MonsterTalk

Blake Smith

MonsterTalk: The Science Show About Monsters is a free audio podcast that critically examines the science behind cryptozoological (and legendary) creatures, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, or werewolves.

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20 episodes
Updated Monday
Explicit

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Episodes20

Newest first

Monday · 39 min
🛸 S05E41 - Government Disclosure
Blake and Karen welcome back paranormal investigator Matthew Baxter to sift through the latest government UAP release - the so-called PURSUE document dump - and work out what, if anything, is actually in it. Baxter took on the job of reading the...
July 20 · 37 min
🐂S05E40 - Cattle Mutilations: Part 2🛸
⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains frank discussion of animal death, carcass predation, and graphic descriptions of animal mutilation. Listener discretion is advised. Blake and Karen continue their conversation with religious studies scholar...
July 13 · 39 min
🐂S05E39 - Cattle Mutilations: Part 1🛸
⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains detailed discussion of animal injuries and death. Both parts carry an explicit tag.⚠️ Blake and Karen welcome Lee Weiss, a religious studies scholar whose deep dive into the FBI's declassified cattle...
July 6 · 45 min
🦕 S05E38 - Champ Across the Border
Champ Across the Border: Blake and Karen welcome back historian Dr. Joseph Gagné, a specialist in New France and the French colonial period of North America, to talk about Champ - the famous monster of Lake Champlain. Most of the lake sits between New...
June 29 · 1 hr 5 min
🪓 S05E37 - The Lizzie Borden Murders
Note: This episode deals with murder and goes into some detail, so we're putting the "explicit tag" for the mature content, perhaps not suitable for all audiences. MonsterTalk steps outside its usual territory for a true-crime case with a paranormal...
June 22 · 58 min
S05E36 - The Chinnery Backseat Ghost
A skeptical look at one of the most famous ghost photographs ever taken - the 1959 "backseat ghost" snapped by Mrs. Mabel Chinnery in Ipswich, England. This episode is distilled from a recent MonsterTalk Live stream with Blake, Karen Stollznow, and...
June 15 · 58 min
S05E35 The Newby Church Specter
Blake, Karen and Matt discover that this famous ghost photo isn't as old as they expected, and perhaps not as mysterious either. Do we get it right? Do you have a different explanation? Let us know in the comments. 👻 The Spectre of Newby ChurchIn one...
June 8 · 53 min
S05E34 - Rakshasas
Most Americans meet the Rakshasa in exactly two places: a 1974 episode of a beloved horror TV series and the pages of the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. Both versions give you a debonair, tiger-faced shape-changer with a taste for human flesh...
June 1 · 1 hr 8 min
S05E33 - The Devil Went Down to Devon
On the morning of February 9, 1855, residents across south Devon, England, discovered strange hoof-shaped tracks in the snow. The prints - about 4 inches long, 3 inches wide, and spaced roughly 8 inches apart in single file - appeared to have been...
May 25 · 52 min
S05E32 - Monsters of the Deep with Dr. Darren Naish
Darren joins Blake and Karen to discuss his new article in Geology Today, which grew out of his work on the Monsters of the Deep museum exhibition. That exhibition originally opened at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, Cornwall in 2020,...
May 18 · 39 min
S05E31 - From Loup Garou to Rougarou (pt 2) with Louisiana Dread's Kyle Crosby
This is part two of our conversation with Kyle Crosby, creator and host of https://www.louisianadread.com. In Part 1, we covered the history of the Acadians and how they carried the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loup-garou legend from France to the...
May 11 · 38 min
S05E30 - From Loup Garou to Rougarou with Louisiana Dread's Kyle Crosby
This is part one of a two-part conversation. Blake and Karen are joined by Kyle Crosby, filmmaker, historian, and founder of https://www.louisianadread.com, a multimedia project dedicated to documenting the dark history, folklore, and culture of the...
May 4 · 45 min
S05E29 - Science of the Supernatural with Melissa Maffeo
Neuroscientist Dr. Melissa Maffeo joins Blake and Karen to discuss her new book https://amzn.to/4urBM3t (Cambridge University Press, 2026). Melissa is an associate teaching professor of psychology at Wake Forest University, where she also serves as...
May 1 · 50 min
FLASHBACK BONUS: S01E069 The Key to the Legend of the Map Monsters
To announce (and celebrate) the Spanish language release of Chet Van Duzer's beautiful and informative book on map monsters, I'm re-releasing episode S01E69! Grab your copy in Spanish here:...
April 27 · 1 hr 10 min
S05E28 The Cottingley Fairies
Blake and Karen are joined by Matt Baxter to discuss the strange case of the Cottingley Fairies. https://www.monstertalk.org/?p=2706 Hosts: Karen Stollznow, Blake Smith Guest: Matt Baxter In this episode, the MonsterTalk crew tackles one of the...
April 20 · 52 min
S05E27 - Monsters: Myths, Legends, and Real Encounters with Richard Estep
🎙️ Blake and Karen welcome back author and paranormal investigator Richard Estep to discuss his new book from Visible Ink Press, https://amzn.to/4csd7Eo. Richard is a paramedic, clinical educator, and the author of more than 30 books on the...
April 13 · 35 min
S05E26 Haunted Cemeteries
In Part 2 of our chat with folklorist Chris Woodyard we talk about the lore of haunted cemeteries.Find Chris on...
April 6 · 42 min
S05E25 - Headless Motorcyclist Ghosts
In part 1 of our chat with folklorist http://hauntedohiobooks.com/, we discuss haunted roads and headless motorcycle ghosts. Find Chris on...
March 30 · 54 min
S05E24 - ParaMormonal Activity with Steve Cuno
We talk with Karen's friend, author and Ex-Mormon, Steve Cuno about paranormal ideas in the Mormon religion. Steve Cuno: https://amzn.to/3NXqtAa https://amzn.to/4bToNQqhttps://amzn.to/4bToNQqhttps://amzn.to/4bToNQq David W. Patten and Mormon...
March 23 · 40 min
S05E23 - The Stately Ghosts of England (pt2)
Part two of our discussion of the interesting made-for-TV film https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414544/(1965). Blake and Karen are joined by Matt Baxter and this is a https://www.patreon.com/posts/s05e22-stately-153137261. The film stars...

MonsterTalk

Support the show

🛸 S05E41 - Government Disclosure

🐂S05E40 - Cattle Mutilations: Part 2🛸

🐂S05E39 - Cattle Mutilations: Part 1🛸

🦕 S05E38 - Champ Across the Border

🪓 S05E37 - The Lizzie Borden Murders

S05E36 - The Chinnery Backseat Ghost

S05E35 The Newby Church Specter

S05E34 - Rakshasas

S05E33 - The Devil Went Down to Devon

S05E32 - Monsters of the Deep with Dr. Darren Naish

S05E31 - From Loup Garou to Rougarou (pt 2) with Louisiana Dread's Kyle Crosby

S05E30 - From Loup Garou to Rougarou with Louisiana Dread's Kyle Crosby

S05E29 - Science of the Supernatural with Melissa Maffeo

FLASHBACK BONUS: S01E069 The Key to the Legend of the Map Monsters

S05E28 The Cottingley Fairies

S05E27 - Monsters: Myths, Legends, and Real Encounters with Richard Estep

S05E26 Haunted Cemeteries

S05E25 - Headless Motorcyclist Ghosts

S05E24 - ParaMormonal Activity with Steve Cuno

S05E23 - The Stately Ghosts of England (pt2)