Sources Puhvel, Martin. “The Mystery of the Cross-Roads.” Folklore, vol. 87, no. 2, 1976, pp. 167–77, . Accessed 9 May 2022. Sprecht, Mary Helen. “At the Crossroads.” World Literature Today, vol. 87, no. 5, 2013. Jackson, Craig. “Scotland – the Grisly Deeds of Alexander Bean.” BBC, . Mhandu...
Episode 12: Buried Alive
One of the three hints for the classic coffin riddle indicates that the person “using” the coffin–the person within it–doesn’t know it. This isn’t always the case, however. In this episode I explore the long-held fear of premature burial, from real world safety...
Episode 7: Trust. Fall.
Putting trust in anyone is inherently risky. Even those closest to us can ultimately prove untrustworthy–whether they are malicious or simply misguided–in dangerous ways. History is littered with victims of betrayal, people who often did not employ a healthy fear of those near to them...
Episode 6: Beware the Outsider
In the previous episode, I talked about how being the outsider can be scary, leave you more susceptible to harm, but that isn’t always the case. Spain’s conquistadors were “outsiders” when they arrived in the “new world,” for example, but on balance, they...
Episode 3: The Kids are All Frightening
Three novels are commonly regarded as responsible for the horror boom that started in the late 1960 and thrived through the 70’s and early 80’s. Rosemary’s Baby (the catalyst) The Exorcist and Thomas Tryon’s The Other. What all three of these have in common is frightening...