Tag: Pop Culture

Surely, yes, surely, Norman, Mother, and the horrors of the Bates Motel are merely eccentric imaginings of a darkly gifted mind, right? However unbelievable this Freudian field day seems, it’s based on a true story. Just as Hitchcock’s film, Psycho, initiated the country (and truthfully, the world) into the age of suspenseful, cerebral horror thrillers; the story of its origin generated a national curiosity about abnormal psychology and its role in creating the modern monsters later dubbed ‘serial killers’. Unbelievable from inspiration to publication, from publication to production, from production to marketing, and from marketing to reception this film is a landmark of cinema and storytelling. Join as we take a look at the way Psycho redefined the way Americans saw movies, and the way Ed Gein changed the way we saw the guy next door. 

Guest Story Teller Diane Student from History Goes Bump Podcast https://itun.es/us/YfOR2.c Read More …

Surely, yes, surely, Norman, Mother, and the horrors of the Bates Motel are merely eccentric imaginings of a darkly gifted mind, right? However unbelievable this Freudian field day seems, it’s based on a true story. Just as Hitchcock’s film, Psycho, in… Read More …

What do you think of when you hear the phrase ‘Mardi Gras’? It seems a safe wager to bet that most minds go to booze, boobs, Bourbon Street and beads, but there is another farewell to flesh, celebrated not so far from the capital city of organized debauchery. Yes, deep along the bayous of Cajun Country men in ornate costumes take to horseback and ride out seeking the ingredients they will need to provide a feast for their fellow townsfolk. Sounds like something straight out of Europe in the Middle Ages, right? It is in fact, but these masked marauders ride to this day, but how did this tradition find its way to rural south Louisiana? Who are these madmen? What do they want? And most importantly, what’s with all this talk about a chicken?  Read More …

What do you think of when you hear the phrase ‘Mardi Gras’? It seems a safe wager to bet that most minds go to booze, boobs, Bourbon Street and beads, but there is another farewell to flesh, celebrated not so far from the capital city of organized deba… Read More …

We all know children are the future, mostly because the song plays at local supermarkets and dentist’s office in heavy rotation, but what if that sentiment isn’t as comforting as soft rock would have us believe? “Children are all little criminals,” a 19th century psychologist stated, and perhaps he’s not so far off. There’s something parasitic about the relationships between caretakers and their charges, but we’ll look at the extreme worst case scenarios in this episode. From the paranormal, black eyed children trading on their cuteness to get a chance to steal your soul, to the factual, real life tales of kids who kill; we’ll try to answer the question: why are creepy kids so creepy?  Read More …

We all know children are the future, mostly because the song plays at local supermarkets and dentist’s office in heavy rotation, but what if that sentiment isn’t as comforting as soft rock would have us believe? “Children are all little criminals,” a 1… Read More …

Hotels are a common fixture in almost any society. Since before the birth of Christ, and, come to think of it, even for the specific occasion of the birth of Christ, people have been hoping to find some room at the inn. But serving society’s weary travelers or playing host to out-of-towners away for both business and pleasure is only the beginning of functions hotels perform. Is there something to the idea that at some hotels you can check any time you like, but you can never leave? The Eagles styled a fictional inn as a purgatory of sorts in their classic song, “Hotel California”, and maybe that’s not as fantastical as it sounds. We take a look at the things that go on behind those ‘do not disturb’ signs, and see if there’s anything to the idea that hotels are beacons of the underworld. Using the Hotel Cecil, a real-life Hotel California if ever there was one, as a case study we work our way through the vices that draw people, such as Robert Ramirez and Elisa Lam, to these intersections of public and private life and the privacy and anonymity they provide.

Elisa Lam Video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3TjVBpyTeZM Read More …

Hotels are a common fixture in almost any society. Since before the birth of Christ, and, come to think of it, even for the specific occasion of the birth of Christ, people have been hoping to find some room at the inn. But serving society’s weary trav… Read More …