. It is known
that Jessica Charity had the sweetest.
Speaker 7 (45:47):
Food of Hollywood.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
If you don't know, Google, don't google Jessica tandies.
Speaker 5 (45:52):
You guys, don't do it.
Speaker 8 (45:52):
Don't do it.
Speaker 7 (45:56):
Doom Generation available anywhere you find podcasts.
Speaker 5 (46:02):
Do you feel that a sudden chill, a single down
your spine?
Speaker 1 (46:06):
It's not a draft, is it?
Speaker 5 (46:08):
No, it's the unmistakable sign that we've found them the
most terrifyingly delicious ghost stories you've ever heard.
Speaker 1 (46:16):
And trust us, we've had some close calls.
Speaker 5 (46:19):
We're talking haunted halways, phantom apparitions, and things that go
bump in the night, all served up on our new show,
Ghost Bites.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
Join us as we dig into the spectral secrets and
spooky sightings that will have you sleeping with the lights on.
Speaker 5 (46:35):
So if you're brave enough, come grab a bite with us.
Speaker 7 (46:39):
Just try not to let it be your last.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
Ghost Bites Season one, now streaming on your favorite podcast platforms.
Speaker 8 (46:54):
I gotta do one of these things again. This is
Canary of the Canary Pa Audio drama. I'm just a
run of the milk PI trying to make a buck
for his next corn beef sandwich. A magnet for the strange,
a lord for the macabre. Sometimes the worst kind of
monsters are very human. Other times it's unexplainable. Peculiar short
stories with revolving cast of colorful characters. Say that ten
(47:15):
times fast mix, ignore horror, mystery and drama. Reach us
at RP CANARYPI dot c A, r r D dot co,
or look up CANARYPI and your favorite search engine. Gotta go.
Lunch is here? Hey, where's the pickle?
Speaker 1 (47:30):
This is the swamp thing one two three, I guess
that's better. James and Charlotte rode their spectral white canoe
across slaked dramen Me.
Speaker 2 (47:48):
Twenty four And when on the earth he sank to sleep,
If slumber his eyelids knew he lay where the deadly
vine doth weep thevenomous tear, and nightly steep the flesh
with blistering Do I'm going to repeat that one more
time because I don't know if you wanted the venomous
(48:09):
tear or the venomous tears. So that was a tear.
Here's what with the venomous tear? Twenty four US tear?
And when on the earth he sank to sleep, if
slumber his eyelids knew he lay where the deadly vine,
doth weep the venomous tear, and nightly steep the flesh
(48:30):
with blistering Do I.
Speaker 1 (48:32):
Know I've got the TV movie intermission? It's intermission.
Speaker 5 (48:39):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (48:40):
No, this isn't about serial killer Richard Ramirez. This is
the tale of a sleazy No, this isn't about serial killer. No, no,
this isn't about serial killer Richard Ramirez. Oh you would
be you fick.
Speaker 5 (49:14):
Time?
Speaker 3 (49:38):
Or why or anything.
Speaker 9 (49:48):
About word.
Speaker 3 (50:30):
M Yeah not
Speaker 5 (51:44):
Nay, name a name.
I'm Edward October. The sound you hear is a crawling,
festering swamp shrouded in shadow and mist. This is the
start of October Pod.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I freeze at the paths and gulping the thick air
into my lungs. Sweat beads my forehead, and my petticoat
clings as a second skin to my legs. My chest
heaves with aching tightness before me, looming like a deeper
patch of night stand the Spanish moss draped juniper and
(00:43):
cypress trees of the Great Dismal Swamp. Since childhood, the
swamp has filled me with horror. It remains a treasure
trove of adventure and natural wonder as well as danger.
Bears and wolves, stuck unwary men. Snakes lurk in hidden
(01:03):
places with poison dripping from their fangs. One could take
a wrong step with ease and vanish. Drowning in mud
is not a quick death.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
The Sleepless and the Deep based upon the story Sleepless
by Whitney Zahar, narrated by Nicky Young, creator host of
Cereal Knapper with Edward October.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
There are tales of ghosts of witches and their demon
cohorts of spirits, of nature and of the savages. But
these are just stories told to delight and scare a
little girl by a brother who at heart meant no harm.
I shiver as a light breeze since the trees whispering
(01:55):
to me. My brother has been drawn to the swamp
since he was a young boy. He braved the swamps hazards,
searching for secret places to play and explore. One time,
when I'd swallowed my fear enough to follow him, I
almost fell victim to a water moccasin, ready to sink
its harsh fangs into my heel. The vigilant James, only
(02:19):
eleven years old, acted just in time. He comforted me,
led me away while the snake floated, head mashed into
a dark, bloody pulp. I didn't expect you to venture
to this place, he said, his hand shaking around my shoulders.
It's not like you to be reckless. I shrugged from
(02:41):
his grasp, glaring at him. I heard you, plain as day,
taunting me that I was too afraid to join you.
He said that he'd never tease me, not allowed. He
said that I was the one muttering muttering. I'll show
him brave, but I never spoke those words, I only
(03:04):
thought them. Then he said, well, control your thoughts, then
they're too loud.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
In the early eighteenth century, surviving past the age of
five was quite a feat for a child. James and
Anne Thompson were special, born from their mother's womb only
minutes apart. More miraculous was that both survived to be
healthy teenagers. They were good children and attended church. However,
(03:33):
they were mysterious in a way no one could comprehend.
For the twins could speak to each other without moving
their lips, uttering no sound. As they grew older, they
could call each other from long distances and see through
each other's eyes. It was kept secret between the two
(03:53):
of them. Whether it was a gift of God or
the devil. This telepathic ability was something in the realm
of the unknown and unaccepted. Anne was more terrified of
this power than anything held in the swamp.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
From nowhere, clawed fingers snatch my linen cap from my head.
I shriek with panicked struggles against a wild assailant until
I tear myself free. My cap hangs like a shredded
moon from the prickled branches of the juniper tree. Along
with tendrils of my hair glinting like tangled gold. I
(04:33):
gulped down the rancid air and run my fingers through
my disheveled locks. I pray for God's help as I
glance behind me to discover the path I'd just traversed
is now obscured by writhing, whispering trees and bubbling mud.
It's too late to turn back. The swamp has trapped me,
(04:57):
just as I believed it would.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Anne.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
This way, the clear female voice rings in my ear,
But all I can see through the darkness is a
globe of warm white light winking at me through the trees.
It seems to sway excitedly, and the voice giggles in
my head with delighted music. Come, the voice says, follow me.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Charlotte Gordon rolled in the grass, laughing and stretching her
hands towards an expansive sky. She had counted nine stars
for nine nights and slept with a mirror under her
pillow to conjure the face of her true love to
appear in her dreams. Charlotte confessed to Anne that the
(05:47):
face she had seen was that of Anne's brother James.
But as the two girls spoke that day in the grass.
Anne seemed to be miles away, and skin was prickling
as she reached out to touch her brother's mind.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
He is close, walking up behind us, so happy to
see his love, but he has a happy secret.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Anne told Charlotte of James's plans to propose marriage. Charlotte,
giddy at the prospect, kissed Anne's cheek and told her
friend that she'd be glad to one day call her sister.
Charlotte knew of the gift Anne possessed. James had told
her it was witchery, of course, but witchery of the
(06:35):
whitest sort. She was certain. When James arrived, he and
Charlotte flew hand in hand to the swamp. Charlotte was
James's equal in courage and was more than willing to
join him in his many adventures in the wild. Sometimes
they did more than just paddle their canoe across the
waters of Lake Drummond, more than what Anne wanted to
(06:58):
view from her brother's mind, and lost in her reveries,
pricked her finger with a sewing needle. She put her
finger in her mouth sucked the pain away as James
joyfully twirled his new fiance in a circle, kissing her.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
My petticoat and jacket are so awash with mud that
the original colors are all but forgotten. My legs are
weak and trembling, welted by thorns. Yet I stagger onwards.
A branch whips and slices my cheek with a mute whimper.
I cup the gash with a hand that's crusted with
(07:42):
blood and pain. Nearby or far away, I can't tell.
In the labyrinth of trees a night, an owl is hooting.
I stop to catch my breath, listening for the rustle
of wings. Owls are like angels watching over us. It
is said that if one perches at the foot of
(08:03):
a bed, the sleeper who awakens to behold the sight
will die very soon.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Charlotte woke frantic to the sight of an owl at
the foot of her bed. She went to Anne for prayers,
but her fears were made light not long after, and
stood over her friend, who lay with skin like wax,
Her limp hair spread out on the pillow like brown
swamp water. No breath issued from between those shriveled lips.
(08:43):
The heart no longer beat behind that skeletal chest. She
had been in such pain, burning from a fever that
refused to set her free, and stayed by her day
and night, watching her waste away before her eyes, and
she could do nothing. James's voice drifted into her mind
(09:04):
from a great distance from the port city of Norfolk,
where he journeyed with father, touching Anne's mind, asking and
pounding echoes after his fiancee, and Anne could not tell
him what was happening. She held back her thoughts, not
wishing to destroy his happiness with her dying breath. Charlotte
(09:27):
told her friend to promise, promised to tell her brother
James that she'd be waiting for him on the banks
of Lake Drummond.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
Ay.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
When James returned, it was with no knowledge of Charlotte's death,
and yet she was cold in the earth. His family
gave him the grievous news. His cry sliced its sorrowful
blade into Anne's soul, and as she fell to the ground,
thrashing and screaming like madman, she clutched at her ears,
(10:05):
but still hurt him in her head.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Always there be silent, Please be silent, Be silent, Be silent,
Lake Drummond, waiting for him. She'll wait for him at
Lake Drummond, waiting.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
James bolted upright. His sudden movement startled his sister, who
was nodding in a chair by his bedside. He gripped
her with violence she never imagined. He possessed his fingers
like iron, bruising her arms. Where is she, he hissed,
his eyes burning with a strange green fire. You lied
(10:50):
to me, Anne, If she's dead, why did she tell
you she'll be waiting by Lake Drummond. She's alive, but
lost and frightened. He moved fast, faster than a serpent's strike,
thrusting Anne from him. She and the chair crashed to
the floor. He staggered from bed, across the room, out
the door. She's out there, and I'll go find her,
(11:12):
he howled. Once she's home, I'll care for her for
the rest of our days. In a desperate attempt, Anne
reached out, with her bruised arms and with her mind
to her.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Brother, see the truth, don't go.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
He lashed out at her with his own mind, slapped
her with his madness. Stunned, she huddled by the bed
until morning. James crashed through the swamp, searching for a
love that Anne knew was nowhere to be found. Anne meanwhile,
was seized with horrible visions so real she could smell
(11:57):
the rot and decay of the swamp. When branch's tore
at James's chest, she too felt the sting. For three weeks,
every time she closed her eyes, she'd experience her brother's
deluded journey, so she stopped sleeping. But she could still see.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
A beautiful white light dancing across the surface of Lake Drummond. James,
his fingernails, now splintered, builds a raft from his ragged clothes, vines,
and wood. He paddles out to that light with his
bare hands. Then the raft disintegrates under his knees, and
(12:39):
his last sight is of the rippling water closing over
the light blinking out.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
James woke to find himself on the lake's shore beside him.
Her smile, filled with love and sadness, was Charlotte. Madness
melted away, and a curious peace descended upon him. He
realized she was dead, the bitter odor of sweat and
sickness clinging to her skin and paper thin lips. But
(13:09):
she kept the promise left with the living. She had
waited for him, and James walked on the lake's surface
and viewed his own corpse in a watery coffin.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
He stands in a shaft of moonlight, dressed in a
ripped shirt and stained in mud from head to toe.
About his feet, a snake uncoils wraps about his middle
and rests upon his shoulders. His eyes smolder with that
odd green fire, and his skin is paler than the moon,
(13:48):
and clings to his cheekbones like wet silk. Flash SAgs
from his face and arms with skeletal fingers, reaching from
my cheek and reaching until he vanishes. Night after night
he calls upon me, as did Charlotte, who often accompanies him.
(14:10):
They stand together, whispering in my mind. I don't know
whether to laugh, scream, or weep. I do know that
it's pastime I pay them a visit.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
James and Charlotte rode their spectral white canoe across Lake Drummond.
Occasionally their laughter ran in Anne's ears. As she set
crosslegged like a child on the bank. They waved to her,
and she waved back. It was so good of Charlotte
to come to Anne with her lantern to guide her
(14:46):
through the quagmile.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
I ventured into the swamp I supposed to put my
fears to rest. Now, dipping my fingers into amber water
that were said to have healing powers, I wonder what
I have to fear. My brother and my friends ravaged
by death are reunited and happy. I've missed them, so now,
(15:14):
at last, I can rest easy and cease to be
a burden on others. When I was a little girl,
I too went outside for nine nights and counted nine
stars in the heavens. On the final night, I went
to bed with a mirror under my pillow, eager to
dream of the handsome young man who would be my
(15:35):
true love. But instead, the shadowy swamp, alluring, vital, and treacherous,
caressed my dreams like a demon lover. I knew it
would have me one way or another. I cast my
gaze downwards, where my own corpse floats just beneath my fingers.
(15:58):
Its hair spreads wide in the water. The long, angry
gash on the cheek was the only flaw upon a
face still and quiet in its beauty. The green eyes,
burnt by tears, haunted by beholding too much of the unknown,
are now closed. No more voices, no more sleepless nights.
(16:22):
Sleep well, and.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Deep, and blew a kiss to the body she once inhabited,
and strolled on the lake's surface to the canoe where
James and Charlotte were waiting for her. Monsters do have
(16:50):
their place in the zoo, in your nightmares, in the deep,
in your favorite horror movies, but not on your phone.
During an ad break, Politically motivated interests are seeking to
influence you through the ads placed on this podcast. Hi,
I'm your host Edward October, reminding you that we have
(17:12):
very limited control over the ads you hear on October Pod.
Please remember that only the ads and promos I read
with my own voice carry the endorsement of Edward October
and October Pod. Furthermore, I and the makers of October
Pod repudiate any entity advertised which seeks to promote hatred,
(17:33):
anti American or anti democratic sentiments, or the spread of misinformation.
Now with that in mind, October Pod will return after
this brief ad break.
Speaker 5 (17:47):
Heyame Trees rush time.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
It's intermission time, folks. Time to hit the snack bar
for a taste tempting treat like a hot, crispy, hand
battered corn dog or a bucket of rich buttery popcorn.
Fresh out of the popper. The sodas are sparkling, so
why not get one now and another for later. Today
we're telling ghost stories that showcase the diverse and richly
(18:15):
historic landscapes of America, from the swamps of Virginia and
later to the hills and frontier towns of Missura. Some
of the best examples of horror stories that showcase the
untamed places of America can be found in the now
forgotten frontier of made for TV movies from the nineteen seventies.
(18:38):
Take Moon of the Wolf from nineteen seventy two, for example.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
O Kyota with wild Dog Boy, This couldn't be done
by human. Good man, your mine. The mark was along here,
That's where a left handed person would strike.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
You were facing him. You've got a murder chef.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
You're saying it wasn't wild Dog.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
There's more than one can.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
What did you find when you examined Ellie?
Speaker 4 (19:12):
Just that she was murdered. Dogs didn't do it like
I said.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
He's saying, louke Galou were wolf. He's saying werewolf. He
says that I'm its next victim.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
The brutal murder of poor white trash Cajun girl Ellie
Burrofo turns a backwater Louisiana community upside down, uncovering family secrets,
scandalous affairs, and socioeconomic injustices. Was she murdered by the
man who got her pregnant? Or was she killed by
a ravenous beast? This ABC Movie of the Week is
(19:58):
based upon the novel of the same name by Leslie
Whitten and is part Who Done It, part Southern Gothic,
and part creature feature, with a pinch of early seventies
melodrama thrown into the gumbo for good measure. The Fugitives
David Janssen heads up a cast of accomplished character actors
(20:20):
at the height of their powers, including soap opera regular
Barbara Rush, Bradford Dillman, Jeffrey Lewis, Royal Dano, the voice
of Disney's Abraham Lincoln, animatronic John Davis Chandler, former baseball
pro and General Hospital original cast member John Beverdino, and
(20:42):
Claudia McNeil of a Raisin in the Sun fame, many
of them doing a great job affecting very specific local dialects.
Jeffrey Lewis, whom you'll recognize from Toby Hooper's Salem's Lot.
The films of Clint Eastwood, or as the Father of
Juliet Lewis, is particularly fearless in this regard. The werewolf,
(21:04):
which appears on screen only in the final act, is
well rendered considering the picture's meager TV budget. There are
many who like to pan the make up effects, but
as far as Wolfman's style creature designs go, it gets
the job done. I mean, we're not talking Rick Baker
(21:24):
or Rob Boteine here, and they had the good sense
to shoot the werewolf in soft focus, or in the
shadows or through a wall of flames. When it comes
to the voodoo of location, to quote Werner Herzog, Moon
of the Wolf has it in spades. Shot on location
in towns outside Baton Rouge, every sun baked frame is
(21:49):
obscured by the dark bowels of shaggy willow trees or
tall reeds. At the river's edge. You can almost smell
the stanky tang of the bayou, and the oppressive heat
is always present, almost as if it's a member of
the cast. You can see sweat dripping from every pore
(22:10):
and soaking into everyone's clothes. Like many telefilms, this one
is in the public domain and can readily be seen
on YouTube or downloaded from the Internet archive. Or if
you're a super fan like me, you can retire your
well worn Good Times home video vhs and upgrade to
(22:31):
the handsome vinegar syndrome blu Ray.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
The Devil was once the most favored of the host
of angels serving the Lord, but pride welled in his breast.
He thought it unseemly for him to serve. The Devil
and his band of followers, who likewise suffered the sin
of pride, were defeated in battle by the Lord and
his host, and were banished to the outermost depths of hell,
(22:57):
never to know the presence of the Lord. Look on
heaven again, smarting with his wounds, but all the more
swollen with pride, the devil cried out from the depths.
It is better to rule in hell than serve in heaven,
the devil proclaimed. What was lost in heaven would be
gained on earth. He said, my offspring, the gargoyles will
(23:19):
one day rule the Lord's works earth and man. And
so it came to pass that while man ruled on Earth,
the gargoyles waited, lurking, hidden from the light reborn every
six hundred years. In Man's reckoning of time, the gargoyles
joined battle against man to gain dominion over the earth.
(23:41):
In each coming, the gargoyles were nearly destroyed by men,
who flourished in greater numbers. Now it has been so
many hundreds of years that it seems the ancient statues
and paintings of gargoyles are just products of man's imagination.
In this year, with man's thoughts turned toward the many
ills he has brought upon himself, man has forgotten his
(24:01):
most ancient adversary, the Gargoyles.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
From that intro, you might expect nineteen seventy two's Gargoyles
to be a Miltonian tale of the battle between man
and demon. You would be wrong, though. Instead what you'll
find is a top notch creature feature that beautifully showcases
the other worldly sun baked desert vistas of the American
(24:26):
Southwest Carlsbad Caverns National Park to be exact. When an
expert in the occult and his buxom daughter venture into
the desert to examine strange relics at a roadside attraction,
they unwittingly set off a series of events that will
pit them a gang of dirt by hooligans and the
local police against a tribe of gargoyle like lizard people
(24:50):
who've been waiting six hundred years for a chance at
world domination. Like Moon of the Wolf, Gargoyles has a
cast chalk full of character actors who seem familiar even
though you can't name them. Pro football player turned actor
Bernie Casey, whom Trekkis will know from Deep Space Nine,
(25:10):
Bond fans will know as Felix Lighter and Never Say
Never Again, and whom normies may recognize from Revenge of
the Nerds, is unrecognizable as the lead Gargoyle. His voice
is dubbed by Vic Perrin, who also narrates the prolog
You Just Heard. Peren is perhaps best known as the
(25:30):
voice of the announcer on The Outer Limits. A young,
baby faced Scott Glenn shows up as one of the bikers.
Youngsters may know Glenn as Stick on the Netflix Daredevil series,
Horror fans of a certain age will know him from
Silence of the Lambs, and old farts like me still
love to hate him for his role in Urban Cowboy.
(25:54):
Rounding out the cast are dark Shadows, Grayson Hall and
TV regular Jennifers Salt wearing the hardest working tube top
in the business. The creature designs come courtesy of Stan Winston,
of all people, and are quite effective, especially for TV.
Whenever the creatures appear, they're shot in slow motion, which,
(26:16):
when you add the creepy Atonal music score and moody
desert landscape, produces a very eerie effect. Indeed, it even
features an element of found audio, which used to scare
the living shit out of me as a kid, like
Moon of the Wolf. The copyright on this picture is
so muddled that it might as well be public domain.
(26:37):
You can therefore find it for free on many streamers.
For our last TV movie of the week, we travel
from the desert to the jungle, the neon jungle of
Las Vegas, to be exact.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
May I introduce myself. My name is Kolshak of the
Daily Chronic Court. It's coal Shack reports, the bazaar, the supernatural,
the unexplainable. You're getting another crazy stor this nothinks he
is a vampire. You know what I call her irresponsible
yellow journalism. He is killed four maybe five women. I
(27:14):
saw that so called super killer, wipe up the streets
with your so called police force.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
I don't want any help from how much a bloodhouse
like you.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
I've got a report twenty two years. I've been a
police bos about thirty. Well, then why don't you retire.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Each manfield?
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Is vishu?
Speaker 4 (27:31):
One of these and one of these? Are you suggesting
that we pound one of these?
Speaker 1 (27:37):
In discoursing his chest? No? I to He's harsh. Darren McGavin.
Speaker 6 (27:45):
The night Stalker.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
The night Stalker is the tale of a sleezy, down
on his luck investigative newspaper reporter on the trail of
a vampire stalking the escorts, Cocktail, Waiteru and other night
owls of Sin City. The incomparable Darren McGavin, best known
as Ralphie's old man in a Christmas Story, is on
the case as Carl Kolchak, tracking down the pasty faced
(28:13):
bloodsucker Yanos Scoreseny. The Nightstalker is perhaps the best vampire
picture of the nineteen seventies and one of the best
telefilms of all time, thanks in part to a script
by legendary writer Richard Matheson, whose screen credits include Steven
Spielberg's duel Hammers, the Devil rides out the legend of
(28:36):
hell House from his own novel, and scads of the
best television ever written for series like The Twilight Zone,
Star Trek, Star Trek, the Next Generation and The Alfred
Hitchcock Hour, not to mention entrees into the Roger Korman
Vincent Price cycle of Edgar Allan Poe films, and if
(28:58):
you haven't picked up on the pattern yet, The night
Stalker also features a cast of familiar faces with unfamiliar names.
Cats like Kent Smith he played Oliver in val Lewton's
Cat People. Simon Oakland he's the psychiatrist who explains everything
at the end of Psycho Elisha Cook Junior. I know
(29:19):
you'd remember him from Salem's Lot or Blackula or The
House on Haunted Hill and Sheriff Lobo himself. Claude akins. No,
there's not much about this picture that hasn't already been said,
but I will reiterate that The night Stalker and the
character of Kolchak, who returns in a sequel and a
(29:41):
short lived series, are massive influences on everything from The
X Files to Supernatural and even Buffy the Vampire Slayer
and in terms of the American landscape, the figure of
a pale, anachronistic looking bloodsucker makes for a stark visual
contrast with the flashing neon and garish fashions of Las
(30:03):
Vegas in the early seventies. Yet the vampire seems to
move virtually unseen among the throngs of mindless slot junkies,
strung out drunks and gamblers, and soulless city bureaucrats. Speaking
of bureaucrats, the Night Stalker works just as well as
a paranoid political conspiracy thriller. In addition to being a
(30:26):
creature feature par excellence, Colcha's tragic faith in the last act,
which is foreshadowed by the framing device established in the
cold Open, serves as a damning commentary on American journalism
and politics. The Night Stalker comes with my highest possible
recommendation and is best enjoyed on the handsome chinolorber Blu
(30:50):
ray release. There's no guarantee that you'll be able to
find it for free on a streamer like tub or
some such, but if you do pop up a Messa
Jiffy Pop and enjoy Speaking of popcorn, better fill up
on some while it's hot because Act two of October
Pod starts.
Speaker 7 (31:10):
Now to the south, where the road between Leesville and
Hardy and the state of Missouri crosses, the east fork
of May Creek stands an abandoned house. Nobody has lived
(31:33):
in it since the summer of eighteen seventy nine, and
it is fast going to pieces. For some three years before,
it was occupied by the family of Charles May, whose
ancestral creek near which it stands took its name. Mister
May's family consisted of a wife, an adult son, and
(31:56):
two young girls. The son's name was John, The names
of the daughters are unknown to the writer of this sketch.
John May was of a morose and surly disposition, not
easily moved to anger, but having an uncommon gift of sullen,
implacable hate. Charles was quite otherwise, having a sunny, jovial disposition,
(32:25):
but with a quick temper, like a sudden flame kindled
in a wisp of straw, which consumes it in a
flash and is no more. He cherished no resentments, and
with his anger gone, was quickened to apologize. In order
to reconcile. Charles had a brother living nearby who was
(32:46):
unlike him in all respects, and it was talked about
in the neighborhood that John had inherited his disposition from
his uncle. One day, a misunderstanding arose between five and son.
Harsh words ensued, and Charles struck his son in the
face with his fist. John quietly wiped away the blood
(33:10):
that followed the blow, fixed his eyes upon the already
regretful offender, and said, with cold composure, you'll die for that.
Speaker 6 (33:24):
The Store in Nolan by Ambrose Bierce, narrated by Paige Elmer,
creator host of the Pop Culture Diary and a reverie
true crime.
Speaker 7 (33:40):
The words were overheard by two brothers their last name Jackson,
who were approaching the men at the moment, but seeing
them engaged in a quarrel, they retreated, apparently unseen. Charles
May afterward relayed the unfortunate occurrence to his wife and
(34:01):
explained that he had apologized to their son John for
the hasty blow, but without avail. The young man not
only rejected his attempts at apologizing, but refused to withdraw
his terrible threat. Nevertheless, there was no open rupture of relations.
(34:21):
John continued living with the family and things went on
very much as before. One Sunday morning in June of
eighteen seventy nine, about two weeks after the aforementioned Charles
May left the house immediately after breakfast and took a
(34:41):
shovel with him. He said he was going to make
an excavation at a certain spring in the woods about
a mile away, so that the cattle had water. John
remained in the house for some hours, keeping himself occupied
by shaving, writing letters, and reading a newspaper. His manner
(35:05):
was very nearly what it usually was, perhaps he was
a trifle more sullen and surly. At two o'clock John
left the house, and at five o'clock he returned. The
times of his departure and that of his return were
not connected with any interest regarding his movements, but were
(35:27):
noted by his mother and sisters, As was attested at
his trial for murder. They said when he came home
his clothing was wet in spots, as if so the
prosecution afterward pointed out he had been removing bloodstains from it.
(35:47):
They said his manner was strange, his look wild. John
complained of illness, then went to his room and took
to his bed. Charles never showed back up during that
night and the following day a search was conducted throughout
(36:07):
the woods where the spring was. It didn't result in
much except the discovery of both men's footprints and the
clay around the spring. John May, in the meantime, had
grown rapidly worse with what the local physician called brain fever,
and in his delirium, raved of murder, but did not
(36:29):
say whom he thought to have been murdered, nor whom
he imagined to have done the deed. But his threat
to Charles was recalled by the Jackson brothers. He was
arrested on suspicion, and a deputy sheriff was put in
charge of him at his home. Public opinion ran strongly
(36:49):
against John, and but for his illness, he would probably
have been hanged by a mob.
Speaker 5 (36:58):
As it was.
Speaker 7 (36:59):
A meeting of the neighbors was held on Tuesday, and
a committee was appointed to watch the case and take
any necessary action of circumstances arose that might seem to
warrant it. On Wednesday, all was changed. From the town
of Nolan, eight miles away came a story which put
(37:20):
quite a different light on the matter. Nolan consisted of
a schoolhouse, a blacksmith's shop, a store, and a half
a dozen dwellings. The store was kept by one Henry O'Dell,
a cousin of Charles May. The Sunday afternoon of Charles's disappearance,
(37:42):
mister Odell and four of his neighbors, men of credibility,
were sitting in the store, smoking and talking. It was
a warm day, and both the front and the back
door were open. At about three o'clock, Charles, who was
well known to three of them, entered at the front
door and left out the back. He was without a
(38:05):
hat or a coat. He did not look at them
nor return their greeting, a circumstance which did not surprise
because he was evidently seriously hurt. Above the left eyebrow
was a wound, a deep gash from which blood flowed,
covering the whole left side of the face and neck,
(38:26):
saturating his light gray shirt. Everyone had the same thought
he had likely been fighting and was going to the
brook directly at the back of the store to wash himself.
Perhaps there was a feeling of being considerate, like a
backwoods etiquette, which restrained them from following him to offer assistance.
(38:49):
The court records from which mainly this narrative is drawn,
are silent as to anything but the fact that they
waited for him to return, but he didn't. Bordering the
brook behind the store is a forest extending for six
miles back to the Medicine Lodge Hills. As soon as
(39:10):
it became known in the neighborhood that the missing man
had been seen in Nolan, there was a noticeable change
in public sentiment and feeling. The vigilance committee went out
of existence without the formality of a resolution. The search
along the wooded bottom lands of May Creek was stopped,
(39:32):
and nearly the entire male population of the region took
to beating the bushes around Nolan and the Medicine Lodge Hills,
but no trace was found of Charles May. One of
the strangest circumstances of this case is the formal indictment
of a person in a murder trial for the supposed
(39:53):
killing of a man whose body no human being professed
to have seen, not even known to be dead. We
are all more or less familiar with the eccentricities of law,
but this instance is thought to be unique. However that
(40:14):
may be. It is on record that while recovering from
his illness, John May was indicted for the murder of
his missing father. Charles, counsel for the defense, appears not
to have taken issue with it, and the case was
tried on its merits. The prosecution was spiritless and quick,
(40:35):
the defense easily established with regard to the deceased and
alibi during the time in which John allegedly killed his father.
If Charles was miles away from where John was, it
is obvious that the deceased must have come to his
death at the hands of someone else. John May was acquitted,
(40:59):
immediately left the country and has never been heard of
since that day. Shortly afterward, his mother and sisters moved
to Saint Louis. After the farm was eventually in the
possession of a man who owns the adjoining land and
who has a dwelling of his own. The May house
has been vacant and has the somber reputation of being haunted.
(41:25):
A day after John had left the country, some boys
playing in the woods along May Creek found under a
mass of dead leaves, but partly exposed by the rooting
of hogs, a shovel nearly new and bright, except for
a spot on one edge which was rested and stained
(41:46):
with blood. The shovel also had the initials c M
cut into the handle. This discovery renewed to some degree
the public excitement that was in the air a few
months before. The earth near the spot where the shovel
was found was carefully examined, and that resulted in finding
(42:10):
the dead body of a man. He had been buried
under two or three feet of soil and the spot
covered with a layer of dead leaves and twigs. There
was little composition due to preservative properties in the mineral
bearing soil. Above the left eyebrow was a wound, a
(42:32):
deep gash from which blood had flowed, covering the whole
left side of the face and neck, saturating a light
gray shirt. The skull had been cut through by the blow.
The body was that of Charles May. But what was
it that passed through mister Odell's store that time? In Nolan?
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Stick around after the credits for a brief word from
some of our fellow indie podcasters, creators and friends. There
may even be some bloopers, outtakes, and bonus content as well.
You have been listening to October Pod. October Pod is produced,
edited and directed by Edward October. The series co producers
are m J McAdams and Amber Jordan. Logo and banner
(44:01):
graphics by Jessica Good Edward October. Character design by Nick Calavera.
Select still photography courtesy of unsplash dot com. Select music
cues by Doctor dream Chip and various other stock music
and sound effects courtesy of freesound dot org. Music from
Bigfoot Apocalypse and Thorax theme from Octoberpod composed by Nico Vitasi.
(44:26):
All other images, music, and fxques, except where noted, are
sourced from within the public domain. Follow us on YouTube
at Octoberpod, home video, on Instagram and the app I
Still Call, Twitter at octoberpodvhs, and on TikTok and blue
Sky at Octoberpod. Or find us and all of our
(44:47):
links on the world wide Web at octoberpodvhs dot com.
For business inquiries or story submissions, email octoberpodat gmail dot com.
If you enjoyed this program, we'd be very pleased if
you told your friends about us, and while you're at it,
ride us a five star or equivalent review. Wherever you
(45:07):
were listening, the man who spoke to you was mister
Edward October.
Speaker 8 (45:19):
Are you looking for a movie podcast with deep dives,
interviews and thoughtful film analysis.
Speaker 3 (45:23):
We ain't got none of that.
Speaker 1 (45:25):
What do we got?
Speaker 5 (45:26):
We're going to hold the bucket right up? Hold the buckets,
sit in the cup chair their with I will never blink.
I'll just be there.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
Hold number.
Speaker 8 (45:32):
I will never blink on her drapes, most likely you
look like a drape.
Speaker 1 (45:38):
Jest alrip got a sweet, sweet poo. It is known
that Jessica Charity had the sweetest.
Speaker 7 (45:47):
Food of Hollywood.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
If you don't know, Google, don't google Jessica tandies.
Speaker 5 (45:52):
You guys, don't do it.
Speaker 8 (45:52):
Don't do it.
Speaker 7 (45:56):
Doom Generation available anywhere you find podcasts.
Speaker 5 (46:02):
Do you feel that a sudden chill, a single down
your spine?
Speaker 1 (46:06):
It's not a draft, is it?
Speaker 5 (46:08):
No, it's the unmistakable sign that we've found them the
most terrifyingly delicious ghost stories you've ever heard.
Speaker 1 (46:16):
And trust us, we've had some close calls.
Speaker 5 (46:19):
We're talking haunted halways, phantom apparitions, and things that go
bump in the night, all served up on our new show,
Ghost Bites.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
Join us as we dig into the spectral secrets and
spooky sightings that will have you sleeping with the lights on.
Speaker 5 (46:35):
So if you're brave enough, come grab a bite with us.
Speaker 7 (46:39):
Just try not to let it be your last.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
Ghost Bites Season one, now streaming on your favorite podcast platforms.
Speaker 8 (46:54):
I gotta do one of these things again. This is
Canary of the Canary Pa Audio drama. I'm just a
run of the milk PI trying to make a buck
for his next corn beef sandwich. A magnet for the strange,
a lord for the macabre. Sometimes the worst kind of
monsters are very human. Other times it's unexplainable. Peculiar short
stories with revolving cast of colorful characters. Say that ten
(47:15):
times fast mix, ignore horror, mystery and drama. Reach us
at RP CANARYPI dot c A, r r D dot co,
or look up CANARYPI and your favorite search engine. Gotta go.
Lunch is here? Hey, where's the pickle?
Speaker 1 (47:30):
This is the swamp thing one two three, I guess
that's better. James and Charlotte rode their spectral white canoe
across slaked dramen Me.
Speaker 2 (47:48):
Twenty four And when on the earth he sank to sleep,
If slumber his eyelids knew he lay where the deadly
vine doth weep thevenomous tear, and nightly steep the flesh
with blistering Do I'm going to repeat that one more
time because I don't know if you wanted the venomous
(48:09):
tear or the venomous tears. So that was a tear.
Here's what with the venomous tear? Twenty four US tear?
And when on the earth he sank to sleep, if
slumber his eyelids knew he lay where the deadly vine,
doth weep the venomous tear, and nightly steep the flesh
(48:30):
with blistering Do I.
Speaker 1 (48:32):
Know I've got the TV movie intermission? It's intermission.
Speaker 5 (48:39):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (48:40):
No, this isn't about serial killer Richard Ramirez. This is
the tale of a sleazy No, this isn't about serial killer. No, no,
this isn't about serial killer Richard Ramirez. Oh you would
be you fick.
Speaker 5 (49:14):
Time?
Speaker 3 (49:38):
Or why or anything.
Speaker 9 (49:48):
About word.
Speaker 3 (50:30):
M Yeah not
Speaker 5 (51:44):
Nay, name a name.
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