The Macabrecast

A lot of people have their own experiences of building snowmen/snow-people as soon as that first snow starts to stick, but why do we do it? When did it start? Brooke's chilly episode will be all about snow-people throughout history. We'll even get to hear about some famous snow festivals and other surprising facts related to the winter weather.

Get ready for a very special Shahri-sode!! The long anticipated debut of Shahri’s episode is here and they’re kicking it off with a deep dive into psychopathy. They’ll be taking us through the history of the term and some of the myths around it. We’ll also be hearing from our guest, Sherwin, this episode as they give us a medical perspective on the topic.

Welcome back during this holiday season for a very special emu-sode! Brooke confronts her fear of birds to tell us about the Australian war against the Emu population. In the 1930s Australia sanctioned a planned attack against the wild Emu population that were ruining crops. While the Emus weren’t necessarily mounting their own military attack, they may have been the winners!

We're going back to the basics with an episode full of strange historical facts and macabre masks. Holly gives an overview of funerary masks from many cultures and their significance before delving into their more modern counterparts: death masks. Death masks have their own unique history as artistic references, forensic tools, and ways to remember loved ones.

We have a spooky painting for you all! Brooke dives deep into the eerie stories that surround the painting "The Hands Resist Him" by William (Bill) Stoneham. The artist, Bill, was inspired by a poem that his wife, Patti M. Stoneham, wrote by the title "Hands Resist Him." After painting this piece, it seems the subjects may have taken on a life of their own!

We’re back!! Thanks for sticking with as we took a little break to get back on schedule. We’re jumping back in with another haunted hotel for y’all. This time, Holly will be bringing us to Arizona’s Copper Queen Hotel that’s full of 16 ghosts, tragic town history, and mining town legends.

From the murky waters of Loch Ness emerges one of the most well known cryptids. This week, Holly will introduce us to the Loch Ness Monster, better known as Nessie! There have been thousands of Nessie sightings over the years, but we'll talk about the most prominent ones and what the Loch Ness monster may have to do with Kelpies.

Join us this week to learn about an interesting Celtic mythological creature: the Kelpie. Holly shares information about these terrifying horse spirits and their many ways of luring their victims into the water. We'll also be discussing their possible connection to one of the most famous cryptids, the Loch Ness monster!

We're going back to the basics this week with a macabre material! Brooke will tell us all about the history of uranium glass and explain why uranium glass is toxic. It's a very common glass and you may even have some around your home! Not to worry, it's nothing like radium or the green dyes filled with arsenic.

This week we have one of Holly's favorite survival stories to talk about! In 1921, Ada Blackjack joined an expedition to Wrangel Island as a seamstress. When supply ships failed to arrive, things took a dark turn for Ada and the four men who were there with her. Ada started the expedition as the only woman and the only Inupiat person, and she would end it as the only survivor. 

Think you saw something swinging from branch to branch? Did you catch a little movement on the trunk of a tree? It might just be the Pacific Northwest’s very own Tree Octopus! Brooke is here this week to educate us all about this fantastical creature and cryptid. We will learn all about the habits, predators, and creation of the PNW Tree Octopus.

Do you have a phrogger? We hope not, because a phrogger is someone who is living in your house without you knowing! In 2019, Brittany and James Campbell found out that someone had been living in their house in the most terrifying way. Holly will tell us all about their experiences and the aftermath of this phrogging incident.

Last week, Brooke gave us an overview of murder ballads and their interesting history. This week, Brooke will continue the discussion of murder ballads with the tale of the Twa Sisters/Two Bonny Swans! She'll be taking an in depth look at this murder ballad full of revenge, courtship rituals, and making people into violins.

We may think of slow love songs when we hear the word "ballad," but ballads have a dark history! We'll be talking about murder ballads which started as a way to share information and warn people of danger. Brooke will be telling us all about the history of these ballads and the way they have transformed over the years, particularly under the influence of capitalism.

A flood is already bad enough, but in 1919 Boston saw a flood of molasses devastate the area! This week Holly will walk us through this tragedy that ended with 21 people dead and around 150 injured. Get ready to hear about company incompetence, molasses science, and an unnatural disaster.

A heads up to all our listeners, this episode and photos related to it will include a lot of dolls! Brooke will be talking with us all about pediophobia, which is the fear of dolls. We'll get to dive into some psychological studies and learn about why so many people find dolls unsettling, even if they don't have pediophobia!