In the late 1960s, Point Pleasant, West Virginia, becomes the epicenter of a chilling mystery when residents report sightings of a winged, red-eyed creature dubbed the Mothman.

Beginning with a terrifying encounter by two young couples in the abandoned TNT Area, the phenomenon sparks widespread fear and fascination, drawing in journalist John Keel, whose investigation shapes a seminal book. The narrative weaves through the town’s economic struggles, the era’s paranormal craze, and global mythological parallels, while scientific skepticism challenges the creature’s existence.

Through festivals and museums, Point Pleasant transforms the Mothman into a cultural icon, exploring themes of belief, fear, and human storytelling in a modern myth that endures.

Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown. 

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Episode Reference Material

Chronicling America - The Point Pleasant Register (1966–1967)

Newspapers.com - The Point Pleasant Register (1966–1967)

Chronicling America - The Athens Messenger (1966–1968)

Newspapers.com - The Athens Messenger (1966–1968)

National Transportation Safety Board - Silver Bridge Collapse Report (1970)

West Virginia Department of Natural Resources - Wildlife Records (1960s)

Environmental Protection Agency - TNT Area Assessment (1972)

Mothman Museum - Official Site

Mothman Festival - Official Site

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She was young. Beautiful. Familiar to the city’s restless men and sharp-eyed journalists. By day, she sold cigars in a little shop on Broadway—just a girl behind the counter. But when her body surfaced near Hoboken, facedown and bruised, she became something else entirely: a cautionary tale, a public spectacle, a mystery.

Mary Rogers was given many names. The Beautiful Cigar Girl. The Muse of Broadway. A siren lured to ruin. And long before we had podcasts or detective dramas, her story captivated a nation hungry for scandal. It drew in reporters, moral crusaders—and one very famous writer who believed he could solve her case from the page.

Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown. 

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Episode Reference Material

The Mysterious Death of Mary Rogers: Sex and Culture in Nineteenth-Century New York – Amy Gilman SrebnickEdgar Allan Poe Tried and Failed to Crack the Mysterious Murder of Mary Rogers
The Mysterious Death of Mary Rogers
The Life of Mary Rogers
The Mysterious Murder of “Cigar Girl” Mary Rogers, 1841
The Mystery of Marie Rogêt

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In the heart of Banff National Park, where the Canadian Rockies rise in jagged splendor, the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel stands as a monument to both grandeur and mystery. Known as the "Castle of the Rockies," this Scottish baronial masterpiece, with its limestone turrets and oak-paneled halls, has welcomed travelers since 1888. For Sam McCauley, a bellman whose warm smile and lilting Scottish accent have greeted guests for decades, the hotel is more than a workplace—it’s a home, a sanctuary, and a keeper of secrets. Yet, beneath its opulent surface lies a darker history, one woven with tales of tragedy that have left spectral imprints on its stones. From a bride’s fatal fall to a child’s lost laughter, the hotel’s hauntings are as iconic as its architecture, and Sam’s journey through these events binds him to the Castle’s eternal soul.

Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown. 

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Episode Reference Material

Banff Haunted Hotel - Mystery at the Banff Springs

The Haunted History of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

The Haunted Banff Springs Hotel, Canada

Ghostly Tales of the Banff Springs Hotel

The Ghosts of Fairmont Banff Springs

Haunting Legends of Fairmont’s Banff Springs Hotel

The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

Is the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Actually Haunted?

Banff Springs Hotel, Canada’s Famous Resort

Banff Springs Hotel | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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In the spring of 1967, amateur prospector Stefan Michalak emerged from the woods near Falcon Lake—burned, disoriented, and terrified. What he claimed he saw deep in the Manitoba wilderness would spark one of Canada’s most famous UFO investigations. A strange craft. A searing light. And a silence that felt like it was watching him.

What happened in those woods remains unexplained. But the scars it left were very real.

Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown. 

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Episode Reference Material

Stefan Michalak’s Story: No Aliens Required by The Iron Skeptic 

Falcon Lake incident is Canada's 'best-documented UFO case,' even 50 years later by Darren Bernhardt

The Falcon Lake Incident by Lyndon Froese

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It's a different episode of Lore & Legends today - one that factually explores Aokigahara Forest, Japan’s “Suicide Forest,” tracing its evolution from a natural wonder at the base of Mount Fuji to a global symbol of tragedy. Spanning its geological origins from the 864 CE eruption, 19th-century emergence as a suicide site, and peak suicide rates in the early 2000s, this episode examines economic crises, cultural attitudes, and media influences like Seichō Matsumoto’s Kuroi Jukai that amplified its notoriety. Learn about Japan’s suicide prevention efforts, including national policies and Aokigahara-specific measures like drone patrols, alongside the forest’s role as a tourist destination attracting both nature enthusiasts and “dark tourists.”

Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown. 

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Episode Reference Material

Aokigahara Forest - Wikipedia

CNN: Suicide in Japan's Aokigahara Forest (2009)

Aokigahara: Suicide Forest - IMDb

Aokigahara: Suicide Forest - WatchDocumentaries

Suicide Prevention in Japan - WHO

Aokigahara Forest - National Geographic

Inside Japan’s ‘Suicide Forest’ - CNN (2018)

Japan's Suicide Forest: 33 Creepy Facts - Best Life

National Suicide Prevention Policy in Japan - Injury Prevention

The General Principles of Suicide Prevention Policy - PubMed

The Creepy Confines of Aokigahara - All That’s Interesting

Real Stories From the Japanese Suicide Forest - Bustle

Sea of Trees: Poetic Gateways to Aokigahara - Tokyo Poetry Journal

Aokigahara Forest - Japan National Tourism Organization

Suicide Data and Trends in Japan - Tokyo Mental Health

Excess Suicides in Japan Post-Pandemic - ScienceDirect

Drones Deployed to Aokigahara for Patrol - The Asahi Shimbun

From Tragedy to Tourism - Life360

Aokigahara: A Dark Tourism Spot - Travel Tomorrow

Macabre Tourism in Japan - ResearchGate

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Spring, 1943. In the quiet woods of Hagley, four boys stumble upon something no child should ever find—a skull, staring out from the hollow of a wych elm. Her hand is missing. Her name is unknown. But soon, questions begin to bleed through the brickwork of Birmingham and beyond: Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?

In this bonus episode of Macabrium, we unravel one of England’s most eerie and enduring mysteries. Was Bella a spy tangled in wartime secrecy, a victim of dark ritual, or something else?

Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown. 

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Episode Reference Material

Who Put Bella In the Wych Elm? - CrimeReads

Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? | Tales of History and Imagination

A Digital Reconstruction Reveals the Face of Famed Murder Victim 'Bella in the Wych Elm'

Revealed after 75 years: The face of Bella in the Wych Elm - Birmingham Live

The Unsolved Mystery of Bella in the Wych Elm - Historic Mysteries

Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? The Unsolved Murder That Still Haunts Britain - The Guardian

Bella in the Wych Elm: A Midlands Murder Mystery - BBC News

The Strange Case of Bella in the Wych Elm - Strange Remains

Who Put Bella In the Wych Elm? - Stuff You Should Know | iHeart

‘Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?’: Espionage, Witchcraft, and other Theories - Curious Archive

BBC investigator asks museums for help tracing remains of murder victim

‘Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?’: Espionage, Witchcraft, and other Theories

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It began with a sound—low, then rising. A groan like steel bending under a terrible weight. Then came the rush. Not of water, but something thicker. Darker. A wall of molasses, fifteen feet high, traveling at the speed of a freight train. It shattered buildings, snapped beams like twigs, and swept horses, wagons, and people into its syrupy current. In mere moments, a neighborhood was drowned in sweetness… and death.

They called it the Great Molasses Flood. Some said on hot summer days, the scent still lingers in the air, clinging to the city like a ghost. But what really caused a tank to explode with such fury? Was it poor engineering—or a corporate cover-up? And why does this sticky disaster still seep into Boston’s memory more than a century later?

* This episode's audio has been updated to reflect the correct timeline of the Cold War and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thank you for your understanding as we strive for historical accuracy!

Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown. 

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Episode Reference Material

The Great Molasses Flood by Susan Donnelly 

Without Warning, Molasses in January Surged Over Boston by Edwards Park 

12 Killed When Tank of Molasses Explodes by The New York Times

Anarchists, Horses, Heroes: 12 Things You Didn’t Know about the Great Boston Molasses Flood by Spencer Bull

The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 killed 21 After 2 million gallon tank exploded by Ben Kesslen

100 Years Ago Today: Molasses Crashes Through Boston’sNorth End by Archives and Records Management of the City of Boston

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She came back wearing the same dress they buried her in. Pale. Still. And when she spoke, the truth spilled out like a frostbitten breath: “He broke my neck.”

In this haunting tale from the hills of 19th-century West Virginia, a grieving mother claims her dead daughter returned—not for revenge, but for justice. What followed would become the only known U.S. murder trial where ghostly testimony played a part in the conviction.

Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown. 

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Episode Reference Material

The Full Tale of West Virginia's Remarkable Greenbrier Ghost - West Virginia Explorer

Greenbrier Ghost Historical Marker - Historical Marker Database

Greenbrier County Courthouse - Atlas Obscura

The Greenbrier Ghost: A Haunting Tale of Murder and the Supernatural - Heart Starts Pounding

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In 1925, British explorer Percy Fawcett vanished into the Amazon jungle with his son and a close friend. He was searching for a lost city he called “Z”—a hidden civilization he believed would rewrite the history of the Americas.

Mocked by scholars and dismissed by the Royal Geographical Society, Fawcett pressed on, convinced of Z’s existence. He was never seen again.

What happened to him remains one of the Amazon’s great unsolved mysteries.

*A previous version of this episode included an incorrect pronunciation of Raleigh Rimmel . The episode has since been updated with the correct pronunciation.

Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown. 

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Episode Reference Material

The Lost City of Z by David Grann

Percy Fawcett and The Lost City by Alexander Lee

The Enduring Mystery Behind Percy Fawcett’s Disappearance by Evan Andrews

Percy Fawcett by Spike Island

Col. P.H. Fawcett: the ultimate Amazon explorer by Jerome Jennings

The Lost City of Z is a very long way from a true story – and I should know by John Hemming

Veil lifts on jungle mystery of the colonel who vanished by The Observer (republished in The Guardian)
Lost Cities of the Amazon Discovered From the Air by Brian Handwerk

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In 16th-century Scotland, the legend of Sawney Bean unfolds as a chilling tale of savagery and retribution. Set against the rugged cliffs of Bennane Head, this dark folktale follows a pair of outcasts who forge a brutal existence far from society’s reach. Their choices spark a reign of terror that grips the coastal lowlands, leaving a trail of fear and mystery in their wake. As whispers of their deeds spread, the forces of justice, driven by a resolute king, set out to confront the horror hidden in the shadows. Vividly capturing the era’s unrest and superstition, the story weaves a gripping narrative of survival, defiance, and the consequences of abandoning humanity’s bonds. This haunting saga, rooted in Scottish lore, explores the thin line between civilization and chaos, culminating in a dramatic reckoning that echoes as a cautionary fable.

Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown. 

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Episode Reference Material

Sawney Bean - Wiki Ancient Origins: Cannibalism in Scotland

Historic UK: The Story of Sawney Bean

The Scotsman: Sawney Bean and his family

Undiscovered Scotland: Alexander "Sawney" Bean

Fonthill Media: Sawney Bean: Dissecting the Legend

All That’s Interesting: The Legend Of Sawney Bean

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