Oddity

In this episode of Oddity, we take a look at a bizarre murder case which occurred in Colorado in 1941: the tragic death of Philip Peters at the hands of a man best known as The Denver Spider Man. Sources and further reading: Wikipedia – Theodore Edward Coneys Theodore Coneys, Murderpedia: http://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/coneys-theodore.htm

A screaming skull is a human skull which, according to legend, disturbs the house in which it's kept by screaming, speaking, or causing other disturbances. In the case of a few of these skulls, they are the focus of hauntings which stop when the skull is laid to rest – but in the majority of stories, the act of removing the skull from inside the house is what sparks off the trouble. Sources an...

The historic market town of Pontefract is perhaps best known for its liquorice. But since the late 60s, the town has also been known for something not quite as sweet. In this episode of Oddity, we take a look at the famous 30 East Drive haunting, and its supposed resident Black Monk. Sources and further reading: Wikipedia - When The Lights Went Out The Black Monk of Pontefract, Ghost Story.c...

Here in the UK, badly behaved children might discover that on Christmas morning, Father Christmas has left them lumps of coal or raw potatoes instead of toys and sweets. But in some other parts of Europe, the punishment for misbehaving is a whole lot worse. Saint Nicholas still brings presents for the good children, but naughty kids should, frankly, be terrified. Legend says that they're in for...

In 1978, a young woman went to the papers with a strange tale. She had fallen through a hole in Crystal Palace Park, and stumbled upon a train carriage full of skeletons. But how did this story come about? Sources and further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CrystalPalacepneumatic_railway / Crystal Palace Park / The Crystal Palace / Crystal Palace Dinosaurs / Church Hill TunnelCrystal P...

In late 1948, a man was found dead on a beach in Australia. His identity, and how he died, have remained a mystery for almost seventy years. Could a piece of paper found in his pocket shed light on the case? Sources and further reading:Wikipedia - Tamam Shud'Tamam Shud', Roy Bainton, Fortean Times 351.The Body on Somerton Beach, Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-body-...

This Halloween episode of Oddity is a trick or treat assortment of seasonal folklore and urban legends, from vampire pumpkins to razor blades in apples.

Werewolves, UFOs, Bigfoot, British Big Cats, a hellhound, ghosts, plus a pig man, Black Eyed Kids and the Slenderman... Despite its status as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Cannock Chase seems to be somewhat of a magnet for weirdness! Sources and further reading: 'Werewolves in Staffordshire', BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2009/09/29/werewolvesinstaffs_feat...

In 1855, a group gathered in a rented house on Campo Lane in Sheffield. They were there to investigate a haunting, but one of the group would soon be dead... Sources and further reading: "Scared to Death", David Clarke, Fortean Times 284, p. 34 - 39 Wikipedia - Spring-Heeled Jack 'Scared To Death', Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scared-to-death-heart-attack/...

Friday the 13th is often seen as an unlucky day. In this Oddity minisode, we explore some of the strange and unusual things that have occurred on this date.

In June of 1836, a group of boys set out for Arthur's Seat looking for rabbits. In a small opening in the rock, almost hidden from view, they found something else. Seventeen miniature coffins, each one containing a small wooden figure, dressed in hand stitched clothes. But who put them there, and what did they represent? Sources and further reading: 'Mystery of the Miniature Coffins', NMS: ht...

When news of a Persian mummy emerged in October 2000, it became the focus of international attention. But the mysterious mummy held a secret that would shock the world... Sources and further reading: 'The Persian Mummy', BBC Horizon: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/persianmummy.shtml 'The Persian Mummy' episode transcript, BBC Horizon: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/pers...

In this episode of Oddity, we examine the hotly debated phenomenon of spontaneous human combustion. For hundreds of years, there have been reports of people bursting into flames, seemingly without being set alight by any external heat source... Sources and further reading: Wikipedia - Spontaneous Human Combustion / John Irving Bentley / Mary Reeser / Wick Effect / Death of Michael Faherty 'S...

In this episode of Oddity, we'll be looking at a weird tale from Devon concerning a pair of disembodied hands which, for the last hundred years, have haunted one particular stretch of road across the moors. Sources and further reading: 'The Hairy Hands Horror', Mysterious Universe: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/11/the-hairy-hands-horror/'Dartmoor's Hairy Hands', We Are South Devon: http:...

In this episode of Oddity, we'll be taking a look at an unsolved murder from the 1920s which continues to baffle people to this day - the Hinterkaifeck Massacre. Sources and further reading:Wikipedia/de.Wikipedia - Hinterkaifeck'Case of the month: Hinterkaifeck', Defrosting Cold Cases: https://www.defrostingcoldcases.com/case-month-hinterkaifeck/'Hinterkaifeck', Ranker: http://www.ranker.com/l...

In this episode, we'll be considering the case for alien big cats or ABCs, also known as phantom cats. These anomalous felids are non-native species which appear in unlikely locations and rarely leave any concrete proof of their existence. Sources and further reading:Wikipedia - British Big Cats / Phantom Cat / Beast of Bodmin'Uncovering The Mysterious Tale of the Surrey Puma', The Surrey Mirr...

This week on Oddity, we'll be looking at a tiny island with a tragic history, which has become something of a tourist attraction due to its eerie inhabitants; The Island of the Dolls. Sources and further reading: Isla De Las Munecas website: http://www.isladelasmunecas.com/ La Isla De Las Munecas, Slate: http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlasobscura/2013/06/17/laisladelasmunecasisanislandfilledwit...

This week on Oddity, we'll be taking a look at Spring-heeled Jack, a monster who terrorised the women of nineteenth century London decades before the other monstrous Jack stalked the streets. Sources and further reading: "The Haunted Landscape", Jacob Middleton, Fortean Times #310, p. 30 - 35"New Jersey's Spring-Heeled Jack Scare", Theo Paijmans, Fortean Times #310, p. 28-29Wikipedia - Spring...

This week on Oddity, we discuss an archaic charm which is a fascinating, albeit grisly, part of English folklore; the hand of glory. Sources and further reading: D. L. Ashliman's research on University of Pittsburgh website - http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/hand.html The Whitby Museum - http://www.whitbymuseum.org.uk/collections/hogg.php Folklore Thursday - http://folklorethursday.com/folklife/da...

This week on Oddity, we look at a case which started in 1977 and lasted for over fourteen months, turning the lives of one ordinary family upside down and leaving an impact which can still be felt four decades later. Sources and further reading: Forum: The Enfield Poltergeist show, Guy Lyon Playfair, Fortean Times 329, p. 51 The Birth of the Poltergeist, Claude Lecouteux, Fortean Times 293, ...

On Monday 12th December 2015, the body of a man was found on Saddleworth Moor. In his pockets were £130 in £10 notes, some train tickets, and an empty medicine bottle. Despite attempts to identify him, his name would remain a mystery for over a year... Sources and further reading: Body On The Moor, BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-e8c6cbab-da44-4a3c-8f9b-c4fccd53dd24 Who Was...