Fortean Roundup: September - Archeological Oddities

Matt, Katie, and EJ continue their investigation of Mothman, and the strange life of Fortean researcher Gray Barker. Partnered with grave robber turned ufologist James Moseley, Barker steps up his pranks on UFO believers. The pair sends a bogus letter to contactee George Adamski, claiming to be members of the Men in Black. Although that joke backfires, Barker and Moseley continue undeterred, giving lectures on ufology and faking a flying saucer film. But when a salesman named Woodrow Derenberger claims to have encountered an alien named Ingrid Cold on a roadside in West Virginia, Gray Barker joins forces with the gullible John Keel in an adventure that will end with the creation of the infamous cryptid known as Mothman.    slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Become a supporter:  supporters.slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Slaying Monsters merch:  slayingmonsterspodcast-shop.fourthwall.com   Pre-order Ana Must Die (Again) by EJ Green: https://zandoprojects.com/books/ana-must-die-again-paperback

Matt, Katie, and EJ tackle the latest in Fortean news for the spooky month of October. A new documentary may put the myth of Bigfoot to rest for good. A search for Amelia Earhart's plane turns up more questions than answers. And an underground mansion becomes the latest target for ghost hunters. Plus, Halloween trivia, deer vs cows, and the latest theories on dinosaur extinction.    Documentary about the Patterson Gimlin footage https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/capturing-bigfoot-review-an-amazing-doc-uncovers-the-truth-1236915797/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0HKZGLG71?ref_=atv_dp_share_cu_r   Amelia Earhart’s plane found?   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amelia-earhart-expedition-taraia-object-pacific-ocean/ https://people.com/no-conclusive-evidence-indicating-amelia-earharts-plane-has-been-found-in-the-ocean-researchers-say-12182566   Zak Bagans buys a mansion  https://neon.reviewjournal.com/kats/zak-bagans-buys-las-vegas-famed-underground-mansion-3343732/   Become a supporter:  supporters.slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Slaying Monsters merch:  slayingmonsterspodcast-shop.fourthwall.com   Pre-order Ana Must Die (Again) by EJ Green: https://zandoprojects.com/books/ana-must-die-again-paperback

Matt, Katie, and EJ continue their investigation into Mothman, the winged harbinger of doom. After investigating a UFO, the International Flying Saucer Bureau finds themselves under scrutiny from government agents: shady men in back suit who caution them to keep quiet about their findings. Gray Barker chooses to embellish their encounter even more, creating a highly-developed mythology around these Men in Black, and the closing of the IFSB. But when James Moseley, a grave-robber turned ufologist enters the picture, Barker's myth making takes an even more dramatic turn.    slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Become a supporter:  supporters.slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Slaying Monsters merch:  slayingmonsterspodcast-shop.fourthwall.com   Pre-order Ana Must Die (Again) by EJ Green: https://zandoprojects.com/books/ana-must-die-again-paperback

Matt, Katie, and EJ continue their investigation of Mothman. We dial back to 1950 and the foundation of the International Flying Saucer Bureau, under the direction of Albert Bender. The IFSB's West Virginia representative is Gray Barker, a paranormal investigator with a keen sense of humor and a love of science fiction. When a mysterious object crashes in Flatwoods, West Virginia, Barker is on the scene. But his investigation is distorted and rewritten by pulp magazine publisher Raymond Palmer, punched up to sell zines. As Barker embraces more science fiction instead of science fact, his reporting becomes even more outrageous, leading to the creation of one of the most famous cryptids in history.    slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Become a supporter:  supporters.slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Slaying Monsters merch:  slayingmonsterspodcast-shop.fourthwall.com   Pre-order Ana Must Die (Again) by EJ Green: https://zandoprojects.com/books/ana-must-die-again-paperback

Matt, Katie, and EJ tackle the latest in weird news, talking vampire burials, and drilling into Noah's Ark. Plus, we examine ghost-repelling potions, the weird history of a lake monster video, and the unofficial beverage of Bigfoot researchers.    Archeologists analyze a vampire burial found in Poland  https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/21/science/vampire-burial-young-woman-poland   Filmmakers studying viral Champ footage https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/communities/filmmakers-who-captured-viral-champ-footage-to-appoint-panel-for-full-analysis/   https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/1995/05/07/truth-decay/acc35bb5-70db-4fe0-a56c-477ebd4d9834/   Drilling begins at Noah’s Ark site https://nypost.com/2026/09/22/lifestyle/drilling-begins-at-noahs-ark-site-as-researchers-probe-turkeys-controversial-durupinar-formation/   Hazmat needed after anti-ghost spell goes awry https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article317071644.html   Hard Mountain Dew offers cast prize for bigfoot https://nypost.com/2026/09/21/us-news/hard-mountain-dew-offers-1m-for-proof-that-bigfoot-exists/   slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Become a supporter:  supporters.slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Slaying Monsters merch:  slayingmonsterspodcast-shop.fourthwall.com   Pre-order Ana Must Die (Again) by EJ Green: https://zandoprojects.com/books/ana-must-die-again-paperback

On a cold December day in 1967, a suspension bridge in West Virginia collapsed. The accident happened at rush hour, plunging automobiles into the chilly Ohio river. In the years that followed the tragedy, strange stories began to emerge. Some residents claimed that they had seen a bizarre, winged creature on the nights leading up to the collapse. Described as a huge, flying animal with glowing red eyes, this creature was quickly linked to the ill-fated bridge, and the deaths of nearly fifty motorists.   Dubbed “Mothman,” this strange entity would become one of the most popular figures in all of cryptozoology. Existing in the grey area between real animals and spiritual guardians, Mothman has become a harbinger of doom. If you see the red eyes, tragedy is coming.   But the origins of Mothman are even stranger. The creation of this myth dips into so many buckets of Fortean science, that Mothman is almost a mascot for the field. You can’t talk about this cryptid without talking about alien visitation, men in black, hollow earth, clairvoyance, and the bizarre, swirling pot that brewed mid-century esotericism.   slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Become a supporter:  supporters.slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Slaying Monsters merch:  slayingmonsterspodcast-shop.fourthwall.com   Pre-order Ana Must Die (Again) by EJ Green: https://zandoprojects.com/books/ana-must-die-again-paperback

We’ve talked about haunted locations before, from the Winchester Mystery House to Bhangarh Fort and the grandaddy of them all, the Amityville House. But today’s topic is not just one of the most haunted structures, it’s one of the most haunted seas in the world. Surrounding a remote atoll in Micronesia is a graveyard of automobiles, planes, and ships; the victims of a massive battle during World War II. Called the “Ghost Fleet of Chuuk Lagoon,” these wrecks are not only one of the most popular and iconic dives. Allegedly, they are haunted by the ghosts of the Japanese and American Naval soldiers who lost their lives in the conflict.   Divers claim to have seen ghostly apparitions in the wreckage. Some even claim to have encountered phantom divers that follow them as they traverse the rusting husks. Others swear they have heard voices, or running machinery, as if the spirits are continuing their work in the chilling depths.   slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Become a supporter:  supporters.slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Slaying Monsters merch:  slayingmonsterspodcast-shop.fourthwall.com   Pre-order Ana Must Die (Again) by EJ Green: https://zandoprojects.com/books/ana-must-die-again-paperback

Matt, Katie, and EJ conclude their investigation of the Curse of the Crying Boy, a haunted painting with the power to burn whatever it touches. The Sun offers to burn Londoner's copies of the painting in a public pyre, claiming it will finally rid them of the curse. But as the story spreads, some people claim that the remaining pictures of crying children are still jinxed. Is it true, or is there some more mundane explanation for why these pantings refuse to go up in flames?    slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Become a supporter:  supporters.slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Slaying Monsters merch:  slayingmonsterspodcast-shop.fourthwall.com

Matt, Katie, and EJ break down the latest in Fortean news. A modern-day witch trial unfolds in Hanover, PA as a New Age shop challenges a 160 year old law. Ufologists investigate a possible weapon on Mars. And a newly-identified squid shows up in the most unlikely place. Plus, an Australian-themed exorcism.    Hanover witch trials https://www.witf.org/2026/07/18/pennsylvania-tarot-reading-lawsuit-advances-after-judge-denies-motion-to-dismiss/ https://www.wgal.com/article/york-county-lawsuit-challenges-pennsylvania-165-year-old-fortune-telling-ban/73369978   Cindy Crawford’s daughter was possessed and had an exorcism   https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/kaia-gerber-claims-she-had-exorcism-as-a-possessed-child/   Alien object on Mars https://www.gbnews.com/science/space-breakthrough-object-mars-life https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/mysterious-mars-object-stirring-extraterrestrial-143101720.html https://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/2026/07/nasa-mars-rover-finds-alien-missile.html   New squid found in 70 year old collection    https://spacedaily.com/t-sperm-whale-stomach-new-squid-family-mobydickia/   slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Become a supporter:  supporters.slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Slaying Monsters merch:  slayingmonsterspodcast-shop.fourthwall.com

In England in the 1980s, a new haunted object exploded onto the occult scene. This was a painting of a crying boy, a painting allegedly possessing such a dark and powerful energy that it was indestructible. Even after a housefire gutted their home, the owners of the painting swore that it remained unharmed, as if the painting itself had been the cause of the blaze.   The most terrifying part: the painting was one of a thousands, and all of them were cursed. This series of paintings of crying children have become synonymous with catastrophe, from death to destruction. Some even claimed the child depicted in the painting was the devil himself.     slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Become a supporter:  supporters.slayingmonsterspodcast.com   Slaying Monsters merch:  slayingmonsterspodcast-shop.fourthwall.com   Pre-order Ana Must Die (Again) by EJ Green: https://zandoprojects.com/books/ana-must-die-again-paperback