logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
1h 21m

Halloween History with Chelsey Weber-Smi...

Sarah Marshall
About this episode
Black cats and goblins and broomsticks and ghosts/ Covens of witches with all of their hosts/ You may think they scare me, you're probably right/ But American Hysteria's Chelsey Weber-Smith is on the show tonight. It's a tale of mischief, mayhem, and adults trying to keep their kids safe by nailing meat to the walls. What is Halloween? Can there be treats wi ... Show More
Up next
Jan 27
Keiko Part 1 with Brianna Bowman
Can a killer whale really jump that high? For kids of the 90s, the adventure movie Free Willy introduced us to magic of the orca through its charismatic megafauna star, Keiko. In part one of our series, deep sea correspondent Brianna Bowman tells Sarah about his journey from free ... Show More
2h 2m
Dec 23
Where I Live: The Listener Holiday Special
“We’ve always been inventing and reinventing new worlds for taking care of each other. We just have to notice.”We asked our subscribers to send us audio postcards to encapsulate where they live, what makes it special, and what people get wrong about the place that they call home. ... Show More
1h 30m
Nov 25
Cold War Santa with Sarah Archer
<p>What happens when Santa trades his sleigh for a rocket ship? Christmas correspondent Sarah Archer tells Sarah about how the Cold War era affected the image of old Kris Kringle through the rampant consumerism and shiny new technology of a post-war economy. Digressions include R ... Show More
1h 39m
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
Encounters x255
HAPPY HALLOWEEN FRIENDS!  Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetleju— oops, did we say it too many times? Corinne and Sabrina are back, channeling their inner Beetlejuice (double the trouble!) in this spooky Halloween bonus episode! Things get weird fast as we share tales of creepy ki ... Show More
1h 2m
Aug 2023
Small Frights Friday: The Spooky Forest
<p>Today we take a stroll down a wooded path filled with terrors! We read EEEEKmails about handmade Halloween decor and trick-or-treat memories. Plus, we get a letter from London!</p> <p>Be featured on a Small Frights episode! Submit all Halloween queries, advice, recommendations ... Show More
46m 11s
Sep 2024
Small Frights: Popular Trick-or-Treat Houses
<p>What does it take to be the most popular house on your street on Halloween night? We hear from 3 Lanterns who share their tips for tempting the neighborhood with off-beat treats and decorations.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Mentioned on the episode:</p> <p><a href="https://www.patreon.c ... Show More
20m 18s
Oct 2023
The Creeper of Waverly Hills Sanatorium
<p>SCARED TO DEATH IS EXPLICIT IN EVERY WAY. PLEASE TAKE CARE WHILE LISTENING. </p><p>We head to South Carolina’s allegedly haunted Salem Black River Presbyterian Church. Do several spirits haunt not only the church, but the nearby cemetery as well? This story features a modern e ... Show More
1h 7m
Aug 2025
Haunted with Whitney Way Thore of My Big Fat Fabulous Life
In this special episode, Whitney Way Thore (My Big Fat Fabulous Life) joins us for a Salem séance (footage included), and spills her personal supernatural encounters—equal parts spine-tingling and side-splitting. We get into EVPs on cassette tapes, haunted dolls, unexpected spiri ... Show More
1h 16m
Oct 2024
Irish Origins of Halloween
<p>Pumpkins, trick or treating and ghost stories are what we associate with Halloween, but what about turnips, fairies and a fortune-telling cake? Anthony and Maddy are joined by historian Dan Snow, and host of sister podcast Dan Snow’s History Hit. They go in search of the origi ... Show More
49m 27s
Oct 2024
Fun Sized Spooks: 10 Ghastly Pop Culture Tales!
Happy Halloween, Boils and Ghouls! One of the few things I enjoy as much as Halloween are fascinating random facts from history and pop culture! So I’m resurrecting one of my favorite series, Fun Sized Spooks! These 10 episodes are each as short and sweet and Trick r Treat candy! ... Show More
44m 6s
Oct 2025
Episode 342 - Ouija Boards Gone Wrong
October is in full swing, and we’re cracking open the door to the other side! We’ve got terrifying Ouija board tales pulled from Reddit’s darkest corners: a haunted doll harboring the sinister Tall Man, a Boy Scout camp session that unleashed something calling itself The Beast, a ... Show More
56m 43s
Nov 2024
The Cresson Creeper
<p>Dan's stories at not Thanksgiving related, but one does center around a family get together: a funeral. But first, a story  based in the haunted lore that surrounds  Pennsylvania’s currently abandoned  Cresson Sanatorium. We'll hear  the history of the sanatorium, paranormal l ... Show More
1h 15m