Astonishing Legends

This week, Scott and Forrest welcome back Richard Hatem of Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf to Astonishing Legends! Join us as we delve into Richard's unique insights on paranormal literature, including odd details in famous experiences like Whitley Strieber's book, Communion and others. We'll explore Rich’s favorite episodes and get a sneak peek into his upcoming season. Plus, we'll hear about his pending tour across the US, including a stop at the Mothman Festival in just a few weeks!

Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

In tonight’s dead letter, we hear from our listener Sam, who shares two spooky stories. The first involves two hauntings at an aquarium in the UK. An old lady ghost with a penchant for floral perfume, and as one might expect…a fisherman. While the second features a mysterious, hunched-over shadow figure lurking in a South Carolina home. Sometimes these shorter letters are the most freaky. As we often remind our listeners, the real experiences don’t occur with a three-act structure or poignant message all the time. Instead they are just glimpses of something that you may never understand. 

North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher: 
https://www.ncaquariums.com/fort-fisher

Phantosmia (Phantom Smells): 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantosmia

Clairalience: 
https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/enlighten/clairalience-to-clairvoyance-your-psychic-gifts/

Gorton's Fisherman: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorton's_of_Gloucester

Trilogy of Terror (1975): 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilogy_of_Terror
https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/trilogy-of-terror

Homunculus:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus
https://www.britannica.com/science/homunculus-biology

Astonishing Junk Tour:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/astonishing-junk-85805858?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Email your stories to [email protected]

In tonight’s dead letter listener Henry, a marine, recounts his experiences on guard duty in Iraq, where his platoon was stationed at an abandoned hotel near the Jordanian border. During a late-night watch, he and another marine hear footsteps in the stairwell, but a search of the building yields nothing but an unsettling encounter with glowing eyes in the boiler room. The mystery deepens when a fellow marine suggests the presence of a skinwalker, leaving the group to ponder the true nature of what they encountered in the desolate hotel.

Navajo Culture
https://discovernavajo.com/navajo-culture/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo

Skinwalkers (In the Context of Navajo Culture)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin-walker
https://nativeappropriations.com/2016/03/magic-in-north-america-part-1-ugh.html

The Monroe Institute
https://www.monroeinstitute.org/

Jim Harold’s Campfire
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jim-harolds-campfire/id310656913

Trebil, Iraq
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebil
https://web.archive.org/web/20050716034614/https://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/2088

The Monte Vista Hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona
https://hotelmontevista.com/

In tonight’s dead letter… Josh shares a chilling encounter with a being we’ve discussed on the show numerous times. The Hat Man. For Josh he appears as a shadowy figure sitting in his bedroom in the middle of the night. What would you do in this situation? It’s easy to answer that until you’re confronted with it yourself. Josh gave into paranormal apathy, something we’ve identified at Astonishing Legends as a common reaction to the unexplainable. Is the Hat Man a harbinger of doom or change or just something that happens in our mind?

Jim Harold’s Campfire
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jim-harolds-campfire/id310656913

Our Strange Skies (Rob Kristoffersen)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/our-strange-skies-ufos-throughout-history/id1546735571

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816692/

Hypnopompic State
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnopompia

Hypnogogic State
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia

Send your story into [email protected]

In tonight’s dead letter, listener Renee shares a strange encounter in Los Angeles. Late one night, while walking her dog, she saw what appeared to be a gray alien. After a moment of shock, she looked again and saw a middle-aged African-American woman. Renee was left wondering if she had seen a psychic mask slip or if it was just a trick of the light.

Send your story to [email protected]

On September 12th, 1952, in Flatwoods, West Virginia, five boys witnessed a fiery object slowly descend from the sky and land nearby, seemingly under intelligent control. What followed became one of the strangest UFO encounters in American history. Joined by a 32-year-old mother and a National Guard member, the group were allegedly pursued by a towering, mist-shrouded, humanoid figure that emitted strange lights and sounds. And with seven direct witnesses and reports from several states, this was no isolated event. With some eyewitness still speaking up as recently as 2018.

Misunderstood and mythologized for decades, the Flatwoods Monster deserves a closer, more accurate look — and that’s exactly what we’re here to do.

Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

In tonight’s dead letter, Cody shares a chilling experience from a trip to Jacob City, a ghost town in Utah. While camping with friends and their dogs, they captured eerie EVPs, including one that called out Cody’s name. As the night grew darker, the dogs became unusually frightened, and a sudden, strong wind forced them to pack up and leave before their campfire got out of control. This is history, mystery, and a reminder to trust your instincts.

Send your story to [email protected] 

Show note links!

Jacob City - Utah Ghost Town
https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ut/jacobcity.html

Jacob City - Utah Outdoor Activities
https://www.utahoutdooractivities.com/jacobcity.html

Snapshots of Mentioned Newspaper Articles
https://postimg.cc/gallery/SCkxPjw

Bannack, Montana - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bannack,_Montana

Southwest Montana History: Bannack
https://southwestmt.com/specialfeatures/history/bannack/

The Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Series at Astonishing Legends (Available on all podcast platforms as well and YouTube)

Astonishing Legends - Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Part 1
https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2017/4/21/ep-68-the-sheriff-and-outlaw-henry-plummer-part-1?rq=henry%20plummer

Astonishing Legends - Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Part 2
https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2017/4/28/ep-69-the-sheriff-and-outlaw-henry-plummer-part-2?rq=henry%20plummer

Astonishing Legends - Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Part 3
https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2017/5/10/ep-70-the-sheriff-and-outlaw-henry-plummer-part-3?rq=henry%20plummer

Jacobs Smelter - Superfund Site
https://www.toxicsites.us/site.php?epa_id=UT0002391472

In tonight’s dead letter, Jordan recalls a strange encounter in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she spotted nearly a dozen silver crafts hovering over the Sandia Mountains. These objects appeared to be linked and moved in unison, with one larger craft seemingly in charge. A large black helicopter sped off in the direction of the crafts after they disappeared, leaving Jordan with a sense of wonder and the feeling that they were harmless tourists from another world, but were they? We’ll dive into it!

Send your story to [email protected] 

Kirtland Air Force Base - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirtland_Air_Force_Base

Kirtland AFB
https://www.kirtland.af.mil/

Sandia National Laboratories
https://www.sandia.gov/

Sandia National Laboratories - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandia_National_Laboratories


Mirage Men - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirage_Men

Mirage Men streaming: where to watch movie online?
https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/mirage-men

Author Nick Redfern - Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nick-Redfern/author/B001IXQG7E?sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=0a14c23d-5da9-4c8a-a53b-114e7602e74b

Watch The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch Full Episodes, Video & More | HISTORY Channel
https://www.history.com/shows/the-secret-of-skinwalker-ranch

Paul Bennewitz - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bennewitz

Richard L. Doty - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_L._Doty

This week, we revisit a favorite Patreon Junk Drawer episode featuring Max Kelso's unsettling experiences at a Boy Scout camp in the heart of Ohio.
We explore Max's first encounter as a young scout when he saw a shadowy figure watching him through the window of his cabin late one night. Years later, during a game at the same camp, Max experiences something even stranger.
The Junk Drawer is a more casual, conversational show than our regular program and is usually only available to our patrons at patreon.com/astonishinglegends. It’s a great time to check out our Patreon because this Sunday, June 29th, 2025, we’re doing our first-ever live AMA on video there!

In tonight’s dead letter, Scott and Forrest share Arthur’s story. He recounts a frightening encounter in the Bronx in 1998 when while stopped at a red light he saw something, or someone that didn’t seem right. The person in the car next to him had pale skin, completely black eyes, and an impossible smile. But that’s really just the beginning of this bizarre tale.

Books by David Weatherly on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-Weatherly/author/B01N59JC6U?sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=00b7e0f6-0241-4cae-bea5-2aefcdb8e455#

Astonishing Legends Private Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Ayj1M1iKU/

Astonishing Legends
https://astonishinglegends.com/

Episode links to Astonishing Legends Website, but all shows can be found on any podcast app.

Ep 188: Strange Intruders with David Weatherly Part 1 — Astonishing Legends
https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2020/10/24/ep-192-strange-intruders-with-david-weatherly-part-1?rq=black%20eyed%20kids

Ep 189: Strange Intruders with David Weatherly Part 2 — Astonishing Legends
https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2020/11/8/ep-193-strange-intruders-with-david-weatherly-part-2?rq=black%20eyed%20kids

Ep 87: Black Eyed Kids Part 1 — Astonishing Legends
https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2017/10/22/ep-87-black-eyed-kids-part-1?rq=black%20eyed%20kids

Ep 88: Black Eyed Kids Part 2 — Astonishing Legends
https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2017/10/28/ep-88-black-eyed-kids-part-2?rq=black%20eyed%20kids

Ep 89: Black Eyed Kids Part 3 — Astonishing Legends
https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2017/11/11/ep-89-black-eyed-kids-part-3?rq=black%20eyed%20kids


Send your story to [email protected]