Spooky Spots: Haunted Alabama

Happy New Year, everyone! This week Lacie brings you the twisted history behind NYE's  biggest fans, Father Time and Baby New Year. To be honest, we kind of forgot these guys existed but will be incorporating their stories into future celebrations (fast forward to our husbands dressed up as big ole babies on December 31st, 2023). To start off the new year with a chill, we then bring you the story of a family massacre that ensued right as the ball was dropping in 2017.  Sources: -https://www.halloweenartistbazaar.com/father-time-death-and-the-new-year/ -https://www.waggish.org/2013/father-time-chronos-and-kronos/ -https://www.escalontimes.com/209-living/origins-baby-new-year/ -https://www.oddmurdersandmysteries.com/scott-kologi-murders-family-on-new-years-eve-2017/ -scott-kologi-murder-family-santa-claud -https://patch.com/new-jersey/longbranch/i-just-kept-firing-long-branch-teen-describes-killing-family

Merry Christmas from the girls at Scarytales! To celebrate, we are bringing you several dark theories to help explain WHY the Grinch stole Christmas. Lacie then brings you the story of a father who makes the Grinch seem like Mother Theresa. Some might say that Charlie Lawson's soul was an appalling heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable, mangled up in tangled up knots! Resources: -https://www.cracked.com/blog/the-genocide-plot-you-never-noticed-in-grinch -https://www.looper.com/99290/things-grinch-stole-christmas-notice-adult/ -https://www.looper.com/88038/critically-hated-movies-actually-awesome/ -https://southerncalls.com/article/the-lawson-family-tragedy/ -https://www.thestokesnews.com/news/23397/90-years-gone

We're coming home for the holidays! This week we sit down to bring you a few spooky stories from around Alabama. 

In honor of Hannah's birthday month, we are discussing her favorite this week, The Jungle Book! While most of us are familiar with the happy-go-lucky Disney version of this story, its origins are much darker. Feral children have fascinated and frightened people for centuries, raising questions about what it truly means to be human.  Sources: -https://www.livehistoryindia.com/story/living-culture/the-jungle-book-the-untold-story -https://www.biography.com/writer/rudyard-kipling -dina-sanichar -https://historydaily.org/oxana-malaya-story-girl-raised-dogs -https://allthatsinteresting.com/marina-chapman -https://strangelife.in/sujit-kumar-a-human-raised-as-a-chicken/ -https://allthatsinteresting.com/feral-children/7 -https://cvltnation.com/genie-wiley-the-feral-girl/

Who is spooky and a little gritty around the edges? That's the Sandman. Join the Scarytales gals this week as they dive into the crusty, salty terror of the sleep-inducing, dream-haunting boogeyman. (Big thanks to Chase for writing this lovely episode description).  Sources: -https://www.freud.org.uk/2020/02/01/the-sandman/ -https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/who-is-sandman.htm -https://literature.fandom.com/wiki/Ole_Luk-Oie -https://www.gq.com/story/the-sandman-a-beginners-guide -https://allthatsinteresting.com/grim-sleeper -https://murderpedia.org/male.F/f/franklin-lonnie.htm

Chase is back to guest host this week as he and Lacie bring you the history of taphophobia-the fear of being buried alive. Before advances in medical science, our ancestors developed interesting methods to test for life's end. The inaccuracy of such tests resulted in a rise of premature burials that sent a wave of panic through society. As Edgar Allen Poe put it "To be buried alive is, beyond question, the most terrific of extremes which has ever fallen to the lot of mere mortality." Sources: -https://www.maxim.com/maxim-man/brief-history-being-buried-alive/ -https://historycollection.com/buried-alive-common-victorian-era-doctors-used-10-methods-prevent/10/ -https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/safety-coffin-0012316 -https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/54818/4-people-who-were-buried-alive-and-how-they-got-out

When it comes to Norse gods, few are more famous than Thor and Loki. Of course, this is in large part due to The Marvel Universe, but they were just as popular with the ancient Norse as they are today. This week we discuss the true relationship between these two frenemies as well as some super interesting details that Marvel chose to leave out. Then, Lacie recounts the story of a brutal string of murders that plagued Colorado in 1984. Who was the killer? A blood thirsty maniac with a hammer. Sources: -https://www.history.co.uk/articles/the-legendary-adventures-of-thor-in-norse-mythology -https://www.lifeinnorway.net/loki-norse-mythology/ -https://gamerant.com/god-of-war-loki-ragnarok/ -https://mythopedia.com/topics/loki -the-colorado-hammer-killer-from-1984-murder-spree-identified-8a48513fc4b5 -5 -https://mythopedia.com/topics/thor

This week we are bringing you the bloody and mysterious history of folklore's most notorious outlaw, Robin Hood. Besides the Disney movie, Robin Hood has been the subject of countless ballads, books, and films. But was he a real historical figure? Join us as we try to decipher legend from fact. Lacie then brings you the story of the brutal murders of three young boys in 1993. Within a month, investigators were convinced they had found the killers, three misfit teenagers who would become known as "The West Memphis Three." Sources: -who-was-the-real-robin-hood -robin-hood.html -https://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/robin_hood.html - https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/robin_01.shtml -https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-asia/evidence-robin-hood-008105 -https://www.historyanswers.co.uk/people-politics/chernobyl-fire-fighter-we-were-risking-our-lives-but-we-were-just-doing-a-job/ -https://www.vox.com/culture/22358153/satanic-panic-ritual-abuse-history-conspiracy-theories-explained -http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/memphis3/arksct2appellate.html -https://www.jivepuppi.com/Terry_Hobbs.html

This week Hannah is bringing you a special back to school episode by telling you about some haunted schools. You’ll hear about some friendly ghosts and some not so friendly women from history. We’ll even discuss why our culture seems to have a little bit of an obsession with ghost stories like these. Resources: - https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/top-haunted-schools-us-and-abroad1810.html - https://youtu.be/_eyUMgZvEng - https://hauntedohioschool.com/home/ - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_farming - https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/top-haunted-schools-us-and-abroad1810.html - https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/haunted/photos/15-haunted-colleges-and-universities-in-the-u-s- - https://www.psu.edu/news/campus-life/story/we-scare-creepy-commonwealth-campuses-share-spirited-penn-state-tradition/

The circus was the most popular form of entertainment for centuries, but it didn't start with a bag of popcorn and a souvenir cup. The history of The Greatest Show On Earth is a twisted one--one filled with actual blood, sweat, and tears. Those who had the misfortune to be the butt of the joke could harness hatred in their heart that would lead them to do the unthinkable. Listen in as Hannah and Lacie discuss the darkest secrets from under the big top. Not everyone makes it out alive. Sources: -https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/americas-big-circus-spectacular-has-long-and-cherished-history-180962621/ -https://cdapress.com/news/2022/jan/09/history-corner/ -https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-story-of-circus#slideshow=58613815&slide=0 -https://circushalloffame.com/history-of-the-circus/ -https://www.worldhistory.org/Circus_Maximus/ -https://priceonomics.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-circus-freakshows/ -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejLXxBPajRU