Horrifying History

If there were anyone in American history that demonstrated what true evil actually was; it was the Harpe’s brothers. These men immigrated from Scotland in search of a new future, but instead ended the futures of many. They became two of the most blood thirsty killers of the American Frontier, and this landed them the distinction of becoming the United States first recorded serial killers.

Just a quick heads up here - today’s episode will be talking about murder...a lot of murders. Listener discretion is advised.

Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.  

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Most people today say they don’t believe in curses. But if you consider the prevalence of curses in today’s media; it suggests that this concept still has a hold on many peoples psyches, and that many still believe that this could happen to them.

From a scientific perspective, there is a rational explanation behind why people could believe they are cursed. For example, studies show that people who believe they are cursed come up with this idea due to their own thinking patterns, or from the desire to make sense of the world around them. Science also tells us that if a person does believe in curses that this belief is often reinforced by other psychological tendencies. There is no scientific evidence to support a supernatural base for curses, but the belief of a curse has powerful impact of people. And despite evidence to the contrary, many stories of curses are very compelling.

Today we are going to hear some of these stories, and after listening you can decide…are curses actually real?

Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.  

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One of my favourite books, and favourite movies of all time is Steven King’s IT. I was never scared of clowns before the book, but afterwards it made me a little nervous. Clowns are supposed to be fun, and bring us back to a simpler time of our childhoods. But that wasn’t always the case.

Some people historically have chosen to take this safe image, and use it to commit evil acts.

Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.  

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There are a lot of haunted houses that are said to be haunted for many different reasons. But some of these houses truly stand out, and today we are going to hear about a few of these paranormal hotspots that are famous world wide for what may be happening within their walls.

Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.  

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Imagine doing something so horrendous that it results in you being the star in a nursery rhyme...

Lizzie Borden took an axe,

But what if it wasn’t true.

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Twins appear in mythologies from many cultures around the world. Some believe that they have a bond deeper than regular siblings do, and that they also have can have special powers. Some cultures see twins as a symbol of fertility and a wish for immortality - but what if twins could in fact be exactly that…immortal.

Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.  

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The power of play is very important in helping a child thrive. It is more than a chance to have fun, but it is also vital to a child’s health and development which enriches a child’s brain, body, and life in many ways. Now games usually should not result in someone getting hurt, but it happens. I remember a time playing hide and seek in the dark resulting in me getting one of the worst black eyes I have ever seen, and another time resulting in me getting attacked by hornets. This is not the norm.

But there are some games that are now part of legend, and some believe that if you chose to play, that you may die.

Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.  

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When you come home you expect to be safe...after all...your home is your castle…right? But even though you may not want to believe this, the truth is that there is no way to guarantee for your safety no matter where you are.

For one small town in Ohio, they learned this lesson the hard way when an unknown individual began mailing threatening and sexually explicit letters to residents. Now if that isn’t scary enough, what made this worse is that in small towns everyone knows everyone else. There are no real strangers, and the person who wrote those letters knew way too much. For years locals looked over their shoulders. Some wondered if they would be targeted, while others wondered how they got in the letter writers crosshairs.

Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.  

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In 1893, a man named H.H. Holmes was the master of his domain. He lured victims to his macabre hotel that he outfitted with trap doors, gas chambers, and a basement crematorium. According to some claims, he killed up to 200 people inside his Murder Castle, and is considered to be one of America’s first serial killers.

Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.  

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What are the ingredients for the perfect modern day urban myth? Well…it needs to be something that a quick Google search will not give away its true origin. It also needs to be something that lingers and re-manifests...something that jostles memories of the first time it supposedly creeps out of the darkness, and makes itself known.

Today, the tale you will hear has these elements, and has been one of the most talked about of all modern based myths. The Mothman is a creature that was first documented in the late 1960s, and since then has been spotted countless times in the United States. Some claim it comes before cataclysmic events, and others claim it is connected to UFOs and the Men in Black. But others believe it is a hoax, or maybe a product of mass hysteria. Whatever the Mothman is, it continues to appear in both real life and pop culture, and is now deeply embedded into modern American folklore.

Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.  

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