74. Chuuk Lagoon, Micronesia

Are you afraid of encountering human skeletons where they should not be? Are you afraid of deep water, sharks, and crushing pressures? Well, this episode is for you. Come with Matt as he discusses Chuuk Lagoon, a haunted naval battleground in the Pacific Ocean.

73. Shadow People

Shadow people are an enigmatic paranormal phenomenon, possibly an indication that beings from some alternate dimension are attempting to intrude into our world… or they’re just odd tricks of human perception that people have made a lot of assumptions about. In this episode, Matt discusses the history of shadow people as a phenomenon and what they may tell us about the development of folklore in an age of science fiction.

71. Interview With Dr April Beisaw

In this episode, Matt speaks with archaeologist Dr. April Beisaw about the connection between archaeology and ghost hunting, as well as what academics might learn from ghost hunters in terms of communicating with the public.

S004. Holiday Supplemental 2023

In honor of the tradition of sharing spooky stories during midwinter, Matt revisits four scary stories. Commentary can be found in their previous episodes (49: Dudleytown, 35: Poveglia Island, 55: Shanghai Tunnels, 18: Himuro Mansion) Until 2024…

70: La Llorona

La Llorona is a story that many of us have heard, but it has a history and a meaning that goes beyond the surface. In this episode, Matthew gets into the politics, art, and history of the weeping white lady looking for her children.

69. Digital Folklore With Trevor Blank

In this episode, Matt speaks with folklorist Trevor Blank about digital folklore, including creepypasta, and its role in shaping how creepy subjects are discussed. Matt and Trevor also discuss why folklorists were slow to accept that online folklore is, in fact, folklore. Along the way, there are detours into prison folklore, Slender Man, and Bloody Mary.  

68. The Myrtles Plantation

The Myrtles Plantation, claimed by many to be one of the most haunted places in the United States, is famed primarily for the ghost of a young enslaved woman named Chloe. In this episode, Matt provides a few different perspectives on how the ghost stories of the Myrtles developed and what they mean to visitors.

67. Interview About The Vampire(s) (With Kaylia Metcalfe)

.In this episode, Kaylia joins Matt to discuss something more ghost-adjacent than ghostly: the vampire. Much of what is generally thought of as vampire folklore is actually the result of 19th-century fiction, but Matt and Kaylia get into even earlier actual folklore from Europe.

66. Ghosts of UC Santa Cruz (With Dr. Liberty Stanavage)

Matt and his old friend Liberty Stanavage talk about the ghosts rumored to haunt their alma mater, the University of California Santa Cruz. Along the way, they discuss how these ghost stories reflect both student life on campus and the way that the faculty and student body of the university view themselves.