Elizabeth takes us into the remote mining country of northern Ontario, where a neuroscientist named Michael Persinger has spent decades trying to understand how the brain constructs some of our most powerful experiences. At the centre of his work is a modified motorcycle helmet, fitted with coils that deliver weak, patterned magnetic fields to the temporal lobes. The idea is unsettlingly simple… could the feeling of a presence in the room, even something interpreted as God, be triggered by subtle changes in brain activity? As one journalist sits inside Persinger’s lab and undergoes the experiment himself, the line between neuroscience and the supernatural begins to blur in unexpected ways. Plus Elizabeth shares a little about the release of her new book.

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected] 

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth takes us to the wooded outskirts of Florence, where between 1968 and 1985 a killer known as the “Monster of Florence” stalked young couples parked in secluded cars. Sixteen people were murdered across eight attacks in rural lovers’ lanes. But as the investigation dragged on for decades, suspects multiplied, confessions unraveled, and the truth only became more elusive. So was this a single, methodical killer moving through the Tuscan darkness, or a case where fear and flawed policing helped create the monster? Plus Elizabeth shares a little about her recent trip to a spider convention! 

This story was provided by a Paranormia listener. If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected] 

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paranormia is back for season two! In this episode Elizabeth takes us to the remote Alaskan village where former Marine and actor Teddy Kyle Smith claimed he was being followed through the wilderness by the Inukins, mysterious little people from Inuit folklore said to live beyond the edges of civilisation. Days later, two brothers on a hunting trip stumbled across Smith hiding in an isolated cabin deep in the tundra… only one of them would escape uninjured. So what really happened in the frozen wilderness outside Kiana? A psychological break shaped by isolation and folklore, or something far stranger?

Plus, throughout season two, Elizabeth wants to share a bit more of her life outside of Paranormia… the strange stories, rabbit holes and weird moments that catch her attention during the week. From talks about alien encounters and the people who genuinely believe them, to internet deep dives sparked by a chaotic Dev Patel lookalike contest in London, this season also explores the strange things that stick with us, both on and off the podcast.

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected] 

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth checks in as Paranormia wraps its first season, with a quick look back at CrimeCon Birmingham and a glimpse into what’s coming next… From the science that might explain ghosts, including a device that can trigger the feeling of a presence in the room, to unsettling encounters linked to a real life plane crash where crew members reported sightings of those who didn’t survive… and a court case so strange it saw “demonic possession” used as a legal defence.

Plus, a reminder that if you’ve got a story you think Elizabeth should dig into, she wants to hear from you: [email protected]

Paranormia will be back in a couple of weeks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In February 1945 Charles Walton, a farm labourer in his seventies was found brutally murdered in a field in Warwickshire. The scene was shocking… his throat cut with his own tool and his body pinned to the ground with a pitchfork.

As the investigation unfolded, rumours began to spread of witchcraft, ancient rituals, and something darker beneath the surface of rural life. Over time, the case became both an unsolved murder and legend. So what really happened to Charles Walton? And how did one killing turn into one of Britain’s most unsettling folklore mysteries?

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If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 1980s a kitsch mass-produced painting of a tearful child was linked to a spate of unexplained house fires across the UK in the 1980s. Firefighters noticed that when they attended house fires there was often one object left intact, the big blue eyes of a little crying boy, its edges singed, the frame sooty. But surviving seemingly countless fires. So how did the legend of the crying boy painting lead to a massive tabloid bonfire? Find out, on this episode of Paranormia.

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If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2005, on the Isle of Sheppey, a young man was found wandering near a beach soaked through and unable to explain who he was or where he came from. As weeks passed with no answers his case captured global attention, and with no identity to anchor the story, speculation began to take over. Known only as “The Piano Man,” he became the centre of a mystery shaped as much by imagination as by fact. This episode explores what really happened, and how a real person became a story the world couldn’t stop telling.

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If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Between 1968 and 1969, a mysterious killer haunted Northern California, murdering at least five people and sending cryptic letters and ciphers to local newspapers. Calling himself the 'Zodiac,' he taunted police and the public, but his true identity has never been revealed. This episode explores the crimes, the chilling letters, and the lasting mystery of the Zodiac Killer.

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If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In March 1997, a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California became the site of one of the most unsettling mass deaths in modern history. 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate group were found arranged in identical clothing, their deaths carefully planned and documented. Led by Marshall Applewhite, the group had spent decades developing a belief system that blended religion, science fiction, and extraterrestrial salvation, teaching that Earth was temporary and that a spacecraft from the “Next Level” would come to take them home. As comet Hale-Bopp comet appeared in the 1990s, their beliefs crystallised into a final act they described not as suicide, but as “graduation.” This episode explores how the group formed and how belief created one of the most haunting cult cases in American history.

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If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the late 1970s, Sacramento was shaken by a series of brutal killings carried out by Richard Trenton Chase, a man later labelled the “Vampire Killer.” Convinced that his blood was being poisoned and that he needed to survive by taking blood from others, his behaviour escalated from harming animals to attacking people. In just one month, six lives were taken. This episode explores who Richard Chase was, how his beliefs developed, and how a suburban city became the backdrop for one of the most disturbing true crime cases in American history.

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If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.