Amanda Montell is the host of the podcast Sounds Like A Cult as well as the author of the new... more

Sarah Marshall joins me to chat about how, in 1968, one unsuspecting young woman’s bustline almost caused a stock market... more

In the late 1950s, an organization known as SINA started a campaign with the mission of clothing naked animals for... more

Journalist and author Tom Risen is here to tell me about some of the real conspiracies that the CIA and... more

John O'Connor is the author of The Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster, a cross-country... more

For the second part of this Urban Legends Hotline episode, we are continuing to explore various tall tales of ruthless... more

For this Urban Legends Hotline episode, we are answering a listener message about a story of street gangs initiating wannabes... more

'Gang Initiations' is the topic of our upcoming series, and this episode will provide extra context using excerpts from three... more

Live at SF Sketchfest, Sarah Marshall tells me about the urban-legendary alligators in the sewers of New York City. But... more

Today I'm joined by paranormal corespondent Jim Perry of the podcast Euphomet and Sapphire Sandalo of the podcast Stories With... more

In this episode I tell podcaster Sarah Marshall a truly wild story I uncovered about the first recognized case of... more

Pop culture correspondent and major Pro Wrestling fan BJ Colangelo and I discuss the quirky history of this manly soap... more

Author of the book Crap: A History of Cheap Stuff in America, historian Wendy Woloson joins me to discuss the... more

The novelty pets known as Sea Monkeys have delighted and disappointed millions of American children since they were first marketed... more

This is a rerelease of last year's holiday special! Find our new merch at americanhysteria.com/merch They usually go something like this:... more

This is a story from a recent episode of our exclusive Patreon/Apple + talk show Hysteria Home Companion, where producer... more

(explicit content warning) This *Urban Legends Hotline* episode dives deep into the viral myth that 90s shock rocker Marilyn Manson... more

To celebrate five long years of American Hysteria, our producer Miranda Zickler interviews Chelsey about the origins of the podcast... more

For our very special two-part Halloween conversation, Sarah Marshall and I are going to be sharing the less serious things... more

Home Depot's 12 ft. Skeleton decoration first premiered in the fall of 2020 and sold out immediately, the nationwide obsession... more

Our Halloween special will cover the 12 ft. Skeleton craze and the history of skeleton decorations in America. This episode... more

Please enjoy this rewind of last year's Halloween special called Haunted Dolls. Coming up next week we'll start our Halloween... more

Justin McHenry, author of the forthcoming book Lemuria: A True Story of a Fake Place, tells me an expansive tale... more

To unpack the movie trope of the Murderous Man in a Dress, prolific horror film analysts and writers BJ and... more

For part two of our series, we are starting in the anti-gay moral panic of the 50s and 60s to... more

This series will cover the moral panics and cultural crazes that have long followed the controversial art form once called... more

Our upcoming series, Early Drag Queens, will cover the surprising relationship between "female impersonation" and American masculinity in the time... more

As the social media and the news got word of the new cases of leprosy found in Florida, a slew... more

BJ Colangelo is an editor at Slash Film and the writer of “The Only Guide To Barbie Lore You Will... more

This is a collaborative look at the panics around Furby with the podcast Unspookable, a show much like ours that... more

Jamie Loftus is the author of the recent New York Times bestselling book 'Raw Dog: The Naked Truth about Hot... more

*Urban Legends Hotline* The inbred cannibal pig people who are said to inhabit Pig Hill in Meadville, PA attack teenagers... more

Harmony Colangelo is one of the hosts of This Ends at Prom, a podcast that analyzes coming of age teen... more

In the year 2000, a group of rowdy skateboarders and loosely defined "performers" came to MTV with a pitch that... more

This episode will give context for our upcoming series on Jackass, an early reality show starring a group of skateboarders... more

Blake Pfeil is the host of 'abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast,' a multimedia travelogue exploring abandoned spaces across the United... more

*Urban Legends Hotline* Lauren's story: On a rural road outside Chicago, the ghosts of children killed in a school bus-train... more

For part two of my conversation with Sarah, I finish telling her about a satanic panic era "memoir" published by... more

Over the next two episodes, I tell Sarah the story of another one of Jack Chick's occult experts using his... more

Who was Jack Chick, really? For the final episode in our series we will explore his childhood, his time in... more

An ex-druid grand priest for the illuminati, an undercover Jesuit agent of destruction, a woman married to the devil, and... more

Cartoons of satanic witch cults, Illuminati world domination, demonic homosexuals, and the pressing choice of hell or salvation were the... more

Chick Tracts, what are they? You'll find out in our upcoming three-part series that covers a fundamentalist comic artist who... more

Are we being invaded?? I sure thought so. Today we are talking quite animatedly to our official paranormal correspondent Jim... more

In 2014, an urban legend formed around a cartoon cat chatbot when rumors spread across social media that a child... more

For this episode we chat about the sensational tales of cyberspace, from Slenderman to the Momo suicide game, with the... more

Nope, it's not an urban legend! Today we are talking to journalist and filmmaker Robin Washington who, like a huge... more

In 1974, running naked in public became a major fad led by students on college campuses across the nation. This... more

This episode will give context for our upcoming topic called The Streaking Craze using excerpts from previous shows including: Terrorism Pt.... more

Tickle Me Elmo, Beanie Babies, Cabbage Patch Kids, Pokemon cards. These trendy toys all inspired parental parking lot brawls and... more

Because so many Hallmark writers and directors also make horror movies, I called in podcasters Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed... more

They usually go something like this: A cranky career woman from the big city who has lost the true meaning... more

This episode gives context to our upcoming series on Hallmark Christmas Movies using excerpts from previous topics including The War... more

Colin Dickey is one of American Hysteria's biggest influences—our episodes called Talking to the Dead and Alien Abductions relied on... more

Paranormal podcast host (and major buddy) Jim Perry of Euphomet returns to discuss a couple of the many experiences that... more

Featuring poems, fiction, nonfiction, AND A GROUP SONG with work by Sarah Marshall (You're Wrong About, You Are Good), Alex... more

Here’s a preview from a podcast that's right up your dark alley! On Cautionary Tales, bestselling author Tim Harford finds... more

We'll see how possessed playthings have crept their way into the dark attic of America: Thomas Edison's little monsters, a... more

To get you ready for our upcoming episode called Haunted Dolls, we have selected some excerpts on Furby urban legends,... more

Our most classic American urban legend is back with a vengeance, promising to ruin Halloween yet again. With an updated... more

To get an extended director's cut of this episode, become a patron: patreon.com/americanhysteria For this Halloween Party, we are joined by... more

Not unlike the bubble markets of Beanie Babies and Cryptocurrency, the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s was a chaotic... more

The Florida Man meme, with its bizarre crime headlines and mugshots, has become one of our most popular and long-lasting... more

This episode will provide some context for our upcoming series on Florida Man. The excerpts are from Trash Talk Shows,... more

CW: Sexual violence. Since the 1970s, Loretta J. Ross has been an instrumental activist in the fight for 'Reproductive Justice',... more

Featuring yet another flamboyant abortionist, sideshow fetuses, Mother with a capital M, eugenic suspicions, and plenty more population panics. We'll... more

Featuring flamboyant abortionists, dangerously determined doctors, problematic feminists, opportunist politicians, and one sneaky pope, this two-part series will explore the... more

Our upcoming series is about the origins of the anti-abortion movement in the time before Roe vs Wade. This Context... more

Alice Sparkly Kat (who goes by Ace) is an astrologer and the author of the book ‘Postcolonial Astrology: Reading the... more

In 1941, hundreds of British secret agents were sent to the United States to spread creative anti-Nazi propaganda with the... more

Dr. Eric Kurlander is the author of Hitler’s Monsters: A Supernatural History of the Third Reich which details the occult... more

This episode is not about debunking astrology, it’s about something far more interesting: the role that star-gazing soothsaying advisors have... more

In honor of Pride month, here is a little rerelease of last year's special episode! Over the last ten years,... more

*CW: Brief description of animal abuse, some brief descriptions of death* Sarah Marshall is the host of our sibling podcasts You’re... more

Rotten.com was a shock website from the late 90s and early 2000s that collected the most gruesome and explicit photos... more

Snuff films are alleged murders filmed for the purpose of distribution, an urban legend that has been circulating since the... more

This rerelease will give some context for next week's new episode called Snuff Films. Become a Patron and support our show! Follow... more

Just a handful of little announcements as we take a few weeks off (back in late April). Learn more about your... more

Melissa Lozada-Oliva is a Guatemalan-Colombian-American poet, screenwriter, and educator, and co-host of the podcast Say More. She is the author... more

'This Ends at Prom' is a podcast that dives deep into coming-of-age and teen girl movies from the queer, feminist... more

Behind every manufactured boy band there is what the press calls a Svengali, a puppet master who assembles the group... more

Hysterical fangirls have become so commonplace in popular music that we hardly pay attention to them anymore, no matter how... more

To prepare for our series called Fangirls and Boy Bands, we are heading back to the fantastical realm of the... more

*Please listen to our Westboro Baptist Church episode first!!* Megan Phelps-Roper was born and raised in the WBC, a fervent... more

The Westboro Baptist Church outraged both sides of the political spectrum throughout the 90s, 2000s and 2010s, picketing the funerals... more

Next week we will be covering the Westboro Baptist Church, the small family clan and hyper-Calvinist group who have long... more

This is a sneak peek of our new Patrons-only podcast Hysteria Home Companion, where we share with you all the... more

Today we're talking to podcaster Jim Perry, the host of Euphomet, a paranormal documentary series that explores the unknown and... more

In this classic episode, learn about the battles fought for and against this controversial American holiday from the Puritans to... more

For part two of our series, we will look at skeptics' explanations for the alien abduction phenomenon to see what... more

For part one of our two-part series, we will learn about the lives of some of the most influential abductees... more

Satanic Ritual Abuse in Space? To get us ready for our two-part series on Alien Abductions, we are talking about... more

Here's a little more information about our new Patron's-only talk show Hysteria Home Companion, in which producer Miranda Zickler and... more

Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed host the feelings/movie podcast 'You Are Good'. On this episode, we talk about our own... more

In the late 1980s, a New Age America began telling children that they were special, that if they just believed... more

This rerelease episode is about America's lifelong obsession with Get Rich Quick magical thinking. It will help us put into... more

If you want to learn more about the topics covered on American Hysteria, subscribe to our Patreon talk show with... more

Today we talk to the wonderful Shar Mayer, a 45-year veteran of Scare Acting known in the haunt community as... more

Today we'll be talking about the fake-blood-covered history of Haunted Attractions, their raucous origins wrangling violent pranksters, the gory charity... more

This ghostly re-release (with a new introduction) is here to help us fit next week's brand-new episode 'Haunted House Attractions'... more

Join us October 18th for our spooky season premiere on Haunted House Attractions and learn a little more our show's... more

In 2017, YouTube Kids was embroiled in a major scandal when it was discovered that a dark underbelly of inappropriate... more

In preparation for our upcoming *Weirdest Episode of All Time*, we are rereleasing this minisode on a mysterious phenomenon where... more

(Make sure you listen to part one first!) Today, Chris shares his experience becoming a sudden villain in the fringe... more

Chris Gethard is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, actor, filmmaker and author of Weird New York as well as an editor... more

Susan Styker is the author of Transgender History: The Roots of Today’s Revolution as well as a filmmaker, distinguished professor,... more

Over the last ten years, Gender Reveal Parties have exploded, figuratively and literally. Parents, communities, and social media followers alike... more

Pride Rerelease! This is a listener favorite. Back in 2018, I had my two Christian friends on the show, who... more

Listen or re-listen to learn all about our panics surrounding what amounts to the queer illuminati and their evil plans... more

Finally, it is ME CHELSEY WEBER-SMITH as our interview guest, questioned lovingly by our producer Miranda Zickler. We will discuss... more

The kids' book series Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was based largely on urban legends, and when I... more

In preparation for our season finale next week on Urban Legends, we wanted to replay our deep dive into the... more

The genres of modern scary movies known as slashers, meta-horror, torture porn, and social thrillers, each tell us about the... more

We need a little extra time for Horror Movies II, so here is a re-release of a very related and... more

Carmen Maria Machado is the author of three books, the award-winning Her Body and Other Parties, a collection of vibrantly... more

Lil Nas X and the sexy-ass Satanic imagery featured in Call Me By Your Name has sparked a mini Satanic... more

Horror movies, consistently written-off by critics, exist unbound from mainstream respectability and because of this, they can often tell us... more

Leading up to our two-part Horror Movies series, we wanted to return to this little prequel focused on one of... more

Mara Wilson is a writer, actor, and the former star of the 1996 classic movie Matilda as well as the... more

The new American archetype known as the “Influencer” has existed in various forms long before the advent of social media,... more