New episode of Squaring the Strange is out! This time the devil's not in the details, he's in the music! From violinists centuries ago to hard rock and even country music, the devil shows up quite a lot. Pascual takes us on a diabolical tour of musical folklore...
Media Literacy
Mystery of the Borderline Bar Silent Shooting
A few years ago I investigated and solved a mystery that stumped both conspiracy theorists (not hard to do) and a noted science educator (more difficult). Why did eyewitness video of a nightclub shooting contradict eyewitness accounts? On November 7, 2018, a...
Parsing ‘Possible’
One of the favorite techniques of mystery mongers when confronted by skeptics or good evidence—or just plain common sense—is to reply “But isn’t it possible?” This is a standard ploy on countless paranormal-themed television shows, including (and especially)...
Squaring the Strange #17: Deathbed Confessions, Real and Rumored
The new episode of our podcast Squaring the Strange is out! This time we discuss a short list of purported deathbed confessions. The last words of a consequential figure can be hijacked or twisted to fit agenda -- or, sometimes, it's not just the words that are made...
Searching for Cressie, the Crescent Lake Monster
The UK Skeptics have a fun piece I wrote about investigating Cressie, a lake monster in Newfoundland. Check it out, and for more on this see my book "Lake Monster Mysteries," co-written with Joe Nickell! An excerpt is below, and you can read the rest HERE! ...
A Book of Books about Beasts
Review of Of Books and Beasts: A Cryptozoologist’s Library By Matt Bille The subject of cryptozoology, like many Fortean fields, is plagued by poor scholarship. This is not a dig at the topic, but merely an undeniable and unfortunate fact. Whether the subject is...
Guest on ‘Paranormal Now’ Talking Chupacabras!
I was recently a guest on the Paranormal Now show, talking about my 5 years of research into the chupacabra. It's available on YouTube, so check it out if you're interested!
Ben and Lake Monsters and… ‘Bob’s Burgers’?
I'm delighted to be mentioned in Russ Dobler's series "The Subtle Skepticism of ‘Bob’s Burgers’! Check out his article HERE!
Chapter in New Book: ‘North American Monsters A Contemporary Legend Casebook’
I'm delighted to have contributed a chapter in this new book on the folklore of monsters! I haven't read it yet but many of the other authors are brilliant friends and colleagues, and I'm looking forward to it. I also did the cover art! Check it out HERE!
Squaring the Strange # 170: Pet Psychics and Psychic Pets
New episode of Squaring the Strange is now out! After a brief discussion on the recent jailbreak (rock break?) of a Japanese nine-tailed fox demon and some thoughts on war rumors we talk about people who think they can talk to animals. Or people who think their animal...