Astonishing Legends

We love to hate our villains as much as we love to love our heroes.  And many of us have a morbid fascination with some of history's most sinister characters, perhaps as a means of understanding the darkest aspects of human behavior.  But as is regularly the case, the truth behind the real nature and actions of historical figures we can only glean from the reporting of others in that age and often many years after.  Even official accounts are just a widely agreed upon set of assessments by a group of people, each with their own biases and personal opinions.  In other words, one person's villain can be another's hero, or at least grossly misunderstood.  In the case of Elizabeth Báthory, the authorities finally took action against one of their own, leveling upon her a judgment that could appear both lenient and harsh, but in either case, revealing an investigation that would forever brand her as one of the evilest people in antiquity with her name living on in infamy.  Whether or not the testimony against her had any truth to it at all or what the real motivation for her incarceration was, is still debated by historians and researchers.  What is clear is that misery, violence, and torture were part of the norm for her time.  Some would argue that the stories about her were exaggerations, and her deeds merely accepted practice by the aristocracy of the day.  But does normalcy justify a person's acts of any era?  Where is the unacceptable line of behavior, regardless of the epoch or social status?  History has judged Elizabeth Báthory. How will you?

For more information on this episode visit our website!

Countess Elizabeth Báthory was a Hungarian noblewoman and one of the most wealthy and powerful aristocrats in eastern Europe during the late 16th and early 17th centuries.  Together with her husband Ferenc Nádasdy, a military hero known as the Black Knight of Hungary, Báthory held numerous estates, lands, and villages.  She also currently holds the Guinness World Record for being the most prolific female serial killer and most prolific murderer of the western world.  Báthory had been accused in the testimonies of over 300 witnesses and survivors of some of the most horrific tortures and murders imaginable before she was arrested, even by medieval standards.  Her victims were her maidservants and lesser noble protégés, all girls, with some as young as ten years old.  Years after her death, a legend had formed that Báthory had even routinely bathed in and possibly drank the blood of her virginal victims, believing that the pureblood had retained her beauty.  Some claim that Báthory's story became the partial inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula, along with her more famous sanguinary neighbor, Vlad the Impaler.  But were any of the accusations against Báthory true?  Was she merely a victim herself of a political and gender-biased conspiracy aimed at confiscating her riches and properties?  As we'll learn once again, the truth behind our legends is often shrouded in a fog of conjecture misting through a forest of unknowns.  Join us tonight as we examine the case of Elizabeth Báthory who, regardless of her actual guilt or innocence, will be forever known as, "The Blood Countess."

For more information on this episode visit our website!

To really study the paranormal, any good researcher will tell you one must get out in the field to investigate the sightings, and that is especially true when it comes to cryptozoology.  This is precisely what our interview guest has done.  Lyle Blackburn is a full-time author, musician, and cryptid researcher from Texas, whose life-long fascination with legendary creatures has led him to write several acclaimed books, including Momo: The Strange Case of the Missouri Monster, The Beast of Boggy Creek, and Lizard Man.  Lyle is a frequent guest on radio programs such as Coast to Coast AM and has been featured on numerous television shows like Monsters and Mysteries in America, Finding Bigfoot, and Strange Evidence, as well as other programs airing on the Animal Planet, Destination America, Discovery Science, and A&E channels.  In addition, Lyle is a regular contributor for the monthly horror magazine, Rue Morgue.  Lyle can also be heard as the frontman for his rock band Ghoultown, along with narrating/producing several Small Town Monsters documentaries, including Terror in the Skies, Boggy Creek Monster, The Mothman of Point Pleasant, and Bray Road Beast.  When he’s not chasing cryptids and writing about them or performing with his band, Lyle can be found speaking at various cryptozoology conferences and horror conventions around the United States.  Tonight, we sit down with Lyle to discuss his books and his thoughts about some of the most chilling encounters with bizarre and frightening creatures ever reported.

For more information on this episode visit our website!

Does some element of us exist after we die?  Is it possible that a message in a dire time of need could reach a loved one across vast distances without the aid of electronic or mechanical means, with a form of psychic energy either just before or after death?  Could our emotional spirit be so intense in a moment of crisis that it leaves an imprint or echo that can reverberate in the ether and be heard, seen or sensed again and again?  There have been many reported cases where this seems to have happened, and you may have seen such stories in the news or even have one from your own family.  Don't you wish scientists would study these examples in a search for answers to some of the most significant questions of all?  Well, some scientists are because this type of occurrence falls under the field of parapsychology and we're fortunate enough this evening to speak with Brandon Massullo.  Brandon is a clinical therapist and parapsychologist with graduate degrees in clinical counseling from the University of Toledo and psychological research methods from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, UK.  His research at the University of Edinburgh centered on neurobiological correlates of ghostly encounters, and he studied within the Koestler Parapsychology Unit at the University of Edinburgh under the supervision of author and international lecturer, Dr. Caroline Watt.  Brandon has been fascinated by paranormal phenomena for 20 years and has been a participant and featured speaker in numerous paranormal forums and events.  Join us for a fascinating discussion of his research into the possibility that our cries, or at least some form of our being, may linger beyond our earthly existence.

For more information on this episode visit our website!

Whether you believe in Bigfoot or not, the story of the Patterson-Gimlin film remains a superb example of the scientific investigation of an anomalous event that falls within the realm of the paranormal.  Other documentation of things like UFOs, ghosts, and other cryptids have come under close examination throughout the years, but little has been of such relative quality and few examples if any have been able to provide such relatable data to examine.  This relatability is due to the corporeality of the subject in the film.  Whether an unknown primate or a man in a suit, it seems it is something from the world of which we know.  Perhaps it’s not any data which is so troubling and debatable amongst the authorities, but the implications that data leads to if the film is authentic.  In any case, it is a film and an event which deserves full reconsideration.  Although of little value to scientists, another component worth considering is the personal experience, because it is that which gives the rest of us context.  As we wrap up this series with our conclusions, we were fortunate to talk with one of the two men who were there, Bob Gimlin.  Maybe character shouldn’t be considered when trying to determine the validity of this incident, but we can attest that Mr. Gimlin is as real and genuine a man as you’ll meet.  After decades of remaining silent about his role, we’re grateful he’s finally agreed to tell his story because he deserves to be heard.

For more information on this episode visit our website!

There are a few researchers for whom the Patterson-Gimlin Film has sparked a life-long quest to analyze its mystery and the possibility of Sasquatch. Concerning the preservation of the actual film itself, no one has done more to secure its integrity than William “Bill” Munns. While the original 16mm Kodachrome Color-Reversal film shot by Roger Patterson has since gone missing, Munns built a mobile High Definition digital film scanner and with exclusive permission from Patterson’s widow Patricia, has painstakingly scanned every frame of her first generation copy at 5K resolution, even discovering an additional two frames at the beginning, making the total count 954 frames in total. Bill Munns has spent most of his long career in filmmaking and creating special makeup effects, starting as a makeup artist with Universal Studios in 1969. He created full body suits for fictional creatures such as “Swamp Thing” and “The Beastmaster,” and so he brings to the PGF controversy well-established expertise in the fabrication of various creature costumes. Munns also has spent the last 22 years doing computer graphics, which positioned him well to do the image analysis of the PGF film frames. So he is uniquely well-qualified to analyze evidence consisting of 16mm film, and showing what many suspect is just a human in a fur creature costume. Tonight we sit down with Bill Munns for an interview in which he discusses his process, analysis and his conclusions which lead him to believe the film to be authentic.

For more information on this episode visit our website!

It's easy for the uninformed, casual observer to make a declaration on a website's Comments Section, but what do the experts think about the Patterson-Gimlin Film? If we look to science to provide answers about the subject in the PGF, then we should consider the evaluations of physical anthropologists who specialize in primate morphology and authorities in biomechanics and bipedal locomotion. Fortunately, the academics and costume professionals who did weigh in ignored the gossip about character and focused only on the film. Unfortunately, most of the scientific community wouldn't bother giving the film any consideration and those that were asked to, dismissed it outright after limited viewing with no careful examination. What's interesting is that the few scientists who did analyze the film thoroughly and gave a favorable conclusion did so with a detailed report, while those that were doubtful about its authenticity had more superficial observations or disagreements about the other scientists' findings. This is to say there doesn't appear to be a point-by-point scientific argument disproving the creature's existence. Perhaps the most widely acceptable objective scientific review is akin to anthropologist David J. Daegling's assessment, generalized as, although the film's subject is compelling, the possibility of a hoax cannot be ruled out. But if it is a hoax, then the film must show a human in a suit, which then leads to the question, how could such a convincing costume be fabricated, especially by a layman? For that answer, who better to ask than the professionals in that field, the Film and TV Special Effects creature creators? Please join us for the fourth installment of our series on the PGF as we hear from the experts.

For more information on this episode visit our website!

Tonight, we have a special bonus episode for you, a commercial-free interview with a very talented writer, director, and performer who has actually worn a sophisticated ape-like costume for a Hollywood feature film and lived to tell about it. You may know Jorma Taccone from the wildly popular comedy trio, “The Lonely Island.” Along with Andy Samberg and Akiva Shaffer, the three have gone on to produce some of the most memorable and hilarious “Digital Shorts” for Saturday Night Live and their feature films, comedy albums and live performances have garnered them millions of fans. But what you may not know about Jorma is that he portrayed the loveably goofy primate-like character “Chaka” for the 2009 film “Land of the Lost,” inspired by the original 1974 children’s television series. While you might think hopping around in a monkey suit for a movie would be fun (certainly Jorma thought so at first) it turns out the hours-long, daily application of the Special Effects makeup was mind-numbingly tedious, and the performance while wearing it was physically grueling and exhausting. We’ll hear from Jorma about his experience with a professional, expensive, skin-tight costume, some funny anecdotes about shooting the movie, and his thoughts on the appearance of the creature from the Patterson-Gimlin Film. As many experts have stated, if the subject in the PGF was actually just a man in a costume, that costume was one of the best that’s ever been made.

For more information on this episode visit our website!

When indirect evidence of an extraordinary event defies conclusive debunking, then the easier route for some critics is to attack the presenter of the evidence. Naturally and unfortunately, Roger Patterson's integrity and thus his credibility came under scrutiny and assault as a means of discrediting the film itself. Another common tendency in dealing with an incredible incident is to accept outright the allegations of a purported hoaxer or associate as a way of comfortably coping with a disturbing possibility which can then be safely set aside. In the case of the Patterson-Gimlin Film, there are two central claims that suit this purpose for those who doubt the film's authenticity. Bob Heironimus claimed he was the one who wore an ape suit for the film, given to him and made by Patterson. Philip Morris of Morris Costumes claimed he sold his standard gorilla costume to Patterson, who may have modified it for the filming. These assertions were enough for many to put the matter to rest, except one must consider that there are significant discrepancies between the details of the Heironimus and Morris stories, leading to an improbability that they were describing the same outfit. So, the question remains, between these three gentlemen, who do you believe, or rather, whose story is more comfortable for you to believe?

For more information on this episode visit our website!

What if you had spent years searching for something elusive, something you believe existed that most didn't, and then one day you finally happened to capture it on film? What would be your immediate next steps if you wanted to present it to the world? In the days before instant media uploads to the internet, where would you take the film and who would you show it to first if you wanted to be taken seriously? Roger Patterson had thought he and Bob Gimlin had captured irrefutable proof of Bigfoot, next to bringing the beast itself out of the woods. Little could he realize that every action and claim going forward from that moment of filming would be analyzed and criticized for the rest of his life, in addition to his integrity. Whether out to prove authenticity or a perpetrate a hoax, in either case, the reaction to the film was predictable. From the few scientists who bothered to look, to the curious public, some believed, some scoffed, some didn't know what to think. What we know now from Patterson and Gimlin's story, is that indirect evidence is not enough for most, you need to produce a body, but even then there are those who will refuse to believe. What we also know is that for Patterson, and in turn Gimlin, providing this film as evidence turned out to be much more trouble than a benefit and much more than they bargained for. Realizing what these men went through, if you were to one-day capture extraordinary evidence, would you think twice about sharing it?

For more information on this episode visit our website!