Haunted Talks

The first episode in a 3-part Haunted Talks special event! Over the next few episodes, we'll explore four poltergeist stories that took place in Canada in the 19th and early 20th centuries, all of which seem to share some striking and terrifying similarities.

We start off with one of the greatest Canadian mysteries of all time and what might be the most famous historic poltergeist story in the country: the Baldoon mystery. Rocks and bullets were propelled at the exterior of their house by unseen attackers. Family members would often collect the bullets and rocks and sometimes leave unique markings on the items. They were then brought off the property and even deposited in nearby creeks. Only a few days later, the same bullets and rocks with the unique markings would appear back at their house.

Our second poltergeist story takes us to Clarendon, Quebec, where the Dagg Family were subjected to objects flying around and heavy furniture moving by itself. Despite the suspicions placed on a recently adopted daughter who seemed a lightning rod for the activity, there was agreement that no one person could start so many random fires without help.

Join us for the next two parts of Canadian Poltergeists! New episodes every day from Oct 19 – 21, 2022!

We start the show with TWO major announcements! In a Haunted Talks first, we will have three-part mini-series on classic Canadian poltergeist cases that we will release over three consecutive days. The series kicks-off on Wednesday, October 19th, 2022.

In other big news, our Virtual Haunted Campfires will return for two big live shows at the end October. They will feature two of most popular campfire guest storytellers ever.

The Pickman family thought they had found the perfect new home for their growing family. Within days they began to notice strange happenings. Playful at first, they became sinister and terrifying. Forcing the family to flee for their safety, leaving an incredible ghost story and countless questions in their wake. Join us as we explore the extremely disturbing Sallie House Haunting.

The Beast of Gévaudan is a true story about a vicious monster that terrorized the French countryside in the 18th century. It was a creature that was so difficult to describe that most of the eyewitnesses could not agree about what had attacked them. A wolf? A man? Or was it something else entirely? Despite many theories over the last 250 years, no satisfactory explanation has ever been found. We attempt to separate the fact from the fiction and ponder if this fanciful-sounding beast was humanity's most terrible nightmare come true.

For more details about our new ghost tours: Ghosts of Queen's University (Kingston), Tales from the Mausoleum at Beechwood Cemetery (Ottawa), and Toronto's Haunted Harbour.

Alcatraz is a place that uniquely captures the imagination, with stories of the civil war, harden criminals, daring escape attempts and lingering legends. We will be exploring "the Rock" through the eyes of Historian, Haunted Talks contributor and former Haunted Walk tour guide, Brittney Bos, Ph.D, as she visits the infamous island for the first time. While wandering the cellblocks and hallways she will share her thoughts and impressions about this one-of-a-kind site and why it is essential to preserve and visit places of tragedy, loss and suffering.

For more about Alcatraz, hear from a Park Ranger in Haunted Talks Episode 19 – The Fate of the Kingston Pen.

Sometimes even the most cheerful and happy places can be spooky. We share the stories of several locations that you never would guess are haunted, including children's playgrounds, amusement parks and sports stadiums. There is something about the unexpected nature of these encounters that makes them especially eerie. You may never look at the monkey bars the same way again.

Over 700 people were hanged in Canada before capital punishment was abolished in 1976. Of those, less than 2% were women. We examine the rare occasions when women were executed and the circumstances surrounding those cases. The stories range from acts of senseless violence to domestic disputes to gross miscarriages of justice to botched executions. We delve into this dark and often overlooked aspect of Canadian history.

In the episode, we mention Canada's Official Executioner Arthur Ellis. To read more about his story and tragic downfall, check out our blog post – "Canada's Hangman".

While a minor outlaw during his lifetime, the story of Elmer J. McCurdy really begins after his death in 1911. For 60 years, his mortal remains were intentionally, and at times accidentally, displayed for public amusement and profit. Events culminated in 1976 when a TV show thought they had found the perfect prop in an old carnival dark ride. Only to realize what they had discovered was not a recreation of a mummified body – but a corpse! What was it doing there, and how was the mystery solved? We share the shocking and at times almost unbelievable tale of the afterlife of Elmer J. McCurdy in the latest episode of Haunted Talks!

It has been called the most haunted object in the world, but is it really one of the biggest paranormal hoaxes in recent memory? The Dybbuk Box has terrified people for nearly two decades, but last year the original spreader of the tale (and a few accomplices) admitted that the entire thing was made up. We dig into the facts, the fiction, and the bizarre stories of those who continue to come into contact with it.

Be sure to check out our new Haunted Talks Tees & Haunted Hoodies – look spooky and help support the show!