logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
33m 49s

History's Greatest Ghost Hunters: the Wa...

History Hit
About this episode

Ghost hunting couple Ed and Lorraine Warren transformed twentieth century America into an enchanted land dotted with haunted houses, cursed objects, and portals to hell. Their exploits are the basis for the Conjuring movie franchise. They are the originators of the Annabelle doll. They are the most famous demon hunters ever. Who were the Warrens? Did they make it up? Or did they believe it all?


Maddy and Anthony's guest today is Professor Joseph Laycock from Texas State University. He was our guest last week on our episode about the Amityville Horror. Joseph is the author of: The Penguin Book of Exorcisms and co-author of The Exorcist Effect: Horror, Religion, and Demonic Belief.


Edited & produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  


You can take part in our listener survey here.


After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

Up next
Today
Who Was The Ultimate Tudor Traitor?
The Tudor court was dangerous and high stakes at the best of times, where survival could often mean betraying others.Enter: Jane Boleyn, thrust into the Tudor limelight when her sister-in-law, Anne Boleyn, marries Henry VIII.Did she really contribute to the axe falling on Anne Bo ... Show More
44m 53s
Oct 6
The Railway Murder That Shook Victorian Britain
It's 1864 and the height of industrialisation. The thrill of railway travel is shattered with the first murder that takes place on it.Join Anthony and Maddy as they pick apart the murder of wealthy banker John Briggs, that takes them from a blood-stained first class carriage in L ... Show More
43m 42s
Oct 2
The Dark Reality of Life at Sea
Dan Snow joins After Dark to reveal the brutal reality of life of sailors during the golden age of sail. From the cat o' nine tails, to the pressgang, from scurvy to mutineers. How did people survive the most extreme conditions imaginable?Edited by Tomos Delargy. Produced by Fred ... Show More
39m 25s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 17
Episode 335 - Scotland's Most Haunted House
Step into Ballechin House, Scotland’s most haunted home—where ghostly dogs, weeping nuns, and limping specters turn this centuries-old estate into something straight out of a gothic horror movie. Ballechin House has witnessed over 300 years of mystery, death, and paranormal activ ... Show More
1h 31m
Sep 10
The Smurl Family Haunting
In 1973, Jack and Janet Smurl move into a modest duplex in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, hoping for a fresh start. What follows is more than a decade of escalating disturbances: strange smells, disembodied voices, levitations, physical assaults, and eventually, a demonic entity sa ... Show More
53m 44s
Feb 2024
BONUS EPISODE: Ed Gein, Texas Chainsaw and Your Ghost Stories!
Introducing the NEW season of DEAD MEN DO TELL TALES, a special spin-off series of the American Hauntings Podcast! With each season of the series, we delve into a single story from the dark side of American history -- except this time. In season 4, called DEPRAVED, we’ll actually ... Show More
38m 35s
Jul 20
Episode 331 - Axe Hollow Murders & Hauntings | Appalachian Lore
This week, we explore the legend of Axe Murder Hollow — the chilling tale of a jealousy crazed, axe-wielding farmer that has passed down through generations in Erie Pennsylvania, and spread through northern Appalachia. What began as a ghost story passed between teens in the 1940s ... Show More
57m 12s
Oct 2024
Episode 610: The Amityville Horror Conspiracy
On December 18, 1975, George and Kathy Lutz moved their family into their new house on Ocean Avenue in Amityville, NY, where, just one year earlier, Ronald DeFeo Jr. had murdered all six members of his family. Twenty-eight days later, the Lutz family fled the home, leaving behind ... Show More
1h 37m
Sep 3
181: The Real Conjuring: Ghost Hunters or Grifters? Who Were Ed & Lorraine Warren
Hi friends, happy Wednesday! Listen… I know it’s not *officially* Fall yet, okay? But we all know Fall means Halloween, and Halloween is my favorite holiday. So I wanted to get started celebrating a little early this year. I did a soft launch on my decorations. Put out a few pump ... Show More
51m 23s
Oct 2024
The Haunting Of Willington Mill
moment.co/scaredtodeathWe are so excited to share with you that again, this October, we will be doing a global live stream show! This year, we are coming to you from New Orleans! Tickets are on sale now!! https://www.dictionary.com/e/haunting-hooks-2024/We are also so excited to ... Show More
1h 22m
Sep 27
HAUNTED BUNK BED From HELL! The TRUE Tolman Family Horror Story | Real Ghost Stories LIVE
Few haunted object cases have rattled the paranormal world like the story of the Tolman family and their cursed bunk bed in Wisconsin. After bringing home a secondhand bed in the late 1980s, their lives spiraled into months of relentless terror. Children fell mysteriously ill. Ra ... Show More
23m 43s
Apr 2024
62: Old Hollywood Ghosts: Haunted Hotels, Star-Studded Seances, and more
The ghost sightings of the Knickerbocker Hotel, a woman makes a final attempt to contact her husband on the other side, and an actress whose premonition proved fatal. Join me as we discuss the ghost stories of Old Hollywood. TW: Suicide, and brief mention of sexual assault Subscr ... Show More
40m 13s
Feb 2025
Haunted with Heart Starts Pounding Podcast | A Paranormal Investigation of the Haunted Henry Derby House in Salem, MA
Spooky friends, get ready for one of our most chilling investigations yet! We teamed up with Kaeyln Moore of Heart Starts Pounding for a deep dive into the haunted Henry Derby House in Salem, Massachusetts—a home with ties to the Salem Witch Trials and a reputation for ghostly ac ... Show More
1h 16m