Unpacking The Eerie

In the winter of 1959, a group of young hikers were found deceased in the Ural Mountains of Russia. Evidence showed they had exited their tents in freezing temperatures without proper clothing and their bodies were found scattered, in strange and disturbing conditions. The trail, Dyatlov Pass, is now named after the leader of this hike and has since garnered copious amounts of attention from scholars, investigators and internet sleuths searching for some answers as to what exactly happened to them. In our extended episode, we detail the journey and the unknowns while also offering some related deep dives on Mansi Cosmology, “arctic hysteria” and the cultural mechanics of mystery. 

To hear the extended version of this episode, you can become a paid subscriber. To become a paid subscriber, visit our Buzzsprout, Patreon or Apple Podcasts. 

Sources

Reach out to us with thoughts, comments, questions or collab requests!

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

We’ll also be moving minisodes and parts of our series episodes so that they are only available through subscription and on Patreon. If you’re interested and able, the lowest tier is $2/month. This helps us maintain hosting fees and the bare basics of keeping our podcast active. Appreciate your support! 

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

Support the show

P.S. We're in the process of updating our intro and making edits to our episodes. You may notice inconsistencies as we do that! 

Welcome to our 5 year anniversary, 5-part series re-release! This month, we're bringing back Psychedelic Nightmare, a podcast series on the impact of the CIA's LSD-fueled experiments on mind control, MKUltra, & the domino effect it (in)directly created worldwide. 

--------------------------------------------

Part 5: Tokyo's Christ

cw: abuse, terrorism, sexual violence, death

Our 5th and final part of this series covers Aum Shinrikyo, the cult responsible for the Tokyo Sarin Gas attacks of 1995 & it’s leader, Shoko Asahara. Here, we explore Shoko's childhood, the development of Aum Shinrinkyo while also delving deep into its doomsday conspiracies that combined a hodge-podge of religious philosophies with Nostradamus-esque beliefs. We touch Hinduism, malignant narcissism in cult leaders, and highlight survivor stories and PTSD from the subway attack which ended up killing 14 civilians and injuring over 5,000.

You'll see how this story links back to all four others, creating an unlikely and disturbing tie that spans four decades, three cults and three countries while involving multiple government agencies and of course Albert Hoffman's Problem Child -- LSD. 

References

Reach out to us with thoughts, comments, questions or collab requests!

NOTE FOR SPOTIFY LISTENERS: Starting 03/01/2026 we will no longer be on Spotify. Not only has Spotify had a poor track record with pay transparency and just compensation for artists, the CEO recently invested $700 million in AI military warfare technology. Articles and alternatives to Spotify for podcasts and more can be found here. 

We’ll also be moving minisodes and parts of our series episodes so that they are only available on Patreon. If you’re interested and able, the lowest tier is $2/month. This helps us maintain hosting fees and the bare basics of keeping our podcast active. Appreciate your support! 

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

Support the show

P.S. We're in the process of updating our intro and making edits to our episodes. You may notice inconsistencies as we do that! 

Welcome to our 5 year anniversary, 5-part series re-release! This month, we're bringing back Psychedelic Nightmare, a podcast series on the impact of the CIA's LSD-fueled experiments on mind control, MKUltra*, & the domino effect it (in)directly created worldwide. 

-------------------

Part 4: Lovebomber Supreme

This episode covers Charles Manson’s racist, LSD fueled* doomsday conspiracy and the young people he convinced to execute what we know now as the Tate Murders. Join us as we unpack the evolution of this cult, the CIA’s complicity, the dynamics of grooming, and how mainstream media consistently positions the murder of these Hollywood elite above the horror of Manson's white supremacist agenda. We also take some time to uplift the legacy of the Black Panther Party (who the cult unsuccessfully framed for these murders). 

CW: grooming, abuse, murder, sexual assault, anti-Black racism

Sources

Reach out to us with thoughts, comments, questions or collab requests!

NOTE FOR SPOTIFY LISTENERS: Starting 03/01/2026 we will no longer be on Spotify. Not only has Spotify had a poor track record with pay transparency and just compensation for artists, the CEO recently invested $700 million in AI military warfare technology. Articles and alternatives to Spotify for podcasts and more can be found here. 

We’ll also be moving minisodes and parts of our series episodes so that they are only available on Patreon. If you’re interested and able, the lowest tier is $2/month. This helps us maintain hosting fees and the bare basics of keeping our podcast active. Appreciate your support! 

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

Support the show

P.S. We're in the process of updating our intro and making edits to our episodes. You may notice inconsistencies as we do that! 

Welcome to our 5 year anniversary, 5-part series re-release! This month, we're bringing back Psychedelic Nightmare, a podcast series on the impact of the CIA's LSD-fueled experiments on mind control, MKUltra*, & the domino effect it (in)directly created worldwide. 

---------------------------------

CULT: The Family/The Great White Brotherhood/Anne Hamilton Byrne
cw: sexual assault, suicide, child abuse, ritual abuse

After MKULTRA, dozens of cults emerged worldwide using LSD as a primary substance in maintaining power and control over their followers - The Family was  one of the first. In Part 3 of this series, we travel to the other side of the globe to unpack Australia’s most notorious cult – “The Family” (aka The Great White Brotherhood). In mid 1960’s Australia, this doomsday cult was formed by Anne Hamilton Byrne, a yoga teacher-turned-cult leader, who believed she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Here, we cover how this group came to be and highlight the eerie parallels between “The Family” and the CIA’s MKULTRA experiments. We also explore yoga as a philosophy, white supremacy in wellness communities & the impacts of betrayal trauma.

 
References

Reach out to us with thoughts, comments, questions or collab requests!

NOTE FOR SPOTIFY LISTENERS: Starting 03/01/2026 we will no longer be on Spotify. Not only has Spotify had a poor track record with pay transparency and just compensation for artists, the CEO recently invested $700 million in AI military warfare technology. Articles and alternatives to Spotify for podcasts and more can be found here. 

We’ll also be moving minisodes and parts of our series episodes so that they are only available on Patreon. If you’re interested and able, the lowest tier is $2/month. This helps us maintain hosting fees and the bare basics of keeping our podcast active. Appreciate your support! 

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

Support the show

P.S. We're in the process of updating our intro and making edits to our episodes. You may notice inconsistencies as we do that! 

Welcome to our 5 year anniversary, 5-part series re-release! This month, we're bringing back Psychedelic Nightmare, a podcast series on the impact of the CIA's LSD-fueled experiments on mind control, MKUltra*, & the domino effect it (in)directly created worldwide. 

----------------

Part 2: So, Evil Bro 

content warning: violence, torture, anti-black racism, mention of drugs 

In part two of this series on MKUltra, you’ll learn more about the roll out of these LSD-fueled experiments and how they came to a close.We take a deeper look at the cruel intersections of racism and classism that guided these projects and the role(s) that criminalization/punishment played. We also highlight the stark contrast between the trauma and dehumanization experienced by unknowing “test subjects” in mental institutions and prisons, and the bohemian counter-culture cultivated by white beat writers who were willing participants of MK Ultra university experiments. You’ll also learn more about popular conspiracies tied to these experiments and the psychology behind conspiracy-based beliefs. 

Check out Akshi's Interview on All Humans Are Human here 

References

Reach out to us with thoughts, comments, questions or collab requests!

NOTE FOR SPOTIFY LISTENERS: Starting 03/01/2026 we will no longer be on Spotify. Not only has Spotify had a poor track record with pay transparency and just compensation for artists, the CEO recently invested $700 million in AI military warfare technology. Articles and alternatives to Spotify for podcasts and more can be found here. 

We’ll also be moving minisodes and parts of our series episodes so that they are only available on Patreon. If you’re interested and able, the lowest tier is $2/month. This helps us maintain hosting fees and the bare basics of keeping our podcast active. Appreciate your support! 

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

Support the show

P.S. We're in the process of updating our intro and making edits to our episodes. You may notice inconsistencies as we do that! 

Welcome to our 5 year anniversary, 5-part series re-release! This month, we're bringing back Psychedelic Nightmare, a podcast series on the impact of the CIA's LSD-fueled experiments on mind control, MKUltra*, & the domino effect it (in)directly created worldwide. 

Join our Patreon or subscribe on Buzzsprout to access the rest of the series! 

-----------------------

Part 1: A Fucked Up Set & Settting 

Back in 2022, we covered  MKULTRA, a secret CIA project so absurd and inhumane it was rumored to be a conspiracy theory until declassified documents and whistleblowers made their way to the public. Taking place between the early 1950s to the early 1970s, the CIA conducted hundreds of tortuous experiments were conducted on (mostly) unsuspecting human subjects under the name of Project MKULTRA. Sidney Gottlieb, the project lead's "Poisoner in Chief" aimed to develop strategies and identify drugs (such as LSD), that could be used for the purposes of “mind-control” (read: how can we psychologically torture, force confessions and manipulate the consciousness of the human mind?). In the first part of thi series, we dig in to Allan Memorial, one of the many institutions where these experiments took place & set the stage for MKUltra. Learn about how the Cold War and the Red Scare motivated the creation of this project, the discovery of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide and what the fuck is going on with Sidney in the first episode of Psychedelic Nightmare.

content warning: gun violence, torture, homophobia, racism, drugs 

Reach out to us with thoughts, comments, questions or collab requests!

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

We’ll also be moving minisodes and parts of our series episodes so that they are only available through subscription and on Patreon. If you’re interested and able, the lowest tier is $2/month. This helps us maintain hosting fees and the bare basics of keeping our podcast active. Appreciate your support! 

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

Support the show

P.S. We're in the process of updating our intro and making edits to our episodes. You may notice inconsistencies as we do that! 

Halloweekend is a state of mind... and with that we bring you EVEN more creepy stories as we delve deep into the dark, mysterious and unnerving world of sleep paralysis. Not unlike doppelgangers and mimics, sleep paralysis has been documented for hundreds of years, with communities across the globe having folklore associated with the strangely similar beings that people encounter in this liminal space. From the origins of the word nightmare to the fashion of the hat man -- in the second part of our Halloween special, we're covering the science, lore and stories behind a common but terrifying phenomenon. 

Happy Halloween from Unpacking the Eerie! 

Sources:

• https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21974-sleep-paralysis
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18691361/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLTGu3Y404M
• https://neurolaunch.com/sleep-paralysis-out-of-body/
• https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/sleep-paralysis-names-around-the-world
• https://yokai.com/kanashibari/
• Documentary: Sleep Paralysis and the Phenomenon of the Shadow People
• Podcast: Monsters Among Us 
• Podcast: Sleep Paralysis News

Reach out to us with thoughts, comments, questions or collab requests!

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

We’ll also be moving minisodes and parts of our series episodes so that they are only available through subscription and on Patreon. If you’re interested and able, the lowest tier is $2/month. This helps us maintain hosting fees and the bare basics of keeping our podcast active. Appreciate your support! 

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

Support the show

P.S. We're in the process of updating our intro and making edits to our episodes. You may notice inconsistencies as we do that! 

doppelganger  ˈdɒp(ə)lˌɡaŋə "an apparition or double of a living person."

Throughout time, communities globally have documented eerily similar encounters with doubles of themselves and people they know. From Appalachian mountain folklore to doppleganger death premonition stories and glitch in the matrix theories - we're covering lore from all over the world that assert their own versions of dopplegangers, mimics and other creepy phenomena. 

Happy Halloween from Unpacking the Eerie! 

Sources for this episode

Learn more about our Ghosty Giver Beneficiary and related orgs here

Reach out to us with thoughts, comments, questions or collab requests!

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

We’ll also be moving minisodes and parts of our series episodes so that they are only available through subscription and on Patreon. If you’re interested and able, the lowest tier is $2/month. This helps us maintain hosting fees and the bare basics of keeping our podcast active. Appreciate your support! 

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

Support the show

P.S. We're in the process of updating our intro and making edits to our episodes. You may notice inconsistencies as we do that! 

It's been 5 years since we started Unpacking The Eerie! Man does time fly. In honor of this anniversary, and in honor of Halloween we're doing some re-releases. Hope you enjoy!

---------------------------------

Can you believe that there are multiple serial killers who stayed at the Hotel Cecil? We can’t, but somehow it’s true. Join us as we dig in to the life and crimes of Austrian serial-killer, author and narcissist, Johann “Jack” Unterweger.  In this episode, we explore the movie-like story of Jack and how he got away with murdering sex workers across multiple countries and continents. We will also dig in to misogyny, narcissistic personality disorder, sexual sadism and the pathologizing of BDSM and kink. This segment is part 3 of “A Lethal Location,” a short series we’re putting together highlighting the horrors that are somehow connected by the Cecil Hotel. 

Content warning: child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault and rape, violence against sex workers

Click here for sources. 

Reach out to us with thoughts, comments, questions or collab requests!

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

We’ll also be moving minisodes and parts of our series episodes so that they are only available through subscription and on Patreon. If you’re interested and able, the lowest tier is $2/month. This helps us maintain hosting fees and the bare basics of keeping our podcast active. Appreciate your support! 

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

Support the show

P.S. We're in the process of updating our intro and making edits to our episodes. You may notice inconsistencies as we do that! 

It's been 5 years since we started Unpacking The Eerie! Man does time fly. In honor of this anniversary, and in honor of Halloween we're doing some re-releases. Hope you enjoy!

---------------------------------

TOPIC: Richard Ramirez, The Night Stalker - December 2020

Teleport to the mid-1980s with us as we cover serial killer, Ricardo “Richard” Ramirez a.k.a. The Night Stalker. In this episode, we take a look at the factors that shaped him, and the experiences of the people who survived him. We also touch on the death penalty, and explore the lasting impacts of trauma, & traumatic grief. This segment is part 2 of “A Lethal Location,” a short series we’re putting together highlighting the horrors that are somehow connected by the Cecil Hotel. Take a listen, and learn how it all ties together in A Cocktail for Disaster.

Content warning: graphic violence, sexual assault, domestic violence, substance abuse, child abuse, PTSD

SOURCES: 

Thanksgiving Sources:
Instagrams - @ndn.o , @lilnativeboy, @southrootsofla
https://native-land.ca

Documentaries:
LA Night Stalker | Was Richard Ramirez Born to Kill? - Real Crime

Podcasts:
Lights Out Podcast - 20: Richard Ramirez, Night Stalker 
What Makes a Killer - 4: Richard Ramirez 
Unpopular Culture Podcast - I’m in Love with a Serial Killer 

Articles & Media Sources can be found here. 

Reach out to us with thoughts, comments, questions or collab requests!

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

We’ll also be moving minisodes and parts of our series episodes so that they are only available through subscription and on Patreon. If you’re interested and able, the lowest tier is $2/month. This helps us maintain hosting fees and the bare basics of keeping our podcast active. Appreciate your support! 

Theme Song Title: Creepy Mood | Artist Name: Oleg Fedak

Support the show

P.S. We're in the process of updating our intro and making edits to our episodes. You may notice inconsistencies as we do that!