HAUNTED TALKS TURNS 200!
Our Top 10 Haunted Talks Episodes
With over 200 episodes, Haunted Talks has taken listeners deep into the unknown—exploring chilling paranormal encounters, unsettling true crime, eerie corners of history, and conversations with remarkable guests.
To mark our 200th episode, host Jim Dean, researcher and writer Brittany Bos, and sound editor Michelle Dennis each shared their personal favourites—the episodes that left the biggest impression, whether through spine-tingling stories, unexpected twists, or moments that simply wouldn’t let go.
EPISODES 184 & 185 – DARK FOLKLORE
We journey into the shadowy realms of freaky folklore, uncovering the spine-chilling tales of mythical creatures that have haunted human imagination across cultures and continents. We reveal stories of beings that lurk in the dark, from the infamous Mothman of West Virginia to the eerie cries of Ireland’s Banshee, each a harbinger of doom and a staple of local lore. These tales blend reality with fantasy, where mythical creatures not only foretell death but sometimes take matters into their own hands. Join us for captivating stories and heart-stopping encounters with beings that lurk at the very edges of our perception.
EPISODE 178 – THE BLACK DONNELLYS
On February 4th, 1880, Canada’s most notorious family—the Black Donnellys—were massacred in their home by a vigilante group of their neighbours. To mark the 144th anniversary, we take you inside the Donnelly legend. What really happened on that fateful night? Were the Donnellys truly ‘evil,’ or merely convenient scapegoats? And do their restless spirits still linger at the place where they met such a violent end?
EPISODE 174 – THE DARK EVENTS THAT INSPIRED EDAR ALLAN POE
Edgar Allan Poe’s tales of madness, horror, and moral reckoning continue to resonate nearly two centuries after their creation. In this episode, we unravel the inspirations behind four of his most iconic stories—The Masque of the Red Death, The Oblong Box, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Cask of Amontillado. By drawing parallels between Poe’s life and his fiction, we reveal how real-world events—such as disease outbreaks, murder trials, and personal vendettas—served as dark muses for his unparalleled tales of terror.
EPISODE 164 – WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MARY CELESTE?
When the Mary Celeste was found adrift near the Azores in 1872, it was immediately clear that something was wrong—the ship was deserted. What happened? Did the crew stage a mutiny? Were they attacked by pirates? Caught in a storm or some other freak weather event? Stories of this “ghost ship” quickly spread around the world, along with increasingly fanciful theories about her fate. Join us as we set sail to explore one of the greatest unsolved nautical mysteries of all time!
EPISODE 159 – A SURPRISINGLY SPOOKY STORY ABOUT A QUILT
Of all the haunted object stories we’ve covered, this might be the most unexpectedly unsettling. In a small Wisconsin town in 1955, the Monroe family stumbled upon an old, forgotten box in their newly purchased home. Inside, they discovered a stunning patchwork quilt, radiating with colours from a bygone era. Little did they know, this seemingly innocuous find would spark a chilling mystery that would soon make newspaper headlines. From moving of its own accord and ghostly demands to bone-chilling encounters with a faceless figure, there is something deeply unusual about this peculiar family heirloom.
EPISODE 150 – FOOTSTEPS IN THE ATTIC: THE HINTERKAIFECK MURDERS
One of the most perplexing and haunting true crime cases we’ve ever explored—the Hinterkaifeck Murders. Even though it’s been five years since we first released this episode, we still find ourselves thinking about it, wondering what truly happened on that isolated farmstead on that dreadful night. Full of terrible twists and unsettling turns, it remains one of the world’s most chilling mysteries. What could have driven someone to commit such a night of terror? We search for answers with Edward Chilvers, author of Footsteps in the Attic: A True Account of the Slayings at the Hinterkaifeck Farmstead.
EPISODE 131 – A JOURNEY TO ALCATRAZ
Alcatraz is a place that uniquely captures the imagination, with stories of the Civil War, hardened criminals, daring escape attempts, and lingering legends. We’ll be exploring “The Rock” through the eyes of historian, Haunted Talks contributor, and former Haunted Walk tour guide Brittney Bos, Ph.D., as she visits the infamous island for the first time. While wandering the cellblocks and hallways, she shares her thoughts and impressions about this one-of-a-kind site—and why it is essential to preserve and visit places of tragedy, loss, and suffering.
EPISODE 128 – THE VERY STRANGE AFTERLIFE OF ELMER J. McCURDY
While a minor outlaw during his lifetime, the story of Elmer J. McCurdy truly begins after his death in 1911. For 60 years, his mortal remains were intentionally—and at times accidentally—displayed for public amusement and profit. The bizarre journey culminated in 1976, when a TV crew believed they had found the perfect prop for a scene in an old carnival dark ride—only to realize what they had discovered wasn’t a recreation of a mummified body, but an actual corpse! What was it doing there, and how was the mystery solved?
EPISODES 124 & 125 – THE FIRST GHOST WITH DR. IRVING FINKEL
What is the oldest recorded mention of a ghost? Dr. Irving Finkel, Assistant Keeper of Ancient Mesopotamian script, languages and cultures in the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum, joins us to talk about his recent book The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies. He shares how living with ghosts and other restless spirits has been part of the human experience from the earliest moments of recorded history. Not only is he a leading expert in ancient writing, but also a wonderful and playful storyteller, and we are extremely lucky to have him for a special two-part interview.
EPISODE 112 – THE ENFIELD POLTERGEIST
Incredible hoax—or one of the most widely witnessed cases of supernatural activity? The Enfield Poltergeist is a case that gives even the most ardent skeptics pause. Not only is the story terrifying, but spanning two years, it is also one of the most well-documented hauntings in history. With numerous firsthand witnesses and hundreds of hours of audio recordings captured inside the allegedly haunted house, it begs the question: How much evidence is enough?