 *Warning* This episode includes details of child murders, which some listeners may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.  The Devil in the White City. The Devil’s Rooming House. The Devil Made Me Do It.  The first two are titles of books about American serial killers. The last one is a movie title about a murder that inspired the third movie in the Conjuring franchise You might have noticed they all have something in common. Devil is in all of their titles. That’s because the criminals are either likened to being the devil themselves or tried to blame the devil for their deeds. There have also been cases where Satanists have been accused of killing in the name of the devil --or were planning to. Like the 2018 case of the 11 and 12-year old middle schoolers in Florida. The girls were luckily caught and arrested before they could carry out their mass murder/suicide plot, though. But what about if we look at it from his perspective --"he" being the Devil-- and play devil’s advocate, so to speak.  Don’t worry. We’re not venturing into satanism territory. Just flipping the script.  The Devil is often named as a co-conspirator in crimes, but has he ever been the target of murder? Has he ever been sued?  That’s what we’re going to explore in this episode of Haunting American True Crimes. Sources https://www.vox.com/culture/22358153/satanic-panic-ritual-abuse-history-conspiracy-theories-explained https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/satanic-temple-responds-murder-plan-satan-worshiping-girls-747337/ https://www.thedailybeast.com/eerie-parallels-between-slenderman-and-teen-satanic-murder-plot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_ex_rel._Gerald_Mayo_v._Satan_and_His_Staff https://www.hauntjaunts.net/the-devil-made-me-do-it-case-33-actual-facts-about-the-true-story/ https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/01/us/arizona-child-exorcism-death.html https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2021/06/29/jack-callahan-duxbury-murder-arraignment/ https://bangordailynews.com/2021/06/30/news/new-england/mass-man-accused-of-killing-his-father-says-he-was-performing-an-exorcism-and-baptism/ “Bizarre Happenings Surround Brookfield Killings” The Hartford Courant, Oct. 29, 1981 “Weird Rites to ‘Drive Devil’ from Girl’s Body Termed Death Cause” Corpus Christi Times, Dec. 23, 1932 “Court’s Limits Leave Satan Breathe Easier” The Daily Courier, Dec. 8, 1971 Want more Haunt Jaunts? Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net. That’s where you can read our blog, find Paracons and Horror Fests, or shop the Skareporium. Become a Crew Member Sign up for our newsletter to receive first-to-know info, subscriber-only giveaways and bonus entries for public contests.  Jaunt with Us Socially Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntJaunts Twitter: https://twitter.com/HauntJaunts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauntjaunts/?hl=en And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too.  Host & Guide Courtney Mroch Music The Dark Tile  by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5333-the-dark-tile- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license SCP-x7x (6th Floor) by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6737-scp-x7x-6th-floor- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license 

Haunt Jaunts

6: The Devil's Advocate Episode

Sometimes houses aren’t haunted by ghosts. Sometimes the restless spirits living under the same roof as the legitimate owners and tenants aren’t unseen souls of the dearly departed. They’re very much alive and secretly dwelling within.  Wait, what? That’s just the stuff of urban legends and horror movies like Crawlspace, Hider in the House, or People Under the Stairs, right? Nope.  There have been real-life cases of uninvited phantom boarders and stalkers, such as Denver's Spiderman of Moncrieff Place and New Jersey's Westfield Watcher. Those are the two cases we examine in this episode of Haunting American True Crimes. And if you happen to know the name of the movie I'm struggling to remember, or if you think it could be The Unseen, let me know. Drop a line to podcast@HauntJaunts.net. Sources Referenced in This Episode The Encyclopedia of American Crime https://www.thecut.com/2018/11/the-haunting-of-657-boulevard-in-westfield-new-jersey.html https://gothamist.com/news/i-went-to-westfield-nj-to-track-down-the-watcher https://www.hauntjaunts.net/house-really-haunted-stalker/ https://patch.com/new-jersey/westfield/infamous-westfield-watcher-house-has-new-owners https://patch.com/new-jersey/westfield/creepy-westfield-watcher-house-netflix-series-ready-film Want more Haunt Jaunts? Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net. Read more blog posts, find Paracons and Horror Fests, or shop the Skareporium. Jaunt with us socially at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntJaunts Twitter: https://twitter.com/HauntJaunts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauntjaunts/?hl=en And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too.  Host & Guide Courtney Mroch MUSIC Halloween Haunted House  by Frank Schröter Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6615-halloween-haunted-house- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license SCP-x7x (6th Floor) by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6737-scp-x7x-6th-floor- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Big Eyes  by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5306-big-eyes- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license 

5: Cases of Creepy Haunted Houses

You might expect something like Crime Categories to appear in the index of the Encyclopedia of American Crime. Listed underneath that heading are a variety of crimes you’d also expect to see: everything from arson and bank robberies to kidnapping, murder, and rape. But there were a couple of crimes I wasn’t expecting, such as Spiritualism, which I discussed in the last episode. But the other shocker was vampires. Of course, that was an entry I had to check out.  Turns out it wasn’t referring to the stereotypical bloodsuckers pop culture has conditioned us to expect. It was about vice extortionists. If you’re wondering what the heck that is, stick around. We’ll be talking about those kinds of vampires --which are bloodsuckers in their own right-- as well as people who have committed murder under the delusion of being the more traditional vampires --blood-drinking and all-- in this episode of Haunting American True Crimes. We examine three cases of killer vampires in particular: The Vampire of Sacramento Richard Trenton Chase James P. Riva, the vampire who murdered his own grandma with gold-tipped bullets Roderick Ferrell and his Kentucky Vampire Clan  Sources Referenced in This Episode The Encyclopedia of American Crime The Sacramento Bee, Jan. 30, 1978   The Sacramento Bee, Jan. 31, 1978 Santa Cruz Sentinel, Oct. 27, 1981 The Boston Globe, Nov. 29, 1996 The Boston Globe, Dec. 8, 1996 The Palm Beach Post, Feb. 6, 1998 The Orlando Sentinel, Nov. 10, 2000 https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/51204/8-real-life-vampire-crimes https://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/josephine-smith-self-proclaimed-vampire-allegedly-bit-69-year-old-man-outside-hooters-6466691 https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/vampire_arrested_in_flori https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-so-called-dracula-killer https://www.escapistmagazine.com/face-chomping-vampire-attacks-geriatric-at-hooters/ Want more Haunt Jaunts? Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net. Read more blog posts, find Paracons and Horror Fests, or shop the Skareporium. Jaunt with us socially at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntJaunts Twitter: https://twitter.com/HauntJaunts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauntjaunts/?hl=en And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too.  Reviews are also always appreciated!  Host & Guide Courtney Mroch Music Miri's Magic Dance Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ SCP-x7x (6th Floor) by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6737-scp-x7x-6th-floor- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license 

4: The Vampire Episode

You expect sting operations with certain criminal activities like gambling, prostitution, and illegal drugs. And then there’s Chris Hansen’s appropriately named To Catch a Predator. It uses modern-day technology employed by some of the vilest forms of criminals ever --pedophiles and child molesters-- to catch them red-handed. But what about psychics? Would it surprise you to know that police have performed stings over the years to catch psychic cons and swindlers too?  That’s not to say all psychics are frauds  --or are they?  I’ll leave that up to you to decide as we examine cases of Spiritualism, Spirit Crimes, and Psychic Stings in this episode of Haunting American True Crimes. We start with the Fox Sisters, a.k.a. the Rochester Rappers, and the birth of American spiritualism --which was a hoax in its own right. Then we examine cases of psychic swindlers who have perpetrated gypsy curse scams over the years, from the early 1900s up until the present day. And you can't have an episode about psychic frauds without including those who set out to catch them in the act, including Harry Houdini, Houdini's ghostbusting undercover agent, Rose Mackenberg, James Randi, and Bob Nygaard. Perhaps Rose Mackenberg put it best: it wasn’t that she was a nonbeliever in spiritualism or unwilling to be convinced in the existence of the afterlife...she just had yet to see any proof of it. That's not to say it doesn't exist. I couldn't help but reference two psychics, Louis Rader and Jane Coates, who both predicted President Warren G. Harding’s death before it happened. Not that in either case it was part of a gypsy curse or scam, but Rader was arrested for his prophecy. Perhaps wrongly so? Whether you believe in psychics or not, I hope you enjoy this jaunt into another episode of Haunting American True Crimes. Sources Referenced in This Episode The Encyclopedia of American Crime by Carl Sifakis https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/06/obituaries/rose-mackenberg-overlooked.html https://www.historynet.com/the-fox-sisters-spiritualisms-unlikely-founders.htm https://abc7news.com/news/private-investigator-recovered-over-$2m-for-psychic-fraud-victims/29673/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Nygaard https://www.historynet.com/mina-crandon-harry-houdini-the-medium-and-the-magician.htm https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/magazine/psychics-skeptics-facebook.html Want more Haunt Jaunts? Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net. Read more blog posts, find Paracons and Horror Fests, or shop the Skareporium. Jaunt with us socially at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntJaunts Twitter: https://twitter.com/HauntJaunts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauntjaunts/?hl=en And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too.  Host & Guide: Courtney Mroch Music Jazzi  by Frank Schröter Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6469-jazzi- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license SCP-x7x (6th Floor) by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6737-scp-x7x-6th-floor- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license From https://filmmusic.io "Some Amount of Evil" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) 

3: Spiritualism, Gypsy Curses & Psychic Stings

Perhaps ghosts haven't helped solve their own murders as dramatically as portrayed in fiction --or have they? I’ll let you be the judge of that as we explore a few such cases in this episode of Haunting American True Crimes. We start off by examining the case of Zona Heaster Shue, a.k.a. The Greenbrier Ghost. A historical marker in West Virginia declares hers is the only known case in which testimony from a ghost helped convict a murderer. Testimony entered into trial may not have factored into Teresita Basa or Rebecca Cornell's murderers being brought to justice, but the ghosts of these women did materialize to help catch their killers. Thank you for joining me for this episode of Haunting American True Crimes. If you have a favorite book or movie with the plotline of a ghost helping to solve their own murder, I’d love to hear about it --or rather read about it. Send me an email at podcast@hauntjaunts.net. You can also send me your thoughts on this episode --or any other you've heard for that matter. Mostly, I hope you enjoy taking this audio voyage with me. Thank you for your time. Sources Referenced in This Episode The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits -  “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/1673-murder-rebecca-cornell-and-good-fire/ https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11917 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenbrier_Ghost https://www.hauntjaunts.net/the-greenbrier-ghost-the-haunting-case-of-zona-heaster-shue/ https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/1673-murder-rebecca-cornell-and-good-fire/ The Independent-Herald, Thu. Feb 18, 1904 Beckley Post-Herald, Thu. Mar 5, 1953 Chicago Tribune, Tue. Feb 22, 1977 Chicago Tribune, Sat. Aug 13, 1977 Chicago Tribune, Sub. Mar 5, 1978 Want more Haunt Jaunts? Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net. Read more blog posts, find Paracons and Horror Fests, or shop the Skareporium. Jaunt with us socially at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntJaunts Twitter: https://twitter.com/HauntJaunts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauntjaunts/?hl=en And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too.  Host & Guide Courtney Mroch Music Half Mystery by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5026-half-mystery License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ SCP-x7x (6th Floor) by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6737-scp-x7x-6th-floor- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Stille Nacht by Sascha Ende Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/308-stille-nacht License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

2: Ghosts Who Solved Their Own Murders

A comment on one of my posts from author Priscilla Bettis got me thinking. She had wondered if any of the stories counselors told around summer camp campfires had any basis in fact.  Well, that sparked my curiosity and just begged me to research it.  That's how I learned about the Camp Scott Murders. Once I did, I instantly wondered if it had inspired the Friday the 13th movies. Of that, I’m not sure. (It's doubtful. The writers have never admitted to it.) However, I do know it inspired this, our first serialized season of the Haunt Jaunts podcast: Haunting American True Crimes. And since it was the inspiration for the series, our first case examines the Camp Scott Murders. The late 1970s case still technically remains unsolved today. In 1978, Gene Leroy Hart was charged with the 1977 murders of Girl Scouts Lori Lee Farmer, Doris Denise Milner, and Michele Heather Guse at Camp Scott in Oklahoma. But a jury acquitted him in 1979. What happened to him after that? And to the families of those little girls? We answer both of those questions while inevitably raising others, such as "Could DNA evidence one day once and for all identify the killer and solve the case?" We also look into another case the Sun once said could have also inspired Friday the 13th: the Lake Bodom massacre in Finland. Then we circle back around to Camp Scott. Because of its dark history, it never reopened after June 13, 1977. It’s been abandoned ever since. I’m sure paranormal investigators and the para-curious can’t help but wonder, “Is it haunted?”  It’s a valid question given the camp’s tragic history, even one that crossed my mind when I first learned of this story, but it’s also one of those cases that begs more respect than usual. We explore why ghost hunting just feels unacceptable in some cases, and why Camp Scott and the events that transpired there is one of them. POSTS REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE http://www.girlscoutmurders.com/ https://abandonedok.com/camp-scott/ https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/finding-good-in-the-aftermath-of-the-girl-scout-murders-complicated/article_bb96e32c-e691-5af6-8fae-39d619a25d08.html https://kympasqualini.medium.com/1977-girl-scouts-murders-police-hope-dna-will-identify-killer-ddd5d90bea99 https://www.hauntjaunts.net/did-the-unsolved-camp-scott-girl-scout-murders-inspire-friday-the-13th/ WANT MORE HAUNT JAUNTS? Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net. Read more blog posts, find Paracons and Horror Fests, or shop the Skareporium. Jaunt with us socially at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntJaunts Twitter: https://twitter.com/HauntJaunts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauntjaunts/?hl=en And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too.  HOST & GUIDE Courtney Mroch MUSIC Classic Horror 1 by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/3511-classic-horror-1 License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license  SCP-x7x (6th Floor) by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6737-scp-x7x-6th-floor- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license BeeAndButterfly by Lilo Sound Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8098-beeandbutterfly License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Big Eyes  by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5306-big-eyes- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Marimba Thriller by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5335-marimba-thriller- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license 

1: The Camp Scott Murders: A Real Life Summer Camp True Crime

Haunted summer camps...Surely some of those campfire stories the counselors told us were based on actual events.That comment on one of my posts led to the discovery of one of the most heartwrenching true crime stories I’ve ever learned of. It also served as the impetus for the first serial season we’ll have on the Haunt Jaunts podcast: Haunting American True Crimes. Join me as I examine the tragic case of the Camp Scott Murders, the Haunting Case of Zona Heaster Shue, the specter known as the Spiderman of Moncrief Place, and other real life American cases involving vampires, gypsy curses and even the devil.  If you aren’t already, subscribe to Haunt Jaunts so you can start enjoying our Haunting American True Crimes series when it launches on Monday, September 13. Want more Haunt Jaunts? Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net. Read more blog posts, find Paracons and Horror Fests, or shop the Skareporium. Jaunt with us socially at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntJaunts Twitter: https://twitter.com/HauntJaunts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauntjaunts/?hl=en And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too.  Reviews are also always appreciated! And so is coffee. Buy us one here: https://buymeacoffee.com/hauntjaunts. Host & Guide: Courtney Mroch Music: Marimba Thriller by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5335-marimba-thriller- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license 

81: Haunting American True Crimes Trailer

Posies is a short horror film about a woman attempting to hide her transformation into a monster by placing flowers under her skin. It might not sound tantalizing at first blush, but let me assure you it's one of the most beautiful and haunting horror movies --short or long-- that I've ever seen. #superb #horror That's why I was a bit nervous talking to the directors of Posies, Katherine Fisher and R.H. Stavis (who also wrote it). It wasn't one of my best interviews. Maybe one of my most awkward. Nerves took hold because I was fangirling. These two are crazy creative and have huge things ahead of them. In fact, Posies is just a first step. Stavis has a series coming out soon on FX based on her memoir, Sister of Darkness: The Chronicles of a Modern Exorcist. (In addition to being a writer and director, she's also an exorcist!) We'll also be able to watch her on Tubi on October 31 for Halloween! And both Stavis and Fisher are hard at work to produce their feature, Wires, which Posies is based on. They explain it all --and introduce themselves when (a) I failed to and (b) flubbed it all up --in this interview. I was a bit of a mess, but they couldn't have been lovelier. Great things are ahead for them. I feel it in my bones. Be sure to seek out Posies to watch too...and then tell everyone you know about it. Hype gets results and these two are worth hyping! GUEST INFO R.H. Stavis on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/rhstavis/ Katherine Fisher on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/k.r.fisher/ R.H. Stavis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RHStavis Katherine Fisher on Twitter: https://twitter.com/speed_of_joy JAUNT WITH US ONLINE ANYTIME Website: https://www.hauntjaunts.net/ Find Paracons: https://www.hauntjaunts.net/find-paranormal-halloween-horror-event/paracons-horror-fests/ Is your birthday on a weird day? Find out here: https://www.hauntjaunts.net/reference/weird-holidays-observances/ Shop the Skareporium: https://www.amazon.com/shop/hauntjaunts JAUNT WITH US SOCIALLY Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntJaunts Twitter: https://twitter.com/HauntJaunts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauntjaunts/?hl=en HOST & GUIDE Courtney Mroch INTRO MUSIC Pumpkin Demon by WinnieTheMoog Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6866-pumpkin-demon License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license OUTRO MUSIC From https://filmmusic.io "Some Amount of Evil" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) 

80: Chat with Short Horror Film Directors Katherine Fisher and R.H. Stavis about POSIES

Dakota Laden, Tanner Wiseman, and Alex Schroeder graciously spent some time having an unconventional chat with Court about Destination Fear season 3.   Using a combination of questions from fans as well as her own, Court asked things like:   What's up with Dakota's ducks? Are they in every episode and how long have they been doing that?  Who drives the RV? How long does it take to research each haunted location? Would they be down to letting fans pick a location for them? What's up with the drama this season? Is there more than usual? Is everything okay with them? Will we see them exploring more fun pre-investigation activities in this season's episodes like they did with the hot air balloon in the Waverly episode?  How does it feel to have some fans say that they now like Destination Fear more than Ghost Adventures, and congratulate Dakota for surpassing his mentor? What was the scariest location for them this season? (Beware, there's a warning that comes with this one. We extracted some top secret info from Dakota we had to edit out. We'll share it at a later date when we get the go-ahead from Discovery and Travel Channel.) Any news on Destination Fear season 4 yet? Would they rather return to one of their scariest locations or participate in a Shark Week special? They answer everything and a little bit more. And, as usual, they are just as warm, fun, and lovely as they appear on TV. For which Court was grateful because she was a little under the weather and off her game, but they rolled with all her hiccups. Such a great crew! #DestinationFear For More Info Follow @TravelChannel and #DestinationFear on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram for additional content and updates. Plus, check out @discoveryplus on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Follow the team on Twitter: @DakotaLaden, @ChelseaLaden, @Tanner_Wiseman and @Alex_Schroeder4. Want more Haunt Jaunts? Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net. Read more blog posts, find Paracons and Horror Fests, or shop the Skareporium. Jaunt with us socially at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntJaunts Twitter: https://twitter.com/HauntJaunts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauntjaunts/?hl=en And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too. (Reviews are also always appreciated!)  Host & Guide: Courtney Mroch Intro Music:  Pumpkin Demon by WinnieTheMoog Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6866-pumpkin-demon License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   Outro Music: From https://filmmusic.io "Some Amount of Evil" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

79: Ducks, Drama and Scariest Locations: Diving into Season 3 with the Destination Fear Team

Kendall and Vera Whelpton are the husband and wife filmmaking team whose latest movie, The Sleepless Unrest: The Real Conjuring Home, hits select theaters and VOD on July 16, 2021. After enjoying an advanced screener of the film, Court had a chance to sit down and talk with the Whelptons about the movie. Richel Stratton and Brian Murray from Ghost Hunters joined Kendall and Vera for an investigation of the house that's now owned by Cory and Jennifer Heinzen. The foursome spent two weeks living in the home with the Heinzens.   So what happened? Is there as much paranormal activity as people have claimed?  Vera summed it up best, "Something is happening there." But what?  No spoilers here, but here are a few of the questions Court asked Kendall and Vera about the investigation:  What was the origin story for this project? Why did they pick the house that inspired The Conjuring movie? Or did it pick them? On their first night in the home, Kendall asked Cory if he had any advice for them. Now that they've had a chance to get better acquainted with the house, what advice would they give others who jaunt there to investigate? What was the most challenging part of investigating for two weeks like that? Are they okay? (Not gonna say what happened to prompt that question, but let's just say what happened at the Conjuring house did not stay at the house and followed Kendall and Vera home...) Guest Info www.TheSleeplessUnrest.com Want more Haunt Jaunts? Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net. Read more blog posts, find Paracons and Horror Fests, or shop the Skareporium. Jaunt with us socially at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntJaunts Twitter: https://twitter.com/HauntJaunts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauntjaunts/?hl=en And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too. (Reviews are also always appreciated!)  Host & Guide: Courtney Mroch Intro Music:  Pumpkin Demon by WinnieTheMoog Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6866-pumpkin-demon License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   Outro Music: From https://filmmusic.io "Some Amount of Evil" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) 

77: The Sleepless Unrest: A Chat with the Filmmakers about Their Investigation of the Conjuring Home

It started with a shark attack at Beach Haven, New Jersey on July 1, 1916, that killed  Charles E. Van Sant. Five days later a shark would claim the life of another victim,  Charles Bruder, at Spring Lake, just up the shore. Nerves were rattled but the terror really set in when two more victims, Lester Stilwell and Stanley Fisher, were killed the following week in Matawan Creek by a shark...11 miles inland! Another boy, Joseph Dunn was also bitten that same day (but survived). Was it one rogue shark? Or several? Was the killer shark (or sharks) among the hundreds that were hunted and killed that July? Or was it the 7 1/2 foot adolescent great white shark that Michael Schleisser and his friend John Murphy unintentionally caught on July 14, 1916, that was the culprit? When they slit open its belly, human flesh and bones were found inside. No one knows. But just as suddenly as the shark attacks started that summer, they stopped. But there was also one more unsolved mystery that summer: the disappearance of George Campbell. He'd been swimming in the same creek where Stilwell and Fisher lost their lives just a day before. Did he drown, or was he actually a sixth shark attack causality...and could it have been his flesh and bones found inside the shark? We'll never know. All we do know is that those awful shark attacks of 1916 griped the nation then, and would go on to inspire Jaws, one of the most iconic horror movies ever. Want more Haunt Jaunts? Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net. Read more blog posts, find Paracons and Horror Fests, or shop the Skareporium. Jaunt with us socially at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntJaunts Twitter: https://twitter.com/HauntJaunts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauntjaunts/?hl=en And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too. (Reviews are also always appreciated!)  Host & Guide: Courtney Mroch Intro Music:  Pumpkin Demon by WinnieTheMoog Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6866-pumpkin-demon License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   Outro Music: From https://filmmusic.io "Some Amount of Evil" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)   Episode  Music: Tale by Rafael Krux  Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5331-tale- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license 

78: A Look at the 1916 Shark Attacks That Inspired Jaws

That was probably one of the wackier questions I asked Ben Hansen when I got the chance to talk with him about Roswell: The Final Verdict, a new series launching on discovery+ on July 2. The series is comprised of four different elements:  Reenactments Witness testimonies  The experts (like Ben) Artificial intelligence (AI) lie detection software. What did Ben think of the format? Was he surprised by any of the AI lie detection software reveals? Was there any other information shared during the series that surprised him or that he learned something new from? And what about Roswell: The Final Verdict? Who will like it? Will it change anyone's mind? (Not skeptics. As Ben put it, "There's not much you can do for them.") He answers all of this and more, as well as graciously puts up with my awkward, scattered questioning. Want more Haunt Jaunts? Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net. Read more blog posts, find Paracons and Horror Fests, or shop the Skareporium. Jaunt with us socially at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntJaunts Twitter: https://twitter.com/HauntJaunts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauntjaunts/?hl=en And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too. (Reviews are also always appreciated!)  Host & Guide: Courtney Mroch, Ambassador of Dark & Paranormal Tourism Intro Music:  Pumpkin Demon by WinnieTheMoog Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6866-pumpkin-demon License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   Outro Music: From https://filmmusic.io "Some Amount of Evil" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) 

76: A Chat with Ben Hansen about Roswell: The Final Verdict

The Omni Parker House in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of three romantic historic hotels with haunted 10th floors. (The other two are The Skirvin Hilton in Oklahoma City and The Drake in Chicago.) However, the Omni Parker House may have the most active 10th floor of them all. Even better, the Omni Parker House is very open about its restless spirits. The concierges keep a “Ghostly Encounters” handout handy for your reading pleasure if you care —or should I say, “dare”— to read it. Of the eight stories on the sheet, half of them are about paranormal activity on the 10th floor. Are we now among those who experienced some? Perhaps. Which we'll get to, both in this description and the second half of this episode. Anyway, one of the stories on the sheet was about a Harvey Parker ghost sighting in room 1012.  During my research into the haunted hotel, I came across Unpacked: A blog by Omni Hotels and Resorts. In 2016, they did a Haunted Hotels series. One of the hotels they featured was “Boston’s Omni Parker House.” This part of the article caught my eye:  To those who knew Harvey Parker, such sightings — which have not been reported for two decades now — could hardly come as a shock.It reminded me of the “Most durable ghosts” entry in the 1989 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, which I'd picked up to verify whether they really had named Pluckley the most haunted village. (They did. See "Related posts" below if you want to read more." But the "Most durable ghost" section began: Ghosts are not immortal and seem to deteriorate after 400 years. I don't know how durable ghosts are and whether or not they deteriorate after 400 years but say that was true.  Harvey Parker died in 1884. He’s only 136-years-old in ghost years. So where did his ghost go? BONUS: EVP? I also included audio from a video recording when I was exploring the various allegedly haunted floors. It happened when I was on my way to check out room 1012. I wasn't investigating. I was just having a look around, but did I accidentally catch an EVP?  Give it a listen and see what you think. Related Posts   UPDATE: Guinness Responds to Most Haunted Village Inquiry Want more Haunt Jaunts? Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net. Read more blog posts, find Paracons and Horror Fests, or shop the Skareporium. Jaunt with Us Socially on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HauntJaunts Twitter: https://twitter.com/HauntJaunts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hauntjaunts/?hl=en And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too. (Reviews are also always appreciated!)  Host & Guide Courtney Mroch, Ambassador of Dark & Paranormal Tourism Intro Music   Pumpkin Demon by WinnieTheMoog Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6866-pumpkin-demon License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Episode Music High Altitude  by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5336-high-altitude- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Horizon Flare by Alexander Nakarada Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4837-horizon-flare License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Marimba Thriller by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5335-marimba-thriller- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Outro Music From https://filmmusic.io "Some Amount of Evil" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

75: Where did Harvey Parker's ghost go and possible accidental EVP?

Meteorological summer starts on June 1 and runs to August 31. Astronomical summer starts on the summer solstice, which this year was June 20, and lasts until September 22.One of the ways to locate days on the Weird Holidays & Observances page is via the Jump to a Month section. The table categorizes months by seasons, which are then grouped meteorologically.Although I never knew that when I set it up. I knew it wasn’t quite in line with the astronomical tracking, but that would’ve been hard to do. Instead, I just organized them how it seems most people view winter, spring, summer, and fall. Or, as I now know, meteorologically.Even though I’m posting this after June 1, in keeping with how the days are listed on the Weird Holidays & Observances page, I’ll start at the beginning of June anyway. Because there are some good days I don’t want to leave out.I won’t cover all of the weird days in each summer month (June, July, and August). This is more like a highlight reel of the best ones.To see them all, or to see what else is in the other seasons, visit the Weird Holidays & Observances page.Want more Haunt Jaunts?Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net, or socially on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.  Read more blog posts, find Paracons and Horror Fests, or shop the Skareporium. And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too. (Reviews are also always appreciated!) HOST & GUIDECourtney Mroch, Ambassador of Dark & Paranormal TourismOUTRO MUSIC From https://filmmusic.io"Some Amount of Evil" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

74: The Weird and Unusual Days of Summer

Why was Ed Warren so invested in seeing the Devil put on trial instead of Arne Cheyenne Johnson during the 1981 trial following the murder of Alan Bono? In my review of the doc, I wrote: "I ended up getting my answer when I spoke with Jeff Belanger about his part in The Devil Made Me Do It Shock Docs. He’s one of the experts who's interviewed. But because he also shed some light on other aspects of this case too, that’ll be a post for another time." Guess what time it is?Well, it's time to share the interview at any rate. Jeff definitely shed light on why this case was so important to Ed Warren. But that wasn't the only thing he illuminated.He also explained why Ed's love of the media and his publicity-seeking ways weren't all bad. Jeff credited his career being possible thanks to the precedent the Warrens set. I had never regarded them in that fashion before, so it was a pleasure to be introduced to that perspective. Guest InfoVisit jeffbelanger.com. Want more Haunt Jaunts? Jaunt with us online anytime at HauntJaunts.net, or socially on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. And if you liked what you heard, remember to subscribe too. (Reviews are also always appreciated!)  Host & Guide: Courtney Mroch, Ambassador of Dark & Paranormal TourismIntro Music: Pumpkin Demon by WinnieTheMoogLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/6866-pumpkin-demon License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license  Outro Music:From https://filmmusic.io "Some Amount of Evil" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

73: A Chat with Jeff Belanger about the Devil Made Me Do It Shock Docs

Welcome to the dark side…of travel! A podcast destination for restless spirits who dig hauntings, true crime, horror, Halloween, and weird days. Hosted by your guide, Ambassador of Dark & Paranormal Tourism, Courtney Mroch. Come jaunt with us. If you dare…