13 O’Clock Podcast

The Maya are probably one of the most mysterious ancient cultures on earth, and because of this, lots and lots of myths and misunderstandings, some nuttier than others, have sprung up about them. The best known is their supposed "prediction" of the end of the world in 2012 (which didn't happen, obviously), but there are also many other stories involving ancient aliens, crystal skulls, the reasons behind the rapid decline of their complex civilization, whether they were big fans of human sacrifice, and so much more. On episode 48 of the show, Tom and Jenny discuss the fascinating world of the ancient Maya and the truth behind many of the stories and myths that emerged about them over the years. Paint an orphan child blue and toss them into the nearest cenote (um, yeah, don't really do that) and settle in for another fun, rambling, and marginally informative episode of 13 O'Clock. Visit our sponsor, Subculture Corsets! Check out the horror anthology 2012 AD, which includes Jenny's short story "The Five Hills of Ichaanziho." Check out our new channel, 13 O'Clock In Minutes! Also check out Jenny's horror blog, Goddess of Hellfire. Song at the end: "The Mayan Song (Ode to the End of the World)" by Scary Pete.

On episode 47, Tom and Jenny are returning to their fun recaps of “A Haunting” episodes, and this time around, they’re discussing one of the more unusual ones: “Hungry Ghosts,” which was the fifth episode of season two. The wealthy Bishop family move to a company-owned mansion in Taiwan after dad Dennis is given a promotion, but almost from the moment they set foot in the place, creepy things are afoot. Leaky walls, big-ass spiders, footsteps, voices, doors opening by themselves…it’s enough to make mom Candace summon a Taoist priest to rid the gigantic, window-heavy showplace of its pesky spirits. Don’t forget to pack up a picnic basket of fruit, incense, and cash to leave on the front lawn for the unquiet ghosts before tuning in for the latest haunting episode of 13 O’Clock. And be sure to check out our shiny new list channel, 13 O’Clock In Minutes!

Ever since Mars was first observed through a telescope in the 17th century, there has been rampant speculation that the mysterious Red Planet could harbor life. Once the stuff of sci-fi stories, Mars exploration is now a reality, and scientists theorize that there could indeed have once been primitive life on Mars, and even that Martian microbes might have even seeded the early Earth. Further out on the fringe are those wacky conspiracy theorists, some of whom believe that everything from snakes to primates to child slaves to entire civilizations now live or once lived on Mars and that NASA is covering it up. On episode 46, Tom and Jenny delve into the fascinating world of life on Mars, from the earliest speculations to the most recent scientific discoveries to the craziest conspiracies. Fire up your Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator and listen in as 13 O’Clock goes searching for Martians.

The horrifying massacre that took place in Villisca, Iowa in 1912 is among the creepiest mass murders in American history. Eight people — a couple with four children and two young girls who were staying the night — were brutally slaughtered with an axe while they slept, for seemingly no reason whatsoever. The crime was never solved, and what’s worse, that dreadful slaying might not have been the only one. Some researchers point out that there was a disturbing trend of gruesome axe murders going on in the Midwest from the period of 1911 through 1914, and it’s possible that some of these crimes were perpetrated by the same person. On this episode of 13 O’Clock, Tom and Jenny return to the most terrifying corners of the true crime genre to take a look at the infamous Villisca Axe Murders, as well as the disturbing series of similar crimes that terrorized the American heartland in the early twentieth century.

In 2001, Edd and Beth Dunham moved into a nondescript home in Deltona, Florida, thinking it would be a great place for their family to grow. But little did they know that before long, they would begin to see apparitions and experience disturbing poltergeist activity, and in the end would come face to face with an evil entity that seemed bent on attacking their baby daughter. On this show, Tom and Jenny are returning once again to their exploration of the real stories behind the best episodes of the series “A Haunting,” and this particular case, aired in 2006, has some personal significance, since it happened very close to where Jenny grew up and to where Tom and Jenny now live, and since Tom has met Edd Dunham in real life and has spoken to him at length about the paranormal activity that befell his family. So sit back and enjoy this tale of a particularly Floridian haunting.

Grab hold of your e-meters and prepare to body route your thetans (or something), because the Angry Gay Pope has returned to give an update on what’s been going on in the wild, wacky world of Scientology! Hear all about AGP’s stealth raid of the Inglewood org, the latest gossip about sexy cult security guards, and the possibility of Shelly Miscavige being held prisoner at the Twin Peaks secret base, plus lots more hilarious anecdotes and digressions. Fetch a tall glass of milk in which to dip your Oreo cookie of supremacy, and prepare for an extra-special episode 43 of the 13 O’Clock Podcast!

The world is full of amazing creatures great and small, but crypozoologists are convinced that there are even more bizarre and amazing-er critters out there that science has so far been unable to pin down. From Bigfoot to Nessie, from the chupacabra to the Jersey Devil, from the Aswang to the Pukwudgie, cryptids have been reported by all cultures in every era of history, and even though a few reports of mysterious unknown creatures turned out to have a basis in fact, many of the current sightings still retain more than a  whiff of legend. How likely are some of these fascinating varmints to exist? On this episode, Tom and Jenny take a fun, whirlwind romp through the shadowy corridors of cryptozoology, exploring some of the better-known and lesser-known creatures. Pour some plaster of Paris into that giant hominid footprint and join us for episode 42.

In 1978, Bobby and Addie Wilcott bought an old New England house to fix up. Little did they know that a few decades later, enough creepy shit would happen in their humble abode to warrant a pretty damn good episode of A Haunting titled "The Dark Side." The haunting started small -- doors opening and closing by themselves, a broken player piano suddenly belting out tunes willy-nilly -- but eventually cockroaches, child endangerment, and the Warrens got involved. On this episode, Tom and Jenny return to their discussion/review of A Haunting episodes, talking about the re-enactment itself, and also taking another opportunity to talk about the Warrens, because you know how we always have fun doing that. Spray around some odor of sanctity and enjoy episode 41.

The Atlanta Ripper is perhaps one of America's most brutal and prolific serial killers, but also one of its most forgotten, and there is even some controversy over whether he existed at all. Starting around 1909, a series of murders of black and mixed-race women in Atlanta, Georgia suggested that a mysterious murderer was prowling the streets, slashing women's throats and sending the entire community into a panic. On this episode, Tom and Jenny discuss this tragically unsolved case, delving into the murders themselves as well as the controversies surrounding the killings at the time. America, it seems, had its very own Jack the Ripper, and whoever he was, he's the subject of our 40th episode.

Some of our listeners might remember the episode of the TV show A Haunting which was titled "The Haunting of Summerwind." The house called Summerwind, in fact, is better known as the Lamont Mansion, and a bunch of spooky legends surround the place. Even though the house was destroyed by fire in 1988, ghost hunters in Wisconsin still claim that the area is haunted, and on this episode of 13 O'Clock, Tom and Jenny not only discuss the history and stories about the Lamont Mansion, but also how the facts differ from the episode of A Haunting (which, incidentally, is Tom's very favorite episode of the show). We also discuss our feelings about other paranormal shows currently on the airwaves.

They're not saying it's demons...but it's the Warrens, so yeah, it's always demons. On this episode of 13 O'Clock, Tom and Jenny have an entertaining and digressive discussion about OG ghost hunters/demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren and the controversies surrounding them, as well as some of the high-profile cases they were involved in, such as the Haunting in Connecticut, the Smurl family, Annabelle the haunted doll, Amityville, and the case behind The Conjuring. And remember kids: everything is demons. DEMONS!

Ahoy, mateys! Batten down the hatches and hoist the mainsail, because this week, 13 O'Clock is going nautical! More specifically, we're talking about what a vast, terrifying place the ocean is and why people should probably never, ever go there for any reason. You see, since time immemorial, sailors have shared frightening tales of massive sea monsters that threaten to swallow their boats whole, and eerie phantom ships with skeleton crews that portend doom for the unfortunate seamen who witness them. From the Kraken to the Flying Dutchman, from the Midgard Serpent to the Mary Celeste, from the Aspidochelone to the Ourang Medan, this episode sees Tom and Jenny ranging all over the globe and discussing seafaring legends and true tales alike, speculating on some of the real stories that might lie behind the myths. Don your flippers and dive into the creepiest mysteries lurking beneath the sea.

The world is full of real-life horrors, so it isn't surprising that fictional horror sometimes takes its cue from true events. While most are familiar with the supposedly real stories behind movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, Jaws, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and The Amityville Horror, on this episode of 13 O'Clock, Tom and Jenny discuss four lesser-known recent horror films with plots somewhat based in reality: The Possession (based on the infamous dybbuk box), The Quiet Ones (based on the Philip Experiment), The Girl Next Door (based on the horrific torture and murder of Sylvia Likens), and The Forest (based on Aokigahara, Japan's Suicide Forest). Listen in as horror gets real...sort of.

It’s alive! ALIVE!!! Sure, science is certainly the best method humans have so far devised for discovering the truth of the world around us (and inventing super-cool shit to boot), but sometimes it’s a rocky road, and occasionally the most brilliant scientific minds can come up with some wacky and disturbing ideas that can lead to some pretty strange experiments and ethical conundrums. On this episode of 13 O’Clock, Tom and Jenny discuss four cases of weird science, including Harry Harlow’s monkey love-deprivation experiments, the Hofling Hospital doctor-authority studies, Freud’s nasal-sexual weirdness with patient Emma Eckstein, and the case of Dr. John Money, David Reimer, and sex reassignment gone tragically wrong.

A masked, black-gloved killer stalks the streets of Rome, hacking away at underdressed ladies with a flashing, phallic blade. A hapless tourist witnesses one of these murders, but is brushed off by the police, and is forced to try to reveal the killer on her own, before she becomes the next victim. If this plot sounds familiar, it's because it's the most common story arc of the classic Italian thriller/horror genre, the giallo. This distinctive film style has many fascinating aesthetic and narrative flourishes, and is largely responsible for kicking off the American slasher film boom of the 1970s and 1980s. On this episode, Tom and Jenny discuss one of Jenny's very favorite film styles, giving a history of the genre, a breakdown of the most commonly seen tropes, and opinions about the best giallo films. Sharpen your straight razor and shrug into your black trenchcoat as we take a deep red journey into the lurid, murderous world of the giallo. Bring in the perverts!

Dissatisfied with your life? Seeking some form of spiritual enlightenment and purpose? Feel like giving up all your earthly possessions and living in a compound with a bunch of brainwashed weirdos? Boy, have we got an episode for you! Just kidding, you don't really want to join a cult (uh...right?), and you REALLY don't want to join the four disturbing, doomsday cults we're discussing on 13 O'Clock today. The Order of the Solar Temple, the Children of God, the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, and the intertwined Korean cults known as Paradise and the Salvation Sect...these groups had it all, including skeevy, exploitative leaders, wackjob beliefs, criminal activity, and mass murder and suicide. Pour yourself a nice tall glass of Kool-Aid and believe unquestioningly every word that your hosts utter on this revelatory episode of 13 O'Clock. Join us...join us...

In January of 1935, a young man checked into a hotel in Kansas City under the pseudonym Roland T. Owen, with only a hairbrush, a comb, and a tube of toothpaste to his name. A couple of days later, he was found naked, bound and obviously tortured in his blood-splashed room. Who was this murdered man with the fake name? Why was he constantly sitting in the dark? Who was the mysterious "Don" he talked to on the phone? Why was he running down the street clad only in pants and an undershirt? Who anonymously paid for his funeral and a bouquet of roses? Who sent cryptic typed letters to his mother months after his death, and was the man really 17-year-old Artemus Ogletree, as his mother claimed? Everyone loves an unsolved murder, and the mystery of room 1046 is one of the eeriest unsolved crimes in American history. On this episode, Tom and Jenny give a timeline of the weird events leading up to the man's death, and speculate as to what might have befallen the doomed occupant of the Hotel President.

Edinburgh's Greyfriars Kirkyard is famous for many things, including being the final resting place of one of Scotland's most reviled historical figures, Lord Advocate Sir George Mackenzie. In 1998, so the story goes, a hapless homeless man fell through the floor of Mackenzie's tomb - known as the Black Mausoleum - and apparently unleashed a paranormal shitstorm that continues to this day. Hundreds of visitors to the tomb have reported all sorts of terrifying events and injuries taking place at the Black Mausoleum, and the supernatural onslaught has evidently spread to encompass surrounding homes, and even allegedly follows tourists back to their hotels. On this episode, Tom and Jenny discuss the fascinating case of the Mackenzie Poltergeist of the Black Mausoleum, and along the way wander off into inexplicable digressions about Casey Kasem's Top 40, Bigfoot-themed reality shows, peeing on the Blarney Stone, and 80s-era video games featuring spear-based butt horking. Just listen, it will make sense then. (Not really.)

Well, we WERE gonna go with something more cheerful this episode, since we did creepy necrophiliacs on last week’s show, but NO, we had to go and sort of accidentally do another episode about serial killers (one of whom also happens to be a necrophile, for added fun). Sorry. On episode 30 of 13 O’Clock, Tom and Jenny cross the pond to discuss infamous British serial killers Peter Sutcliffe (aka The Yorkshire Ripper) and Dennis Nilsen (aka The Kindly Killer). Join us for yet another twisted, rambling, factually dubious gabfest about the worst humanity has to offer, like dudes beating women to death with ball peen hammers and other dudes happily boiling heads in cooking pots and flushing pieces of people down toilets. Yay. After the show is over, you might want to go hug a puppy or something. Just saying.

Most of us understandably fear death, but there is a very tiny subset of fairly creepy folks out there who literally embrace it. On this episode, Tom and Jenny “dig” into the bizarre, unsettling cases of two confirmed necrophiles: Carl Tanzler (aka Count Carl von Cosel) and Anatoly Moskvin. Neither were killers, but both had a forbidden affinity with the no-longer-living, and their stories are equal parts disturbing and pitiful. In fact, the morbid "love story" between Carl Tanzler and the corpse of Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos has become the stuff of legend. The show also features digressions on the excellent Miriam Allen DeFord story "A Death in the Family," and the wacky world of necrophilia in the animal kingdom. This episode is probably not for the faint of heart; Tom himself becomes so skeeved out by the details of the cases at one point that he entertainingly threatens to abandon the show in utter disgust! So pull up a coffin and settle in for this exploration into the macabre world of the lovers of the dead. You sickos, you. :-)