Matt speaks with Sharon Hill about the Stone Tape Theory, a common explanation for ghosts in paranormal circles. Matt and Sharon discuss the history of the concept, its plausibility, and how it is often applied to locations that don’t actually meet the conditions required for it to work.
Tag Archives: folk lore
84. The Big Yellow House (Summerland, CA)
The Big Yellow House in Summerland is reputed to be one of the most haunted houses in California, but Matt thinks this claim is a bit overblown. In this episode, he discusses how the fading of cultural memory can lend credence to stories that are otherwise unremarkable.
83. Mudhouse Mansion
Mudhouse Mansion is one of the better-known haunted houses in Ohio. From a historically dubious story about slavery to a deeply creepy story about a woman staring out of a window for ten days straight, Mudhouse Mansion provides a range of ways to think about ghost stories.
82. Port Chatham, Alaska
Far to the north and deep in the woods, there is a ghost town… but unlike some ghost towns, this is a place where the mysteries of the forest and the supernatural converge. Matthew takes us to Alaska to unravel the facts from the fiction and to find out what Bigfoot has to do with this spooky place.
81. Odds and Ends
Matthew takes a quick look at some odds and ends… little bits of interesting stuff that doesn’t quite fit anywhere else. From who is in on the joke, what Freud has to do with folklore, and even a very famous private part, this episode has a tiny bit of everything.
80. The Skeptic Ghosthropologist
Communities of paranormal enthusiasts have long been in dialogue with communities of skeptics, therefore understanding the skeptic’s movement is relevant to understanding how paranormal beliefs develop and function. In this episode, Matt discusses the history of the skeptics community, as well as his own experiences as a former member in order to illustrate both the good and the bad of turning skepticism into an identity.
79. The White Lady of Santa Cruz
The White Lady is a common ghost story motif, and the city of Santa Cruz, California, is home to a classic example. She wanders in a place that is at the edge between urban and rural in a small canyon that gets dark before the sun has even set. If you aren’t careful, you might just find an axe flying towards your head…or not. In this episode, Matt talks about the White Lady of Santa Cruz.
78. Interview With Jim Harold
In this episode, Matt speaks with podcaster Jim Harold who has been the host of The Paranormal Podcast since 2005 and Jim Harold’s Campfire since 2007. The Paranormal Podcast has allowed listeners to hear both believer and skeptic voices on paranormal subjects. At the same time, the Campfire Podcast has been a venue for listeners to share their own stories. This episode covers Jim Harold’s history as a podcaster, his interest in the paranormal, and a few of his favorite stories.
77 Interview With A Haunted Tour Guide
In this episode, Matt talks with Rob Hawthorn, who creates and leads ghost tours in Mendocino County, California. They discuss the process of gathering stories, putting them together, and leading a ghost tour as well as how ghost stories represent the community from which they come.
76. The Blue Lady Ghost of the Moss Beach Distillery
The Moss Beach Distillery, located just north of Half Moon Bay on California’s coast, is reputed to be haunted by a number of ghosts, most notably a 1920s flapper garbed in a blue dress. In this episode, Matt discusses ghost stories, historical research, commerce, tourism, and technological trickery
KMMA Media 