Castles & Cryptids

Hey cryptic cuties, this week we take a trip back in time to the Golden age of Hollywood.  In 1949 Jean Spangler was a star on the rise, only in her late 20's she was already a triple threat and seemed to be gaining more recognition for her many talents. All that changed  when Jean didn't return home the morning after shooting for a new film all night. As investigations began, more and more questions are raised with very few answers. Tune in as we unravel all the details, from theories and suspects, to the possible connection to another famous Hollywood murder. 

Don't forget to come back next week for Alanna's case, until then keep it cryptic!

Darkcast promo this week is Beyond the Rainbow!

Join us as we discover and uncover some lesser featured notable African Americans for Black History Month! So many people have fought so hard for their rights in history, we love learning about the ones we never learned much of in school. 

Kelsey tells us the life and legacy of Marsha P. Johnson, an activist, drag queen, and American sweetheart that took New York by storm. She is remembered for her work in gay rights, as well as advocating for trans rights and AIDS activism. Truly a treasure that did so much for her community, and was taken from us too soon.

Following that, we dive into some African American inventors (one called himself the Black Thomas Edison), and one very impactful agricultural engineer. That's right, maybe you know about George Washington Carver and his many, many peanut products that helped revamp the soil of the South, or Garret Morgan inventor of two life-saving devices and improvements. Finally, we cannot forget Marie Von Britton Brown, co-inventor of the first security system, which became the basis for many of the systems we use today. Think two-way communication, and peephole cameras, but in the sixties! Plus mentions of "milk leg", the importance of crop rotation, and so much weird food! Have a snack handy  and tuck into Black History Month with C&C!

 Darkcast Promo of the Week: Autumn's Oddities 

Social media has been a huge part of our lives for the last 20 years, with its ability to connect people from all around the world to brightening someones day with a viral video or meme. Todays ep features 2 cases when social media platforms were used for a far more sinister reason. Kelsey covers a series of Death Lists that appeared on Facebook in early 2010, targeting almost 100 young people in Columbia it led to the death of 3 people before police took it seriously. 

Alanna details the case of Claire Miller, who stabbed her older sister in a sudden attack, and then uploaded videos to tiktok before she was arrested. 

Thanks for tuning in, make sure you balance out your doom scrolling with something lighter, like unlikely animal friend videos or videos of people falling down! 

Our Darkcast spotlight this week is A Hateful Homicide, a true crime and investigative journalism podcast dedicated to covering the stories regarding the murders and hate crimes involving our Transgender, Gender Non-binary/Nonconforming, Intersex, and Two-Spirit communities in the United States and abroad. 

What is the occult? It's the supernatural, the spiritual and mystical beliefs and practices. So it can be so many things, really. Which we love! 

Kelsey covers an early tarot-researcher and occultist named Etteilla, from 18th-century France. He made significant strides in tarot card reading in his time. And then for something completely different! 

Scent, memory and the spiritual side of fragrance use like incense is the theme of Alanna's segment. Some people believed that incense helped guide the soul to its final repose after death, and we discuss what makes bad "scent branding" and other strange tidbits. 

Light a nice candle and enjoy the show, Cryptic Crew!

Darkcast Promo of the Week: And then They Were Gone

This week we have two very different survival stories for you, featuring a lot of trigger warnings, so take care of yourselves as you listen. 

Kelsey shares the story of Jennifer Holiday and her cousin Ana Franklin, who are on a late night drive when a vehicle begins following them. What happens next is something anyone would struggle to keep their cool during. Alanna covers the Teka Adams case, filled with strange and bizarre actions, it feels straight out of a horror movie. 

Shout out to the I Survived tv show, check it out for more stories of perseverance and never giving up. Links to each of their eps are on our website!

Check out the Mythical True Crime pod, part of our amazing Darkcast family! Uncover the dark true tales of modern legends with our spoken narratives that blend history, crime, and the supernatural. 

Stay safe out there cryptic cuties, catch out with you next week!

Birdie Promo!

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Hey cryptic crew, happy Friday and Happy New Episode!! to bookend our haunted spaces episode, let's head to some far-off spots with spooks and stuff!

Alanna has a short list  of haunted suspects, so let's explore some creepy places together!

From so-called Ghost Churches, to sunken burial lagoons, it's a whole new world for us in this episode! Just not a happy one....

Welcome cryptic cuties, this week we take another dive into our haunted places series, this time with a very old and very creepy island. Poveglia Island, located in the Venice lagoon, dates back to the 5th century and has a troubling past that has earned it the title of the island of no return. 

With everything from sickness, quarantines, death and mass graves, to psychiatric hospitals and lobotomies, this place checks all the boxes and is definitely haunted AF.  The people who have managed to get to the island, report a lot of paranormal activity and a whole lot of ghosts. Locals steer clear of the island and say that it's cursed, refusing to go near it. 

We hope you enjoy, and catch up with us next week for Alanna's segment and more haunted af locations. 

Join us over at patreon.com/Castlesandcryptids for tons of bonus eps and minisodes! 

Where there's smoke, there's fire...even on the water. We do keep coming back to this well (pun very much intended), of watery cases, as so many strange cases happen when one loses their life on the water. Or around the water, or in a flaming boat like a little too-early of a Viking funeral. Woof, sorry, this one is very dark indeed, with 2 cold cases of murder offshore.

Kelsey takes us to Alaska, where the Coulthurst family was taking their annual fishing vacation. We still aren't sure why it ends in tragedy, with a family dead and all hands on deck too.

If that's not enough of a bummer, Alanna tells us the story of Pat Mullins, who fell victim to something nefarious from what we can tell, but both cases have eerie similarities and, unfortunately, remain unsolved.

One cute thing in this episode is the sheer amount of cat purrs we cot, maybe Gordo wanted to comfort us in our time of need! LOL Hope you like it!

Darkcast Promo of the week! True Crime Connections

Check them out, and Keep it Cryptic!

Welcome back cryptic crew, we are ringing in the New Year with some New Age Cryptids!

Some are classic-inspired cryptids, others more “fakelore”, as Kelsey will tell us where that term came from, and about some of the creepiest of the creepy-pasta creatures. Slenderman, also the AI-created cryptid, Momo, we rounded up the best Internet horror-shows in her segment!

To cap off the piles of creeps, Alanna retaliates with the Ouija board demon, the connection to an ancient Babylonian wind demon, and the Exorcist! Hope to heck this does not haunt any of us, we are so sorry for saying these cursed named so much in one episode! Clutch a crystal or something, maybe. Can’t hurt!

Promo of the week: Ye Olde Crime, hosted by Lindsay and Madison-we love these gals and this show, so if you like a little history or historical crime, check them out! 10/10! Maybe start at our collab episode!

Hey cryptic cuties, we have a much lighter ep this week! Revisiting something disscussed all the way back in our 1st ep about Death Omens, we have Doppelgängers. 

The idea of doublewalkers, evil twins, fetch, ka, or spirit doubles, has been around for centuries from all around the world. While some stories of their appearance seem to bring illness, bad luck or even death, others seem to be more benevolent. 

Kelsey shares some examples of historical figures who are said to have encountered their own doubles, while Alanna has some more recent stories off Reddit. 

If you have ever encountered your doppelgänger or someone who looked eerily like you, send us your story, we would love to be able to share it on a future ep!

Happy Listening!

Here are some cool pictures of identical strangers from around the world https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2024/10/14/francois-brunelle-doppelgangers

Here is the funny video Kelsey sent Alanna, It will get stuck in your head!

https://www.tiktok.com/@shansheridan1/video/7425681275459030315