Spooky Times with Eric D

What is fact and what is fiction? It's hard to separate the two when discussing the origins of Washington Irving's famous short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and it's most famous ghost, The Headless Horseman. But that won't stop host Eric Dwinnells and guest cohost Jennifer B. Lecesse from trying to figure it out for you!

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is essentially this: there is a phantom headless horseman who rides out of his grave each night between midnight and dawn. He rides to where he was killed in battle when a cannonball decapitated him. It is said he is looking for his head, but if he can't find his own, he will attempt to take one from any mortal that crosses his path. His most famous alleged victim was the town's hapless school master, Ichabod Crane.

So was the legend real? Is there really a headless soldier buried at near the Old Dutch Church and did the town fear him? Is there really a Sleepy Hollow? Was there really an Ichabod Crane?  Turns out the answer to all these questions is YES!....and no!

We'll also discuss the various adaptations of the story from the silent Will Rogers movie, to the Disney cartoon, to Tim Burton's "reimagining". 

Remember: You can't reason with a headless man!

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Who is The Grim Reaper? Where did the image of a cloaked skeleton wielding farming equipment come from? Will Eric learn to pronounce "scythe" correctly? No, no he won't.

Join host Eric Dwinnells and guest cohost Tristyn Sepersky as they discuss all of the above as well as ancient visages of Death, psychopomps, A Christmas Carol, ceramics and why The Grim Reaper so often appears in programing meant for children.

On a more serious note, Eric opens up about the death of his father and the unsettling effect it had on his childhood. This is not something he likes to talk about and, as you'll hear, he debates if he should even bring it up on the show. But, in the end, we thought it was too interesting not to mention. You won't want to miss it!

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Host Eric Dwinnells could not be more excited to share one of his biggest Halloween pleasures with you (and cohost Tom Cole), 1979's The Halloween That Almost Wasn't aka The Night Dracula Saved The World! The truly blessed among you have strong memories of watching this special each year...the less fortunate won't remember it at all. But don't let the fact that you've never seen it scare you away from listening to this episode; we'll cover everything you need to know to appreciate The Halloween That Almost Wasn't and tell you how you can watch it for free (short answer: youtube).

Judd Hirsch as Dracula. Mariette Hartley as The Witch. Henry Gibson as Igor (look him up, you'll recognize him!), and John Schuck as Frankenstein's Monster! In our world, that's an all star cast!

Relive the surprisingly sentimental moments, enjoy a handful of honest-to-god good jokes, and revel in the cheesy special effects that make The Halloween That Almost Wasn't a true holiday classic that is not to be missed!

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It's host Eric Dwinnells' first trip to Maine and what could bring him so far up north? The International Cryptozoology Museum, of course! Join Eric and guest cohost Fatima Elmi as they discuss cryptids in general and their visit to the museum specifically. Topics covered include childhood fear of Bigfoot and the woods, confirmed species that may have once been considered cryptids, The Dover Demon, The Terror of Lewiston, Dogmen, Flatwoods Monster, Ruby Creek, thunderbirds, mermaids, and of course the Yeti...Sasquatch...Bigfoot!

Was the museum worth the 3 hour trip? What are some other cool things to check out in Portland? What's so spooky about The Victoria Mansion? How good is Becky's Diner?

All this and more on tonight's SAS!

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Cryptozoology Museum Website
Victoria Mansion

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As host Eric Dwinnells states right at the top of the show, the title is a bit of a misnomer! Not all the movies talked about are all that cheesy, some of them can't really be described as "horror", and some were actually TV specials...but they are all from the 1980's! Often cheesy, sometimes campy, always entertaining, this show has it all!

Things get funky with a musical number in The Midnight Hour! Hear Eric explain why Friday the 13TH Part 3 is the greatest F13 film of them all! Relive the crushing disappointment that is Gene Wilder's Haunted Honeymoon! Have your flamethrower ready to survive the Night of the Creeps! Live the dream with A Nightmare n Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors! Seek chills and thrills in Tobe Hopper's The Funhouse! And enjoy your time in the wax museum in Waxworks...just don't cross the velvet rope or you might get eaten by a werewolf!

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Host Eric Dwinnells and guest cohost Tom Cole are seeing faces everywhere! Starting in 1971, phantom faces started appearing on the kitchen floor of a poor family in Belmez, Spain. The faces appeared to be in anguish and despite repeated attempts to get rid of them, more and more kept appearing! Did the midivil burial ground the house was allegedly built over have anything to do with it or is it just a hoax perpetrated for financial gain by the family's son?

Also discussed: Two sailors die in an accident onboard their ship. They are given a proper burial at see...but for days after, the remaining crew and even the captain claim to see the faces of the men in the water and they have pictures as proof! Also, in the early 90's a special aired that scared lil' Eric when it showed a creepy ghostly face appearing on a TV that had been turned off. Could this be why Eric refers to fall asleep with the tv on to this day?

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We all love the movie Jaws, but did you know it was loosely based on actual events that took place exactly 100 years ago? Tonight host Eric Dwinnells and guest co-host Brian Toney talk about The Jersey Man-Eater, a shark (or perhaps multiple sharks!) that attacked and killed at least 4 people in 12 days but unlike the shark in the movie, this shark didn't terrorize one town, he caused a panic over 95 miles of The Jersey Shore! Learn about the attacks, theories on what kind of shark could have done it, how the public reacted and the lion tamer/big game hunter who may have put an end to the sharks reign of terror.

Eric also gives you helpful hints on how to avoid being eaten by a shark, compares Jaws the book to Jaws the movie, and then derails his own show by explaining why he doesn't care for the ocean and his big issue with fish. Buckle up for hat one, folks!

Also discussed: Eric and Brian know someone with a speaking part in the new Ghostbusters movie!

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Eric Dwinnells and guest Julie Dauber discuss the messed up life and writings of the granddaddy of American horror stories, Edgar Alan Poe! Every one of us "weird kids" went through a Poe phase, didn't we? He was the only one who understood our tortured teenaged souls! But it turns out his poems/stories weren't just for emo tweens; There's some seriously good story telling going on in stories such as The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Cask of Amontilado!

We'll also talk about Poe's life from the death of his mother, to his floundering military service, to his marriage to his 13 year old first cousin, to his mysterious death! Oh, and not to mention all the tuberculosis that seemed to follow wherever he went. Was he mad? A drunk? A genius? Perhaps all of the above. Let's talk Poe!

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At the very top of the episode, host Eric Dwinnells finds out this weeks guest, Maureen Festa, is a true believer in ghosts and the paranormal in general. Thought skeptic himself, he promises not to debate her...but can he keep that promise?

If you've read the title of this episode then you know the answer to that is "no, not really." Eric tries to remain respectful, but the existence of ghosts is discussed and the conversation takes some turns into messages from the dead, mediums, and premonitions. It's not really a debate in the strictest sense of the word, but it is interesting to hear differing viewpoints.

Special announcement: The contest has been extended until August 1, 2016! Between now and then share your favorite episode of the show (links at spookyas.com) and either tag us on social media or send a screen capture of where you shared it to [email protected] and you'll be entered to win some spooky stuff from Eric's personal collection!

Please share the show, tell your friends, subscribe on iTunes and rate/review. Your support will keep this show going week after week!

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It's almost Eric's birthday and we're doing a special mix bagged mash-up episode to celebrate! Eric Dwinnells and guest cohost Emily Ferguson share there own true-life creepy stories and then introduce clips of past/future guest doing the same.Was the house that Eric grew up in haunted by the ghost of a patriot? What did Emily find in the forbidden mystery hole? Was Tom Cole haunted by a phantom boy? Is the theater Maureen works at haunted by a ghost looking for a turn in the spotlight? What did Jennifer Lecesse's daughter see in the closet?  All these topics and more will be discussed on tonight's episode of Spooky A S!

BUT WAIT! It's Eric's birthday but YOU may be the one to get the present! Just share your favorite episode of the show and be sure to tag us in it (via Facebook, twitter, or instagram (inks above and to the right on the webpage spooky as.com) or screen capture where you shared it and email it to us ([email protected]) and you'll be entered to win something spooky from Eric's personal collection of spooky stuff! Each share you submit counts as an entry so you can enter as many times as you'd like to increase your odds! Contest ends 6/27/16

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