Since at least the 16th century, the English counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex have told stories of “Black Shuck”, a ghostly black dog who appears as an omen of death. But ol’ Shuck isn’t the only spectral hound going around portending doom in the British Isles! In this episode, Sean takes us on a…

On Christmas Eve, 1945, a mysterious fire burned the home of George and Jennie Sodder to the ground. George, Jennie, and four of their children escaped the blaze. The five remaining Sodder children, aged 5 to 14, were not so lucky. However, no remains – of any of the five Sodder children who were lost…

Perhaps the most notorious carnival sideshow performer of all time, Grady Stiles Jr. is known to history as Lobster Boy. Born with severe ectrodactyly, a genetic condition that left him unable to walk and with forked, two-fingered hands, Grady followed his father into the family business playing to the crowds in traveling carnival sideshows. But…

Hello Scary Squad! We apologize for not getting a new episode out this week – we both came down with pretty rough illnesses in the post-Christmas week. Sean wanted to hop on and give this little update, so you wouldn’t think we’d left you in the dust of Christmas past! We hope you’ve had a…

In lieu of taking a total holiday break, we’ve instead brought you a post-Christmas treat: an interview with local author Patrick Scalisi and illustrator Valerie Ruby-Omen regarding their recent book release Connecticut Cryptids: A Field Guide to the Weird and Wonderful Creatures of the Nutmeg State! Pat and Val discuss what inspired them to compile…

With the Christmas holiday upon us for those who celebrate, we’re indulging a spooky new tradition with the Ain’t It Scary Holiday Special! Last year, Sean and Carrie presented competing casts for the modern classic, “Ain’t It Scary? Saves Christmas.” This year, having run out of original IP during the writer’s strike, we set out…

This week we tiptoe around the border between worlds, in an episode dedicated to fairy photography! Taken between 1917 and 1920 by two young girls, the Cottingley Fairy photographs seem to depict tiny, dance-happy fairies (and, in one weird case, a sneaky gnome) playing with the human children.  Over the decades the Cottingley Fairy pictures…

More than 10,000 people (and, honorarily, one dog) have been made Catholic saints in the more than 2,000 years that the religion has existed – and in all that time, there are bound to be some crazy stories along the way. Inspired by the holiday season, reformed Catholics Carrie & Sean go through some of…

Our two-part jaunt into murder, madness and 19th century elections continues (and ends) this week, as Sean finishes the heartbreaking tragic story of the death of James Garfield — followed by the slapstick comedy romp that was the trial of Charles Guiteau. Convinced he was destined to play a role in history and spurned in…

James Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, just a few months into his tenure as 20th President of the United States. The man who shot him, Charles Guiteau, was a lifelong loser who had previously tried his hand at (manic) street preaching, lawyering and insurance sales – and who had made James Garfield a…