Haunted Talks

Was there a monster hiding in the cemetery? In 1954, the Glasgow Police Department began to receive concerned calls about hundreds of school children descending on a nearby necropolis. These children varied in age from teenagers, all the way down to toddlers who could barely walk. Many carried crucifixes or other protective talismans. More disturbingly, others were armed with knives and makeshift weapons as they patrolled the grounds. There is no doubt the children came looking for a fight with a monster. Did they get one?

The tragic story of the sinking of the Titanic continues to fascinate, terrify and inspire the imagination. As we approach the anniversary of this historic event, we will look at the Titanic from another angle – a supernatural one. Is it possible that some people knew in advance that the great ship's maiden voyage would end in disaster at sea? Our guest, retired professor Terry Keefe, has recently complied over 200 different cases, many from difficult to obtain or out-of-print sources, in his new book "Premonitions of the Titanic Disaster." He will be sharing with us some of the most intriguing and eerie examples. It is another mysterious layer to the story of the ill-fated luxury steamship.

Once a year, Canadian literary giant, Robertson Davies, would write and perform a ghost story for his students and colleagues at the University of Toronto. This wonderful tradition carried on for 18 years. In the episode, we share one of the best examples of his spooky and side-splitting stories that blur the lines between fact and fiction.

In the aftermath of one of the deadliest tornadoes in US history, strange stories began to circulate in Joplin, Missouri. Children from a variety of backgrounds reported that angel-like "Butterfly People" had protected them during the terrible storm which claimed 161 lives. These incredible stories of survival are captivating and illuminate the very thin line between the divine and the paranormal.

Warning: The episode contains descriptions of a massive tornadic event and the resulting destruction and loss of life. Listener discretion is advised.

We celebrate our 100th episode with a blockbuster interview! Professor Alexander Puzrin recently made international headlines for a paper he co-wrote in the Communications Earth & Environment academic journal about the Dyatlov Pass Incident. He joins us from Zurich to explain the new scientific discoveries that may finally solve one the world's most famously frustrating unsolved mysteries. Follow us as we head deep into the Ural Mountains looking for answers.

Due to the unsettling nature of the tragedy, and descriptions of significant injuries, listener discretion is advised.

Has the Dyaltov Pass Incident, one of the world's most chilling mysteries, been solved? What could explain why a group of expert Russian skiers cut their way out of their own tent in the middle of a freezing cold night and wandered off into the dark without jackets and in bare feet? Avalanche? Animal attack? Military testing? Or…something much more sinister? Join us as we look back at the bizarre story before our big interview next week with one of the authors of the new headline making report.

Courtney from the Haunts Jaunts podcast chats with Jim about a variety of spooky topics. They discuss intriguing reports coming in from The Haunting at Home. Including Courtney's own experience. The reports pose questions about the nature of ghosts, reality and our perception. Of course, all this and more, with a good measure a ghost stories sprinkled throughout!

During the Victorian Era the practice of reading ghost stories out loud in groups of family or friends was very common. This was particularly true around the holidays. We are reviving this tradition with Charles Dickens' other supernatural classic, The Signalman. Some argue it is the greatest ghost story ever written.

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Do police officers believe in ghosts? What incredible and difficult to explain events have they witnessed or been called in to assist with while on duty? We are joined by Elliott Van Dusen, a retired member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police turned paranormal investigator, to discuss the intriguing reports he has collected from his colleagues for his new book: Supernatural Encounters: True Paranormal Accounts from Law Enforcement.

What are ghosts? What do they look like? How do they act? Why do they exist? These are all fundamental questions we explore in virtually every episode of Haunted Talks. As we approach Halloween, when the boundaries between the living and the dead are most blurred – It seems only fitting that we look at these questions once again from a slightly different perspective. In 1900, an article was first published in the Chicago Tribune, "The Habits and Customs of Ghosts – Investigated By Science". It shares some truly terrifying ghost stories and provides insight into how people thought about the paranormal 120 years ago. Have ghosts changed much over that time?