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American Hysteria
American Hysteria
chelsey weber-smith

American Hysteria explores how fantastical thinking has shaped our culture – moral panics, urban legends, hoaxes, crazes, fringe beliefs, and national misunderstandings.... more

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Episodes

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

For the 100th anniversary of the Macy's Parade, we are looking at the chaos energy that has always animated this... more

26 Nov 2024 · 58 minutes
Context Clues: All the World Loves a Parade

This episode will give some context for our upcoming episode about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, its unbelievable chaotic origins... more

18 Nov 2024 · 47 minutes
Artificial Unintelligence with Perry Carpenter

Perry Carpenter is the author of the new book FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes,... more

11 Nov 2024 · 1 hour, 22 minutes
Falling for Fascism (re-release)

This episode was originally released right before the 2020 presidential election and is even more relevant as we face the... more

04 Nov 2024 · 30 minutes
Buried Alive!

In the 19th century, America and Europe experienced a panic over premature burial, believing that anyone could be accidentally declared... more

28 Oct 2024 · 1 hour,
Presenting: “Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder”

This is a preview for "Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder." On April 22, 1987, 52-year-old Ruthie... more

27 Oct 2024 · 7 minutes
Context Clues: Grave Mistakes

'Buried Alive,' our upcoming Halloween special, looks at the American fear and fascination with premature burial. We'll explore the panic... more

21 Oct 2024 · 49 minutes
A MASSIVE SEANCE Live Show Tour with YOU'RE WRONG ABOUT

What could possibly go wrong when two skeptical podcasters try to summon a ghost? Join Sarah Marshall of You're Wrong... more

18 Oct 2024 · 1 minute
I Was a Teenage Poltergeist with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Today Sarah Marshall transports us to the old world of British Hysteria to reveal the mysterious story of the Enfield... more

14 Oct 2024 · 1 hour, 38 minutes
Skibidi Toilet

Generation Alpha has made the uncanny, creepy, and chaotic YouTube series 'Skibidi Toilet' into a viral YouTube sensation, so much... more

07 Oct 2024 · 1 hour, 4 minutes
Listen Now: MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries

The human body is a miracle. But when it’s not working, it can be the stuff of nightmares. On this new... more

07 Oct 2024 · 32 minutes
Context Clues: Brr Skibidi Dop Dop Dop Yes Yes

Our upcoming episode is about the massively successful and deeply uncanny YouTube series Skibidi Toilet, the first content that Generation... more

30 Sep 2024 · 1 hour, 4 minutes
The Untold History of the NYPD with Chenjerai Kumanyika of Empire City

Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika is a Peabody Award-winning audio journalist and an assistant professor of journalism at New York University. His... more

23 Sep 2024 · 1 hour, 3 minutes
Taylor Swift Decoded with Pop Music Journalist Brittany Spanos

Brittany Spanos is a senior writer for Rolling Stone Magazine who has taught a course at NYU called Topics in... more

09 Sep 2024 · 1 hour, 4 minutes
Elvis is Alive!

The life of the conspiracy theory that claims Elvis Presley faked his death is an almost unbelievable journey through gimmick-crazy... more

02 Sep 2024 · 1 hour, 11 minutes
Context Clues: The King is Dead Probably

The idea that Elvis Presley did not die in August of 1977, that he instead faked his death, has become... more

26 Aug 2024 · 55 minutes
The Disney Gimmick That Conjured a Ghost with Jim Perry of Euphomet

Our paranormal correspondent Jim Perry is back to tell us about his recent ghost hunt inside the Queen Mary ship,... more

12 Aug 2024 · 58 minutes
Tarantism: Dancing Mania pt. 2 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

For part two of our series, we are returning to the phenomenon called 'Tarantism' that began in the Middle Ages... more

05 Aug 2024 · 1 hour, 22 minutes
Tarantism: Dancing Mania pt. 1 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

The phenomenon called 'Tarantism' began in the Middle Ages in southern Italy where the bite of a local spider caused... more

29 Jul 2024 · 1 hour, 5 minutes
Spider Slander: Confronting the Myths with Expert Rod Crawford

Rod Crawford is the curator of the arachnids and related research collections at Seattle’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.... more

22 Jul 2024 · 46 minutes
The Average Person Swallows Eight Spiders a Year in Their Sleep

For this Urban Legends Hotline episode, we are dissecting the myth that the average person swallows a certain number of... more

15 Jul 2024 · 1 hour, 1 minute
Rewind: Believing in the Blair Witch (Updated!)

This is an update on the new developments surrounding one of my favorite movies of all time, The Blair Witch... more

24 Jun 2024 · 24 minutes
Pretendians: Indigenous Identity Fraud with Robert Jago and Angel Ellis

For this episode, the hosts of the new podcast Pretendians, Robert Jago and Angel Ellis, explain Indigenous Identity Fraud, the... more

17 Jun 2024 · 53 minutes
A Terrorist Attack on the Furries with Nicky Woolf

Fur and Loathing is a new investigative podcast from Nicky Woolf about an unsolved 2014 chlorine gas attack on the... more

10 Jun 2024 · 52 minutes
Long Live the Ray Cat with Emperor X and Matt Kielty

Reporter and Radiolab producer Matthew Kielty and musician Chad Matheny (AKA Emperor X) were both part of a 2014 episode... more

20 May 2024 · 58 minutes
Talking to the Future: Nuclear Semiotics

How do we warn people 10,000 years in the future about nuclear waste sites that will remain extremely dangerous for... more

13 May 2024 · 1 hour, 7 minutes
Context Clues: Going Nuclear

For some context for our upcoming series that we have not yet revealed, we will revisit excerpts from our past... more

06 May 2024 · 43 minutes
Magical Overthinking with Amanda Montell

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

29 Apr 2024 · 1 hour, 5 minutes
Francine and the Wolves of Wall Street with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

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

22 Apr 2024 · 1 hour, 17 minutes
The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals

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

01 Apr 2024 · 1 hour, 6 minutes
When Conspiracies Aren't Just Theories with Journalist Tom Risen

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

25 Mar 2024 · 1 hour, 16 minutes
Bigfoot's Big Adventure with Author John O'Connor

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

18 Mar 2024 · 53 minutes
Gang Initiations pt. 2

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

04 Mar 2024 · 54 minutes
Gang Initiations pt. 1

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

26 Feb 2024 · 1 hour, 1 minute
Context Clues: Ganging Up

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

19 Feb 2024 · 37 minutes
Alligators in the Sewer with 'You're Wrong About' [Live at SketchFest]

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

12 Feb 2024 · 1 hour, 14 minutes
The Paranormal Entertainment Industry with Sapphire Sandalo and Jim Perry

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

22 Jan 2024 · 56 minutes
The Indiana Cyclone: America's First Munchausen Case with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

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

15 Jan 2024 · 1 hour, 15 minutes
We Are All Pro Wrestlers with Entertainment Journalist BJ Colangelo

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

08 Jan 2024 · 1 hour, 13 minutes
Talking Crap with Historian Wendy Woloson

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

27 Dec 2023 · 1 hour, 11 minutes
Sea Monkeys

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

18 Dec 2023 · 59 minutes
Hallmark Christmas Movies [rewind]

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

12 Dec 2023 · 1 hour,
The Many Lives of a Carnival Corpse | Subscriber Sneak Peek

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

27 Nov 2023 · 26 minutes
Marilyn Manson's Rib Removal

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

20 Nov 2023 · 52 minutes
...And This is American Hysteria [Five Year Anniversary Special]

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

13 Nov 2023 · 57 minutes
Our Dearest Fears with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

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

30 Oct 2023 · 1 hour, 16 minutes
The 12 ft. Skeleton

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

23 Oct 2023 · 1 hour, 1 minute
Context Clues: Who's Your Bone Daddy?

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

16 Oct 2023 · 52 minutes
Haunted Dolls [rewind]

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

09 Oct 2023 · 1 hour,
Lemuria: The Strangest Place to Never Exist with Author Justin McHenry

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

18 Sep 2023 · 56 minutes
The Killer Crossdresser with Horror Analysts BJ and Harmony Colangelo

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

11 Sep 2023 · 1 hour, 15 minutes
Early Drag Queens pt. 2

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

04 Sep 2023 · 1 hour, 1 minute
Early Drag Queens pt. 1

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

28 Aug 2023 · 55 minutes
Context Clues: Long Live the Queens

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

21 Aug 2023 · 51 minutes
Love in the Time of Leprosy with Advocate José Ramirez, Jr.

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

14 Aug 2023 · 59 minutes
Blame It on Barbie with Entertainment Journalist BJ Colangelo

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

24 Jul 2023 · 1 hour, 24 minutes
Furby's Revenge

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

17 Jul 2023 · 50 minutes
Hot Dog Urban Legends with Comedian Jamie Loftus

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

03 Jul 2023 · 1 hour,
The Cannibal Pig People of Pig Hill

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

26 Jun 2023 · 57 minutes
My Pronouns are Jack/Ass with Podcaster Harmony Colangelo of 'This Ends at Prom'

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

12 Jun 2023 · 1 hour, 7 minutes
Jackass

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

05 Jun 2023 · 1 hour, 5 minutes
Context Clues: Welcome to Jackass

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

29 May 2023 · 50 minutes
Unabandoned with Podcaster Blake Pfeil of 'All-American Ruins'

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

15 May 2023 · 1 hour, 12 minutes
The Ghost Children of Munger Road

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

08 May 2023 · 48 minutes
Interview with the Ex-Vampire (pt. 2) with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

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

17 Apr 2023 · 47 minutes
Interview with the Ex-Vampire (pt. 1) with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

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

10 Apr 2023 · 52 minutes
Chick Tracts pt. 3

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

03 Apr 2023 · 57 minutes
Chick Tracts pt. 2

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

27 Mar 2023 · 1 hour, 9 minutes
Chick Tracts pt. 1

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

20 Mar 2023 · 59 minutes
Context Clues: A Cartoonish Hell Awaits You

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

13 Mar 2023 · 42 minutes
OMG WTF UFOs with Jim Perry of Euphomet

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

20 Feb 2023 · 1 hour,
Talking Angela

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

13 Feb 2023 · 39 minutes
Urban Legends in the Internet Wilderness with the Digital Folklore Podcast

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

06 Feb 2023 · 57 minutes
When Naked Swimming was Required in Gym Class with Journalist Robin Washington

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

23 Jan 2023 · 58 minutes
The Streaking Craze

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

16 Jan 2023 · 57 minutes
Context Clues: Naked or Afraid

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

09 Jan 2023 · 40 minutes
Toy Riots (Rerun)

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

26 Dec 2022 · 41 minutes
The Horror of Hallmark with Podcasters Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed of 'You Are Good'

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

19 Dec 2022 · 1 hour,
Hallmark Christmas Movies

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

12 Dec 2022 · 1 hour, 2 minutes
Context Clues: The Hallmarks of Hallmark's "Hallmark Christmas"

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

05 Dec 2022 · 45 minutes
Land of Delusion with Cultural Historian Colin Dickey

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

28 Nov 2022 · 53 minutes
Haunted Objects of Our Affection with Podcaster Jim Perry of Euphomet

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

07 Nov 2022 · 57 minutes
Our Halloween Open Mic

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

31 Oct 2022 · 44 minutes
Halloween Sadism from Cautionary Tales

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

28 Oct 2022 · 16 minutes
Haunted Dolls

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

24 Oct 2022 · 1 hour,
Context Clues: The Uncanny Valley of the Dolls

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

17 Oct 2022 · 39 minutes
Rainbow Fentanyl: Poisoned Halloween Candy Rerelease

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

11 Oct 2022 · 46 minutes
Halloween is Millennial Christmas with Podcaster Sarah Marshall of You're Wrong About

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

03 Oct 2022 · 1 hour, 4 minutes
Florida Scam

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

19 Sep 2022 · 39 minutes
Florida Man

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

12 Sep 2022 · 1 hour, 1 minute
Context Clues: Feeling Like a Freak on a Beach

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

05 Sep 2022 · 30 minutes
An Irresistible Movement with Reproductive Justice Activist Loretta J. Ross

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

15 Aug 2022 · 51 minutes
Womb Wars pt. 2

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

08 Aug 2022 · 57 minutes
Womb Wars pt. 1

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

01 Aug 2022 · 1 hour,
Context Clues: Maybe it Ain't About the Babies

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

25 Jul 2022 · 33 minutes
Postcolonial Astrology with Alice Sparkly Kat

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

05 Jul 2022 · 42 minutes
The Planetary Propaganda of the Anti-Nazi Astrologer

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

27 Jun 2022 · 41 minutes
The Supernatural Imaginary of the Third Reich with Historian Eric Kurlander

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

20 Jun 2022 · 1 hour, 1 minute
Astrology

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

13 Jun 2022 · 54 minutes
Pride Rewind: Gender Reveal Parties

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

06 Jun 2022 · 44 minutes
All the Other Snuff with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

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

23 May 2022 · 58 minutes
Rotten.com

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

16 May 2022 · 28 minutes
Snuff Films

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

09 May 2022 · 55 minutes
Context Clues: Pornography

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

02 May 2022 · 42 minutes
Hear ye! Hear ye! Extra extra hear all about it!

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

04 Apr 2022 · 3 minutes
The Séance of Selena with Poet Melissa Lozada-Oliva

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

28 Mar 2022 · 40 minutes
Scene Queens with Podcasters BJ and Harmony Colangelo of 'This Ends at Prom'

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

21 Mar 2022 · 1 hour,
Boy Bands

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

07 Mar 2022 · 54 minutes
Fangirls

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

21 Feb 2022 · 47 minutes
Context Clues: Teenage Sex

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

14 Feb 2022 · 39 minutes
Twitter Saves Megan from the Westboro Baptist Church

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

31 Jan 2022 · 41 minutes
The Westboro Baptist Church

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

24 Jan 2022 · 1 hour, 3 minutes
Context Clues: Televangelists

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

17 Jan 2022 · 57 minutes
E.T. Phone Hollywood: 'Hysteria Home Companion' Patreon Sneak Peek

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

10 Jan 2022 · 5 minutes
Normalizing the Paranormal with Podcaster Jim Perry of Euphomet

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

03 Jan 2022 · 58 minutes
War On Christmas (Rerelease)

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

26 Dec 2021 · 53 minutes
Alien Abductions pt. 2

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

20 Dec 2021 · 55 minutes
Alien Abductions pt. 1

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

13 Dec 2021 · 58 minutes
Context Clues: Satanic Ritual Abuse

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

06 Dec 2021 · 40 minutes
The Polyamorous Cult of Ayn Rand: 'Hysteria Home Companion' Patreon Sneak Peak

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

02 Dec 2021 · 5 minutes
Am I Good? With 'You Are Good' Podcast Hosts Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed

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

22 Nov 2021 · 54 minutes
The Self-Esteem Movement

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

15 Nov 2021 · 52 minutes
Context Clues: Get Rich Quick

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

08 Nov 2021 · 55 minutes
NEW PATREON SHOW: Hysteria Home Companion

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

01 Nov 2021 · 1 minute
Haunting From the Heart with Renowned Scare Actor Shar Mayer

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

25 Oct 2021 · 37 minutes
Haunted Attractions

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

18 Oct 2021 · 48 minutes
Context Clues: Talking to the Dead

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

11 Oct 2021 · 36 minutes
We're Baaaaack: 'Haunted House Attractions' Coming October 18th

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

04 Oct 2021 · 2 minutes
#Elsagate

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

16 Aug 2021 · 47 minutes
Rewind: The Mandela Effect

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

09 Aug 2021 · 14 minutes
Talking to Strangers with Comedian Chris Gethard (Part Two)

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

19 Jul 2021 · 29 minutes
Dangerous Attractions with Comedian Chris Gethard (Part One)

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

12 Jul 2021 · 57 minutes
Gender Lies and Liberation with Trans Historian Susan Stryker

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

28 Jun 2021 · 48 minutes
Gender Reveal Parties

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

14 Jun 2021 · 42 minutes
Rewind: Talking to My Christian Friends About Gay Stuff

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

07 Jun 2021 · 27 minutes
THE GAY AGENDA (Pride Re-release)

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

01 Jun 2021 · 36 minutes
The Skeleton of Chelsey Weber-Smith

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

10 May 2021 · 49 minutes
Urban Legends

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

03 May 2021 · 1 hour,
Rewind: The Momo Suicide Challenge

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

26 Apr 2021 · 14 minutes
Horror Movies, pt. 2

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

19 Apr 2021 · 57 minutes
Rewind: Monsters

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

12 Apr 2021 · 36 minutes
On Haunted Houses with Carmen Maria Machado

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

05 Apr 2021 · 55 minutes
SATANIC PANIC EMERGENCY RE-RELEASE

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

30 Mar 2021 · 1 hour, 9 minutes
Horror Movies, pt. 1

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

29 Mar 2021 · 52 minutes
Unmasking Matilda with Mara Wilson

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

15 Mar 2021 · 46 minutes
Influencers

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

08 Mar 2021 · 54 minutes
Gen Z and the Millennial with Gael from Teenager Therapy

Gael Aitor is a senior in high school and the host of the podcast Teenager Therapy, a show where he... more

01 Mar 2021 · 41 minutes
American Hysteria: LIVE VARIETY HOUR (Watch the full show!!)

Our Live Variety Hour is not your run-of-the-mill podcast live show, but an actual two-hour theatrical production performed in 2019.... more

22 Feb 2021 · 2 minutes
Children's Programming

As the nation grapples with a volatile culture war over just what version of American history our children will grow... more

15 Feb 2021 · 54 minutes
We Were Teenage Conspiracy Theorists

Ellen Cushing's recent piece in The Atlantic called “I was a teenage conspiracy theorist” tells her story as a young... more

08 Feb 2021 · 48 minutes
American Hysteria
SATANIC PANIC EMERGENCY RE-RELEASE
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Description

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