Episode 39: The Montauk Project and the Inspiration for Netflix's Stranger Things

Last fall it felt like every other email, review, or topic recommendation we received mentioned a YouTube series that had captured the imaginations of our listeners and literally BILLIONS of young people around the world. If you haven't heard about these giant, singing, war mongering toilets with human heads, you're in for a huge surprise. We're talking Skibidi Toilets on this episode of Unspookable. Host: Elise Parisian Written, Produced, Edited by: Nate DuFort Music Direction and Composition: Jesse Case Logo by: Natalie Khuen You can find Unspookable on Twitter and Instagram at: https://twitter.com/ImUnspookable https://www.instagram.com/unspookablepodcast/ Unspookable is a production of Soundsington Media committed to making quality programing for young audiences and the young at heart. To find out more go to http://www.soundsingtonmedia.com  This week's episode is brought to you by: FACTOR Head to FactorMeals.com/unspookable50 and use code unspookable50 to get 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next box. while your subscription is active! STORYWORTH Give all the “moms” in your life a unique, heartfelt gift you’ll all cherish for years—StoryWorth! Right now, save $10 on your first purchase when you go to StoryWorth.com/unspookable! Advertise on Unspookable: [email protected]

We get a lot of amazing suggestions from our listeners of topics to cover on the show, but there's one topic that topples the competition: Video Games. Whether it's Five Nights at Freddy's, Doors, Hello Neighbor, Garten of Banban, or Poppy Playtime, there are tons of first person horror games that you want us to cover. Elise talks to gaming writer Melissa Sarnowski about one of your favorites and the horror genre's enduring appeal for middle graders on this episode of Unspookable. Host: Elise Parisian Written, Produced, Edited by: Nate DuFort Music Direction and Composition: Jesse Case Logo by: Natalie Khuen Special thanks to Melissa Sarnowski. You can find some of Melissa's work at ScreenRant and GameSkinny You can find Unspookable on Twitter and Instagram at: https://twitter.com/ImUnspookable https://www.instagram.com/unspookablepodcast/ Unspookable is a production of Soundsington Media committed to making quality programing for young audiences and the young at heart. To find out more go to http://www.soundsingtonmedia.com  Advertise on Unspookable: [email protected]

What would you do if you woke up one day and giant portals in the sky brought about a monster apocalypse that left your hometown without any rules, grownups, or homework? Well if you’re Jack Sullivan, you’d move into your foster brother's treehouse, play video games and eat junk food, while teaming up with some former classmates to stop these monsters from taking over what is left of your world.  If any of that sounds familiar, then you no doubt know with the series The Last Kids on Earth, the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling series, with over 10 million copies in print, written by the incredible Max Brallier.  Unspookable producer Nate DuFort had the chance to sit down with Max, to talk about The Last Kids on Earth’s beginnings, his path to becoming an author, and so much more, on this episode of Unspookable… Host: Elise Parisian with Nate DuFort Created, Produced, Edited by: Nate DuFort Music Direction and Composition: Jesse Case Logo by: Natalie Khuen You can find Unspookable on Twitter and Instagram at: https://twitter.com/ImUnspookable https://www.instagram.com/unspookablepodcast/ The Last Kids on Earth book series written by Max Brallier and illustrated by Douglas Holgate is available NOW! Unspookable is a production of Soundsington Media committed to making quality programing for young audiences and the young at heart. To find out more go to http://www.soundsingtonmedia.com  Advertise on Unspookable: [email protected]

Have you ever heard of The Backrooms? Maybe you've come across this strange never-ending series of liminal spaces on TikTok or on YouTube or maybe some games that you've played. The Backrooms are one of our most frequently requested topics and we were curious to explore why their flickering fluorescent lights, yellow walls, and endless mazes have captured your imaginations. That and more on this episode of Unspookable.    Host: Elise Parisian Written by: Ellenor Riley-Condit  Created, Produced, Edited by: Nate DuFort Music Direction and Composition: Jesse Case: https://www.jessecasemusic.com/ Logo by: Natalie Khuen Special thanks this week to: Blythe and Bella  You can find Unspookable on Twitter and Instagram at: https://twitter.com/ImUnspookable https://www.instagram.com/unspookablepodcast This week's episode is brought to you by Shopify: Go to https://www.shopify.com/lifestyle to take your retail business to the next level today. Unspookable is a production of Soundsington Media committed to making quality programing for young audiences and the young at heart. To find out more go to http://www.soundsingtonmedia.com  Advertise on Unspookable: [email protected]

The month of December brings a whole host of traditions for people all across the world. For us on Unspookable, this time of year brings some of the strangest creepy creatures we get to see. After all – it wouldn’t be the holidays for us if we didn’t get to throw in something spooky. So consider it your gift to us to countdown some of the weirdest, witchiest holiday traditions we could scare up on this special holiday episode of Unspookable.   Host: Elise Parisian Written by: Ellenor Riley-Condit  Created, Produced, Edited by: Nate DuFort Research by: Nate DuFort  Music Direction and Composition: Jesse Case: https://www.jessecasemusic.com/ Logo by: Natalie Khuen You can find Unspookable on Twitter and Instagram at: https://twitter.com/ImUnspookable https://www.instagram.com/unspookablepodcast/ Unspookable is a production of Soundsington Media committed to making quality programing for young audiences and the young at heart. To find out more go to http://www.soundsingtonmedia.com  Advertise on Unspookable: [email protected]

For those of us who have been good all year the holidays are a time for celebration and gifts... but, for for those of us who have been naughty, we may have a half goat, half demon visitor waiting to steal us away. What's that, cheery soul? Not familiar? Well then, let's tell you a little more about Krampus... Host: Elise Parisian Written by: Ellenor Riley-Condit Created, Produced, Edited by: Nate DuFort Music Direction and Composition: Jesse Case https://www.jessecasemusic.com Logo by: Natalie Khuen Unspookable is a production of Soundsington Media committed to making quality programing for young audiences and the young at heart. To find out more go to http://www.soundsingtonmedia.com  Advertise on Unspookable: [email protected]

SCP may be one of our most requested topics ever due to its presence on ROBLOX, but many of us don't know much about this strange foundation and their mission to Serve, Contain, and Protect. We were thrilled to talk to an expert, podcast producer Pacific S. Obadiah, about all things SCP including its origins and enduring popularity in it's over 7,000 entires. That and more on today's episode of Unspookable. Host: Elise Parisian with Nate DuFort Created, Produced, Edited by: Nate DuFort Music Direction and Composition: Jesse Case Logo by: Natalie Khuen You can find Unspookable on Twitter and Instagram at: https://twitter.com/ImUnspookable https://www.instagram.com/unspookablepodcast/ SCP logo used under Creative Commons Sharealike 3.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ This week's episode is brought to you by Hello Fresh: Want to try it yourself?, Go to www.hellofresh.com/50unspookable and use code 50unspookable for 50% off plus free shipping! That’s www.hellofresh.com/50unspookable and use code 50unspookable for 50% off AND free shipping on your first order of HelloFresh: America’s #1 Meal Kit. Unspookable is a production of Soundsington Media committed to making quality programing for young audiences and the young at heart. To find out more go to http://www.soundsingtonmedia.com  Advertise on Unspookable: [email protected]

Today, we are excited to present a new project from some friends of the show. In this pilot episode of Ghost Tour, meet 15-year-olds Vern and Lee as they lead a ghost tour in Jepson, North Carolina, and meet their first real-life ghost. Writer: C. Quintana Voice-Over Artists: Darrell Brown, Whitney Dorr, Triya Leong, Imani Russell, David Shatraw, and Maura Vincent Sound Design: Chad Chenail Show Runner: Rebecca Cunningham Theme Song: Megan Bagala If you like what you hear, the Ghost Tour creators are looking to make the rest of the first season - but they can’t do it without a little help, which is why they’re asking you and your kids to be involved from the very beginning! You can make a fully tax-deductible donation today and you can become a part of the Ghost Tour experience! Your child could have VIP invites to early draft readings of each episode, the chance to join LIVE virtual recording sessions with the actors and creative team, OR even be on the show.  Listen to the first episode of Ghost Tour here or wherever you get your podcasts. Then head to cordeliastudios.com/ghosttour to make your donation today.

On this special encore presentation of Unspookable we are looking back at one of our favorite episodes: Whether you find them cute or creepy, it's hard not to have a strong feeling about this week's topic...Spiders. Why are so many of us afraid of these arachnids? And what does it say about us as humans that something so small can be so terrifying? We'll unravel this web and more on this episode of Unspookable.    Host: Elise Parisian Written by: Ellenor Riley-Condit Created, Produced, Edited by: Nate DuFort Music Direction and Composition: Jesse Case: https://www.jessecasemusic.com/ Logo by: Natalie Khuen http://nataliek.myportfolio.com For more on Rod Crawford and the Burke Museum check out their website.  You can find Unspookable on Twitter and Instagram at: https://twitter.com/ImUnspookable https://www.instagram.com/unspookablepodcast This week's episode is brought to you by Hello Fresh: Want to try it yourself?, Go to www.hellofresh.com/50unspookable and use code 50unspookable for 50% off plus free shipping! That’s www.hellofresh.com/50unspookable and use code 50unspookable for 50% off AND free shipping on your first order of HelloFresh: America’s #1 Meal Kit. Unspookable is a production of Soundsington Media committed to making quality programing for young audiences and the young at heart. To find out more go to http://www.soundsingtonmedia.com  Advertise on Unspookable: [email protected]

Where do our fears come from? For some of us, it’s past experiences… others, maybe a fear of the unknown… but if you're anything like the team at Unspookable, there is one man responsible for many of the characters, illustrations, and creatures, be it Cartoon Cat, Anxious Dogs, Long Horse, or Siren Head, that give us the shivers. We’re of course talking about writer and illustrator Trevor Henderson who sits down with Unspookable producer Nate DuFort this week to talk about where these ideas come from and his new middle grade novel Scarewaves available now from Scholastic Books. That and more on today's episode of Unspookable. Host: Elise Parisian with Nate DuFort Created, Produced, Edited by: Nate DuFort Music Direction and Composition: Jesse Case Logo by: Natalie Khuen You can find Unspookable on Twitter and Instagram at: https://twitter.com/ImUnspookable https://www.instagram.com/unspookablepodcast/ Scarewaves by Trevor Henderson is available NOW from Scholastic Books. Do you want a free and easy way to support Unspookable? You can support the podcast by taking our short questionnaire at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/unspookable This week's episode is brought to you by Hello Fresh: Want to try it yourself?, Go to www.hellofresh.com/50unspookable and use code 50unspookable for 50% off plus free shipping! That’s www.hellofresh.com/50unspookable and use code 50unspookable for 50% off AND free shipping on your first order of HelloFresh: America’s #1 Meal Kit. Unspookable is a production of Soundsington Media committed to making quality programing for young audiences and the young at heart. To find out more go to http://www.soundsingtonmedia.com  Advertise on Unspookable: [email protected]