Last month a Maine man made national news for finding tampered Halloween candy. He posted on social media that he found a needle in candy his son had bitten into. Police investigated and found he lied, hoaxing the whole thing (probably for attention). He's now been...
Urban legends
The Lighthouse: A Fog of Madness and Superstition
The new genre-bending film The Lighthouse is hard to describe. I’ve seen it mentioned as everything from a horror film to a dark comedy to a psychological thriller. I can’t really tell you what it is, but I can tell you what it’s about, and why you should...
Truths and Myths Behind Halloween Scares
Halloween is coming up soon, and amid the make-believe witches, ghouls, and goblins, there are supposedly real-life villains who hope to harm on children October 31. News reports and scary stories on social media leave many parents concerned about protecting children...
“Ghosts of New Mexico” Talk TONIGHT!
Tonight at 6 PM I'll be giving a talk in Santa Fe on Ghosts and Mysteries of New Mexico! If you're around, come on out to say hi and hear some spooky-yet-skeptical stories!
The Real Stories Behind Classic Horror Films…
I’m quoted in a new article on the true stories behind many classic horror films... How do you make a horror tale scarier? Just say it’s “based on a true story.” That’s a technique book publishers and movie producers have been using for decades, whether or not...
“Ghosts of New Mexico” Talk: Oct. 28, La Farge Library, Santa Fe
I'll be giving a talk at the La Farge library in Santa Fe on "Ghosts of New Mexico," so if you're free stop by and learn about some Land of Enchantment folklore and spookiness! You can find more information HERE! ...
“Malling While Muslim” Update
Earlier this year a West Virginia mother called 911 to report that an Arab man tried to abduct her five-year-old daughter at a mall. Police and mall security arrested the man (an engineer from Egypt who spoke little English), but surveillance footage showed no...
Rumors of Halloween THC Candy Threats
I'm quoted in a new Rolling Stone article on rumors of THC-laden candy threats this Halloween... You can read it HERE.
‘Wrinkles the Clown’ in Theaters Now!
So this is cool: I appear in a new documentary film titled "Wrinkles the Clown," about a creepy clown in Florida who scares kids (often at their parents' request). It's a fascinating, weird story, and you can hear my voice in the official trailer (link in story...
Squaring the Strange Archives: The Terrifying Kuchisake-onna!
In the latest in a series highlighting past episodes and archives of Squaring the Strange, here's a look back at a show you might have missed... This week, Ben and Pascual dig into the legend of Kuchisake-Onna, aka the Slit-mouthed Woman. From the origins of her...