MonsterTalk

We're joined by Sydney Davidson - student of Dr. Jeb Card (IRO) - to discuss her research into Frogmen Festivals, and to discuss monster festivals and some of the reasons people report they attend. (And it's not all about the plushies and t-shirts.)

Darren Naish on The Loveland Frog

The Myth of Disenchantment

Frogman Festival 2026

Close Encounters at Kelly And Others of 1955 (affiliate link)

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We're joined by Matt Baxter to watch and discuss another vintage BBC look at the paranormal - this time in the form of an allegedly haunted chest of drawers. Check the links and watch it yourself if you've got 12 mins to spare. What do you think of our takes?

Additional Links:

BBC Archive Clip - A Haunted Chest of Drawers

AGT: Special Head (levitation trick)

The Indian Rope Trick - Penn & Teller documentary about the history of the trick

David Berglas - Magician and Skeptical Investigator

Massimo Polidoro - modern skeptical investigator

Tony Cornell - British Parapsychologist and antiquarian

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We're joined by host of the Conspiracy Skeptic Podcast, Karl Mamer. Karl's working on a new book in his series of skeptically themed books of lists (The Skeptic's Book of Lists, The Conspiracy Skeptic's Book of Lists) and has been looking into the origins of demons & devils in Dungeons & Dragons.

Further Reading:

Deities & Demigods
BBC: The Great 1980s D&D Panic
Michael Stackpole and the Pulling Report (counter to B.A.D.D.)
The composite D&D title card is based on the work of David C. Sutherland III.






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In this episode, I talk about why I don't believe in Bigfoot and the core of my basis of doubt. This is part of a new intermittent series wherein we'll be looking at why a lot of monster stories fall apart when you attack them with Occam's Razor and other similarly sharp tools.

The clip in the intro is from In Search Of... Season 1, Episode 5. If you want to hear A LOT more about that episode, check out this episode of In ReSearch Of....

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This week on MonsterTalk, Blake and Karen are joined by Matthew Baxter to revisit Karen’s classic investigation book Haunting America — newly re-released in paperback just in time for Halloween 🎃. Together they discuss how the book began as a project for the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF), the fieldwork behind its famous cases, and the updated edition’s new conclusion and color photos.👻 Topics discussed:

• Origins of Haunting America — conceived at the JREF as a skeptical investigation anthology.
• Behind-the-scenes stories from Karen and Matt’s fieldwork across the U.S.

• Visits to legendary “haunted” sites including:
  🏠 The Myrtles Plantation — tracing the truth behind the tale of “Chloe.”
  🏥 Waverly Hills Sanatorium — separating tuberculosis history from ghost folklore.
  🔫 Winchester Mystery House — examining Sarah Winchester’s real story vs. myth.

• Working with the JREF and Tim Farley (“What’s the Harm?”) on skeptical outreach.
• Revisiting historic ghost claims through the historical method rather than gadgets and TV tropes.
• Comparing early 2000s ghost hunting culture with modern media portrayals.
• The enduring folklore vs. fact tension in places like the Stanley Hotel, Amityville, and Lizzie Borden House.
• The value of myth-busting as a form of respect for real history and real people.🕯️ About the new edition:
• Now in paperback with color photographs and updated research.
• Includes follow-up findings on the Myrtles Plantation and San Antonio Railroad “ghost tracks.”
• Adds a new concluding chapter reflecting on skepticism and folklore after a decade of investigations.


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UAPs, “Disclosure,” and the Influence Machine 🔦🛰️
This episode looks at the latest UAP theater around Rep. Eric Burlison’s congressional presentation of the “Hellfire vs. orb” video, how it intersects with long-running media and funding networks (Skinwalker Ranch/NIDS/Las Vegas circle), and why skepticism and provenance still matter. We discuss the hearing, witness line-up, and the ecosystem that amplifies these claims—along with grounded, testable explanations where available.
With Matt Baxter.

🎥 Primary Items from the Episode
• Eric Burlison’s Congressional Presentation of Video (with George Knapp testimony)
• Eric Burlison’s UAP DISCLOSURE ACT

🧪 Skeptical Takes & Analysis
• Mick West’s take — It’s a balloon again
• Hank Green’s take — Seriously — it’s just a balloon

🎧 Related Listening from the Episode
• Strange Arrivals podcast
• Toby Ball’s visits to MonsterTalk

📚 Books & Authors Mentioned
• Sarah Scoles — They Are Already Here
• Sarah’s visits to MonsterTalk

🧩 Quick Reference: Acronyms, Players, and Context
• AATIP — Pentagon program often associated with Luis Elizondo
• TTSA — To The Stars Academy (Tom DeLonge, Hal Puthoff): company, Tom DeLonge, Harold Puthoff
• UAP — Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (newer terminology): overview
• UFO — Unidentified Flying Object (classic term with cultural baggage): background
• Robert Bigelow — hotelier, space entrepreneur, longtime funder in the anomaly space: bio

📰 Key Reporting That Shifted the Conversation
• The New York Times story that broke AATIP publicly: read
• The 2020 follow-up from two of the authors (Kean & Blumenthal): read

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This week Blake Smith and Karen Stollznow are joined by clinical psychologist Dr. Brian A. Sharpless, author of Monsters on the Couch, to discuss cannibalism—what it is, why humans have done it, and how the taboo shows up in archaeology, medicine, psychology, and horror cinema. They cover definitions (endocannibalism vs. survival cannibalism), prion diseases such as Kuru, criminal and paraphilic cases, and pop-culture touchpoints from Ravenous to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, plus legend-tripping at Lovelock Cave and the “giants” folklore around the Mound Builder myth.

Don't forget to grab Karen's latest: Bitch: The Journey of a Word

🔎 Quick Links & References
• Cannibalism (overview) — Wikipedia: Cannibalism
• Kuru & prion diseases — Kuru (Britannica) • Prion
• Survival cannibalism cases — Donner Party • Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
• Medicinal cannibalism — Mumia (medication) • Hand of Glory
• Criminal/forensic examples — Albert Fish • Jeffrey Dahmer
• Paraphilias mentioned — Vorarephilia • Autosarcophagy (self-cannibalism)
• Films discussed — Ravenous (1999) • The Hills Have Eyes • The Texas Chain Saw Massacre • A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors • Cannibal Holocaust • The Green Inferno (2013)
• Legends & sites — Lovelock Cave • Paiute people • Mound Builder myth • Wendigo🧾 Episode Breakdown
• 🍽️ What counts as cannibalism? Clear definition limited to consumption of human flesh; distinctions from blood drinking and other bodily materials.
• 🗺️ How widespread is it? Cross-cultural evidence, past debates in anthropology, and the modern scholarly consensus that it occurred in multiple contexts (ritual, survival, criminal, etc.). See the overview above.
• 📚 Ten motives framework (from Dr. Sharpless’s work): survival, ritual/endocannibalism, exocannibalism, benign/unwitting, criminal/cover-up, gastronomic preference, medicinal, and more—with historical examples. (See Monsters on the Couch)
• 🧪 Prions & Kuru: funerary cannibalism among the Fore in Papua New Guinea, transmission via neural tissue, and broader prion disease context. See links above.
• 💊 “Medicinal” cannibalism in early‑modern Europe: mummy powders, fat, and other preparations; “hand of glory” magical lore. Folger Shakespeare Library entry on corpse medicine.
• ⚖️ Forensic & clinical angles: overlap with antisocial personality disorder, psychosis in some cases, and how/when behaviors rise to diagnosable paraphilias.
• 🎥 Horror on screen: from Ravenous and The Hills Have Eyes to Texas Chain Saw Massacre, plus genre riffs on “taking the victim’s traits.”
• 🧸 Vorarephilia & internet subcultures: “hard” vs. “soft” vore, online communities, and clinical caution about distress/impairment.
• 🗿 Lovelock Cave & the “giants” stories: local legend‑tripping, Paiute lore about cannibal enemies, and a skeptical look at Mound Builder/“Smithsonian cover‑up” narratives.
• 📖 Reading & viewing: Dr. Sharpless’s Monsters on the Couch; films noted above; folklore touchpoints like Wendigo.
• 📖 Bob Burns Disambiguation: Texas Chainsaw Bob (Robert A. Burns) and Tracy the Gorilla Bob (Bob Burns III)📚 Books Mentioned
• Brian A. Sharpless, Monsters on the Couch
• Richard J. Dewhurst, The Ancient Giants Who Ruled America (decidedly NOT skeptical)
• Jason Colavito, The Mound Builder Myth: Fake History and the Hunt for a "Lost White Race"

Affiliate disclosure: Some links above are affiliate links that may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support the show’s production. Thank you!

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🎙 MonsterTalk — The Cult of Moloch
Show Notes · Hosts: Blake Smith & Karen Stollznow

In this episode, Blake Smith and Karen Stollznow explore the history, mythology, and propaganda surrounding the idea of the Cult of Moloch—a figure long associated with child sacrifice and moral panic. They trace Moloch’s biblical origins in Leviticus and Kings, the contested archaeological claims from Carthage’s Tophet, and Roman accusations against rivals such as the Celts and Druids. The discussion moves through how child-sacrifice narratives have been weaponized across history—from Rome’s propaganda and medieval blood libel to the Satanic Panic and modern conspiracy culture—while separating those myths from documented, contemporary abuse scandals.

Topics in this episode:
🔥 Moloch in Scripture and History
⚱️ Archaeology of Carthage & the Tophet Debate
🪵 Celts, Druids & the Wicker Man
🎃 Samhain, Halloween & Sacrificial Myths
🗡 Accusations as Propaganda
😈 Satanic Panic & Modern Moral Panics
⚖️ Real Scandals & Institutional Abuse
🧠 Critical Thinking & Evidence

⚠️ Content Warning:
This episode includes discussion of child sacrifice, infanticide, sexual abuse, religious violence, and moral panics. While handled through a skeptical and historical lens, some material may be distressing to listeners. Parental discretion is advised.

🔥 Moloch in Scripture and History
• Hebrew Bible: Leviticus 18:21; 20:2–5; 2 Kings 23:10.
• Further reading:
— John Day, Molech: A God of Human Sacrifice in the Old Testament
— Jewish Virtual Library — “Molech”

⚱️ Archaeology of Carthage & the Tophet Debate
• Quinn & Xella (2014), “Carthaginian Child Sacrifice: Reassessing the Evidence,” Antiquity
• Lawrence Stager, “The Rite of Child Sacrifice at Carthage,” Biblical Archaeology Review

🪵 Celts, Druids & the Wicker Man
• Miranda Aldhouse-Green, Human Sacrifice: Archaeological Perspectives (affiliate link)
• BBC History — “Who Were the Druids?”

🎃 Samhain, Halloween & Sacrificial Myths
• Ronald Hutton, The Stations of the Sun (affiliate link)
• History.com — “Samhain and the Origins of Halloween”

🗡 Accusations as Propaganda
• USHMM — “Blood Libel”
• Tertullian, Apologeticus (English)

😈 Satanic Panic & Modern Moral Panics
• Skeptical Inquirer — “The Return of the Satanic Panic”
• FBI (1992) — “Satanic Ritual Abuse” report

⚖️ Real Scandals & Institutional Abuse
• Rotherham CSE — Alexis Jay Report (2014)
• Jimmy Savile — BBC Inquiry Findings
• Jeffrey Epstein — BBC Timeline
• Catholic Church — John Jay Report (2004)

🧠 Critical Thinking & Evidence
• Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World
• The Foundation for Critical Thinking

📚 Bonus:

Don’t forget Karen’s latest short story, The Walsingham Ghosts — available as text or audiobook exclusively from Amazon!

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We finish up Season 4 of MonsterTalk, not with a bang - but a chuckle, as we welcome Science Comedian Brian Malow to talk about using humor and science to entertain. 

https://sciencecomedian.com/

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We discuss the sketchy "science by press release" of Colossal Biosciences and the controversies lurking in the history of its lead scientist. Have they resurrected dire wolves? No. Definitely not. If only overblown celebrity endorsed hype was the only problem…

Did they make a Dire Wolf? (Spoiler: NOT EVEN REMOTELY CLOSE)

George Church's explanation of Epstein ties

James Arthur Ray - Guru of Death?

Tony Robbins (more from Quora and Reddit)

Peter Jackson and the Moa

George R. R. Martin and the Dire Wolf

For a more… salacious take on this, check out the 2-part "Behind the Bastards" coverage of this topic. Part 1 and Part 2.

--- on a more positive note ---
What is CRISPR?


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