Fireside Folklore with Hades

Send over your dead SMS messages.

Greetings, listeners! Tonight, we make a sojourn into the world of true crime as we look at the true story behind the urban legends about Halloween candy being tainted with drugs or filled with razor blades. Sadly, the Pixy Stix that killed a young boy was given to him by his father. Not a stranger. His father. Why? Because he wanted to collect life insurance money and pay off his debts. Thankfully, this is the only known instance of Halloween candy which was deliberately tampered with. As we close out this miniseries, remember that the scariest things are often not the ones which come from your imagination. 
As ever, if you have any feedback, dead letters should be sent to [email protected]. 

Send over your dead SMS messages.

Greetings, listeners! Though Night 10 is in Pluto's hands, and Night 11 is currently unclaimed, Ares waits for no one, so we bring to you the infamous old-time radio episode, The War of the Worlds which first aired on October 30, 1938. This clever episode had the world in quite the panic. Its format, a seemingly innocuous orchestral concert interrupted by breaking news broadcasts, is what made this such a brilliant show. Though those who tuned in from the beginning knew it was a hoax, anyone who caught it part-way through were fooled, and back in 1938, you couldn't just send an E-mail to ask your friends if everything was all right. That was why, as a result of this show, many nurses, doctors, firefighters, and others reached out to try and help. That is the power of the media, and why, dear listeners, it's important to check your facts, and ask who's doing the broadcasting and what are their motivations for doing so. Never leave critical thinking at the door, for that is your best protection against propaganda. As ever, any dead letters should go to me, [email protected]. 

Send over your dead SMS messages.

Greetings, listeners! We know! We're late getting this one out to you, but Halloween is my favorite holiday and having an excuse to prolong my celebrations is always welcome. As we eluded to in the PSA, Pluto and his family were tasked with retelling the famous urban legend, The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs. Of course, in Plutonian fashion, this story didn't come anywhere near to being as scary as the urban legend you likely know. Nonetheless, we had fun with this one and hope you enjoy listening to this quirky interpretation. As ever, those dead letters should be sent to [email protected]. 

Send over your dead SMS messages.

Greetings, listeners! After Death Robbery ended, my uncle turned and asked me what I meant when I said that Boris Karloff had a voice like molten silver with a sinister undertone. And, as much as I hate to admit it, he was right. This depiction was ... underwhelming. The story itself was a chilling classic, but a grieving scientist overrun by grief is a far cry from the villain I was looking for. Now this story? It perfectly captures what I wanted to show you but failed to deliver. Is this doctor in it to help? Or is he a spurned lover fueled by resentment? 
If you have any feedback, you know where to find my uncle. [email protected] 

Send over your dead SMS messages.

Greetings, listeners! Thank you for sticking with us through this marathon of episodes! Tonight, my nephew Hephaestus takes the mic and tells us why he chose this old-time radio episode from Lights Out! which starred Boris Karloff as David, an ambitious scientist who thought he could conquer death. What he didn't realize was that conquering death in the context of lab monkeys, rabbits, and mice is so much more ... clinical ... and shall we say, removed from reality? When David's lovely wife, Ruth, dies unexpectedly, his grief overshadows his scientific mind and things don't work out according to plan. He really should have let her rest in peace and kept that (tomb)stone unturned. 
As ever, any feedback should be sent via dead letter to me at [email protected]. 

Send over your dead SMS messages.

Greetings, listeners! We're back again and I can't believe I've managed to keep my family together and disciplined enough to get this done! Persephone must have something to do with it. Tonight, we'll be hearing from Chronos (or is that Cronus?), and he'll be reading us the tale of Urashimataro and the Turtle from Andrew Lang's Pink Fairy Book. We'll learn that though youth and beauty can be preserved, time will catch up, eventually, especially if you don't listen to your wife. If you have any comments, dead letters should be sent to me at [email protected]. 

Send over your dead SMS messages.

Greetings, listeners! We've reached the midpoint of our celebration! Tonight, Hestia will be telling the old Russian tale of Morozko, otherwise known as Father Frost. In this tale, we learn that kindness actually doesn't kill, and cruelty can chill a person to the bone. Literally! Any feedback via dead letter should be sent to me, [email protected]. 

Send over your dead SMS messages.

Greetings, listeners! Tonight, our very own Apollon has chosen an episode of old-time radio from the series Box 13. Here, we learn that sometimes, the mind can manifest curses more horrifying than anything seen in horror movies. We'll take a trip to the Bayou and find out what happens when a man is cursed and believes that death is nigh. If you have any feedback, as ever, those dead letters should be sent to me, Hades, at [email protected].

Send over your dead SMS messages.

Greetings, listeners! I, Hades, removed an episode from this feed. Yes, though the Underworld doesn't generally let anything go, this time, I struck down something I said. It was the episode offering you the chance to sit by our fireside. It now has a permanent home which can be found at firesidefolklorewithhades.com on the right side, under The Olympian Games. At present, there are four voice-powered experiences for your pleasure. You may try your hand at being a world leader with Ares; becoming a rockstar with Apollon; surviving a homeward odyssey with Poseidon; and starring as the mortal star on a reality dating show hosted by Eros! Other experiences will be added at the whims and caprices of the gods. If you have any suggestions for games and experiences you'd like to see, don't E-mail me! Yes, that's right. E-mail my brother, [email protected] and being the king of gods, he's very likely going to be able to persuade (more like decree) the deity to grant your wish. Have fun, and don't spend more than an hour at a time playing because we gods aren't saints and our duties are many!

Send over your dead SMS messages.

Greetings, listeners! Welcome back to another installment of our 13 Nights of Halloween event. What happens when an innocent grocery run turns into a harrowing game of cat and mouse? In tonight's urban legend, our star Artemis gets more than she bargains for when she goes out to buy a few bags of Halloween candy for those trick-or-treaters. And, as promised, this tale had some Underworld twists in it, because we like to keep things interesting around here. If you have any feedback to share, I'm at [email protected]. Enjoy!